Page 51 - Travel Guide to Florida 2020

THE FLORIDA KEYS

Paradise on Earth

BY STEVE WINSTON

AERIAL VIEW OF KEY WEST • FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU/ANDY NEWMAN

s you cross the bridge from wonderful restaurants, with menu items
mainland Florida to Key Largo, you ranging from Continental to Caribbean
A can feel your cares melt away. In cuisine and often featuring a variety of
this world of tropical islands, bordered by delicious conch (pronounced “konk”)
the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf dishes.
of Mexico on the other, you gently ease Stop by Sloppy Joe’s Bar, one of Ernest
yourself into a world of emerald waters, Hemingway’s hangouts when he lived here.
swaying palm trees, unique experiences and Or visit his residence at the Ernest
funky villages. Hemingway Home and Museum. Other
interesting venues worth touring are John
SEE AND DO UNCORKED FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL, KEY WEST • James Audubon’s home, the Harry S.
FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU/LAURENCE NORAH
Key Largo promises excellent diving sites Truman Little White House, and the Mel
where the waters are so clear that the among families. Join a marine biologist on Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum where
underwater flora and fauna seem to burst an interactive Aquarium Encounter experi- treasures from the deep are displayed.
into kaleidoscopic colors. ence at the Florida Keys Aquarium. Enjoy an
Islamorada, to the south, is renowned unforgettable dockside encounter or swim
for sport fishing and draws celebrities from with dolphins at the Dolphin Research FEATURED LINKS
around the world to do just that. And if you Center. Visit the Turtle Hospital. Grab your
charter a boat, you’ll likely bring home snorkeling or diving gear and discover one
Monroe County Tourist Development
your dinner. of the most beautiful shallow reefs in the
Council: fla-keys.com
Composed of three main islands, the Keys at the Sombrero Key Lighthouse.
Audubon House & Tropical Gardens:
community of Marathon is a favourite The peaceful and scenic Lower Keys are
audubonhouse.org
filled with interesting wildlife and great Dry Tortugas National Park: nps.gov/drto
INSIDER’S TIP sites to visit, including two national wildlife Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum:
refuges, a state park and a national marine
Situated 70 miles west of Key West and only sanctuary. And you may even spot the hemingwayhome.com
Harry S. Truman Little White House:
accessible by seaplane or high-speed ferry, elusive Key deer. trumanlittlewhitehouse.com
Dry Tortugas National Park features a Civil Mel Fisher Maritime Museum:
War fortress called Fort Jefferson, which DINE AND PLAY melfisher.org
never fired a shot. At the southernmost point, Key West offers

2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO FLORIDA 49