Is there a bridge so that you can drive to Key West or do you have to go by boat?

Key West: How to Get There? is a post from: Key West Travel Deals

Explore Key West on your vacation and see the world Ernest Hemingway saw: swashbuckling characters, Duval Street, quaint old Conch houses, and ultra delicious dining and seafood. Then, explore the second world in Key West — the water and the world underneath the waters of the Caribbean Sea.

There's North America's only living coral reef just 6 miles out from the beaches of Key West. Having a coral reef so close to our shores means a whole beautiful world of marine life like fish, coral, dolphins, rays, sharks, eels, and an entire living ecosystem right there within a short boat ride from the docks of Key West.

By far the best way to explore the marine world is to go Key West snorkeling. Come on, the water is like bath water in summertime, and like any summer lake even in winter. It's gorgeous out there, and you can float effortlessly in the salt waters, gazing down through your mask at coral, fish, rays, and anything else that swims nearby.

Most people who come to Key West on vacation and who want to go snorkeling, book a spot on a Key West snorkeling trip. There are several companies that take visitors out to the coral reef, ranging from small boats that emphasize a private experience, to larger catamarans that feature a party-like atmosphere. One thing all the snorkeling charters have in common is that they will supply your gear for you. Even wetsuits in winter, if you want one.

The snorkeling charters give mask, snorkel, fins and personal life jacket for each snorkeling customer. Not that you won't already be buoyant enough with our salt water. It's actually hard to get under the water, especially if you are wearing a wetsuit, which makes you even more buoyant.

The majority of Key West snorkeling boats take visitors out to Sand Key Lighthouse, which is about six miles from shore. Here, the reef comes up to about two fee from the surface in some areas! There are many types of coral here, and resident barracuda, nurse sharks (don't worry, they are the friendly kind), and tons of little colorful reef fish darting about will make your snorkeling experience the memory of a lifetime.

Don't forget sunscreen on the backs of your legs. All that floating and looking down means your back side will be exposed to the strong Florida sun. And back of neck and ears, too! Some people bring along a hood to protect themselves from the sun. You can pick one up at a local dive shop in Key West for under $20 if you want.

With the two worlds of Key West to explore, you can't go wrong on vacation here. It's just going to be one of the most memorable vacations you'll take, simply because of the coral reef. Definitely make an effort to go snorkeling while in Key West, and you will see a whole new world under the surface of the sea.

Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

Find out more about Key West snorkeling at keywestvacationguide.com.

Key West Vacation: Snorkeling Delivers Two Worlds for the Price of One is a post from: Key West Travel Deals

Cuban influence in Key West commenced on a massive scale in 1868 when the first war against Spanish authority created a mass exodus. When Cubans confronted forced conscription into the Spanish army to battle against their countrymen, thousands of skilled cigar craftsmen and their families fled their native land.

On a single September day in 1869, over 2,000 Cubans lined the wharves of the Havana to escape their motherland. While some left for New York City or New Orleans, the majority got on steamships for the 12-hour trip to a destination ninety miles northward, a place Cubans called Cayo Hueso, today�s Key West.

The civil war against Spain died by 1878, nonetheless it created social turbulence in Key West as Cuban emigrants kept on arriving intermittently for decades, literally revolutionizing Key West�s social fabric and economy.

Prior to 1868, Key West had fewer than 500 occupants, notable chiefly for taking riches from shipwrecks, but a fresh form of riches was about to come when Cuban �migr�s, with talented cigar making skills, descended in the thousands in the matter of a year or two.

At the heyday of the industry, Key West was the largest cigar-producing city in the country. It boasted 57 major producers of cigars--many of whom relocated from Havana--and each engaged between five and 500 workers. In 1883 alone, 42 million hand-rolled cigars were constructed.

To house their cigar laborers, factory owners frequently constructed little cottages--bungalow-style structures principally of frame construction--and rented them out for low sums. To assure an ample supply of laborers, these homes were adjacent to manufacturing plants. These structures still comprise the biggest category of frame vernacular (simple structures, made of wood with few or no ornamental details) in Key West proper.

They were built from termite-proof Dade County pine with high ceilings for ventilation. They were elevated off the ground, allowing air to flow under the houses where roosters and hens lived and were part of the family, raised for eggs or meat or were trained for cock fights.

Although little by today's criteria, these cottages were far better than living circumstances in Havana they were surely far superior to condemnable tenement houses in Northern cities. Many times a cigar artisan would change jobs to another factory simply to have a newer house to live in. These homes were offered for inexpensive rent or with the option to purchase at a reasonable price to maintain a stable work force.

With good homes, high wages and the freedom to support the revolution, the cigar artisans lived well. Their smart unions secured significant strength, and while many labor union workers in the North were cowered in deplorable tenement lodgings, Key West cigarworkers were basking in paradise.

Even their multiple strikes, which eventually helped bring about the decline of the cigar industry, reflected the luxuriousness of their situation. In the strike of 1918, work stopped, as was common, until the union demands were filled. The requests: no brooming before 6 a.m., ice in the drinking water, and coal, not wood, as fuel for wintertime heating.

The little cigar bungalows have endured the test of time. Many of these Key West structures are diminutive, only 300 or 400 square feet. They frequently have porches, minuscule yards with picket fences and little or no grass to mow. The bungalows were made from Dade County pine by ship's carpenters, who constructed with a tongue-and-groove technique which lasts.

Property values are high, crime is low and the climate is about perfect. The bungalows are adequate for one or two friendly persons to live in--when you can be outside 350 days of the year. Key West has become such a desirable paradise for artists, the affluent and retirees that these pastoral cottages now cost at least $125,000--if you can get hold of one.

Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

Cigar Cabins in Key West is a post from: Key West Travel Deals

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We are looking to soak up some of the local culture - but want to make sure the area we rent in is safe and close to the best local attractions. Any ideas?

What Is the Best Area to Stay in Key West? is a post from: Key West Travel Deals