Overview
The Florida Keys are a chain of about 1,700 islands extending south and southwest from the Florida mainland. Connected largely by the Overseas Highway, the region is known for tropical scenery, boating, fishing, diving and a relaxed culture that has made it one of Florida’s most distinctive destinations.
Key Largo is the first major island reached from the mainland and is closely associated with the 1948 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Farther south, Islamorada stretches across several islands and is especially known for fishing and water recreation. Key West, the southernmost city in the continental United States, combines Caribbean influences, historic architecture and a long maritime history.
The Keys became far more accessible after Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railway reached Key West in 1912. Much of the railroad was destroyed by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, and its route was later rebuilt as the Overseas Highway, now part of U.S. 1. Key West also maintains its unconventional local identity through the symbolic Conch Republic, declared in 1982 during a protest over a federal roadblock.
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Attraction
African Queen
The African Queen is a historic steamboat located in Key Largo, Florida.
Attraction
Florida Keys Memorial
The Florida Keys Memorial, also known as the Hurricane Monument, is a landmark located in Islamorada, Florida.
Attraction
Hemingway Home & Museum
Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, lived in a house at 907 Whitehead Street from 1931 to 1939.
