Big Pine Key and the Lower Keys

In the Middle and Lower Florida Keys, four unique state parks — Long Key, Curry Hammock, Bahia Honda and Fort Zachary Taylor — are easy to explore and offer some of the best recreational opportunities in the 125-mile-long island chain.

Angling teams can compete for more than $35,000 in cash and prizes while vying to land the largest dolphin fish June 2-4 in the waters surrounding the Lower Florida Keys. 

Six permit, three bonefish and three barracuda releases were the winning combination for the team of Captain Kyle Giampaoli of Naples, Florida, and Sugarloaf Key’s Justin Rea at the recent Sugarloaf Showdown. 

A sun-splashed holiday season comes alive in the Florida Keys & Key West with warmth and cheer throughout the 125-mile-long island chain. From Key Largo to Key West, the 2016 holidays are sprinkled with only-in-the-Keys events, packed with spirited activities and festooned with decorated boats and bicycles.

The Florida Keys & Key West continue to unveil upscale resorts, with six properties and nearly 460 units soon to be added to the 125-mile-long island chain’s accommodations inventory.
New seasonal airlift into Key West is also coming. United Airlines is scheduled to launch seasonal service from Newark, New Jersey, and from Chicago into Key West this winter through spring.
A new coral restoration marine trail and creative dining options also highlight fall offerings for visitors and residents.

The Florida Keys & Key West offer a variety of new and enhanced accommodations, attractions, sustainable and eco libations and Everglades National Park amenities that highlight the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary in August.
Explore some new reasons to visit the Florida Keys here:

Scores of visitors envy Florida Keys "locals" who create satisfying lives full of authentic pleasures and natural ingredients. But visitors too can enjoy the indigenous flavors of the Keys, and even take home tasty "souvenirs" to help sustain them until their next vacation escape.

For nearly a century the Florida Keys have beckoned many with their natural beauty and vibrant yet laidback atmosphere. But it's not just travelers that gravitate to the intriguing destination. Quaint, quirky and filled with a free-spirited charm, the subtropical islands are a haven for the creative. Artists and artisans from across the globe flock to the Keys and stay, making the island chain their home while helping shape its reputation as a cultural mecca.
 

Fans of fine beers, ales, rums and more can enjoy libations created in the Florida Keys, many of them for the first time in modern years.