FLORIDA KEYS & KEY WEST
On most nights of the year, warm breezes blow across the 126 miles of the 1,700 islands that form the Florida Keys. Groups visiting the Florida Keys love that few of the gorgeous islands are inhabited, as well as the let-and-let-live attitude among the 30 that are populated.
“We offer an exotic tropical experience without having to leave the country,” says Jack Meier, corporate group/ incentive sales director of Florida Keys & Key West.
The coral archipelago offers a wealth of water activities unparalleled in the nation. Key Largo is known as the Diving Capital of the World. Islamorada claims bragging rights as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World. And then there’s Key West, the largest of the inhabited islands with the most meeting space.
Meier says, “The value for meeting planners is that their group can receive a richer experience without being perceived as being over the top.”
In Key West, book dinner at the Hemingway House & Museum with a steel band, followed by more music and margaritas on busy Duval Street. Midway down the Keys near Marathon, the Dolphin Research Center offers private tours, and interaction with the dolphins. Organize an elegant 4-course meal for 20, which includes a commemorative CD of photographs taken during their dolphin experiences.