July 16th, 2010
Key Largo, Florida Keys – Each summer, the gateway to the Florida Keys transforms into a food and wine lover’s paradise in Key Largo as culinary experts step up to the “palate” to present nearly 30 tasty food, wine and spirits events all over the island. The 2010 Key Largo Food & Wine Festival is to take place July 30 through Aug. 8.
Continue Reading »
July 15th, 2010
Governor Charlie Crist has proclaimed July as Parks and Recreation Month in Florida. To celebrate, Saturday, July 17 will be free entry to all Florida state parks, except the Skyway Fishing Pier. Canoe rentals, camping and other activities will be normal price.
Great State Parks
Recently, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo was voted one of the top 25 Amazing Locations by ReserveAmerica. As the first underwater park, this park offers visitors the opportunity to see the coral reef on snorkeling and diving trips. This park will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in December 2010.
Another great state park Lovers Key, is a pristine barrier island and a state park near Fort Myers, which gives it solitary beaches and long nature trails. For years the only way to get there was by boat, which kept it remote and a great place to steal away and spend some time with your significant other. It hasn’t been developed, so there are still a lot of secluded romantic places to relax and unwind, for just the two of you.
Talbot Island State Park is located on Big Talbot Island which is part of the unique Sea Islands chain and is just 20 miles east of downtown Jacksonville and just south of Amelia Island. The park is primarily a natural preserve and is an excellent location for nature study, bird-watching and photography.
More Florida State Parks »
July 9th, 2010
Key West, Florida Keys – The legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who lived and wrote in Key West throughout the 1930s, is to be celebrated Tuesday through Sunday, July 20-25, during the island’s 30th annual Hemingway Days.
Festival standouts include a look-alike contest for Hemingway imitators, a leading American short story competition directed by Ernest’s author granddaughter, a one-man play exploring Hemingway’s adventures and a three-day marlin tournament recalling his passion for deep-sea angling.
Continue Reading »
June 24th, 2010
Florida Keys – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has suspended daily production of offshore Transocean/BP oil spill trajectory maps because a change in ocean currents has minimized impact risks to the Florida Keys and most of the Florida peninsula.
Continue Reading »
June 15th, 2010
Florida Keys – Get ready to “Ooh” and “Aah” as the waters surrounding the Florida Keys reflect bursts of color during the 2010 4th of July celebrations along the 120-mile chain of islands. Families can gather for beachside fun as events throughout the Keys coincide with spectacular fireworks shows.
Continue Reading »
June 14th, 2010
Florida Keys – The Florida Keys & Key West tourism council launched a new Web and social media-based feature Monday designed to communicate an accurate status of Keys tourism offerings during the BP oil spill disaster.
Each weekend, videographers are to tape visitors enjoying water-related and other vacation offerings in the Florida Keys. The one-minute-long video is to be edited and posted to the official Keys tourism council’s website at www.fla-keys.com well as social media venues by about 4 p.m. on Mondays. The videos are to be date stamped with no archival footage used in their production.
The debut video is now webcasting as the tourism council’s Video of the Week, as well as in a special Gulf oil spill section at www.fla-keys.com/oilspill. It has also been uploaded to the tourism council’s You Tube channel.
With the BP Oil Spill disaster continuing, the oil spill affecting Florida beaches is worrying local tourism officials. “The Keys have received so much news coverage during the past month and many travel consumers mistakenly think our islands are suffering the same horrific and tragic impacts being seen on some northern Gulf coast shorelines,” said tourism council director Harold Wheeler. “We fortunately are not and need to make the travel consumer understand that.”
The tourism council is also adding live webcams throughout the region. The latest is a webcam installed at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach in Key West.
May 19th, 2010
Key West, Florida Keys – U.S. Coast Guard Key West Sector Captain Pat DeQuattro confirmed Wednesday morning that tests on tar balls found Monday and Tuesday on Key West’s Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach and other areas of the Lower Keys are not from the Transocean/BP oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
“The results of those tests conclusively show that the tar balls collected from Florida Keys beaches do not match the type of oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,” according to a Coast Guard-issued news release. “The source of the tar balls remains unknown at this time.”
A sampling of tar balls discovered on beaches at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Smathers Beach in Key West, Big Pine Key, Fla., and Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas National Park, Fla. were flown by a Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon jet based in Miami to New London, Conn., Tuesday for testing and analysis.
On Tuesday, much of the media reporting concluded that the tar balls were from the Gulf oil spill, despite the fact that the Coast Guard had not confirmed their source.
It is not unusual to find tar balls in Keys waters or on area beaches. The Keys are located along a busy commercial shipping route, with some 8,000 vessels passing by annually, and commercial vessels sometimes discharge bilge water that contains oil. Tar balls can drift into Keys waters from other areas, not just the northern Gulf region.
Meanwhile, as of late Tuesday satellite imagery indicated the bulk of the oil remains dozens of miles away from the Loop Current, but a tendril of light oil appears to have been transported within close proximity to the current. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is conducting aerial observations to ascertain whether the oil actually has entered the Loop Current.
In the time it would take for oil to travel to the vicinity of the Loop Current, it would be highly weathered and the natural processes of evaporation and dispersion would reduce the oil volume significantly, NOAA said.
The Florida Keys tourism council is updating its oil spill website page daily at www.fla-keys.com.
More info about how the oil spill is affecting Florida beaches.
April 12th, 2010
Key West, Florida Keys – For decades Key West has been renowned for the creativity of its artists, and its culinary artists are no exception. From 6-9 p.m. Monday, April 19, the island city’s top chefs are to display their prowess in a palate-pleasing feast called Taste of Key West.
Continue Reading »
April 5th, 2010
Islamorada, Florida Keys – Live music in an amphitheater setting, mouthwatering food and artistry ranging from raku pottery to stitchery and sandcastles are sure to whet attendees’ appetites for color, creativity and cuisine at the 19th annual Florida Keys Island Fest in Islamorada.
The event is set for Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Founder’s Park, mile marker 87 bayside on Plantation Key.
Continue Reading »
April 2nd, 2010
Key West, Florida Keys – The U.S. Navy’s renowned Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron is to showcase its members’ dynamic flying skills Saturday and Sunday, April 10-11, during the Southernmost Air Spectacular presented by the Naval Air Station in Key West.
Continue Reading »
