The Virtual Getaway: The Florida Keys
Are you bored and fed up with the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic? Do you miss those wonderful places you’ve been to and the ones you were planning to visit this spring and summer?
Well, Caribbean News Digital is ready to pitch a hand and help you soothe those pent-up feelings with a little bit of imagination and through virtual reality. There are many attractions out there that have been shut down, yet they are offering virtual-reality vacations.
Beginning this week, Caribbean News Digital will launch a new section entitled “The Virtual Getaway” to show you the many VR choices travel companies, tour operators, hotel chains and other attractions have to offer. Stay tuned!
The Florida Keys
The tour kicks off with this offer made by Styleblueprint, a website that shows you that the southernmost island chain in the U.S., the Florida Keys, are the epitome of a tropical paradise with white-sand beaches and breathtaking sunsets.
With more than 800 keys in total, the region is divided into five areas: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine and the Lower Keys, and Key West. The website lists the top attractions you could explore, and you’re just one click away from unraveling paradise.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Key Largo’s star attraction is John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first underwater preserve in the United States, now incorporated within the National Marine Sanctuary.
These protected areas feature more than 50 varieties of delicate corals and more than 600 species of fish. Pennekamp, located at mile marker 102.5, offers a variety of water-related activities including scuba, snorkeling and glass-bottom boat excursions to the coral reef.
The boat trip from a shoreside base at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a popular activity for tourists to observe underwater marine life without getting their feet wet. Image: Bob Care / Florida Keys News Bureau
Morada Way Arts & Cultural District
Fine arts, music and culinary nuances of Islamorada are reflected in a burgeoning arts and cultural district that showcases eclectic galleries rich with affordable original artwork.
A group of Islamorada galleries, restaurants and shops have formed the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District, whose mission is to feature regularly scheduled casual gatherings where visitors and residents can discover, enjoy and obtain stimulating, one-of-a-kind fine art.
Offerings include monthly evening “walkabouts” for residents and visitors to take in the sights, sounds and tastes of Islamorada and an Art Walk on the third Thursday of each month featuring receptions with national and Keys-based artists showcased in galleries.
The Morada Way Arts & Cultural District‘s Art Walk features receptions with national and local artists. Image: Andy Newman / Florida Keys News Bureau
The Turtle Hospital
The Turtle Hospital, situated at mile marker 48.5 bayside in Marathon, is dedicated to the treatment of sea turtles. It opened in 1986 to heal injured sea turtles and return them to the wild.
The hospital’s mission is to educate the public through outreach programs with local schools, conduct and assist with research that aids sea turtles in conjunction with state universities, and work toward environmental legislation that makes beaches and water safe and clean for sea turtles. Visitors can take guided educational tours of the Turtle Hospital facilities and sea turtle rehabilitation area.
Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Nature Center
The new 1,840-square-foot Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Nature Center, near mile marker 30.5, showcases the Keys’ four federally protected refuges: National Key Deer, the Key West, Great White Heron and Crocodile Lake national wildlife refuges. Visitors can get information on Keys wildlife, habitats, and places to explore and volunteer.
