Old-School Cool

Strolling through Ocean Reef Club, a luxurious private community in Key Largo, during its annual Vintage Weekend (December 1–4) feels like a trip back to glitzy yesteryear. Glossy wooden runabouts and yachts dock at the crystal blue marina; antique Bentleys, Model Ts, Thunderbirds, and GTOs mosey down the palm-lined streets; and 1950s military turboprop planes buzz above. With a few ticket packages available to nonmembers, it’s one of the rare times the public can hobnob in the private club, and costume parties, cocktail hours, parades, and nighttime aerobatic air shows performed by retired fighter pilots keep the entertainment rolling all weekend long. “The people exhibiting are collectors,” says Kyle Landers, the club’s director of member events. “When they were younger, they were collecting baseball cards; now they’re collecting cars or boats. Even if you’re not interested in cars, you can have a forty-five-minute conversation with a collector about why they chose this certain vehicle and the history of it, and you suddenly become hooked.” oceanreef.com

This item was published as part of What’s Happening in the South.