Canadians are slowly returning to the Florida Keys as the southern Florida destination touts its outsdoorsy nature and wide-open spaces as an ideal retreat during the lingering days of the pandemic.

“You’re never going to feel like it’s crowded,” Keys representative Ashley Serrate, told Travel Industry Today during a recent visit to Toronto, noting that any wariness by Canadians prompted by ubiquitous images of wild Miami South Beach crowds is unfounded. “The Keys is quite the opposite of that,” she says.

“The advantage of the Florida Keys is that we’re spread out,” says Dr. Mark Whiteside, the health department’s regional medical director of the 200-km-long island chain at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, which is connected to the mainland and each other by the Florida Keys Overseas Highway. “Over 100 miles and you have plenty of outdoor activities that you can enjoy.”

Popular stops along the Keys include Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and the Lower Keys, as well colourful Key West, the last island in the contiguous Keys and biggest city.

And with two national parks (including the Everglades) and 10 state parks, Serrate says it’s easy to be as social or anti-social as one wishes.

“You can still travel and keep to your bubble; there are ways to travel cautiously, she says.

At the same time, Serrate emphasizes that the Keys are open and that small cruise ships have returned. Most businesses survived the worst of the COVID-19 crisis, she adds, and are now open (masks required), though some events have been cancelled or downsized due to the health precautions.

For Canadians who are flying (to Miami or Fort Lauderdale) rather than driving their own vehicle, Serrate cautions that rental cars can still be hard to find and advises securing one in advance (or connecting on by air to Key West).

Either way, she urges, “Come on back! I’m sure there are lots of Canadians who are missing the Keys.”

Meanwhile, from the 75th anniversary of Everglades National Park to new hotel and touring developments, here’s a snapshot of some of the new and notable developments in the Keys ahead of a prospective visit:

Upcoming Events

• Continuing through Dec. 31, the Key West Holiday Fest festival is packed with events designed to spread holiday cheer – all spiced with an individualistic Florida Keys flair.

• At New Year’s the annual party on lower Duval Street will feature the “drop” of a gigantic manmade conch shell, the symbol of the Florida Keys, to the flat roof of Sloppy Joe’s Bar, 201 Duval St. Festivities will be emceed by a rooftop host and, as a huge clock counts down to midnight. And in the Key West Historic Seaport, merriment will be centered around the Schooner Wharf Bar, 202 William St., where, just before midnight a “pirate wench” is to be lowered from the top of a majestic tall ship’s mast – completing her descent as the clock strikes and cannons boom to welcome 2022. The event includes live music, dancing, and festivities at the Schooner Wharf.

• For nearly 200 years, Key West’s cuisine has been based around the bounty of the sea. Seafood lovers can feast on fresh local lobster, finfish, shrimp, stone crab claws and more during the Florida Keys Seafood Festival set for Jan. 15-16. The 16th annual festival will be held 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Key West’s Bayview Park, located at Truman Avenue and Jose Marti Drive.

Accommodation

• The Margaritaville Beach House Key West is now open, following an ongoing multi-million investment. Previously the Barbary Beach House Key West, the rebranded and upgraded resort features family-friendly amenities, an expanded retail outlet, and Tin Cup Chalice Bar & Chill. The resort sits oceanfront along Smathers Beach and offers 186 suites, a lagoon-style pool, and lounging hammocks throughout the grounds. Amenities include poolside entertainment, daily refreshments, a 24-hour fitness centre, kids’ activities, lawn games, and easy access to the beach. The resort is located at 2001 S. Roosevelt Blvd., a mile from Key West International Airport, and provides complimentary shuttle service to the airport, Duval Street, and the Downtown Seaport Harbor.

• An expansion of Grassy Flats Resort & Beach Club, celebrating two years on the Middle Keys’ Grassy Key at mile marker 58, includes the addition of a second pool and 28 new oceanfront guest rooms alongside on-site Barrel & Bale bar, expanded with 152 seats and a rooftop bar.

• In Marathon, Faro Blanco Resort, known for its historic lighthouse that has guided guests to the property since the 1950s, is planning renovations to the 125-unit hotel and grounds to include an expanded pool area, waterslide, Tiki huts and other new amenities. Faro Blanco is a sister property to Isla Bella Beach Resort.

Attractions/Tours

• In Marathon at the Crane Point Hammock Museum & Nature Trail, the pink Crane House has undergone a US$319,000 exterior renovation and is reopened to the public. Designed in the 1950s style of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the house’s blueprint is unique to the Keys. Also at Crane Point, the bright historic red railroad car, formerly based on Knights Key for four decades as the Pigeon Key Visitor’s Center, has completed a full restoration and serves as an extension of the museum.

• Renovations to a collapsed historic archway and citadel at the picturesque Civil War-era West Martello Tower, a National Historic Site built in 1866 and managed by the Key West Garden Club, are complete. The brick arch, part of a tunnel that allowed Union soldiers to enter the citadel safely, is a scenic focal point of the fragrant, colourful subtropical gardens along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline at the Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach Park. Higgs Beach, meanwhile, has undergone a shoreline restoration to replenish sand and sea turtle nesting areas.

• Starting in January, Grimal Grove at Big Pine Key, billed as the first and only breadfruit grove in the continental US, now offers guided tropical fruit excursions, priced at $15 for a 90-minute tour, on request. In addition, Grimal Grove has partnered with Mutiny Island Vodka on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands to develop a Grimal Grove Reserve breadfruit-distilled vodka for release next year.

• Key West’s Island Vibe Charters, a new LGBTQ owned and operated “all welcome” charter operation, offers private excursions to offshore sandbars and to the reef for snorkeling trips for families and groups of up to six. Its 8.5-m., twin-engine Edgewater boat offers bow and stern seating. Four- to six-hour trips, priced from $600, include sandbar and snorkeling excursions. Ice, drinking water, life vests and snorkeling and beach gear are provided.

Environment

• Everglades National Park’s 75th anniversary kicked off Dec. 6. In the park, a new 24-unit Flamingo Lodge & Restaurant – located in the Flamingo area about a 40-minute drive from the park’s entrance – and a new Flamingo Visitor Center are scheduled to open by January. Both the lodge and restaurant are being built from shipping containers, above the ground on cement pillars and connected by a boardwalk. Additionally, eco “glamping” tents, erected on platforms with a queen or two double beds, and 13-m. houseboats (for a maximum four adults and two children), are also available for overnight stays.

• In Key West’s Truman Waterfront Park, the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center has completed the first phase of a renovation by early October with new exhibits featuring maritime history, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and ways to protect Florida Keys habitats. A second renovation phase is to begin in early 2022.

• In the Lower Keys, Bahia Honda State Park is finishing a full restoration of its mile-long Sandspur Beach, its 24-campsite Sandspur campgrounds, a 155-car parking area and two shower towers at the day-use area.

In Key Largo, plans are underway to redevelop the eight-acre Rowell’s Waterfront Park, located at mile marker 104.5 bayside. Development plans include realigning the park entrance, adding a restroom facility and small parking lot, new landscaping, and a walking trail. Completion is projected by summer 2022.

• The Big Pine Key Swimming Hole and Nature Center at the Lower Keys Scenic Viewing Area, an extension of the Overseas Heritage Trail, is under construction with projected completion in summer 2022. At the nature centre area, plans include a foot raised viewing deck, boardwalk, Tiki huts, picnic areas with tables and barbecue grills, bike racks, kayak and canoe launch area and parking spaces. The county park is located at mile marker 29 on Big Pine Key across from Captain Hook’s marina and dive centre.

Keys Life

A dedicated section titled “Connect with Keys Life” has debuted on the Florida Keys tourism council’s visitor website, fla-keys.com, the friendly, easygoing people who make the island chain their home. The new section encourages visitors to connect with local residents to glean insights and recommendations for off-the-beaten-path adventures and ways to immerse themselves in the genuine Keys experience. Content emphasizes how local charterboat captains, artists, restaurateurs, animal rescuers, eco-tour operators, musicians and others can offer a unique window into the Keys’ distinctive lifestyle and eco-conscious mindset.

Health and safety

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, Keys businesses may require facial coverings at venues such as resorts, indoor attractions, museums, restaurants, grocery stores, galleries, or retail shops. Masking is required in county – and Key West City – operated government buildings. Full protocols are listed on fla-keys.com.