Couple conversing at a bar with walls covered in currency.

Insider's Guide

Explore Like a Local

Think of this as the Keys’ not-so-secret handshake. 

The Insider’s Guide is your path to hidden gems, insider’s tips and expert recommendations. From snorkeling secrets and fishing tips to stories of locals who protect these islands, this articles in this guide takes you beyond the surface, so you can travel The Florida Keys & Key West like a local.

Costumed group attending Fantasy Fest parade

Fantasy Fest & Beyond: Spooky Fun in the Florida Keys

Fantasy Fest may be Key West’s most famous costume extravaganza (Oct. 17–26), but the spooky season fun doesn’t stop there. Across the Florida Keys...

Smiling man embraces a dolphin in shallow water.

Steward of the Keys: Hunter Kinney Innovates with the Keys’ Dolphin Life Inc.

Hunter Kinney, head coach and chief innovation officer for Dolphin Life Inc. in the Upper Keys, is a Kentucky boy who loves all animals.

Smiling couple in front of the ocean, clear sky in the background.

Steward of the Keys: Carla Burns Directs the Conch Republic Marine Army

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Billy Litmer: Steward of Sustainable Eco-tours

Billy Litmer, founder of Key West’s Honest Eco tours specializing in wild bottlenose dolphin-watching and nature charters, grew up in landlocked Edgewood, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati, Ohio.

‘Local’s Choice’ Tips from Dan Cornell

Dan Cornell, who owns Cruisin’ Tikis Key Largo with wife Laurie, operates three Tiki boats that depart from Snooks Bayside Restaurant & Grand Tiki Bar...

‘Local's Choice’ Tips From Chef Paul Kapsalis

Chef Paul Kapsalis and wife Kris Kubik are owner-operators of South of the Seven restaurant, tucked inside the gulfside 1950s-era Sugarloaf Lodge at...

‘Local’s Choice’ Tips from Kermit Carpenter

Key lime pie is synonymous with the Florida Keys, and just about everyone can describe their favorite slice. But if Key limes themselves were to have...

Local’s Choice Tips: Nadene Grossman Orr

Key West’s wildly creative Nadene Grossman Orr holds the keys to something many can’t unlock — an insider’s knowledge of all things Florida Keys, her...

Dee Dee Vaughan Smause: Coral Stewardship Runs in the Family

Dee Dee Vaughan Smause, co-founder of Plant a Million Corals with her parents, Dr. Dave Vaughan and Donna Vaughan, is passionately committed to restoring coral reefs and preserving the Florida Keys’ marine biodiversity. She finds great satisfaction in sharing Plant a Million Corals’ message of hope and seeing how it resonates with people.

Keys Lobster Lovers, Unite!

Florida Keys lobster lovers, unite — and embrace the hobby that takes precedence over all others each August in the island chain: eating lobster. That’s because early August marks the start of the annual commercial lobster season, and savvy foodies know that fresh-caught Keys lobster eclipses all other seafood selections in mouthwatering goodness.

Florida Keys Fun Facts … and Arnold’s Exploding Bridge

Florida Keys fun fact: Years ago, during an action-packed confrontation between Arnold Schwarzenegger and a pack of dastardly villains, missile strikes blew up the Keys’ Old Seven Mile Bridge. Okay, that isn’t STRICTLY factual, but it’s based on fact — one of many offbeat facts that give the island chain an engagingly colorful vibe.

‘Business Travel’ … With a Key West Twist

A Key West vacation should be an escape from “real-world” business pressures, and a chance to remember that personal priorities are far more self-defining than professional ones. For those who can’t let go of the business-first mindset, here are three guidelines to ease potential guilt during a pleasure trip to the island.

Craving Crab in the Keys?

Stone crab claws offer sweet and scrumptious meat that’s among the Florida Keys’ most popular delicacies.