If holiday time brings visions of cold snow, warm drinks and short days, here’s a locale that provides something much different. Even Hanukkah – considered a relatively minor holiday in Jewish tradition – is richly celebrated in southern Florida and the Keys; and with a distinctly snow-free tropical locale, there’s reason to make this area a major holiday getaway.
The Lower Keys buzz with activity during the holidays. You can have your picture taken with a bottlenose dolphin at the Dolphin Research Center on Marathon, celebrate with local live music and art on Big Pine Key, or take in the Schooner Wharf Bar/Captain Morgan Lighted Boat Parade on Key West – one of three parades in the Keys – featuring spectacularly lighted and decorated vessels. For a bit of history with your holiday, take the Holiday House Tour presented by the Old Island Restoration Foundation. Self-guided tours feature five Key West homes and gardens.
And for a unique Hanukkah celebration, travel north just outside the Keys to Key Biscayne for the annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony. Amid some of the best beaches in the U.S., combined with wildlife, art and the area’s rich history as the largest coconut plantation in the continental United States, you’ll find even the customary dreidel giveaways, latke and doughnuts become more magical.
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Things to know:
Region: Florida Keys
Average temperature: Between 66 and 71 degrees F.
Dates and Prices: Lower Keys holiday events begin with the Florida Keys Holiday Festival November 30 from 4 to 10 p.m. on Islamorada and continue through December 29. Cost and ticketing vary according to event.
Extra Stops: Take in the “Nutcracker Key West” November 23 – December 2, an island-flavored version of the classic holiday ballet with sets depicting Key West's history and coral reef environment.
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