The Florida Reef is Still one of the #1 Key West Attractions

The Florida Reef is Still one of the #1 Key West Attractions

There are so many different Key West attraction that if you asked visitors or residents which was the #1 Key

West attraction, you are bound to get many different answers.

For the fun loving Jimmy Buffet type it’s probably the bars, music, cocktails, and the festivals. Especially the

annual Goombay Festival and the annual Fantasy Festival which is held in October. For the seafood lovers, it’s

probably the Lobsterfest, or just the joy of munching on Conch fritters at Alabama Jack’s at Card Sound Road,

or at any of the casual tiki bars which seem to have been strewn all over the waterfronts in the Keys.

For those who love American history and the adventurous spirit of the settlers, the walking tours of the old

houses have a special attraction. Perhaps they would rate the oldest house in Key West as ‘their’ #1 Key West

attraction. It captures the pioneering spirit of its owner Captain Francis Watlington, and his wife Emeline. The

carpentry is an apt reflection of the construction skills of the early settlers. Even the old wooden furniture brings

back to life the grand lifestyles of the rich and famous of that era.

For the Dolphin lovers, the ‘Theater of the sea’ may be the apple of their eye. Who can deny that those dolphins

have are absolutely charming creatures. They are so friendly and so intelligent you could never forget

interacting with them. If you’ve enjoyed a dolphin foot push or a dorsal fin ride, you’ll know why these

creatures can have a very special place in anyone’s heart.

What’s always been the main attraction at Key West, however, is the marine life. Like the dolphins, the

manatees, the turtles, the colorful tropical fish, stingrays, barracudas, lobsters… and yes, the coral.

Did you know that the coral reef is very old? It’s been here for 5,000 to 7,000 years?!! Is it any wonder then that

the coral reefs are the most popular of all Key West attractions?

The world’s third largest living barrier reef

The coral reef here is unique. It’s the only living coral barrier reef in the USA. It’s also the world’s third largest.

The largest is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, next in line is the Belize barrier reef in Honduras.

The Florida barrier reef stretches in a great arc from Long Key to Key West, and beyond up to Dry Tortugas

and Marquesa Keys. It runs alongside the Keys. This was precisely why the captains of the old Spanish galleons

stayed away from the Keys, especially during hurricane season. The stormy weather during a hurricane was

known to smash those wooden ships against the sharp coral and cause shipwrecks (many of which still lie at the

seabed here).

If you dive down here you will see mainly 4 different types of coral. There’s one that looks like a human brain,

with all its ridges and folds and so it’s aptly named ‘brain’ coral. Then there’s the star coral (shaped like a star

but sometimes also dome shaped with star-like formations on the outside). Then there are two varieties that look

like the animal horns. More specifically the horns of a stag or an elk. That’s why they are called Staghorn and

Elkhorn coral. These two are now declared threatened species though they once grew here in abundance.

At the John Pennykamp Coral Reef National Park, the ridges between the coral formations are wide, so you can

wind your way between this underground forest and explore to your heart’s content. It’s wonderful to see the

live coral swaying to the currents and the wide variety of sponges, tropical fish and other marine lifeforms that

have made this jungle their home.

When something is this beautiful, this old and so unique, is it any wonder that it is listed as one of the #1 Key

West attractions?

www.KeyWestAttractions.com