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.