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This section gives general information about Plantation Key & Islamorada. If you are visiting the Keys, you owe it to yourself to stop and discover the unique atmosphere and wonderful wildlife that each area offers. Each area is unique!
Florida Keys Hurricane Memorial Worlds Best Fishing
Islamorada, which means "The Purple Isles" in Spanish, was named by early Spanish Explorers. The Islamorada Area consists primarily of, from north to south, Plantation Key, Windley Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, and Lower Matecumbe Key. Islamorada is mainly known for it's world-class sports fishing, but also offers great scuba diving and all the other water sports. Islamorada also offers excellent wreck, and is a great scuba diving destination in it's own right.
In this section, we cover the major attractions. The Tourist Development Council offers a very good calendar of events covering all the Keys.
 Theater of the Sea (MM 84.5) is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. You can go to Sea World and other large parks, but nowhere will you get so close to dolphins and sea lions as you will at Theater of the Sea. We visited in April 2005 - the "stadiums" for the dolphin show and sea lion show are small and intimate, allowing everybody to get a great view. The trainers are very friendly and take time to interact with the kids, stopping so you can take photos. After the show, my children (aged 5 and 3) witnessed the sea lions Wilbur and Mimi being fed from about 5-10 feet away - they still talk about it. Our visit to Theater of the Sea is a wonderful memory
 How to do Theater of the Sea: look for coupons in the various printed guides you find all over the place during your visit to Islamorada. Arrive at 9:15 AM, before the crowds and before the heat of the day. Start with the 9:30 guided marine life tour. This is followed by a parrot show, a dolphin show, a sea lion show and a bottomless boat ride. It is now noon and you can either eat on-site at Nicky's or heat off-site and come back. They have a little beach which you can enjoy in the afternoon, and if you want to see one of the shows again, you can ! Click Here for more information about Theater of The Sea, and don't miss this unique experience.
Treasure Village (MM 86.7 Oceanside) offers 12 unique gift shops and a cafe/bakery. Even if you don't want to shop and don't want to eat, stop for a fun picture of you with the 35-foot Giant Lobster. Call 305-852-0511 for more information.
Directly across the street (MM 86.7 Bayside) from Treasure Village is the Rain Barrel Artisan's Village. Less commercial, more arty.....and they have a web-site. A favorite with locals.
Indian Key and Lignumvitae Key Tours invites you for a guided visit to a state historic site (Indian Key) and a botanical site (Lignumvitae Key). Call 305-664-4815 for details.
The Florida Keys Memorial (picture above), known locally as the "Hurricane Monument," was built to honor hundreds of American veterans and local citizens who perished in the "Great Hurricane" on Labor Day, September 2, 1935. Islamorada sustained winds of 200 miles per hour and a barometer reading of 26.35 inches for many hours on that fateful holiday; most local buildings and the Florida East Coast Railway were destroyed by what remains the most savage hurricane on record. Hundreds of World War I veterans who had been camped in the Matecumbe area while working on the construction of U. S. Highway One for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were killed. In 1937 the cremated remains of approximately 300 people were placed within the tiled crypt in front of the monument. The monument is composed of native keystone, and its striking frieze depicts coconut palm trees bending before the force of hurricane winds while the waters from an angry sea lap at the bottom of their trunks.
Typical Islamorada waterfront accommodation
(Pines & Palms Cottages)
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