Summer days are meant for the water, some excursions and checking out some of these Keys spots. Getting there by boat or by car, these destinations are bound to be exhilarating and educational as you head out this summer.
INDIAN KEY
This little island off the shores of Islamorada has plenty of storied past. In 1836, Indian Key became the first county seat for Dade County. At that time, the tiny piece of paradise was the site of lucrative business-salvaging cargo from shipwrecks in the Keys. The island, a state park, can be accessed by boat, kayak or paddleboard.
PIGEON KEY
Two miles west of Marathon beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge sits a historical Keys treasure known as Pigeon Key. The 5-acre island once served as a base camp for workers during construction of the original Seven Mile Bridge, the centerpiece of Henry Flagler’s Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad. Spend the day exploring the tiny island and its history while soaking up subtropical sun on a picnic, snorkeling the shoreline. Pigeon Key can be accessed by car, boat, kayak or paddleboard.
MARQUESAS KEYS
The Marquesas are a chain of mangrove islands in the National Wildlife Refuge about 25 miles west of Key West. Rays, sharks, sea turtles, and bird life abound and the area is used as an anchorage. The central lagoon is called Mooney Harbor. The northernmost key is the largest and has a strip of sandy beach free of mangrove. In the past it was known as “Entrance Key”. It surrounds the lagoon in the north and east. Adjoining in the south are smaller keys such as Gull Keys, Mooney Harbor Key, and finally about four unnamed keys in the southwest corner of the group.
