It’s vacation time, and this year you’ve decided to take a drive from the mainland to the Florida Keys. You’ve heard about the attractions, the magnificent coral reef, and the laid-back lifestyle. And after a long winter of working hard, it’s what you’ve dreamed about.

Marine life artist Wyland takes a break after putting finishing touches on his 7,500-square-foot marine life mural in Key Largo. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Once you leave the mainland, almost before you know it you’re in Key Largo, world-famous as a dive paradise. One of the first things you’ll spot is a colorful marine life mural wrapping around all four sides of a building at mile marker 99.2.

This massive “Whaling Wall” mural is one of 100 that artist Wyland, an Upper Keys resident, has painted in the United States and around the world. (He has also painted walls in Marathon and Key West). An avid conservationist, Wyland often invites kids to participate in his mural paintings, giving them lessons in art while educating them about our oceans and their inhabitants.

As part of Wyland’s Keys public relations team, I was on site during his week of painting. I saw crowds gather every day to watch as Wyland transformed a nondescript building at the entrance to the Florida Keys into a glimpse of the wonders of the underwater world.

The African Queen is the original vessel from director John Huston's classic 1951 film by the same name. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Sea turtles, dolphins, manatees and fish were brought to life by the talented artist. Seeing the look of wonder on onlookers’ faces as Wyland grinned down at them from his scaffolding is an experience I’ll never forget.

Once you’ve seen the mural, you’re likely to be hooked. The waters off the Florida Keys beckon and you want to immerse yourself in the underwater experience.

But before you leave Key Largo, take a trip above the water’s surface on the restored African Queen for a journey into history.

Some of us older seniors will remember the film, “The African Queen,” with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, but the vessel that appeared in the film has a much larger history than her role on the silver screen.

Stephen Bogart, son of actor Humphrey Bogart, steers the original African Queen in Key Largo waters. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

She was built in the United Kingdom in 1912. The British East Africa Rail Company used her as a cargo and passenger ship in Africa until 1968, and later she was a passenger boat in the U.S. for a time. In 1983 she began taking visitors for rides in Key Largo, but eventually fell into disrepair.

Recently, however, the African Queen was completely restored to her appearance in the iconic film and is now a national historic site. In April 2012, this famous vessel was re-launched for cruises, leaving from the Holiday Inn Key Largo. You will savor the experience of traveling on her — available nowhere else in the world.

A little farther down the Keys’ famed Overseas Highway, you’ll get your chance to slip into the water when you stop at Islamorada’s Theater of the Sea, the second oldest marine mammal facility in the world. Open since 1946, this unique facility is home to many species of marine life and has attracted visitors from around the globe.

Marine life and lively parrots intrigue young visitors to Islamorada's Theater of the Sea.

Here dolphins, stingrays, and sea lions occupy several lagoons, all frolicking in the salt water pumped in from the Atlantic. Here too, visitors can swim with any one of the three species, a fascinating water adventure for kids and adults alike.

As a SENIOR senior citizen, I admit I haven’t done this (yet), but family members have swum with rays and dolphins and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even kids as young as three years old can wade with the dolphins when accompanied by an adult, so share the experience with your kids or grandkids.

Theater of the Sea also offers attractions including parrot shows, marine shows, guided marine life tours and a four-hour Adventure and Snorkel Cruise in the waters of Florida Bay and the Atlantic.

In case you haven’t realized it by now, the laid-back yet lively Florida Keys offer enough to see and do to fill your days with fun and wonder. I’ve been here for more than 20 years, and I STILL haven’t experienced everything!