Discovering the Treasures of Key West
Carol Shaughnessy says she knows of a great “park-ing” place. Shaughnessy, a spokeswoman for The Florida Keys & Key West, says divers and snorkellers will be able to appreciate The Keys’ John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first underwater park in the United States and perhaps in the world.
And, she says, that sort of pioneering vision is to be expected from The Florida Keys, which generally attracts people who aren’t looking for standard Florida vacations.
“We’re not as much about lying on the beach as we are experiential water activities,” she said during a Dec. 8 indoor “beach party” in Toronto. “There are so many ways you can enjoy The Florida Keys.”
The destination even hosts an underwater music festival, she noted.
Florida Keys residents often like to march to the beat of their own drummer, with many voting to “secede” from the United States in the 1980s and labelling their destination the Conch Republic.
“We prize eccentricity,” Shaughnessy continued. “A treasure hunter is a legitimate and respected occupation [in the Florida Keys],” she added. “So is being a drag queen.”
Among those who appreciated the destination was novelist Ernest Hemingway, who penned one of his novels – To Have and Have Not – there.
Shaughnessy said Key West has a thriving restaurant scene and lively nightlife that includes “jazz shows and nighttime paddleboarding.”
She added that The 125-mile-long chain is home to the world’s third-longest coral barrier reef and The Florida Keys is pioneering efforts to restore damaged coral “that will be of benefit to every reef in the world. We tend to live very close to nature and that is an experience we tend to share with the world.”
Another example of local efforts to create a better planet is a sea turtle hospital that has rescued, rehabilitated and released more than 1,300 sea turtles.
Pictured at the beach party are conch blower Clinton; Shaughnessy; and Jerry Grymek, who represents The Florida Keys in this country.
