When somebody says “tropical island” to you, what do you think of? Laid back people, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, scuba diving, snorkeling, people riding around on bikes and of course the sleepy little island that wakes up just in time for the night life. Well, Key West has all that. Don’t know where to start? Right here! Read the Ultimate Guide to Key West and you’ll know exactly where you’ll want to go and what to do.
161 miles south of Miami is the laid back little island, Key West is at the end of the road. Literally, it even has a “Mile 0” mile marker. This is where “island time” gets its reputation.
Don’t get the wrong idea. On one hand the island is laid back, on the other hand there is so much to explore and do it’ll wear you out. Oh, and they do like to party on the island. Check out Duval Street any night of the week!
Cheat Sheet
Where to Stay in Key West
The old section of Key West is filled with Bed and Breakfast type hotels. But what some people call B & B’s I call boutique hotels. Depending on the size of the property, there can be 10 – 30 rooms in a hotel. Mostly they’re multiple old houses on a lot and cut up into single room accommodations. The rooms will be small (think enough room to walk around the bed), but you’re not spending much time in your room anyway. There will usually be breakfast set out in the morning, hence the B part of the B & B.
The resort type hotels are by the airport on the northeastern side of the island. They’re big, it’s a quieter part of town, and little bit more of a family setting. There are also some traditional hotels by the marinas on the west side of the island.
What To Do in Key West
This list is practically endless there’s so much to do. You can kick back and relax, you can find heart pumping adventures, or you can hit Duval Street until 4 in the morning.
Scuba Diving
Reef diving, ship wreck diving, tropical fish, yeah, it’s all here. Don your BCD and scuba gear and live on the bottom of the ocean. The water is clear and you can dive sunken ships like the USS Vandenberg, a 524 foot decommissioned US Navy ship. Key West boasts the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Filled with spectacular coral and hundreds of species of fish.
Snorkeling
Haven’t made the leap to scuba diving, but you still want to get down with the fishes? Go snorkel on one of the many tours that will take you out to the Dry Tortugas National Park. Coral reefs and marine life are abundant so be prepared to be amazed! Aquatic wildlife, beautiful coral, and mangrove islands are all within reach.
Sport Fishing
Cruise on out to the deep sea and get your fishing fix in. Reel in that shark, sailfish, or Marlin and mount it above your fireplace. Fill the cooler with Grouper, Mahi Mahi, and snapper and take it to a local restaurant to have it cooked up just for you. Charter one of the many boats that sail out of Key West for a time you’ll never forget.
Dry Tortugas National Park
No guide to Key West would be complete without this gem of an island. Surrounded by crystal clear blue waters it’s where the old Fort Jefferson is located. It is located 68 miles east of Key West and only accessible by boat or seaplane (cool!). It’s a great day trip and you can even gear up and camp there overnight. Do not forget to take your snorkel or dive gear because you don’t want to miss the coral reefs and amazing marine wildlife.
The Forts
Fort Zachery Taylor, East and West Martello Towers. All three are Civil War era forts. Fort Taylor was in use from 1861 until 1947. Originally a three-story fort, it is now only one story but still impressive. East and West Martello were twin forts, about 2 miles from each other. The east fort is more intact and houses a museum. The west fort is run by the Key West Garden Club and it’s free to enter, but is not as complete as the east fort.
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
A Farewell To Arms, Death In The Afternoon, and For Whom The Bell Tolls (man, if he was alive and writing today, he would be the king of the hipsters!), were among the books Hemingway wrote while living in his house on Key West. A beautiful house (with a really cool pool), it was painstakingly renovated and is such a wonderful representation of a 1930s, you’ll think that you’ve step into a time warp, until that tour group from Wisconsin bumps into you. The descendants of his famous cats still live in the house to this day.
Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
“What’s up, guide to Key West?” You say. “This sounds boring.” Well, you might not think so when you’re running for your life from zombie butterflies! There are no zombie butterflies, unless you believe the 1000 cable channels that currently promote this possibility, but there are some amazing butterflies…and birds…and turtles, and even Rhett and Scarlet, the resident loud mouth Pink Flamingos.
Key West Light House
Right across the street from Ernest Hemingway’s humble abode is the old Key West Lighthouse. Do yourself a favor and climb to the top for some spectacular views of Key West. Spring extra for the Lighthouse Museum tour, it’s definitely worth it. And remember, it’s old, and it’s a lighthouse, so it’s most certainly haunted.
Key West Aquarium
Let’s just get this out now, aquariums are cool! Interactive exhibits, Sea Turtles, Sharks, and touch tanks. Seeing marine life without having to get wet is almost as good as actually being underwater. 10 “lucky” guests after each presentation get to have the opportunity to feed the resident nurse sharks! No word on what the aquarium says to the next of kin though.
Mel Fisher Maritime Musuem
Mel Fisher, one of the most famous shipwreck treasure hunters has his own museum. Check out the historical exhibits of treasures found from sunken ships. Not only that, you can also do a behind-the-scenes tour to see how they conserve the artifacts after they bring them to the surface.
The Harry S Truman Little Whitehouse
That’s right. Donald Trump is not the only president to spend his down time in Florida. Harry Truman was doing it long ago, he spent so much time here they called it The Little White House. Renovations started in 1988 in the home where Truman met many dignitaries and conducted official business.
Key West Shipwreck Museum
There’s a little bit of Disney in this exhibit. It’s a recreation of an 1800s shipwreck salvage warehouse. Employing actors, film, and artifacts, it weaves the tale of 400 years of shipwrecks in the Key West area.
Key West Sunsets
Key West is famous for it’s sunsets, and there’s a reason why, look above. Charter one of the many sunset cruises and spend an evening mingling and enjoying a relaxing cruise, or get on one of the more party friendly ones and rock the night as the sun sets.
Duval Street
This is a guide to Key West, so of course we’re going to have Duval Street on here. Nice restaurants, historic bars, dive bars, and drag bars. And that’s just in one block! Open until 4 AM Duval Street is a historical walk with a non stop party going on. None of those fit your bill? Then check out The Garden of Eden, a clothing optional bar, this is the place to do some serious people watching! Just leave your phone in your pocket, they frown on picture taking.
How to Get Around
Park your car in that $20 a day lot and forget it, you won’t even need it. Taxis, Uber, bikes and scooters are the way to get around when you’re on the island. Buy a ticket for one of the “Hop On Hop Off” trolleys and hop on and hop off at your leisure (see how they did that?). Want to watch someone work as you sit with your tropical drink in your hand? Then jump on one of the pedicabs that are cruising by.
What? You say that you only have three days to spend there and you can’t possibly fit all that in? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered right here.
Want to get to Key West but don’t want to spend a fortune on airfare? Check out our article on how to get cheap airline tickets.
