Florida Keys Traveler

In the peaceful backcountry to hooking up to that prized catch in offshore waters, sportfishing in the Florida Keys connects you to the sea in ways both invigorating and meditative. According to the International Game Fish Association, more saltwater world records have been established in the Keys than any other location on the globe.

Thank you to our guests:

-Captain Steve Friedman, who helped develop the Blue Star certification program in the Florida Keys and is the owner of A Backcountry Fishing Guide in Islamorada: afishingguide.com

-Captain Will Benson, Blue Star-certified owner of World Angling on Sugarloaf Key: worldangling.com

-Dianne Harbaugh, Fishing Tournament Director and Angler: www.fla-

keys.com/calendar/fishing

For more on the Florida Keys, go to fla-keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-F-L-A-K-E-Y-S or contact your travel advisor.

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions (armchair-productions.com), the audio experts for the travel industry. Elizabeth Harryman Lasley presented the show; Jason Paton and Charles Tyrie did the audio and sound mixing; and Aaron Millar and Jenny Allison produced it.

Beneath the sun-dappled teal waters of the Florida Keys is a vibrant bustling universe of coral reefs, jewel-colored fish, and gently waving sea grasses. Not only can you immerse yourself in this underwater world with a certified Blue Star dive and snorkel operator, you can help preserve it by volunteering with Keys coral restoration groups.

Thank you to our guests:

-Dan Dawson, Owner of Horizon Divers in Key Largo: horizondivers.com;

-Michael Goldberg, Owner of Key Dives in Islamorada and Cofounder with Dr. Kylie Smith of I.CARE: keydives.com and icareaboutcoral.org;

-And Samantha Zeher, Owner and Operator of KeyZ Charters in Islamorada: keyzcharters.com

For more on the Florida Keys, go to fla-keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-F-L-A-K-E-Y-S or contact your travel advisor.

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions (armchair-productions.com), the audio experts for the travel industry. Elizabeth Harryman Lasley presented the show; Jason Paton and Charles Tyrie did the audio and sound mixing; and Aaron Millar and Jenny Allison produced it.

With a culinary heritage spanning Europe to Cuba and throughout the Caribbean, with fresh-from-the-water seafood and talented, creative chefs, the Florida Keys offer tastes for every palate. In this episode, we’ll learn all about Keys cuisine and what makes it so delicious.

Thank you to our guests:

-Chef Martin Liz of Key West Personal Chef: keywestpersonalchef.com;

-Martha Hubbard, Culinary Director at Williams Hall and Executive Chef of Unity Table in Key West: williamshall.org/unity-table;

-And Craig Zabransky, Owner and Operator of the Florida Keys Food Tours, with multiple tours, in Islamorada: flkeysfoodtour.com

For more on the Florida Keys, go to fla-keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-F-L-A-K-E-Y-S or contact your travel advisor.

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions (armchair-productions.com), the audio experts for the travel industry. Elizabeth Harryman Lasley presented the show; Jason Paton and Charles Tyrie did the audio and sound mixing; and Aaron Millar and Jenny Allison produced it.

Writers seeking an open-minded place to craft their stories, history lovers seeking a deeper perspective, and artists drawn to the kaleidoscope of the Florida Keys all find inspiration from this 125-mile-long subtropical island chain. In this episode, we meet a book lover, an historian, and an artist, each of whom reveals a different aspect of the Keys’ rich cultural tapestry.

Thank you to our guests:

-Nancy Klingener, community affairs manager for the Monroe County

Public Library and President of the Board for the Key West Literary

Seminar: keyslibraries.org and kwls.org/seminar;

-Corey Malcom, lead historian at the Florida Keys History Center: https://keyslibraries.org/fkhc/; and

-Artist Roberto “Pasta” Pantaleo: artbypasta.com.

For more on the Florida Keys, go to fla-keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-F-L-A-K-E-Y-S or contact your travel advisor.

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions (armchair-productions.com), the audio experts for the travel industry. Elizabeth Harryman Lasley presented the show; Jason Paton and Charles Tyrie did the audio and sound mixing; and Aaron Millar and Jenny Allison produced it.

From a historic haunted doll to an underwater music fest to the continental United States’ only breadfruit grove — and even fruit with the texture of a lizard! — there are many hidden off-the-beaten path wonders and adventures to be discovered throughout the Florida Keys.

Thank you to our guests:

-Patrick Garvey, owner and operator of Grimal Grove, a secluded lush “edible park” on Big Pine Key: grimalgrove.com 

-David L. Sloan, author of more than 25 books about the Florida Keys, including The New Florida Keys Bucket List and Haunted Key West: ghostkeywest.com and fantasyfest.com, this year, Oct.18 through Oct. 27.

-Historian and author Brad Bertelli: bradbertelli.com

For more on the Florida Keys, go to fla-keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-F-L-A-K-E-Y-S or contact your travel advisor.

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions (armchair-productions.com), the audio experts for the travel industry. Elizabeth Harryman Lasley presented the show; Jason Paton and

Charles Tyrie did the audio and sound mixing; and Aaron Millar and Jenny Allison produced it.

Among serene, mangrove-lined coastlines and aquamarine waters of the Atlantic Ocean teeming with indigenous fish and wildlife, the Florida Keys offer an abundance of natural beauty. In this episode, we hear from three people working to conserve these cherished natural resources, from the coral reefs of the ocean floor to the nodding green canopies of the tropical mangrove forests.

Thank you to our guests:

-Sabrina Diaz, Deputy Superintendent for Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks in South Florida: nps.gov/ever and nps.gov/drto/index.htm 

-Sarah Fangman of the National Marine Sanctuaries: sanctuaries.noaa.gov  and floridakeys.noaa.gov

-Bette Zirkelbach, Manager, The Turtle Hospital: turtlehospital.org

For more on the Florida Keys, go to  fla-keys.com . To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-F-L-A-K-E-Y-S or contact your travel advisor.

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions (armchair-productions.com), the audio experts for the travel industry. Elizabeth Harryman Lasley presented the show; Jason Paton and Charles Tyrie did the audio and sound mixing; and Aaron Millar and Jenny Allison produced it.

July 3, 2023 marks the bicentennial "birthday" of the Florida Keys — and in this episode, we meet a Key West-born “Conch” who’s lived in the Keys for half of those 200 years.

Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley, who chats with 104-year-old Onelio Gonzalez, recently celebrating his milestone birthday in the continental United States’ southernmost island city.

He remembers the days when Ernest Hemingway resided in Key West, and when Harry S. Truman presided from the southernmost White House in the island city. And what was it like to ride Henry Flagler's Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, completed in 1912 and stretching from Florida’s southern mainland throughout the Keys? How were pineapples involved?

Listen to some of our favorite insights and takeaways from this series, celebrating what makes the 125-mile-long Florida Keys island chain so unique. You might hear a highlight from a favorite episode.

For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What’s the significance of Mallory Square in Key West? What does Jimmy Buffett represent to the Florida Keys? And just what is The Conch Republic? 

We celebrate the Keys' fun, quirkiness and a fierce independence in this episode. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley in Mallory Square to catch the sunset. Learn more about the famous songwriter who embodies the Keys. Discover how the Keys became known as The Conch Republic after a U.S. Border Patrol blockade in 1982.

To learn about Mallory Square, go to  mallorysquare.com/sunset-celebration/. For more about The Conch Republic, visit conchrepublic.com.

For travel details inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

Why did President Harry Truman establish his Little White House in Key West? Where was he frequently spotted around town? And what is it like to ride in one of his presidential limousines? 

Find out as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton take you to Florida’s only presidential museum, the Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum. Clinton Curry, the museum's operations director, takes us behind the scenes to reveal the man the public didn't always see. And we take you for a ride in a 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan, one of his official limos.

The Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum is open 365 days a year. For more, go to trumanlittlewhitehouse.org.

For further details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

What is sponging and how has it impacted the Keys? How did lighthouses save one industry, and end another? Why is Fort Jefferson – known as the "Gibraltar of the Gulf" – located 70 miles off Key West in the middle of the ocean? 

The story of the Florida Keys is inextricably intertwined with the seas that surround them. Join host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley to learn about wreckers, sponging and a Civil War-era fort in the United States' most remote national park.

We're joined by the Florida Keys History Center's Corey Malcom, the Key West Art & Historical Society's Cori Convertito, and Historic Tours of America's Chris Belland. For more on the Key West Art & Historical Society, go to kwahs.org. The Florida Keys History Center is located in the Key West library: keyslibraries.org. Fort Jefferson details can be found at drytortugas.com/. 

For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.