Page 7 - WRS-0918-0001 We Are Seniors Magazine DIGITAL

travel spotlight: key west
Visit the Conch Republic and don’t break the budget.
The U.S. held its breath when Hurricane Irma made landfall in South Florida last fall, but fortunately, Key West, a onetime pirate lair 90 miles north of Cuba, bounced back in the same defiant spirit that once drove its campaign to secede from the country as the Conch Republic in the early 1980s.
The Keys rebounded in a way that demonstrates the region’s sense of community and pride. Key West is a fun, high-energy tropical island that offers a piece of the Caribbean in the U.S. with a quirky, small-town vibe.
New attractions on the island include the fall opening of Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Nature Center on nearby Big Pine Key, home to elfin Key deer. New butterfly and “perfume” gardens, the
latter devoted to fragrant flowers, recently opened at the Key West Garden Club at West Martello Tower, a National Historic site. The 28-acre Truman Waterfront Park, adjacent to one of Key West’s best beaches, has added bike lanes, a children’s splash park, and a 500-seat amphitheater.
Cheer Key West’s resilience on the
new Cocktail Crawl walking tour, fueled
by signature local drinks such as the Hemingway daiquiri, or take a mojito-making class at the Key West First Legal Rum Distillery.
On a satellite isle a seven-minute ferry
ride from Key West, Sunset Key Cottages
models escapism with new beach yoga sessions, sunset supper picnics, and ice cream delivery to its 40 cottages via a classic conch cruiser bike.
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