If you’re looking for a one-stop vacation spot in the Florida Keys , check out The Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina at Holiday Isle (PCI for short)! The Postcard Inn name may sound familiar; their first location is on St. Pete Beach. Now, they have a sister resort in Islamorada , a famous one at that. Holiday Isle was, and is, an icon in the Keys. Its famous Tiki Bar has attracted visitors for decades (I practically grew up here)! But over the years, the property became run down and worn out. To the rescue? Postcard Inn! PCI has all new rooms and suites overlooking the Atlantic. You’ll find comfortable, Americana-style d

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Postcard Inn at Holiday isle

It was the single most important event in Florida Keys history. On Jan. 22, 1912 – for the first time ever – a train rolled from Florida’s mainland to Key West on the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad. Virtually everyone on the island was there to greet it, as well as a smattering of dignitaries. In fact, it was the largest gathering in Key West history – a rip-roaring celebration of the Keys’ new connection with each other as well as the rest of the country. Now, that festive community spirit is being recreated with a parade honoring the 100-year anniversary of that epic event – and you’re invited! The historic procession chugs into Key West’s Old Town on 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 . Marching groups, floats, bands, dancers, historic re-enactors and more will prance, play and sway in the Flagler Centennial Parade . The route begins at Southard and Whitehead Streets, proceeds along Duval Street and ends near the Key West Museum of Art and History at the Custom House, where a re-enactor portraying railroad founder Henry Flagler will greet crowds. The parade’s just part of the party! Centennial anniversary events include: A 1900’s-era costume ball A performance by a Henry Flagler re-enactor Family fun day at the former railroad workers’ camp on Pigeon Key Museum and memorabilia exhibitions A re-enactment at Bahia Honda State Park Sounds like you should definitely climb aboard this celebration! Want more Florida Flagler fun? Check out this article detailing centennial events through January. Flagler facts: Heralded as the father of Miami and the founder of Palm Beach, this American tycoon was a real estate promoter, railroad developer and a partner of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil. Flagler was instrumental in developing Florida’s eastern Atlantic coast and founded what became the Florida East Coast Railway.

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Climb Aboard! Flagler Centennial Parade Celebrates Keys History

Pensacola – Travel across the Santa Rosa Sound on the three-mile Pensacola Bay Bridge, and what you'll see first are shimmering water and pristine beaches. You might not even notice a pontoon boat in the water, the only indication that buried just 12 feet below the surface is a wreck of profound proportions. Here, not one but two Spanish ships, dating to 1559, are buried. And this juxtaposition of past and present is a part of Pensacola's charm that, like the Emmanuel Point I and II wrecks, hovers just below the surface. While St. Augustine can forever claim the banner of oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, the Spanish actually landed in Pensacola six years earlier, in 1559. That Tristan de Luna's settlement was foiled as much by poor planning as by a hurricane is just one page in Pensacola's archives. University of West Florida marine archaeologists are still combing through the remains of the rare 16th century galleons, two of fewer than a dozen ever discovered. Centuries before the Europeans set sail, native tribes including Choctaw, Apalachee and Pensacola peoples lived, fished and traded in and around what would become Pensacola. When de Luna sailed in with 11 ships and some 1,400 soldiers and settlers, it was a trip sparked by Spain's ongoing effort to colonize Florida, an area that according to the Spanish crown extended north from what is now the Florida Keys all the way up to Newfoundland and west to what is now Mexico. Although not loaded with gold, the wrecks are treasure ships indeed, offering an invaluable portal into marine life and 16th century shipbuilding. “People don't realize the richness and diversity of culture, ethnicities and narratives that exists in Pensacola,” said Margo Stringfield, a resident of the city since 1983. Stringfield, a terrestrial archaeologist and assistant professor of anthropology at UWF, helps tell those stories as a consultant for Viva Florida 500 , a statewide celebration of the 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de Le

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Pensacola’s Place in American History Explodes Beneath the Surface

My very first video shoot for VISIT FLORIDA was in Key West and one of my favorite memories from that trip was stumbling into the Florida Keys Seafood Festival. What a wonderful find! We walked over to Bayview Park and there were rows of food booths; the aromas immediately made my mouth water. Lobster, stone crab, soups, chowders – even fried Oreos. Everything a girl (and two kids and a video crew!) could want. This year marks the seventh annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival and you can celebrate the hard working commercial fishermen on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and it’s again at Key West’s Bayview Park (at the corner of Truman Avenue and Jose Marti Drive). Admission is free . Here’s what on the menu: Fresh grilled Florida lobster Key West pink shrimp Fried fish Stone crab claws Smoked fish dip Conch chowder & conch salad Key lime pie Another cool factoid about this event is that all the seafood is prepared and served by the local fishermen and their families. Everyone is so friendly – and the music and entertainment is nonstop. I hope you’ll stumble into this festival in Key Wes t as we did. I know you’ll love it. If you go, post your photos at my VISIT FLORIDA Family Insider Facebook page . I’d love to see your family having fun in the Florids' southernmost city! For more info, log on to www.fkcfa.org or call 305-872-9026. See the article here: Florida Keys Seafood Festival

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Florida Keys Seafood Festival

The Island Grass Music Fest is about swaying to music in a tropical setting. It’s about sampling conch chowder it all of its glorious, steaming varieties. It’s about lending a hand to folks less fortunate than you. And it’s a for-sure that you should go! The event sways into Habitat for Humanity's Big Pine Key headquarters in the Florida Keys (mile marker 30.5 on U.S. Highway 1) 1-5 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2012 , promising a plethora of performances by renowned regional bands and entertainers as well as a competitive Conch Chowder Cook-off. The tasty, tuneful festival benefits Habitat for Humanity of Key West and the Lower Florida Keys. The entertainment lineup includes these favorites: Howard Livingston The Doerfel Family Billie Blues The Conch Chowder Cook-off includes categories for professional and amateur chefs tasked with creating standout versions of the Keys’ signature dish. Participants prepare five gallons of chowder; you get to purchase “tastes by the cup. Food, beer, wine and Pepsi products will also be available. Feeling lucky? Beach bunnies who like to bid can partake in the silent auction: it features awesome offerings. Smells like fun to me! Want more Sunshine State fun? Sneak a peek at my Facebook page . It features: Photos and videos Information about events Fun contests like “Guess the Beach” and “Write the Caption” Last minute event updates and beach news The opportunity for you to ask questions, post your own photos or dish about your own Florida adventures

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Florida Keys Music Fest and Conch Chowder Cook-off

To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other. ~Jack Handey Are you a beach bunny that likes to box? Well, me neither. (For starters, it might mess up my eye makeup.) Nevertheless, it would be fun to watch a match, particularly in an open-air waterfront setting! Key West boasts a boxing tradition that dates back to Ernest Hemingway, and it’s celebrating that tradition on Fri., Jan. 6, 2012 , with nine bouts of big-name professional boxing overlooking Key West Harbor at Mallory Square. Fight Night in the Keys features a 10-round battle between super middleweights Dyah Davis and Alfonso Lopez. Davis has a record of 20 wins including nine knockouts, as well as two losses and one draw. His competitor Lopez boasts 22 wins, including 17 knockouts, and one loss. Bouts are also scheduled featuring fighters Danny Van Staden, Marcus Upshaw, Derrick Wilson and Darell Eacholes. Ticket prices start at $35 per person and VIP packages also are available. Purchase tickets here or call 305-292-0486. Tickets can be purchased in Key West at Mr. Cheapee’s Liquors, 423 Caroline St. Want to watch, but can’t make it to Key West for the match? Don’t get your beach towel in a twist! It will be broadcast on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.” Sounds like a knockout to me!

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Florida Keys Fight Night Features Waterfront Pro Boxing

To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other. ~Jack Handey Are you a beach bunny that likes to box? Well, me neither. (For starters, it might mess up my eye makeup.) Nevertheless, it would be fun to watch a match, particularly in an open-air waterfront setting! Key West boasts a boxing tradition that dates back to Ernest Hemingway, and it’s celebrating that tradition on Fri., Jan. 6, 2012 , with nine bouts of big-name professional boxing overlooking Key West Harbor at Mallory Square. Fight Night in the Keys features a 10-round battle between super middleweights Dyah Davis and Alfonso Lopez. Davis has a record of 20 wins including nine knockouts, as well as two losses and one draw. His competitor Lopez boasts 22 wins, including 17 knockouts, and one loss. Bouts are also scheduled featuring fighters Danny Van Staden, Marcus Upshaw, Derrick Wilson and Darell Eacholes. Ticket prices start at $35 per person and VIP packages also are available. Purchase tickets here or call 305-292-0486. Tickets can be purchased in Key West at Mr. Cheapee’s Liquors, 423 Caroline St. Want to watch, but can’t make it to Key West for the match? Don’t get your beach towel in a twist! It will be broadcast on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.” Sounds like a knockout to me!

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Florida Keys Fight Night Features Waterfront Pro Boxing

You've got to love an event that includes a beach bash where footwear is forbidden. That's my kind of party! If you're a beach bunny who likes to going barefoot, too – or if you just have a yen for a lip-smacking celebration – hop over to the third annual Key West Food and Wine Festival . The event splashes into the island Jan. 26-29, 2012 and features a boatload of creative cuisine, wonderful wines and eclectic events. Check out some of the mouth-watering fun: Whet your appetite at a barefoot evening beach party on Jan. 26. Island cuisine, wine and music are planned, but footwear is forbidden at this oceanfront occasion at the Southernmost Beach Caf

As jury duty in Key West was a barrel of laughs – and certainly more entertaining than any other jury duty I have had either in Fort Lauderdale (where a woman in THE HOLDING ROOM sat next to me then told me that my sending an email was disturbing her) or in New York (where at . . . → Read More: Key West DMV

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Key West DMV

Smokin' margaritas I had been meaning to check out the Smokin‘ Tuna since they opened a couple of months ago, but just did not have the opportunity. Then, last weekend, after I had registered for the Hog‘s Breath 5K, as we were making our way up Duval, we saw a guy outside advertising the Smokin’ Tuna. . . . → Read More: Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West

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Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West