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Nearly 70 New Reasons to Take Islamorada’s Old Road

One colorful late-summer detour is hiding in plain sight.

August 17, 2026
By Florida Keys Road Trip

Hey, Keys lovers—some of the best road-trip stops are not marked by a giant sign. Sometimes, they are tucked along Islamorada’s Old Road, where a new exhibition gathers nearly 70 works by Upper Keys artists and turns a simple detour into a full-color island experience.

This week, we are heading to Morada Way, uncovering the truth behind the Audubon House, and celebrating the people keeping Keys culture, care, and dive traditions moving forward.

❓Keys Trivia

What Key West landmark holds the largest cache of Civil War-era seacoast cannons in the United States?

The answer is waiting near the bottom of this email.

📣The Mile Marker Roundup

A New Mario Sanchez Treasure for Key West

The Key West Art & Historical Society has received a culturally significant woodcarving by beloved Cuban American folk artist Mario Sanchez. Donated by Holly S. Merrill, the piece captures a traditional 1940s funeral procession along Center Street on its way to the Key West Cemetery—a tender slice of island life now preserved in the permanent collection. Read the story →

The Headdress Ball Gets Bigger

Fantasy Fest’s 43rd annual Headdress Ball is adding six award categories for its October 22 show at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. New honors include Glow Getter, Size Doesn’t Matter, Dream Team, and the $2,500 Head Above the Rest prize. See what is new →

A National Honor for a Key West Nurse

Lower Keys Medical Center’s Jody Houser has earned a national Nursing Excellence Award, becoming one of just 10 winners selected across Community Health Systems’ 60-hospital network. Colleagues recognized her clinical skill, mentorship, and longtime care for the community. Meet Jody →

Four New Dive Instructors Are Ready to Teach

Four College of the Florida Keys students have completed the PADI instructor-development course and examination, qualifying as Open Water Scuba Instructors. CFK is the only Middle and Lower Keys institution offering this professional-level program. Dive into the news →

A Golden Hour for Wellness in Islamorada

Golden Yoga, the creative community space led by longtime locals Carrlee and Chris Denault, is expanding its classes and workshops at 200 Morada Way. Wednesday sound-bowl sessions offer one more reason to slow down and reset. Find your moment of calm →

🌴Partner Spotlight

Take the Morada Way Art Detour

Late summer is a great time to trade an hour of highway for an hour of island art.

In Islamorada, the six-block Morada Way Arts & Cultural District runs along the Old Road from the Green Turtle Inn at Mile Marker 81.2 to the Florida Keys Memorial at Mile Marker 81.8. It is the kind of road-trip pause that feels spontaneous—and completely worth planning for.

Start at Hale Gallery, where Made on Morada Way is on display through September 25. The exhibition brings together nearly 70 works by more than 20 Upper Keys artists, with kiln-formed glass, ceramics, paintings, seashell work, and porcelain all represented. The gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and private appointments are available for travelers keeping island time.

Then linger. This compact corridor is built for browsing, conversation, and a welcome change of pace from the Overseas Highway. It is also a heat-smart, rain-flexible stop for a late-August afternoon when you want a memorable Keys experience without committing to a full day in the sun.

🧩Deep Dive

Made on Morada Way

A 70-work love letter to Islamorada

The Overseas Highway gets you where you are going. The Old Road is where Islamorada starts telling you who it is.

That is the spirit behind Made on Morada Way, the summer exhibition now open at Hale Gallery. Running through September 25, the show brings together more than 20 Upper Keys artists and nearly 70 works of art. It is not a souvenir rack dressed up as a gallery show. It is a living portrait of the community that makes the Upper Keys feel like the Upper Keys.

Curated by artist Emma Putney, the exhibition connects creators who keep studios and galleries in the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District with artists who participate in the district’s monthly Third Thursday Art Walks. The work ranges from kiln-formed glass and oil paintings to ceramics, seashells, acrylics, and porcelain—the kind of variety that makes visitors slow down and look again.

The setting is part of the story. Morada Way is a six-block cultural corridor on Islamorada’s Old Road, stretching from the Green Turtle Inn at Mile Marker 81.2 to the Florida Keys Memorial at Mile Marker 81.8. It is easy to miss if your eyes stay fixed on the highway, but it rewards the curious traveler with an intimate view of the people making art in the islands right now.

Hale Gallery has donated its usual hosting proceeds, so sales support both the featured artists and the nonprofit Morada Way organization. In a destination known for marine blues, sunset golds, and postcard views, this exhibition offers something more personal: the chance to bring home a piece of the Keys made by someone who lives the view every day.

Lore & Legends

🕰️The Audubon House That Audubon Never Slept In

The graceful white home at 205 Whitehead Street is one of Key West’s most photographed historic houses. It is called the Audubon House. It displays Audubon’s birds. Its gardens evoke the naturalist’s time in the Keys.

But here is the island twist: John James Audubon never slept in the house that bears his name.

Audubon came to Key West and the Dry Tortugas in 1832 while gathering material for Birds of America. He was captivated by the islands, writing that his “heart swelled with uncontrollable delight” when he reached Key West. During his Florida work, he identified 52 birds new to him and drew 18 of them, including the Great White Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, and Brown Pelican.

He spent time with the Geiger family and worked in their garden. Local history holds that he drew the White-crowned Pigeon there, in a particular Geiger tree. But the surviving mansion came later: Captain John Huling Geiger built it between 1847 and 1849, at least 15 years after Audubon’s visit.

The house nearly disappeared in 1958, when it was slated to become a gas station. Mitchell and Frances Wolfson stepped in, restored the building, and opened it as the Audubon House museum in 1960. The name honors Audubon’s real connection to the property, even if the building itself arrived after he was gone.

Today, the museum holds 28 first-edition Audubon works and preserves the stories of both the artist and the seafaring Geiger family. In classic Key West fashion, the legend is not exactly wrong—it is simply more interesting than the sign suggests.

✅Trivia Answer

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park

In 1968, Navy engineer Howard S. England was assigned to investigate Fort Zachary Taylor, then an overgrown, landlocked dump site. What he found was extraordinary: one of the largest collections of historic armaments in the United States.

Buried inside the fort’s old arsenal were Civil War-era seacoast cannons, thousands of cannonballs and projectiles, and even a Civil War-era desalination plant. The discovery helped lead to Fort Zachary Taylor’s designation as a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark.

Today, the fort still holds the country’s largest cache of Civil War-era seacoast cannons—a remarkable surprise hiding behind one of Key West’s favorite beaches.

Plan a visit to Fort Zachary Taylor →

Until next week, keep your windows down and your watch off.
The Florida Keys Road Trip Team

10K Steps Is a Myth–Try This Instead

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