Fiction, films and folklore have given the FLORIDA KEYS - a hundred-mile chain of islands that runs to within ninety miles of Cuba - an image of glamorous intrigue they don't really deserve. Instead, this is an outdoor-lover's paradise, where fishing, snorkeling and diving dominate. Terrific untainted natural areas include the Florida Reef , a great band of living coral just a few miles off the coast. But for many, the various keys are only stops on the way to fascinating Key West . Once the richest town in the US, and the final dot of North America before a thousand miles of ocean, Key West has lush, Caribbean-style streets with plenty of congenial bars in which to waste away the hours, watching the famous spectacular sunsets .

Wherever you are on the Keys, you'll experience distinctive cuisine , served for the most part in funky little shacks where the food is fresh and the atmosphere laid-back. Conch, a rich meaty mollusc, is a specialty, served in chowders and fritters. And as for the Key Lime Pie, the delicate, creamy concoction of limes and condensed milk bears little resemblance here to the lurid green imposters served in the rest of the country.

Traveling through the Keys could hardly be easier. There's just one route all the way through to Key West: the Overseas Highway (US-1 ). The road is punctuated by mile markers (MM) - starting with MM127 just south of Miami and finishing with MM0 in Key West.

Florida Keys

• Florida Keys

Explore Florida Keys

• Islamorada
• Key Largo
• Key West
• Lower Keys
• Middle Keys

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