July 3, 2023 marks the bicentennial "birthday" of the Florida Keys — and in this episode, we meet a Key West-born “Conch” who’s lived in the Keys for half of those 200 years. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley, who chats with 104-year-old Onelio Gonzalez, recently celebrating his milestone birthday in the continental United States’ southernmost island city. He remembers the days when Ernest Hemingway resided in Key West, and when Harry S. Truman presided from the southernmost White House in the island city. And what was it like to ride Henry Flagler's Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, completed in 1912 and stretching from Florida’s southern mainland throughout the Keys? How were pineapples involved? Listen to some of our favorite insights and takeaways from this series, celebrating what makes the 125-mile-long Florida Keys island chain so unique. You might hear a highlight from a favorite episode. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What’s the significance of Mallory Square in Key West? What does Jimmy Buffett represent to the Florida Keys? And just what is The Conch Republic?  We celebrate the Keys' fun, quirkiness and a fierce independence in this episode. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley in Mallory Square to catch the sunset. Learn more about the famous songwriter who embodies the Keys. Discover how the Keys became known as The Conch Republic after a U.S. Border Patrol blockade in 1982. To learn about Mallory Square, go to  mallorysquare.com/sunset-celebration/. For more about The Conch Republic, visit conchrepublic.com. For travel details inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

Why did President Harry Truman establish his Little White House in Key West? Where was he frequently spotted around town? And what is it like to ride in one of his presidential limousines?  Find out as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton take you to Florida’s only presidential museum, the Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum. Clinton Curry, the museum's operations director, takes us behind the scenes to reveal the man the public didn't always see. And we take you for a ride in a 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan, one of his official limos. The Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum is open 365 days a year. For more, go to trumanlittlewhitehouse.org. For further details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What is sponging and how has it impacted the Keys? How did lighthouses save one industry, and end another? Why is Fort Jefferson – known as the "Gibraltar of the Gulf" – located 70 miles off Key West in the middle of the ocean?  The story of the Florida Keys is inextricably intertwined with the seas that surround them. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley to learn about wreckers, sponging and a Civil War-era fort in the United States' most remote national park. We're joined by the Florida Keys History Center's Corey Malcom, the Key West Art & Historical Society's Cori Convertito, and Historic Tours of America's Chris Belland. For more on the Key West Art & Historical Society, go to kwahs.org. The Florida Keys History Center is located in the Key West library: keyslibraries.org. Fort Jefferson details can be found at drytortugas.com/.  For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

In 1985 off the Florida Keys, legendary treasure diver Mel Fisher and his team finally found the object of a deep-sea search spanning nearly 17 years. The Atocha shipwreck was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most valuable shipwreck treasure ever recovered, then worth an estimated $400 million. Mel's son Kim Fisher, a treasure hunter himself, was one of the Atocha’s finders. Join him and host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley to learn what it was like to find sunken treasure that he and his family had been seeking for nearly two decades. The Florida Keys History Center's Corey Malcom also shares history about how the Keys became a magnet for avid treasure hunters. For more information about Mel Fisher's Treasures, go to melfisher.com. The Florida Keys History Center, itself a treasure trove of Keys history, is located in the Key West Library: keyslibraries.org. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What marine animal is considered the gardener of the coral reef? What role can rope and cement play in Florida Keys coral restoration? Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley on this episode and find out. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Sarah Fangman joins us again as we dive into the world of coral restoration to learn about the unprecedented Mission: Iconic Reefs. You'll meet Ken Nedimyer, a coral restoration pioneer and founder of Reef Renewal USA, to learn about unique methods he's developing to restore coral on North America's only barrier reef. It all happens within the sanctuary. For more on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, go to floridakeys.noaa.gov. To learn how to get involved with Reef Renewal USA, check out reefrenewalUSA.org For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

Did you know the Florida Keys are the home of North America’s only coral barrier reef and some of the country’s oldest national wildlife refuges, sheltering creatures living only in the Keys? Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley as we meet two women working to ensure large areas of the Keys remain a federally-protected safe haven for creatures on land and in the water. You'll hear from Sarah Fangman, superintendent of the 3,800-square-mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and Jennifer Feltner, biologist of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex, overseeing four protected refuges. We’ll learn about significance of the national marine sanctuary and protected creatures such as the Key deer and Lower Keys marsh rabbit. You can learn about the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary at floridakeys.noaa.gov or download its Explorer app at marinesanctuary.org/explorer. More about each refuge is at FWS.gov. Simply search for the Key West, Great White Heron, National Key Deer or Crocodile Lake national wildlife refuge. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What's an aquatic tumbleweed? Can tiny, indigenous Key deer swim? And how does a barracuda trick its prey? Find out as you kayak among the mangroves with host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton. We join Bill Keogh, a naturalist, author, and photographer who guides us across the water and into hidden tree-lined canopies in the Lower Florida Keys. Listen to the wind, hear a yellow-crowned night heron, and feel nature's calm envelop you. To book your own kayak tour with Bill Keogh, or to buy his book, the “Florida Keys Paddling Guide,” go to keyskayaktours.com. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

In the Florida Keys, fishermen have the chance, every day, to catch a prize trophy fish. Islamorada, in fact, is known as the ‘Sportfishing Capital of the World.’ But that fish you catch can still swim on to live and fight another day. How? Through the work of Keys conservationists, forward-thinking fishermen and even artists. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley to learn about catch-and-release sportfishing from two renowned charter captains, Matt Bellinger of Bamboo Charters in the Upper Keys, and Will Benson of World Angling in the Lower Keys. Learn why Florida Keys sportfishing -- part of the Keys’ lifestyle and heritage -- is legendary. For details about Bamboo Charters, check out bamboocharters.com and for World Angling, go to worldangling.com. For more travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

The Florida Keys culinary adventure continues in this episode, as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton joins Key West Chef Paul Menta, our guide to Florida Keys seafood. We also visit Keys Fisheries in Marathon. Vice President Scott Dekle explains how stone crabs are sustainable. What, exactly, is a stone crab? And how is it possible that we can eat them guilt-free? For more on Keys Fisheries, go to keysfisheries.com. For more information about Paul Menta, check out his website: paulmenta.com.  For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What's the origin of the Keys' iconic, tangy yet sweet signature dessert?  What is ‘pucker perfect’? Find out on this episode as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton learn secrets about the tiny Key lime and its namesake pie. Meet Key West chef Paul Menta, our guide to Florida Keys cuisine, and Kermit Carpenter, founder of Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe.  For more information about Paul Menta, check out his website paulmenta.com. For more on Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe, go to keylimeshop.com. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

How did the Florida Keys become a critical gathering point in Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain? What role does Key West's Cuban community play in preserving Cuban heritage? Find out in this episode, as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton visit the San Carlos Institute in Key West. You'll meet the institute's president, Rafael Peñalver, who shares the fascinating history of the Keys' Cuban connection and insights into what he describes as "the perseverance of the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom." For more information about the San Carlos Institute, go to InstitutoSanCarlos.org. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What truly makes a neighborhood a community? Perhaps there's no better example than the 16-block Bahama Village in Key West. In this episode, join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton as we learn about the historically black Bahama Village from its 19th-century origins to the present day. Our guide is Clayton Lopez, a fourth-generation island resident, local personality and a Key West City Commissioner. He takes us on a walking tour of Bahama Village, sharing some of his neighborhood's triumphs and struggles. We meet residents Glen Hayes and Peggy Ward Grant, both instrumental in preserving the neighborhood’s rich heritage. For more information, visit kwahs.org/exhibitions/key-wests-black-history. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

History is frequently made memorable through human tragedy, but it’s always worth telling, always worth preserving. What surprising role did Key West, the country’s southernmost city, play during the Civil War? How are nearly 300 lives lost during the era of the tragic Transatlantic Slave trade honored here? Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton with Florida Keys History Center lead historian Corey Malcom in Key West at Higgs Beach, home to the African Cemetery. For information on the African Cemetery at Higgs Beach, visit africanburialgroundathiggsbeach.org and the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum at melfisher.org. To learn more about Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, go to floridastateparks.org. For travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

"It was just a phrase on a sticker - and suddenly, it was the motto of the Keys." Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton as we learn about the many meanings of One Human Family in the Florida Keys. Did you know that a 2003 Pride celebration in Key West has influenced Pride celebrations around the world? In this episode, we’ll hear from some of the people who helped shape the Keys as one of the world’s most welcoming destinations for all types of people. You'll meet JT Thompson, creator of the One Human Family concept; Teri Johnston, the mayor of Key West; and Fritzie Estimond, event coordinator for the Key West Business Guild. For more information about One Human Family, go to onehumanfamily.info. For more on the LGBTQ+ community in Key West and about Key West Pride events, check out gaykeywestfl.com. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What renowned authors have lived and written in the Keys? What is it about Key West that has inspired the likes of literary legends from Elizabeth Bishop to Robert Frost to Thomas McGuane to Judy Blume? In this episode, join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton as we learn about Key West's literary history with Arlo Haskell, executive director of the Key West Literary Seminar. As we tour the historic Elizabeth Bishop home, Arlo reveals quirky stories from Key West's fabled authors and details about the popular annual Key West Literary Seminar, established in 1983. For more information, go to kwls.org. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What was it about Key West that inspired one of the world's greatest playwrights to call this place home from the early 1940s for more than 35 years? Find out when host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton take you to the Tennessee Williams Museum. Founder Dennis Beaver reveals details about some of the playwright’s famous works including “The Rose Tattoo” and its film version shot in Key West. Learn about Tennessee Williams the painter, his quirks, his 'Madhouse' writing studio and his annual birthday celebration in the southernmost island city. For more information on Tennessee Williams’ life in Key West, go to kwahs.org. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

Author Ernest Hemingway's historic home and second-story writing studio in Key West offer a glimpse into American literary history. Here in the 1930s, Hemingway wrote some of his most notable works including "To Have and Have Not," set in the southernmost island city. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton on a tour of the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum with guide Scott Edwards, who shares little-known insights about the famous writer. Here you can also meet direct descendants of Hemingway's famous polydactyl cats, happily roaming the grounds of Key West's most popular visitor attraction. For more on the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, go to hemingwayhome.com. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What do movies about the Florida Keys have in common? Which ones are set in the Keys but filmed in a Hollywood studio? Did you know you can cruise on the namesake boat from the iconic 1951 film “The African Queen” in Key Largo? On this episode, host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton take you aboard the African Queen – which has its own storied history stretching beyond the movie. The venerable vessel, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, celebrated its centennial in 2012. Meet Florida Keys Film Commissioner Chad Newman, who has the inside scoop, while the historic boat's owner Suzanne Holmquist with Captain Eddie Riley guide us through some beautiful Key Largo waterways. To sail back into history aboard the African Queen, check out africanqueenflkeys.com. For more information about productions filmed in the Keys, go to filmkeys.com. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What is a piña colada tree? How is salt used in watercolors? And why have the Florida Keys drawn so many artists in the last two centuries? Learn more on this episode -- and meet some of the artists who call the Keys home as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton visit the opening night of the 2023 Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ Connection Project. Each year, artists from throughout the Keys are given a small blank canvas to create their own unique work. Together, the canvases form a giant mosaic, representative of the colorful spirit of the Florida Keys. This year's theme is the 200th anniversary of Monroe County! For more on the Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ Connections Project, check out keysarts.com. To learn more about artist Michelle Nicole Lowe, go to her website michellenicolelowe.com. For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.