Okay, so lobster season has begun and that means that the annual Lobsterfest will be here soon! Participating bars and restaurants include Rick’s, Lazy Gecko, Fogarty’s, Hog’s Breathe, Bagatelle, Sloppy Joe’s, and more! The food is amazing and the street fair and concert are a blast! If you love Florida Lobster you need to be here to join in the celebration!! Below is the schedule of events for Lobsterfest 2011! (more…)
Established in 1938, the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and Key West and is comprised of about 200,000 acres of open water and islands which provides nesting, feeding, and resting areas for over 250 species of birds. The refuge was originally created to protect the great white heron, which are only found in the Florida Keys, from extinction. This area has also become an area where loggerhead and green turtles come to nest and feed.
Key West has practically always been a haven of sorts for artists and aspiring artist of all kinds. The island has a rich and diverse history in the arts. Key West has many art galleries, theaters, museums, festivals, dances, music,concerts, literary events, and more! Here are some regular events that you can feel free to take a part in during your visit to Key West!
Key West has always interested people. So there is no wonder that there are so many books about Key West, both fiction and non-fiction. Here is a list of many of those books, albeit this is by no means a fully comprehensive one. I have bolded some of the books that I have or have read so I can personally recommend them.
So you have a car and you want to get away from the hubbub of Key West for a day. Well here are some things to do just a short drive away.
1. Check out Geiger Key Marina & Tiki Bar. Drive us US1 N and turn right at the Circle K on Big Coppitt Key onto Boca Chica Road. Drive for about 1.5 miles and turn left onto Geiger Rd. You can hang out o the restaurant and tiki bar and get some great food with a nice view. And when the Navy pilots are doing drills there is no better viewing area than here! Saturday nights isa always Steak night in the BBQ pit and Sundays is always BBQ chicken and ribs night. YUMMY!
2. Go to the Jumping Bridge on Lower Sugarloaf Key. Drive up US1 N and turn right at MM17 onto Sugarloaf Blvd. (Sugarloaf Shores). Follow the road until it takes a sharp right. To your left you will see a yellow barrier. Park and walk through the yellow fence barrier to the bridge. The water is about 15 – 20 feet deep. You will probably find a bunch of locals already there jumping in and having a blast!
Martha’s was one of Key West’s finest restaurants until it closed in the early 2000’s, and ever since then the building has sat vacant. Until recently that it. The owners of the fab Italian restaurant, La Trattoria located on Duval Street decided to open a second restaurant in the former Martha’s location. Last night we had some friends in town and we deiced to check it out. We all love Italian food and La Trat, as the locals call it, is the only Italian restaurant on the island that I will eat at. And this one has the benefit of having a beautiful ocean view and parking!
I have to say that I like La Trattoria Oceanside better than the original. Everything was amazing from the moment we entered. The place is beautiful and elegant. Wood floors, great ocean view, white linen tablecloths, and the romantic sound of crooners like Sinatra and Martin playing in the background loud enough to hear it but not loud enough to be annoying. Great bar area with an incredible wine selection as well as a crazy martini menu.
Florida’s Calusa Indian tribe was forced to migrate south to Key West where they fought to keep the southernmost lands as the New World was settled. In the process many Indians were killed and the Key West beaches were used as burial grounds. According to Key West lore, Spanish settlers found bones of the dead Indians strewn on the beach and called the island Cayo Hueso, meaning Island of Bones. Later English settlers called the island Key West, thinking that Cayo meant Key and Hueso West.
Over the years, ownership of the island has changed hands several times between the Spanish and the English. In 1815 the island was given by Spain to Juan Pablo Salas. American businessman, John Simonton, purchased the island from Salas in the early 1820’s, later selling portions of Key West to fellow businessmen Greene, Whitehead, and Fleming (all of whom have Key West streets named after them today, so be on the lookout!). The triumvirate began to develop Key West, and are even responsible for bringing the United Stated Navy down to build a base, which eventually put a stop to pirating in the area. However, settlers still had to combat illness, mosquitoes, and harsh seas.
Inshore is the name of the game this week. Tarpon fishing has been very good and offering our anglers at Dream Catcher Charters a nice start to an early morning during the shrimp hatches. Up on the flats things are solid with a great report of Permit fishing with Capt. Kyle here at Dream Catcher Charters fishing with Kevin Kelso. They landed a very nice 25++ lb permit on live bait just West of Key West.. Shown here. You can call Dream Catcher Charters directly at 1-888-362-3474 for a fishing charter.
Offshore the blue waters are way out and offering a long boat ride to some awesome dolphin fishing on flat calm days. Some fish in the 25 and 30 lb range are found along the weed lines. If looking for a deep sea fishing charter we recommend you book a boat for the long haul or the full day. Go fast center consoles are also available for a fast attack to the deep waters for 4 or less persons. Call Island Genn here at The Keys To Key West and she will help you get on the right deep sea fishing boat. Her number is 1-305-292-7212. (more…)
The traffic coming into the Florida Keys and Key West is already picking up with Floridians trailering their boats down readying for lobster mini season which falls on July 27th and 28th this year. Mini season is always the last Wednesday and Thursday in July, and it usually brings about 25,000 visitors to the Florida Keys. With that number of visitors, hotels are full up and so are marinas.
During this two day lobster bonanza, each properly licensed snorkeler and diver is allowed to take up to six legal sized lobsters per day. Night snorkeling and diving is not permitted during this event, but bully-netting from a boat is permitted at night. (more…)
This week Key West has been busy celebrating the life of one of its most famed residents ever to call the island home, Ernest Hemingway, or as the locals used to call him, Papa. From July 19th to the 24th, the 31st Annual Hemingway Days celebration rages. Some of the scheduled events include a Papa lookalike contest, the running of the bulls, an arm wrestling competition, readings from nationally recognized authors, an offshore fishing tournament, the Drambuie, and a literary competition presided over by none other than Hemingway’s own granddaughter, Lorian Hemingway. (more…)