Halloween in the Florida Keys

09Oct09

Florida Keys – Surrounded by warm, clear water and lying adjacent to the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef, the Florida Keys offer lively hauntings and friendly competitions for Florida Halloween celebrants both above and below the water’s surface.

For those who prefer their spookiness submerged, the annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest is set for 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, hosted by Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, MM 104 bayside in Key Largo. The contest is open to all certified scuba divers and is slated for the morning dive. Buddy teams each receive a hollowed-out pumpkin to turn into a jack-o-lantern. Space aboard the dive boat is limited, so competitors are reminded to sign up early. The only cost is the regular dive boat fee of $80 per diver for the two-tank dive. For more information and to sign up, call Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort at (800) 426-6729 or visit www.amoray.com.

For some complimentary on-the-water excitement, “Haunted Robbie’s” Marina, MM 77.5, is hosting spooky boat rides through a haunted canal, a pig roast, kids’ corner, costume and pet costume contests and more. The family-friendly activities are to be held 6-9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 26-27. Call (305) 664-9814 for more information.

The beautiful 63-acre Crane Point Hammock, mile marker (MM) 50.5 bayside in Marathon, is taking a turn for the scary Thursday, Oct. 29. Crane Point’s “Haunted Hammock” features ghosts, pirates, Bahamian spirits and haunted hayrides beginning at 7 p.m. Terrifying trails and spook houses are planned to send chills down visitors’ spines. Admission is $5 per person, with kids under 6 admitted free. For the latest information, call (305) 743-3900.

In Key West, a Civil War-era setting adds a historic flavor to the Haunting of Fort Taylor spook-tacular. Visitors can explore the fright-filled fortress, discovering scary scenes and real Key West ghost stories on the nights of Oct. 23-30. Kids’ Day is set for Sunday, Oct. 25, with special 5-7 p.m. hours. The entrance to the fort is located at the end of Southard Street past Whitehead Street and Truman Annex. Admission is $13 per person ($8 per child under age 10 and $10 per person for members of the military), and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Friends of Fort Taylor. For more information, visit www.hauntedkeywestfort.com.

Tens of thousands of revelers are expected in Key West Saturday, Oct. 31, to celebrate Halloween with the 2009 Captain Morgan Fantasy Fest Parade, the highlight of the island city’s annual Fantasy Fest masking and costuming celebration. The flamboyant procession traditionally features more than 50 lavishly decorated motorized floats, Caribbean bands and costumed marching groups. The parade is to begin at 7 p.m., following a route that includes parts of Whitehead and Front streets and the entire length of Duval Street. Pre-parade activities are to begin at noon with the open-air Duval Street Promenade featuring live entertainment and vendors of masks, costumes, food and libations. For more information, visit www.fantasyfest.net.

For further information about events and accommodations throughout the Florida Keys, explore the Keys’ official Web site at www.fla-keys.com.

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Daytona Beach’s Biketoberfest Biker Party Attracts Harley Lovers

10Aug09

I love it when the fall comes to Florida and things start to cool down. Everyone is ready to get outdoors and enjoy all the fairs and festivals that occur this time of year. One of my favorite such events is Biketoberfest. Every year in October Daytona Beach becomes, once again, a Mecca for motorcycle enthusiast. Biketoberfest is shorter than Bike week, it’s held over a long weekend, and it’s just as fun and interesting. I’ve lived in Florida for over 20 years now and have taken pictures of Biketoberfest several times; last year was the first time however that we stay over. We booked our room early so it was very reasonably priced I think that’s key; get room early number one so there are rooms available but two so you can get a deal before the rates go up. There are a lot of rooms up and down the famous Daytona Strip but remember there are going to be over an estimated 150,000 bike and bikers there so the sooner you can book the better. So once you get there you have to head to Main Street there are a few other places to have fun but party central is definitely Main Street, it’s the main drag and still the best place to watch all the bikes and people going by. The first night of Biketoberfest there are several places to go called welcome centers where you can pick up a complete schedule of all events, activities and a lot of other information. One of the first places we went when we got there was to the world famous Daytona Speedway. The Speedway hosts several events including several bike races and swap meets; there is always something going on in the vast parking area there people buy and selling all sorts of things from t-shirt to tires. Some 2500 vendors or so are there any given year with loads of things to give away.

Last year when we were there they had these scantly clad ‘Wild Turkey Girls’ walking around Dirty Harry’s with trays of either Turkey shots or turkey and coke, handing them out. Every where you look there are girls in booths calling to you to came buy a drink or shot and let’s just say it’s a goo thing it’s been fairly warm these last couple of Octobers or they would have been very cold. Dirty Harry’s is a pretty popular place they have a lot of bikini contests there two or three a day and then at night it’s the main event contests and lets just say that after a day in the sun of drinking and partying most of the girls are in a pretty uninhibited place and open to the Emcee’s suggestions which as you can imagine get wilder as the night goes on.

Some other places to stop by on Main Street are Froggy’s Saloon, Cruisin Café which is on the corner of A1A and Main Street an ideal spot to watch the happenings. The Hogs Breath Saloon is a local favorite all year round and the Bank & Blues Club has two stories so you can people watch from upstairs and enjoy the rock and roll downstairs. The building is actually an old bank that’s been ‘reformed’. Bruce Rossmeyer’s Biketoberfest at Destination Daytona in nearby Ormond Beach is fast becoming a big part of Biketoberfest too. The have a huge showroom of bikes and during the fest that place transform into a virtual bikers village. They too have contests, food, live music day and night, girls in booths offering beer and booze, people and bikes everywhere. Another place that’s becoming very popular is the Cabbage Patch Bar in nearby Samsula. They have all the usual t-shirt and hot buns contest but their becoming kind of famous for something a little different – coleslaw wrestling. This place gets wild and it’s a lot of fun.

Mark mid October on your calendar to save the date and make plans to head down to Daytona Biketoberfest 2009. You’ll find all kinds of vendors, live entertainment day and night, food, many free give-a ways and more in
Daytona Beach. You can watch people and see bikes from all over the world, it’s definitely something to take in and experience for yourself.

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Tags: Bikers, Daytona Beach, Festivals, Harley-Davidson, motorcycles

Food and Wine Lovers Enticed at Key Largo Festival

19Jul09

Key Largo, Florida Keys – Each summer, the gateway to the Florida Keys transforms into a food and wine lover’s paradise. Key Largo culinary experts are stepping up to the plate to present nearly 30 tasty food, wine and spirits events Friday, July 31, through Sunday, Aug. 9.

A festival kickoff is set for July 31 with four refreshment-filled TGIF events: a happy hour and wine extravaganza, seminar about the history and preparation methods of the modern-day martini, fajita and margarita fiesta, and a “crustacean creations” event featuring wine paired with king crab and snow crab.

Subsequent highlights of the 10-day festival are to include themed, “how-to” and wine pairing events such as a “whodunit” murder mystery night, champagne brunch, all-American barbecue with summertime wines, five-course authentic Greek dinner with European wines, sushi with a sous chef, everyday wines with lobster prepared every which way, cooking demonstrations with seafood in the shell and more.

Capping off the event is a festival finale Sunday, Aug. 9, complete with music, brunch and bubbly.

For a complete schedule of event times, venues and reservation information, visit www.KeyLargoFoodandWineFestival.com.

For Key Largo area accommodations, contact the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce at (800) 822-1088, or visit the official Web site of the Florida Keys & Key West at www.fla-keys.com.

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Tags: Festival, Food, Key West, Wine

Fourth of July Celebrations

22Jun09

All across the state this Fourth of July there will be red rockets a glaring a bombs a bursting with fireworks displays everywhere. Floridians love celebrating Independence Day so much that fireworks dealers have used a loophole in the law where any farmer can buy fireworks to scare wildlife away from their crops. If you’re looking to play it safe this year and keep the kids away from your Uncle Hank and other amateur pyros, take a look at these fireworks shows we’ve discovered:

The City of Kissimmee will be your host at this annual Independence Day celebration on Friday, July 4 at Kissimmee Lakefront Park from 5 pm to 9:30 pm.

The Miami-Dade Parks Annual Independence Day celebration will feature concerts, food and beverages.

KABOOM is Pensacola Beach’s 3 day celebration of the 4th of July. Set to start at 3 pm on Friday with free live music at the Gulfside Pavilion.

More Florida 4th of July Fireworks.

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Tags: Fireworks, July 4

Fishing the Florida Keys for Tarpon Offers Reel Excitement

23May09

During a recent vacation in the Florida Keys, I decided to hire a guide and go fishing for the day. We had gone snorkeling the day before in John Pennekamp State Park, the water was crystal clear from the lack of rain and I wanted to take pictures of Key West.

The clarity of the water enticed me to try fishing for tarpon before heading down to party on Duval Street in Key West. The boat captain picked me up at the dock of the waterfront lodge we were staying at around 7:30 in the morning in a 17′ Maverick, powered by a 90HP Yamaha.

When we arrived at our fishing destination our intention was to fish live crabs and sight cast to tarpon but it was a still early for the tarpon bite so we moved at little in shore for bonefish.

The Maverick I was fishing from had a forward casting platform and since there was only a slight chop on the water, I thought I’d give it a try. Now, most people wouldn’t be so worried about standing on a platform two feet off the deck of a boat that measured a mere 18″ x 18″ but for a middle aged guy carrying a few extra pounds, it was a bit of a challenge. After only a few minutes on the platform I felt confident and the extra height gave me a better view of the fish.

When we moved out to deeper water to chase the tarpon we encountered activity right away. The first tarpon I cast to was a single fish, the cast was ok but not perfect and the tarpon moved on. The next fish I spotted moved through the flats so fast I don’t even think he saw my bait, what can you do?

Shortly after that, a pod of 10-15 tarpon came swimming right at us. My first cast was a little short, as the fish moved around the boat, I reeled up and got ready to take another cast. The guide yelled “Pick out on fish and cast to it” but there were so many and my heart was pumping so fast that I ending up casting into the middle of the pod just to watch them swim around it.

Shortly after that an inconsiderate boater moved up on us and it was time to relocate so, just a short boat ride later and we had moved to a different flat.

The next flat looked just as promising as the first because we saw fish right away. Then my shot appeared, I cast the live crab to a fish about 50-75 feet ahead. The tarpon saw the bait and inhaled it. As the guide advised, I waited for the line to get tight and raised the rod tip. The fish jumped seven times in the shallow flat before making it to deeper water for the remainder of the fight which lasted about twenty minutes.

The guide estimated that the fish weighed around 45 pounds. Tarpon always look bigger in the water and I would have thought it was closer to 60 pounds, but he was the expert.

I’ve caught a few tarpon through the years and hooked many more, including a spring ocean fish that may have gone over 150 pounds while trolling live bait for kingfish, but this was my first in the crystal clear waters of Key Largo and one I’ll remember for years to come.

Key West and the Florida Keys are America’s tropical playground. With so many things to do in Key West like fishing, snorkeling and diving you’ll have an adventure to remember. So bring your camera to take pictures of South Florida.

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Tags: Boating, Fishing, Florida, Florida Keys, Key Largo, Key West, Outdoors