Key West, Florida

Key West is a destination that is on many people’s bucket list. It’s the furthest South location in the continental US and is closer to Cuba than the Miami area. It’s the furthest South location in the archipelago of the Florida Keys which is formed by hundreds of islands which only around 30 are inhabited. Key West itself only has an area of 4 square miles but is packed with history and things to do. There are many museums, bars, restaurants and quirky places you can see in Key West. We have visited Key West twice during our travels and hope to visit Key West and the rest of the lower keys again in the future!

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Getting to Key West and Transportation

There are many different ways to get to Key West from mainland Florida and beyond. If you want to drive from the Miami area it’s around a 4-hour drive on the Overseas Highway that is a road full of bridges and passing through the inhabited Keys that gives you nice views along the way. Historic US 1 was once a railroad to Key West that was a huge engineering accomplishment at the time. Key West also has a small International Airport that truly only has flights from around the US and is serviced by many different US Airlines. The other way to get to Key West is by cruise ship. Key West has limited the number of cruise ships to one per day but still many cruises visit there on a variety of lengths for the trip. We went on Norwegian and Celebrity on 3-day weekend cruises that also visited The Bahamas.

For transportation you could easily rent a car in Key West if you fly there but it’s not a necessity as it’s a small area and they do have Lyft, Uber and public busses. We used the Old Town Trolley to tour and visit different areas of the island. We got great insight into the history of Key West and were able to get out and visit other sites on the island. The Old Town Trolley stops near the cruise port and at a variety of hotels so it’s easy to join the tour.

Key West Touring

On both cruise stops we used the Old Town Trolley to tour the island but on the second visit we also we off the tour route for a bit. There are a lot of unique history and people who called Key West Home or has a lot of history on the island. Ernest Hemingway lived on the island in what is now a historic home that was also in a scene of the James Bond Movie “A License to Kill”. President Harry S Truman had the “Little Whitehouse” in Key West. Playwright Tennessee Williams and Singer Jimmy Buffet spent time on the island. In the 1980s, Key West held a fake Succession from the United States due to a border patrol checkpoint that searched drivers. On April 23, 1982, the city declared themselves “The Conch Republic” and the mayor became the Prime Minister. They fly flags for the Conch Republic and celebrate the Independence Day. The people of Key West have a great sense of humor and way of protesting. On New Years Eve, they have a giant red high heel shoe with a Drag Queen inside that is dropped slowly from a couple story building. It’s a unique place to visit!

The Hemingway House and Museum

The most popular attraction on Key West is the former home of Ernest Hemingway. It’s a mansion built in 1851 and was Ernest Hemingway’s home in the 1930. Ernest Hemingway was a famous American Journalist and Writer. He covered multiple wars and was an ambulance driver in World War I. He has written famous novels and short stories such as “The Old Man and the Sea”, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “A Farwell to Arms” and many others. Many of his works are based on things he experienced in his own life. He had multiple wives over the years and was married to Pauline Pfeiffer who was also a journalist. The home is two stories tall, and you can tour the rooms and see some of their original furnishings. They built a rare in ground pool that’s difficult due to the hard stone ground in Key West. You can also see the famous “Hemingway Cats” that are polydactyl (6 toes). They are all over the grounds and are well taken care of with a mini-Hemingway Cat House and plenty of other places for them to stay. They are relatively rare cats and are descendants from a cat given to Ernest Hemingway. The home has a large garden area including a Urinal Hemingway brought from a bar to be a fountain. It’s now a water bowl for the cats. A scene from the James Bond Movie “A License to Kill” was filmed on the balcony of the home. It’s a great place to spend an hour or so getting a guided tour and walking the grounds. It does cost at the time of this writing a little less than $20 for adults and the proceeds go to the upkeep on the home. We visited the home both times in Key West.

Key West Lighthouse

The Key West Lighthouse is right across the street from the Hemingway House and is another great place to visit. It was built in the mid 1800s and is now a museum. You can visit the lightkeepers home to see what their life was like during that timeframe. You can also climb up the 88 steps to the top to get a panoramic view of Key West. The top of the lighthouse was also in “A License to Kill” as it’s where the sniper was that shot at James Bond as he escaped. It doesn’t take long to tour the site, but it is well worth a quick visit while in the area. We visited it on the first time we went to Key West and with an injured knee we decided not to do it on the second trip.

The Sails to Rails Museum

The Sails to Rails Museum is a free museum that tells the transportation and other history of Key West. It’s in Flagler’s Station that was the terminus of the ambitious Overseas railroad that connected Miami to Key West. The museum goes over the seafaring history and the rail to Key West. They have interactive exhibits and videos about the history of the region. They also have a well-done model of the somewhat remote Fort Jefferson that is in the Dry Tortugas Islands just to the West of Key West. It’s a great free museum to stop by. We visited it on our first trip to Key West and it takes around 30 minutes or so to visit.

USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum (US Coast Guard Cutter)

Outside of the main tourist zones is a museum dedicated to a very important Coast Guard Cutter that has played a role in important moments in US History and served her country for over 50 years in multiple different ways. The USCGC Ingham received two Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy. In the North Atlantic during convoy duty in 1942 her crew sunk the German U-Boat U-626. In 1944, she moved to the Pacific Theater and was Douglas Mccarthur’s Command ship during his campaign to re-take the Philippines. After WWII, USCGC Ingham went back to Coast Guard duty saving lives. She served in the Vietnam War and finished out a long career back as a Coast Guard ship in 1988 (She began service in 1937!!). Even though the ship has been in many important moments in history over the years while in another port as a museum the ship fell under disrepair. USCGC Ingham was repaired and brought to Key West where she stands as a great museum ship. You can tour much of the ship including the engine room and see where so many brave Americans served throughout the years. She’s one of only two of her kind left with the other being the USCGC Taney that is in Baltimore Harbor and is the last remaining ship that fought in the Battle of Pearl Harbor. This is a special ship run by volunteers who work hard to keep the memory alive of all those Coast Guard soldiers who served on the USCGC Ingham. I really encourage anyone visiting Key West to take the time to tour the ship because not only will you learn so much about her service, but you will also be a small part of her legacy with your admission cost being used to continue to keep the ship for future generations. The USCGC Ingham can be found at the Truman Waterfront Park and will take around an hour or so to see everything on the ship and watch the videos. The cost is a little less than $20 for adults.

The Southernmost Point

Key West Holds the distinction of being the furthest South Point in the Continental United States due to the Overseas Highway. There is a replica of a buoy made from cement that commemorates the Southernmost Point and the fact that they are around 90 miles from Cuba (closer to Cuba than Miami). This as you would expect is a popular spot to take a picture and you’ll see a pretty decent line (at least we have been there) of people waiting their turn to take a picture in front of the marker. It’s not too far from the Hemingway House and it is worth a quick stop to visit.

The Key West Museum of Art and History at the Customs House

Located in the large red brick building that was once the Key West Customs House is now the home of the Key West Art and Historical Societies’ main museum. It’s a two-story museum that has temporary and permanent exhibits. The first floor when we visited had two temporary art exhibits with one being a unique art form of paintings in wood that look somewhat 3D in form showing the history of Key West. On the second floor there are multiple historic exhibits. One goes over Key West and it’s forts during the American Civil War. Others go over the Overseas Railroad and the Labor Day Hurricane that heavily damaged the Florida Keys and killed many railroad workers in an age where weather radar did not exist. There are exhibits about some of Key West’s most famous citizens like Ernest Hemingway and Tennesse Williams as well. It’s another great museum that helps you understand the history and life of Key West. This museum also costs a little less than $20 for adults and for us it took around an hour to visit. The museum is a very short walk from the cruise dock so it’s very easy to visit if you come by cruise.

Mallory Square

Right outside the cruise port is the busy Mallory Square area. The Key West Museum of Art and History is nearby and so are many different stores you can shop at. The beginning of the Old Town Trolley route is very close by and there are several museums you can visit. Outside of the museum we visited there is the Key West Shipwreck Museum and the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Key West and its reefs have had their share of shipwrecks. It was actually big business for the locals as they would rush out to the shipwreck and the first one to reach the ship could salvage the cargo and many times would sell them back to the crew of the ship for a nice profit. The Mel Fisher Museum is about a man who for years searched for the Spanish Galleon Atocha that when it sank during a Hurricane it was full of precious metals and coins. He ultimately found it and his museum talks about the wreck and other wrecks in the region. I have yet to visit either of these museums, but they look very nice. There is also an aquarium near the square as well.

Cuban Coffee Queen, Shrimp Boat Sound Studio and Waterfront

There are plenty of unique restaurants, bars and shops all around Key West. The Cuban Coffee Queen shops work hard to give you a taste of the way coffee is done in not-too-distant Cuba. They sell more than just great coffee. They also sell smoothies and other kinds of drinks and snacks. There are multiple locations around Key West, but we visited one near shops on the waterfront near the historic Key West Seaport. The coffee was very flavorful, and we bought some to take home with us. A short walk away while walking along the marina is the historic Shrimp Boat Sound Studio that was used by famous artists like Jimmy Buffet. On the outside its now covered with stickers. These are some nice places to stop by not too far from the cruise terminal.

Other Places to see

We have not seen everything there is to see and do in Key West. There is the Truman Little Whitehouse that Harry S Truman used during winter months as his second Whitehouse that can be toured. There are several American Civil War forts that never saw action but are still standing that can be visited. One holds a doll that is said to be haunted and has caused many people harm. There is a Restaurant and Bar called “First Flight” that is in the building where Pan American Airlines was created. We have seen many of these places from the outside or on the Old Town Trolley, but they would be nice to visit. We have taken a walk down busy Duval Street with its many bars, shops and restaurants. There you can see yourself or your family and friends can see you on an EarthCam in Key West. We have seen some beautiful hotels when passing by as well. I guarantee there are plenty of interesting places that we haven’t discovered there yet!

Beaches and the Reef Habitats

Key West is a natural rock that does not naturally have sandy beaches so any sandy beaches you visit are actually man made from sand brought in from The Bahamas or elsewhere. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a great day on the beach in clear water. As for the reef habitats The Florida Keys including Key West has the only Coral Barrier Reef in the Contunious United States. It’s home to a diverse and large amount of sea life and underwater plants. It’s all part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary where you can dive and snorkel on tours. We have seen the reef from the Old Town Trolley but have not snorkeled at this reef before, but we have done so elsewhere.

Key Lime Pie and Conch

Two delicacies to try while in Key West is the Key Lime Pie and Conch. Like in The Bahamas Conch is a dish you can get is Key West. It is called the Conch Republic, and you can get it cooked fritters and other ways. We have tried Conch (a large sea snail that tastes kind of like scallops or another muscle) in The Bahamas but not in Key West. Another thing to try is the Key Lime Pie in Key West. There are many places that serve it and a decent amount specialize in Key Lime Pie. There are plenty of websites that will tell you the places to try the best Key Lime Pie. We have tried the Frozen Key Lime Pie dipped in chocolate on a stick. It is just as good as it sounds, and we had it each time we visited. A few things to try while in Key West!

Conclusion

While Key West is in Florida and the United States it somewhat like being out of the country in some ways. With beautiful clear water and so many unique places to visit. Even with their own Micro-Nation flag they are a unique island for sure. It’s also a very inclusive island that is welcoming of all people who want to visit. Going there by cruise ship is a great way to be able to hit the highlights of Key West but as you might have seen above in our two cruise visits, we have not been able to see everything that Key West has to offer. It would be a nice place to either fly into Key West (most likely more expensive tickets) or fly into Miami/Fort Lauderdale and drive down the keys to stay there. We have driven part of the way down the keys but have not had time to drive all the way to Key West. There are plenty of different hotel options in Key West. There are small boutique style hotels closer to the old town, modern chain hotels like Hampton Inn and historic hotels like the Casa Marina (A Hilton Curio Hotel) that was built by Henry Flagler who paid for the Overseas Railroad and owned multiple resorts up and down the coast. You can also go further out from Key West and book a tour to the Dry Tortugas National Park and visit Fort Jefferson (you can only go by boat to these more remote islands). There is a lot to see and do here so if you get the chance head over to Key West and you won’t be disappointed!

If you are Interested in this trip:

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