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Been many times...what should we do?


georgiaguy
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Rent bikes, paddle boards, kayaks, snorkel gear, catamaran/snorkel ...

 

Nancy's Secret Garden (parrot sanctuary)

http://nancyforrester.com/

 

Sheriff's Animal Farm (Monroe County detention center - a zoo run by inmates - only open on certain days)

http://narrative.ly/inside-an-exotic-zoo-in-a-florida-jail/

 

Butterfly and Nature Conservatory

 

Mel Fisher Museum

Edited by brunello22
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Would help to know what, if anything, you have already seen and done in KW.......

 

Seen the sites. Seen the bars. Eaten Key Lime Pie. Rode the train. Basically the typical things, was wondering if there were things outside what most know about that might be interesting to do.

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I made a few suggestions in post #3 above, so depending on how much time you have in port, perhaps you can rent a car and venture north to Big Pine Key (30 minutes), Bahia Honda State Park (1 hour) or Marathon (1> hour).

 

Big Pine Key has the No Name Pub ... a hidden gem, great pizza, and the Key Deer are everywhere to be seen.

 

Bahia Honda has a nice beach, paddle board, kayaks, snorkeling, etc.

 

Marathon has the Turtle Hospital.

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A very popular question about ports is "what do we do?" And its not just about Key West. We have had folks ask us "what to do in Paris" after they explained that they have already been to Paris for 1 or 2 days. So consider that we have spent several weeks (total time) vacationing in Key West (usually 3 or 4 nights before or after a cruise from Miami or Ft Lauderdale). Funny thing is we never wonder "what to do" but simply go relax and have a vacation. Many visitors to Key West come multiple times (for many years) to simply relax, walk the streets, browse the shops, sit in bars, eat in restaurants, and perhaps do some water activities such as going out on a snorkeling cruise, sunset cruise, etc. One can also go to a beach, although the beaches at Key West are hardly worth the effort (going North to Bahia Honda is an option if you rent a car).

 

Key West is one of those places most folks go to do nothing :). When we stay in Key West we enjoy going out on a full day boat tour (snorkeling and Kayaking) with Danger Tours. Sometimes we just enjoy sitting at an outdoor cafe/bar near Mallory Square and just people watching....watching boats, etc. I suppose for those who must always have "something to do" they could go to a bowling alley (there is one out near the Naval Air Station). There are also some Movie Theaters (no crazier then going to a movie on a cruise ship). Must admit that despite having spend a lot of time in KY we have never felt the need to go to either of these local "attractions."

 

Hank

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I would never rent a car and drive north to Bahia Honda (or anywhere else) if I had to return to the ship the same day. There are often significant delays and sometimes road closures on the Overseas Highway and while not common, if you are unlucky enough to experience one, you might miss your ship. There is no other route to get back.

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I would never rent a car and drive north to Bahia Honda (or anywhere else) if I had to return to the ship the same day. There are often significant delays and sometimes road closures on the Overseas Highway and while not common, if you are unlucky enough to experience one, you might miss your ship. There is no other route to get back.

 

Absolutely true. Call it one of the many charms of the Keys....depending on one 2 lane road.

 

Hank

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Title says it all. I used to work for Celebrity and for part of a contract was in Key West twice a week on three and four day cruises. Any suggestions of something to do?

Not sure from your title. Are you in Key West on a port call or are you visiting on your own? Why I ask is that there are evening activities that you would not normally do on a port call because the ships leave by sunset or even earlier.

 

We enjoy sunset cruises and there are even later stargazer cruises. There are the evening ghost tours. We like to go out to Sunset Key to eat at the restaurant at sunset or later. Dinner at Louie's Backyard is lovely after sunset.

 

Just walking up and down Duval is interesting at night. The bar bands are going full blast. They have pedi-bikes you can hire for a ride on Duval.

 

We like to watch the sunset at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. Rangers do close the park down almost immediately after sunset.

 

During the day you can tour the botanical garden on Stock Island. If they are still there, there used to be a collection of "chugs" which are boats used by Cubans to reach the US. It is incredible and haunting to see the makeshift rafts Cubans used to escape. There was talk of removing the chugs for some reason so I don't know if they are still at the botanical garden.

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