Marathon

The Florida Keys & Key West are preparing to celebrate a bicentennial, or 200th anniversary, with heritage activities throughout Monroe County. Events commemorate the Florida Territorial Legislature’s establishment of Monroe County July 3, 1823.

Florida Keys artist Michelle Nicole Lowe, whose family heritage in the island chain spans more than a century, painted the colorful cover image for the 2023 Keys Traveler, the annual visitor magazine produced by the Florida Keys tourism council that is primarily distributed at travel shows.

Some 250 drones are to illuminate the sky above Key West’s Truman Waterfront Park Saturday, March 25, in a dazzling “fireworks” display capping the opening event of the Florida Keys’ multimonth bicentennial celebration.

“The Florida Keys: 200 Years of Paradise, ” an hourlong television documentary that explores the history of the continental United States’ southernmost island chain, is set to debut on many Public Broadcasting Service channels across the U.S. beginning March 1.

The second annual Marathon Premier Sailfish Tournament is set for Thursday through Saturday, April 20-22, building on the success of last year’s inaugural event that set the standard for a fun competition for a great cause.  

Tripadvisor has named Key West among the 10 most popular domestic visitor destinations in its 2023 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best awards.

The main attractions for attendees at the Original Marathon Seafood Festival, scheduled Saturday and Sunday, March 11-12, are the local shrimp, lobster and stone crab alongside a variety of fresh “fishermen-to-fork” menu favorites.