Unsinkable Key West: after taking a beating from Hurricane Wilma, the island promptly dried itself off and fought its way back onto our travel itineraries.

This steamy little island dangles like an afterthought from the tip of Florida--isolated, alluring, and fiercely independent. Whether locals like it or not, Key West will take center stage when MTV's The Real World: Key West airs in early 2006. Those hoping to catch a head-to-head tussle between seven attractive 20-somethings--two of whom are reportedly gay--and Hurricane Wilma will be out of luck because the housemates evacuated during the storm, but at least we'll get a prime-time peek at daily life in this seductive gay paradise.

Old Town neighborhoods are filled with wooden structures built centuries ago by sailors, and the verdant year-round vegetation is a constant reminder of the island's tropical climate and humid latitude. Palm trees mingle with hibiscus trees and orange poinciana blossoms that tower over charming bungalows. But it's the broad-minded people of Key West, residents and visitors alike, that make the town unforgettable.

Although Hurricane Wilma forced officials to move the anything-goes Fantasy Fest from the end of October to early December, an undeterred local population donned costumes and poured themselves a drink for an impromptu parade down an otherwise empty Duval Street. The Flintstones theme song became the anthem of a city determined to stay afloat and have a great time doing it. Friends helped friends mop up their lives, while drag queens worked feverishly to put together Stone Age costumes.

But Key West is much deeper than drag shows. Gay men and women are among the town's business owners, elected officials, and police officers. The former mayor performed hundreds of same-sex ceremonies, and the city commission has repeatedly supported gay rights. Maintaining Key West's kindhearted spirit will always be a top priority.

"People come here to be something they can't be back home," says Sushi, a popular local drag queen. "We can be anything we want, all the time."

You don't have to go to the ends of the earth for that kind of freedom; you just need to take a trip to the southernmost end of the continental United States.