Lower Keys Attractions

1. Looe Key and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary  “Located about five nautical miles offshore of Big Pine Key is Looe Key, which isn’t an island but a ‘groove and spur’ reef and part of the reef system that parallels the Atlantic side of the Florida Keys.  The reef at Looe Key, roughly 200 yards wide and 800 yards long is generally “U” shaped, and is comprised of both patch and outside reefs. It became a National Marine Sanctuary in 1981… there are absolute restrictions on spearfishing, tropical fish and shell collecting and wire fish traps. Marine police patrol the reef and keep a close eye on activities there.  Looe Key is an excellent SCUBA and snorkeling site for people of all skill levels. Water clarity is mostly excellent and sea conditions are generally moderate. The reef is home to over 150 species of fish including yellowtail, angelfish, parrotfish, barracuda, sergeant majors, and moray eel. The lucky diver can also see several shark and ray species. After 7000 years of coral growth, about fifty species are present, many named for the shapes of their namesakes on land. These corals include staghorn, elkhorn, star, brain, and fire corals.”

2. Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge  “Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 as a haven for great white herons, migratory birds, and other wildlife. The refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and consists of almost 200,000 acres of open water and islands that are north of the primary Keys from Marathon to Key West. The islands account for approximately 7,600 acres and are primarily mangroves with some of the larger islands containing pine rockland and tropical hardwood hammock habitats. This vast wilderness area, known locally as the ‘backcountry,’  provides critical nesting, feeding, and resting areas for more than 250 species of birds. Great White Heron NWR is accessible only by boat. However, the refuge is administered as part of the National Key Deer Refuge headquartered on Big Pine Key. The visitor center is located a ¼-mile north of the traffic light on Key Deer Boulevard in the Big Pine Key Shopping Plaza.”

3. National Key Deer Wildlife Refuge  “National Key Deer Refuge was established in 1957 to protect and preserve Key deer and other wildlife resources in the Florida Keys. The refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and currently consists of approximately 9,200 acres of land that includes pine rockland forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh wetlands, and mangrove forests. These natural communities are critical habitat for hundreds of endemic and migratory species2 including 17 federally-listed species such as Key deer, lower Keys marsh rabbit, and silver rice rat.  The National Key Deer Refuge headquarters is located on Big Pine Key. The refuge visitor center is located a ¼-mile north of the traffic light on Key Deer Boulevard in the Big Pine Key Shopping Plaza. The administrative headquarters is located at the west end of Watson Boulevard.

4. Bahia Honda State Park “Henry Flagler's railroad to Key West turned the remote island of Bahia Honda Key into a tropical destination. Today, the island is home to one of Florida's southernmost state parks, known for beautiful beaches, magnificent sunsets, and excellent snorkeling. Visitors can picnic on the beach and take a swim, or simply relax and enjoy the balmy sea breezes that caress the shores year-round. Anglers can fish from shore or bring a boat and launch at the boat ramp. The park's concession rents kayaks and snorkeling gear and offers boat trips to the reef for snorkeling excursions. Bahia Honda is an excellent place to see wading birds and shorebirds. The nature center can introduce nature lovers to the island's unique plants and animals. Full-facility campsites and vacation cabins are available.”

5. The Perky Bat Tower “Sugarloaf Key got its name from sugarloaf pineapples, which were grown there in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1929, a real estate developer named Richter Clyde Perky envisioned a luxury resort, complete with a first-class hotel, restaurants, and a gambling casino on Sugarloaf Key. Unfortunately for him, Sugarloaf Key was well established as a breeding ground for voracious hordes of mosquitoes.  Perky built a 35-foot-high, cypress-shingled Bat Tower, and filled it with odorous bat guano, which, theoretically, would attract the bats, which would devour the mosquitoes. Alas, the bats didn't buy it. A colony installed in the tower apparently didn't care for the accommodations or the odor, and promptly flew away with Perky's investment money. The mosquitoes swarmed unabated and eventually the devastated Perky went bankrupt and died. (Some people have suggested the mosquitos ate the bats.) Looking for all the world like a bladeless windmill awaiting Don Quixote, the tower still stands behind the Sugarloaf Lodge, next to the island's small airport.”

6. Frommer’s Guide to Lower Keys Attractions courtesy of The New York Times

    

**Florida Keys Vacation Rentals Inc. provides links to a variety of Internet-based resources for the convenience of its guests.  Florida Keys Vacation Rentals Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy or currency of the information presented on any of the sites to which it has linked.