Travel Tips: Key West, FL
- netrom88
- Mar 30, 2016
- 3 min read
90 miles off the coast of Cuba, and a few hours south of Miami is where you'll find Key West. It's not a big island, but it will take up a lot of space in your heart once you get there. With white beaches, palm trees swaying in the wind, and a cool piña colada in your hand, it will seem like heaven on earth.
The best way to get there is to cruise through the Florida Keys in your car with the Beach Boys' "Kokomo" blasting out of the speakers. Just keep heading south and you won't be able to miss it. Wherever the road ends, that's where it is. There are plenty of options when it comes to lodging, but don't worry; You won't spend much time there.
The area around Duval Street is where you want to be. This is where life is. This IS life.
There beaches are close by and easy to find. If you want to go for a little shopping there's enough stores to keep you happy for quite some time. But what Key West really offers is the life, the mood, and the atmosphere of the place itself. The laidback, chill feeling that covers this place is so relaxing that it feels like you're constantly floating on a cloud of caribbean love. Send in the steel drum band, and it should be perfect.
As mentioned, most of everything goes on around Duval Street. This is where you find most of the night-life and culture. A good place to mix the two is at Sloppy Joe's Bar. Said to be the favorite place to hang out for Ernest Hemingway, with the writer's home just a few minutes away. His old house serves as a museum these days, and is well worth a visit.
Another sight to see is the Little White House of President Harry Truman. It was his "winter White House", and is located fairly close to Duval Street. The history and culture of this place almost makes it seem like a different country. It serves as an idyllic escape from reality.
After a day of sightseeing, the afternoon is when Key West really comes to life. Watching the sunset is a tradition, and the best way to do so would be from one of the piers, or while having a strong drink on a sunset cruise. When it's dark you'll be able to experience a nice variety of clubs and bars. Sloppy Joe's is a must, but there are also several other good places to go, especially on Duval Street. If you're feeling especially groovy, there's a place called The Garden of Eden. A nice little place a few floors above street-level. But be warned before you enter. This is a "clothing optional" type of establishment, so expect to see a little more skin than you would at other clubs.
Key West has so much to offer that it would be impossible to include everything in this text. But I will recommend a certain time of year when people should go. Even though it gets really warm in the middle of summer, this truly is the best time to be there. Not because you'll see the place in a certain light or temperature, but because of an annual contest. Every year, at Sloppy Joe's they have a contest to see who can look like Ernest Hemingway the most. What this means is that the streets will be filled with Hemingway look-alikes, which also means that the streets will be filled with guys who look exactly like Santa Claus. Trust me, it's a magical time for anyone who observes it.
If you want to imagine what it's like to be there you can put on some Jimmy Buffet music, close your eyes, and dream about paradise. While that sounds pretty nice, there's nothing quite like actually being there in person. It's a place you go to have the most wonderful time of your life, and even after you leave you'll have something magical to hold on to. Because even though you might leave Key West, Key West never leaves you.
Comments