Having grown up in Miami, the Florida Keys were always a
getaway for my family and I’ve loved heading down to the entire chain of
islands all my life – especially Key West!
First,
of course, for anyone from the city area, you find yourself cheerful just
because you’re driving south. Yes, they are basically catching the same fish
off the coast of Miami as they are off the coast of Key Largo—first stop on the
chain. They somehow just taste better as soon as you’re off the mainland. And
somehow, we’re all just instantly in better moods. Perhaps it’s the concept of
the sea and the breeze and the fact that our natural landscape is just so
darned beautiful. I don’t know. But I am happy to head down at the drop of a
hat.
Key
Largo offers a number of fun establishments and, to me most importantly, John
Pennekamp State Park. It’s a great place to go snorkeling, diving, picnicking,
or just relaxing. Our reefs are sensational, and no matter how you go, it’s a
day of nature—natural nature, if you will! We haven’t managed to manicure too
much on our reefs yet and I hope they never do. They offer such amazing
relaxation. I’m a diver, and there’s nothing like being down there—as of yet!—with
no cell phones or distractions.
Near Pennekamp
you’ll find Captain Slate’s. Now, if you are a diver, this is something you
must try to do—Captain Slate’s Creature Feature. Check out his schedule—he
offers a dive with large nurse sharks and rays the Captain has been feeding for
years. They are like his pets. They are gentle and play with the divers. (Not
as food—they are naturally gentle unless you step on them or pull or tug at
them.) It is truly an experience like no other.
This is
a blog so I’m not going to get too carried away because I can extol the virtues
of every island in the chain. But I will tell you that all along the 120 (approx)
miles to the 0 mark in Key West from the mainland, you will find excellent
restaurants, charming and rustic bed and breakfast inns and more glamorous
resorts. Fishing, boating, para-sailing, you name it. There’s camping, too. You
can drop by Theater of the Sea for lots of sea mammal fun.
Speaking
of which . . . .
In
Marathon, at Grassy Key, there’s Dolphin Research Center. Once the home of
Flipper, the founders and trainers there work with these marvelous mammals in
many ways; they have become the home for many rescue animals who would have
died in the wild. I have my favorite friends there, and I swear, my boy Tanner
knows me when I come and chat with him or take a swim. I’ve been there for
their Wounded Warrior Day—and I can’t say enough!
If you
wish a swim or play time with a sea lion, make sure you check schedules and
availability at either venue.
Heading
on down, you’ll cross the famous Seven Mile Bridge, pass through areas where
our little key deer are protected, and many nature preserves.
Indian
Key is where Doctor Henry Perrine was massacred with others when the Seminole
Indians—harassed and massacred themselves—took revenge on the wrong man, a man
who had never harmed anyone. Perrine had been looking for a land grant; at his
death, his widow had the land relocated and we now have the community of
Perrine, Florida, in his honor.
Next
you come to Stock Island and then Key West. Now part of what you see of Key
West is the “new area.” Land filled in out of marsh and bogs as time went by. Old
Town Key West is naturally my favorite area. That’s where you’ll find a huge
conglomeration of Victorian houses—during the years of salvage, Key West was
the highest per capita income area of the states. You can tour Hemingway’s
house and get to know some six-toed cats. You can visit the Mel Fisher Museum
and find out about modern salvage. Visit the East Martello Museum and see a
Victorian hearse among other artifacts—and learn about the days of pirates and
Key West during the Civil War. The cemetery is mid island on the highest land
with many interred in above ground vaults—bodies did indeed wash down Duval
Street after a major hurricane.
And
good Lord, go on a ghost tour!
Fun,
historic, and informative.
As many
times as I’ve been, I still hop on the Conch tour train. A “conch,” of course,
is a native. A “fresh water conch” is someone who has been there at least seven
years. (Yes, it’s also a large sea snail as well.) The Conch Republic refers to
the fact that Key West, to protest at blockade at the mainland, seceded from
the Union. The “secession” lasted a few hours—the point of everyone going broke
with no tourism dollars was quickly made and thankfully, all came to a
satisfactory conclusion without the beautiful and historic island leaving the
states.
Check
out Artist House Bed and Breakfast – famed for being the home of Robert the
Doll. And make sure you learn the story of Maria de Hoyos and Carl Tanzler. If not
the greatest love story of all time—it’s got to be darned close to the
creepiest. Seriously—where else could a man marry a corpse and live with her
for seven years without really being noticed?
Only in
Key West.
I hope
some of the crazy and incredible beauty and wonder—along with history, the
good, the bad, and the ugly—are all within the pages of The Cursed. And, of
course, I hope that one day, if you haven’t yet, you will come on down!
