Did you know?

Cudjoe Key may be name after the shrub know as joewood, or cudjoewood. Or the tree may be named after the Key, but this doesn't explain where the cudjoe came from in the first place. The only postulate offered is that one member of a Key West family could not stand the bustle of the city, and some in the 1880's left to homestead the Lower Keys. He selected a pleasant spot and his family visited him frequently at what they came to call "Cousin Joe's Key". At any rate, the joewood is a sturdy little tree, with blossoms more fragrant than lilac.

Interactive Map of the Lower Keys

As you approach Cudjoe Key, look to the skies in the north and you should spot a huge radar blimp affectionately known as Fat Albert. There are actually two of them, and they take turns guarding the Keys from 1400 feet up. Fat Albert can actually be seen from miles away in either direction.

Fat Albert is used by the U.S. government for several purposes, including radar for aircraft and boat traffic (especially for drug enforcement) and weather. The blimp is also used to broadcast "TV Marti," a U.S. television station targeted toward an audience in Cuba.

These blimps are also used along the Mexican border.