FLORIDA KEYS — The Florida Keys & Key West offer a variety of new and enhanced accommodations, intriguing museums, flavorful diversions and outdoor activities to tempt visitors ranging from adventurers to relaxation seekers. Explore the highlights here. 

Keys Adventures

Underwater explorers in Florida Keys waters might see groups of divers replanting corals at six different reefs — three off Big Pine Key in the Lower Keys and three off Key West. 

The Florida-based Mote Marine Laboratory, which operates the Mote Tropical Research Laboratory at 24244 Overseas Highway on Summerland Key, is spearheading an effort to plant 1,000 pieces of staghorn coral at each of the six sites. The project was conceived to enhance the reefs as well as diving, lobstering, fishing and other water-based activities.

Additionally, 2015 marks the fourth year that Mote Marine Laboratory has partnered with divers from The Combat Wounded Veterans Challenge, a program dedicated to veterans who have suffered a traumatic injury or loss of limb in combat, and SCUBAnauts International, a group of advanced teen scuba divers. The partnership's goal is to replenish corals at a reef site near Mote's coral restoration and research lab in the Florida Keys. 

Beginning July 20, the divers are to work with scientists at Mote to replant as many as 1,000 coral fragments in a transplant area near the Lower Keys' Looe Key that is referred to as “Heroes Reef.” For more information, visit www.mote.org or call 941-388-4441.

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters, located at 11710 Overseas Highway, mile marker (MM) 53 in Marathon, has recently launched its Marine Biology Summer Camp for aspiring marine biologists. Campers will learn a variety of skills including species identification and animal husbandry, water quality monitoring practices and dissections, as well as daily interactions with the “residents” of the exhibits. Campers also can participate in the various in-water encounters such as the stingray encounter and nurse shark encounter. 

The half-day camp runs from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on either Tuesday or Thursday and is open to rising third to eighth graders. Two different price levels are offered and all programs include lunch, snacks, a camp T-shirt, in-water encounters and all-day admission to the aquarium. 

For more information, visit www.floridakeysaquariumencounters.com or call 305-407-3262.

Keys Accommodations

The Fairfield Inn & Suites, the second of three Keys Collection hotels, opened in May 2015 at 3852 N. Roosevelt Blvd. in Key West. The new property features 133 rooms including 17 suites equipped with mini-fridges and microwaves. Hotel amenities include a new pool with lounge seating and cabanas, a poolside bar, a 24-hour fitness center and complimentary breakfast. 

All three properties in the Keys Collection are located at the entrance to Key West on North Roosevelt Boulevard. In addition to the Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Keys Collection consists of the Gates Hotel, which opened in April, and a Hilton Garden Inn, which is slated for a fall opening. 

Visit www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/eywfk-fairfield-inn-and-suites-key-west-at-the-keys-collection or call 305-320-0910. 

In celebration of Florida's legalization of same-sex marriage in January 2015, Key West's two Waldorf Astoria Resort properties — the Casa Marina at 1500 Reynolds St. and The Reach at 1435 Simonton St. — are offering a “United at Last” package for same-sex weddings.

Located on private beaches, both properties offer panoramic ocean views, spa treatments and luxurious amenities that are ideal for weddings. 

The package includes a complimentary suite upgrade for the newly united couple, personalized welcome amenity and turndown service of a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries on the wedding night. 

The package is available through Dec. 31, 2015. Visit www.casamarinaresort.com or www.thereachresort.com. 

Keys Culture

Key West's street scene became even more colorful in late May 2015, when the City of Key West installed four permanent rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Duval and Petronia streets in the heart of the island's LGBT entertainment district. 

Spanning all four corners of the intersection, the crosswalks feature bands of the six colors of the rainbow flag, an internationally recognized symbol of gay and lesbian unity. 

Spearheaded by the city and the Key West Business Guild, the rainbow crosswalks are composed of pre-formed thermoplastic color blocks alternating with white stripes. The project marks the first time in Florida that all four corners of an intersection have been connected with rainbow crosswalks.

The installation is the latest manifestation of Key West's longstanding embrace of diversity. “One Human Family” was adopted as the city's official philosophy in 2000, proclaiming equality and acceptance for everyone, and the island is internationally known as a leading LGBT vacation destination.

For more information, visit www.fla-keys.com/keywest/gaykeywest.cfm. 

The Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation recently debuted a state-of-the-art theater at its Florida Keys History & Discovery Center, located at Islamorada's Islander Resort, a Guy Harvey Outpost, at MM 82.1 oceanside. The theater is equipped with 35 seats, surround sound and 4K-technology and projection system. 

Documentaries and interviews featuring films on International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame anglers and survivors of a 1935 hurricane are to play during the museum's regular business hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.

Film nights also are planned at the theater, with screenings of movies made in and/or about the Keys such as “PT 109,” “The Rose Tattoo,” “Key Largo” and “True Lies.” In addition, the venue is to be available for special television showings such as award shows, screenings of the Keys-based Netflix drama “Bloodline” and sporting events like the Super Bowl, NCAA National Championship game and Kentucky Derby.

For more information, visit www.keysdiscovery.com or call 305-922-2237.

Keys Food and Drink

Restaurants throughout the Florida Keys & Key West are known for serving local fish and seafood prepared in imaginative ways, but a new Key West program brings the concept of fresh-caught offerings to a new level. 

The Dock to Dish Key West Community Supported Fishery and Community Seafood Market — the second Dock to Dish program in the United States — was launched in 2015 to promote sustainability and the livelihoods of commercial fishermen. Organizers work in conjunction with the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association based on a signature direct-from-the-dock sourcing philosophy. 

Visitors can find Dock to Dish items at Key West restaurants that have embraced membership in the innovative program. Currently, participating restaurants include Pisces Key West, The Commodore Restaurant, Kelly's Caribbean Bar/Grill & Brewery, Roostica, Firefly, the Hogfish Bar & Grill, Abbondanza, Bad Boy Burrito, the Stoned Crab at Ibis Bay Beach Resort and the Key West Yacht Club.  

Individual memberships are available as well. Visit www.keywest.docktodish.com.   

Brewing up tasty beers in Islamorada's Morada Way Arts & Cultural District is the new Florida Keys Brewing Co. Opened in March 2015, the brewery infuses local flavors such as Key lime, citrus and local honey into its brews. 

At the brewery and taproom, visitors can sample and purchase beers on-site. Some of the most popular brews include “FlaKeys,” a Belgian-style beer made with Key limes, and “Hogfish” beer infused with local citrus flavors.

The taproom also showcases the Florida Keys arts scene with Islamorada artist murals and taps featuring unique mermaid sculptures. 

Located at 200 Morada Way, MM 81.6, the taproom is open 1-9 p.m. daily. For more information, visit www.floridakeysbrewingco.com or call 305-916-5206.

Keys Kudos

Historic Tours of America recently was recognized as a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame winner. The award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. Hall of Fame induction honors businesses that have earned a Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years.

The three Historic Tours of America companies include Old Town Trolley Tours of Key West, which has provided sightseeing tours of the island city for more than 30 years; Yankee Freedom III, the official Dry Tortugas National Park ferry; and the Harry S. Truman Little White House, Florida's only presidential museum. All are located in Key West.

For more information, visit www.historictours.com/keywest/index.php or call 855-629-8777.

Florida Keys visitor information: www.fla-keys.com or 1-800-FLA-KEYS 

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