Key Largo, the northernmost of all the Florida Keys, immediately puts visitors on “island time” with its natural beauty on land and underwater — and its friendly, relaxed and welcoming vibe. Known as the Dive Capital of the World, the area includes many extraordinary sites. Whether you’re a diver or a snorkeler, from Key Largo you can easily access the quiet wonders of the continental United States’ only coral barrier reef. The iconic Christ of the Deep statue is one of Key Largo’s most unforgettable dive sites. (Photo by Michael Oliver) On land, restaurants serve everything from gourmet de ..read more

When you’re not able to travel to the Florida Keys for the amazing diving, you can experience the island chain’s enthralling underwater world through the free streaming channel and app, FloridaKeysTV — which features hours of quality dive programming to inspire ideas for your next visit. Diver Lisa Mongelia swims between gun turrets of the Spiegel Grove, sunk in 2002 six miles off Key Largo to become an artificial reef. (Photo by Frazier Nivens, Florida Keys News Bureau) For example, “Dive the Florida Keys,” a 20-minute episode of the syndicated “How to Do Florida” program, is all about div ..read more

It’s called the No Name Pub, and it’s billed as “a nice place if you can find it.” The quirky eatery lies off the Florida Keys Overseas Highway on Big Pine Key, down a long winding road and just outside an individualistic haven known as No Name Key. The out-of-the-way location doesn’t keep determined people from discovering the local landmark — or falling in love with its historic “Old Keys” charm, world-class pizza and ramshackle décor that includes interior walls papered with a massive collection of dollar bills. The Keys shrimp pizza at the No Name Pub heads the list of delicious offering ..read more

The Florida Keys & Key West are putting Earth Day in the spotlight with activities on and around April 22, the globally commemorated “birthday” of the modern environmental movement. Of course, every day is a reason to celebrate the beauty of the planet in the Keys — a realm full of natural wonders including 10 state parks, Dry Tortugas National Park and parts of Everglades National Park, four federally protected wildlife refuges and the continental United States’ only contiguous coral barrier reef. Dr. Dave Vaughan and his Plant a Million Corals organization are partnering with Coastlove ..read more

Captain Frank Betz, a native of Tampa, Florida, began fishing the Florida Straits in 2005 while working as a captain for the Boy Scouts of America at the Sea Base Camp on Summerland Key — and quickly fell in love with the Florida Keys’ fishery. Frank Betz was one of the Keys’ first Blue Star operators, designated for his commitment to promoting sustainable fishing practices. He shares his passion for fishing the deep blue waters of the Keys as the owner-guide of Folklure Fishing Charters, founded in 2017 with trips out of Summerland Key, Big Pine Key and Key West. Frank became a Blue Star o ..read more

Florida Keys fun fact: Once upon a time, during an action-packed confrontation between Arnold Schwarzenegger and a pack of dastardly villains, missile strikes blew up the Keys’ Old Seven Mile Bridge. “Mermaid” Donna Whitney strums a harp during the 2023 Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, a popular annual event that promotes reef preservation. (Photo by Frazier Nivens, Florida Keys News Bureau) Okay, that statement isn’t STRICTLY factual, but it’s based on fact — one of many facts about the Keys that are offbeat, slightly improbable and add an engagingly weird vibe to the colorful island ..read more

Maybe chart-topping rock stars aren’t abandoning their guitars to play the conch (pronounced “konk”) shell. But that doesn’t matter — because the “pucker pros” performing on fluted, pink-lined shells were treated like rock stars at Key West’s 61st annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest. Brian Cardis, a pediatric cardiologist from Macon, Georgia, plays Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock” during the 61st annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest — while wearing the kind of sparkly sunglasses that the superstar is famous for. (Photo by Mary Martin, Florida Keys News Bureau) Locally nicknamed the “conch honk ..read more

Fred the Tree — the Florida Keys’ beloved, thriving and resolute “celebri-tree” that grows improbably on the historic Old Seven Mile Bridge — is soon to debut as a Netflix movie star. Fred and his companion tree, dubbed “Randi,” are a welcome sight to drivers navigating the Florida Keys Overseas Highway that parallels the old bridge. (Photo courtesy of Howard Livingston) Fred the Tree is featured at the beginning of the new remake of “Road House” when actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays main character Elwood, arrives in the Florida Keys on a Greyhound bus. Elwood is portrayed as a former UFC m ..read more

Dan Dawson, co-owner with wife Mollie of Key Largo’s Horizon Divers, certified by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as an environmentally responsible Blue Star operator, discovered his life’s passion at an early age. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary created the eco-focused Blue Star program. Dan’s father constructed shopping malls in several states and helped build part of Walt Disney World’s Epcot in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Dan worked with his dad’s building business in Denver, Colorado. But earning his dive certification at age 21 in the Keys changed the trajectory o ..read more

An unnerving practice is eroding the joy and discovery of visiting new places (or returning to old favorites). It’s known as “business travel,” and it has become so pervasive that more and more work-obsessed souls feel guilty if they take a trip purely for pleasure. Reagan Fountain is “dressed for success” in a sundress and sandals on Key West’s Smathers Beach. Frankly, that’s a miserable state of affairs. Traveling should be an escape from “real-world” business pressures, and an unstructured interval to remember that personal priorities are WAY more self-defining than professional ones. If ..read more