When you reach Mile 0 on Route 1 you have arrived! There are lots of ways to experience Key West. Here are your main options- You could sleep in, hit the beach all day, cruise Duval street and visit the restaurants/bars at night to hear live music and eat too much. Or you could do everything on the water, including; sailing, snorkeling, jet skiing, glass bottom boating, deep sea fishing, parasailing, kayaking, scuba diving or by taking an all day boat tour to experience Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park. Or you could do what we did- sightsee around Key West!
There are many ways to sightsee around Key West using tours. You can take in Key West…. food tours, ghost tours, historical walking tours, and train tours, but the most popular is the Hop-on, Hop off Old Town Trolley tour. This tour drives you around the island making stops, while giving you some background and information about the sights you are passing.
We didn’t have time to see everything we wanted to see, but we did see a lot (including an abundance of roaming chickens!). We visited Mallory Square at sunset and saw musicians and performers, we toured the Museum of Art and History and saw a brilliant Hemingway exhibit, we walked around the Sculpture Garden and located the famous ones we recognized, we wandered through some art galleries on Duval street, we climbed the rooftop outlook at the top of the historic Curry Mansion Inn, we peeked inside the original Margaritaville, we walked through a very haunted Captain Tony’s Saloon, we ate giant cookies from Mattheessen’s Homemade Cookies, we walked around some old churches, we visited the Southernmost point where I took a selfie, and we toured Ernest Hemingway’s Home (lots of cats!).
Places we wanted to see, but didn’t get to, included; the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, the Harry S. Truman’s Little White House, Kermit’s Key Lime Pie, the Audubon House and Gardens, the Oldest House Museum, the Key West Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters Museum, the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory and the San Carlos Institute.
Our favorite restaurant was The Salute at Higgs Beach. It is a nice place to sit and rest after walking around the West Martello Fort and Gardens. Our hotel was the haunted and beautiful Marrero’s Guest Mansion. Click here for the ghost story behind the hotel. We recommend taking a ghost tour before visiting the East Martello Museum where all things haunted about Key West are stored. Don’t take a picture of Robert the doll unless you ask permission (from the doll)!
Finally, the trolley doesn’t take you to visit Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, so we drove there seperately. It is a very interesting fort with lots of history, great views, a nice beach and walking paths. A wonderful time had by all, sightseeing around Key West! Tip: Click on a picture to scroll through the photos enlarged.
Click here to see the first part of this trip to Miami! And watch a short video of our experiences here.
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