What to do while in Key West

[lollylew]

Now that our itinerary has been changed to include a stop in Key West, I am curious as to what things we can do on our own while there (don't plan to pay for any excursion through Carnival).

[peter_krynicki]

Now that our itinerary has been changed to include a stop in Key West, I am curious as to what things we can do on our own while there (don't plan to pay for any excursion through Carnival).

 

If you GOOGLE (Key West Walking Tours) you will get several hits for both free and for a charge things. For example...

 

http://www.florida-keys.fl.us/keywestw.htm

 

These get you around and familiar with Old Town.

 

Pjk

[Susie51]

Thank you for the link.

[alicam]

You could get on an Old Town Trolley and tour around and get on and off at the different stops and look around

[cubbymedium]

I would also recommend the Old Town Trolley Tour. The trolley takes you all over the island and lets you either see things from the trolley or get off for a closer look and wait for the next trolley (about 30 minutes). You can look here for prices and what specific sights you get to see.

[lollylew]

My husband and I actually ended up doing a snorkeling excursion through a company called Sunny Days. They had a little booth set up directly in front of the marina. The excursion was for 3 hrs and we got to visit two separate reefs (which were really cool!!). I would most definitely do this excursion again if I ever go back to Key West.

 

Price: $38/pp and included all the water and soda you could drink. Alcohol was available for a nominal fee after the snorkeling was done.

[peter_krynicki]

My husband and I actually ended up doing a snorkeling excursion through a company called Sunny Days. They had a little booth set up directly in front of the marina. The excursion was for 3 hrs and we got to visit two separate reefs (which were really cool!!). I would most definitely do this excursion again if I ever go back to Key West.

 

Price: $38/pp and included all the water and soda you could drink. Alcohol was available for a nominal fee after the snorkeling was done.

 

The two-stop snorkel trips are on either the Cruzin' Cat or the Reef Express...

 

http://www.sunnydayskeywest.com/reefx.htm

 

Pjk

[kwbound]

Got off the ship as soon as we could and went directly to Kino Sandal Factory which is off Front St near the ship. Bought 3 pair of sandals for me and 1 pair for my sister. Their were only $12 a pair. (Check out their website.) DH and DS wondered through nearby shops while I was shoe shopping. I found them over by Capt Tony's Saloon near Duval.

 

We started strolling down Duval, doing some window shopping until we came to Fleming St. There we took a right to the corner of Fleming and Whitehead and took a picture by the Mile Marker 0.

 

 

We walked back to Duval and continued down the street. We went in some of the shops and art galleries, admiring the artwork.

 

At Truman St we took a left and walked a couple of blocks to the Moped Hospital where we rented bikes. They were $6/each for 4 hours. They will give you a very nice Key West map. From there we rode over to the Key West Cemetary. It is a beautiful cemetary, very peaceful. If you go in the office, they will give you a map of the cemetary telling where some of the more famous "residents" are. Here are some pics from the cemetary.

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued....

[kwbound]

When you leave the cemetary, go left out of the gate on Angela and take it to White St. When you get to White St, go left. White St will dead end at the White St Pier. You can ride your bike out to the end of the pier.

 

 

The intersection by the pier is White St and Atlantic Blvd. On that corner is a wildlife rescue/rehab center. We didn't go in this trip but we have before. We got to see them taking care of an injured pelican. There is a pond there with lots of birds and iguanas. If you are an animal lover it is a nice place to visit and I think it is free, but I'm sure donations are appreciated.

 

We left the pier and worked our way over to the Southernmost Point at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets.

 

 

After having our picture made we headed up Whitehead St, past Hemingways and the lighthouse. We've done both of those multiple times so we didn't stop, but they are well worth touring if you havn't before. At Southard St we turned left and went to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. We had never been to this beach before and I have to say it is a really underrated beach. It was beautiful!! We will definitely spend some time here next time. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

There were some ominous storm clouds moving in, so we decided to get the bikes back.

 

To be continued...

[kwbound]

So we took the bikes back and started back up Duval on the other side doing more window shopping. We stopped for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. They seated us upstairs and there was no music or videos playing. We thought that was kind of weird. It was because the mayor was having a meeting in one of the upstairs rooms with a group of people. A city meeting at the Hard Rock Cafe - guess that's Key West! While we were having lunch the storm blew through. There was a pretty good little shower but the sun never stopped shining and it was gone before we were fiished eating.

 

So after lunch we walk across the street to the PurFit Toe Rings kiosk. If you like toe rings, and I do, I highly recommend this place. The custom fit the rings to your toes and they are solid rings, not the kind that are open on one side and you pinch on. They are super comfortable. I got a stack of three 2 years ago and about 6 months ago on of the bands cracked. I took the ring back with the card they gave me hoping that they would maybe give me a discount on a replacement. The guy replaced the entire stack! So then I bought two more. This is how they looked the next day in Freeport:

 

 

Now we headed back to Mallory Square, did some shopping and took some photos.

 

 

 

 

Next we walked up to the Historic Seaport looking for Dante's. It is a neat walk along the marina. Some of the fishing charters had come in and people were taking pictures of their catch. Some of the crews were cleaning the fish. It was neat. Dante's was a little tricky to find, but well worth it.

 

 

 

To be continued...

[kwbound]

More pictures from Dante's:

 

 

 

I wish we had waited and had lunch at Dante's. We just had drinks and DS enjoyed the pool. But we saw some of the platters they were bringing out and they did look delish. Their drinks were very good. I bought a shot of tequila to mix my own sugar free margarita and the shot was Paul Bunyan size...just the way I like them!

 

Unfortunately by now it was time to head back to the ship. We did a little more shopping before we had to get back on board. It was great day, like every day I've ever spent in Key West and I wish I could go back tomorrow!!!

 

Here is a picture of Fort Zachary Taylor beach from the ship as we left, and the sunset that evening:

 

 

 

If you have any questions, let me know.

[lollylew]

The two-stop snorkel trips are on either the Cruzin' Cat or the Reef Express...

 

http://www.sunnydayskeywest.com/reefx.htm

 

Pjk

 

Thanks for providing the web page link. My MIL has some friends who run a travel agency and I know that they are always interested in first hand feedback so now I have a place to direct them. :D

[trixietx]

We loved Key West. We took the city tour and then did a little bar hopping and sight seeing!

[Wickerdick]

I rented a 6 seater electric car through Sunshine Rentals to see the island 3 weeks prior to our cruise for $225 per day. When we got off the ship we found Adventure Rentals 305.293.8883 for $139 per day. We also found A&M 305.896.0607 to be $160 per day. We had battery problems and they wasted 1 hour of our day changing cars. Save yourself $100 and go with Adventure. The excursion was fun but the service from Mark the owner was not what I could have gotten elsewhere. I have these other quotes written down that I can send.

[suezyq50]

I stopped at Kenos. I got two prs. of sandals. Can't beat the price.

[crusingirl01]

We were set on doing the old trolley tour but I just looked on their website and it said the tour only lasts 1.5 hours. How can you see everything in 1.5 hours? Can someone give me some insight about the old trolley tour?

[peter_krynicki]

We were set on doing the old trolley tour but I just looked on their website and it said the tour only lasts 1.5 hours. How can you see everything in 1.5 hours? Can someone give me some insight about the old trolley tour?

 

The tour, the time you spend on the trolley, is 1.5 hours, but the time you spend at any one stop looking at just their suggestions would take you several days. Stop one, Mallory Square, has 13 suggestioned things to see all within a 5 or 10 minute walk of the stop, and there are 12 stops. If you went to everything at every stop you'd see almost 150 separate things and not miss much in Key West.

 

The trick would be to pick maybe four stops and what to see at them.

 

Pjk

[mebfalcon]

Is it possible to walk around Key West to see most of what is there. We are only in port from 7:30-1 and would like to see the town but not spend a ton of money. It is me, dh, and ds15, dd12. Thanks.

[peter_krynicki]

Is it possible to walk around Key West to see most of what is there. We are only in port from 7:30-1 and would like to see the town but not spend a ton of money. It is me, dh, and ds15, dd12. Thanks.

 

There are various self-guided walking tours you could follow. I like this one as it takes you to a lot of what's to see in Key West, will not take too long, and you can have lunch at #2. Do it backwards from Sloppy Joe's and when you hit #1, stop at the Bahama Village..

 

Follow in Papa's footsteps: a 2-mile Hemingway hike:

 

1. Start at the Hemingway House, 907 Whitehead St. Now a registered National Historic Landmark, the two-story Spanish Colonial mansion was home to Ernest and Pauline (Pfeiffer) Hemingway from 1931-1939. See the studio where Hemingway wrote Death in the Afternoon and The Snows of Kilimanjaro. The house is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and includes a gift shop. Admission is $11 for adults ($1 off to AAA members), $6 for kids 6-12, free to kids under 6. Guided tours are available. (305) 294-1136. www.hemingwayhome.com.

 

Next, head north on Whitehead to Petronia Street. Turn left. Walk 2 blocks to the intersection with Thomas Street.

 

2. Blue Heaven Restaurant, 729 Thomas St. During Hemingway's time here, the quirky cafe with yummy granola and a whole lot more was the site of an open-air boxing arena. He was referee for Friday-night fights. Boxers were paid 50 cents a round. The building once housed a bordello. These days the eatery is a tourist favorite. Be prepared for dirt floors and good food. And beware of long lines and roaming roosters.

 

Go east on Petronia to Duval Street. Turn left and continue to the northwest corner of Duval and Fleming.

 

3. Crowne Plaza La Concha Resort, formerly the Colonial Hotel, 430 Duval St. Back in 1928, when Hemingway made his inaugural visit to Key West sailing aboard a steamship from Cuba, this seven-story hotel was the first thing he saw. That's because it is and was the city's tallest building. The Hemingways booked rooms there for friends and relatives. While you're there, take the elevator to the roof-top bar for a magnificent view of the city.

 

Go east on Fleming to Elizabeth Street. Turn right at the Monroe County Library to Windsor Lane. Turn left on Windsor until you reach the church at the intersection with Truman Avenue.

 

4. St. Mary, Star of the Sea, 1010 Windsor Lane. Hemingway, who converted to Catholicism when he married Pauline Pfeiffer, belonged and donated an altar to this church.

 

Walk southwest on Windsor to Margaret Street. Take Margaret to Fleming.

 

5. Electric Kitchen, 830 Fleming. The only thing electric here in Hemingway's time was a few bare lightbulbs strung from the ceiling. The food was cheap (20 to 40 cents for breakfast) and good and the place, operated by Rhoda Baker (aka Rutabaga) was a favorite Hemingway hangout.

 

Continue north on Margaret to the waterfront, Land's End Village.

 

6. Land's End Village and Marina (formerly Thompson's Docks), 1 Lands End Village. An avid fisherman and boater, Hemingway often visited and took charter boats from the docks owned by his friend Charles Thompson. Thompson and his two brothers controlled the sea turtle industry in the Keys and Central America. The site of the cannery is now a restaurant, bar and museum called Turtle Kraals.

 

Go south on Caroline Street. Take Caroline west to the southwest corner at the intersection with Simonton.

 

7. Casa Antigua, Papa's first pad, 314 Simonton St. The apartment/auto dealership complex where Hemingway first lived is a private home today. The couple stayed in a drab set of rooms in an apartment above the garage. Hemingway worked on A Farewell to Arms here. The home has a magnificent atrium garden, and a Caribbean gift shop. The garden is open for tours and visitors can glimpse the apartment where Hemingway stayed. Casa Antigua is the site of the annual awards presentation for the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition directed by Ernest's granddaughter, an author, too.

 

Go north on Simonton to Greene Street, past Duval to Captain Tony's.

 

8. Captain Tony's Saloon, the first Sloppy Joe's, 428 Greene St. Hemingway was a silent partner to boat captain and rum runner Joe Russell, who opened this speakeasy when Prohibition ended in 1933. Hemingway convinced Joe to call the place "Sloppy Joe's" rather than the "Blind Pig," a term used for illegal bars. In 1937, Sloppy Joe's moved to its current location on Duval Street.

 

Take Greene Street east to the northeast corner of Greene and Duval.

 

9. Sloppy Joe's, 201 Duval St. Hemingway met his third wife Martha Gellhorn at this Sloppy Joe's. A number of his belongings, including uncashed royalty checks and sections of the original manuscript of To Have and Have Not, were found stored there after his death. Before it was the most popular bar on Duval, this building housed a fine restaurant called Victoria. The Spanish man who owned it had an unfortunate name ... Farto. Thousands of tourists come to Sloppy Joes each year to toast the author and look at all the Hemingway memorabilia, including news clippings and art work depicting Hemingway.

 

Source: Hemingway's Key West by Stuart B. McIver (Pineapple Press, $10.95)

 

Pjk

[BaseballMomof4]

If you go to the square where the Shipwreck Museum is located, you and the kids can find a lot of stuff to do. The Aquarium is right there also. Mallory Square is best around sunset, so you won't be there for all the street performers. Key Lime 'n More is my favorite shop for little souvenirs that are reasonably priced and a snack. Kino's is a must - I am wearing a pair right now! Awesome sandals for men, women and children at a really good price and they last forever. And of course, you must go to the other end of the island and take your photo at the southernmost point!