The Whistle-Stop Tour celebrating U.S. 1's designation as one of only 30 All-American Roads nationwide began Oct. 24 in Key West and stopped at its northern terminus from 3:30-4 p.m. Saturday. The Key Largo Chamber of Commerce, mile marker 106 bayside, is the official northernmost trailhead of the Florida Keys new All-American Road. It also is the first official Keys' tourism information office someone driving south from Fort Lauderdale or Miami would encounter.
The Florida Keys Scenic Highway corridor runs from mile marker 110 to mile marker 0, and extends five miles on each side of the highway, including to the reef line in the Atlantic Ocean and the backcountry waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Overseas Highway, also known as U.S. 1, was named a state scenic highway in 2001. Since 2007, the Florida Keys Scenic Corridor Alliance had been updating its management plan for the highway and started work on the application for designation in the National Scenic Byways Program.
Jackie Harder, Key Largo chamber president, and Andy Dickson of Community Bank, were two Key Largo board members who helped in the All-American Road planning and application process. "We had to prove that the highway was a destination unto itself and that it provides an exceptional travel experience," said Harder. "Our scenic and recreational intrinsic qualities are those which best represent the nation, are nationally recognized, and contain one-of-a-kind features that do not exist elsewhere."
The benefits of having an All-American Road include the 4 P's: promotion, preservation, partnerships and pride. For more information on Key Largo and the Florida Keys, visit www.fla-keys.com or call 305-451-1414.
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