I heard there are two bars that both claim to be Hemingway’s bar. Something about a rent dispute.
Either way, have a drink for Papa in each, just to be safe.
Another recommendation for Blue Heaven. Great food and ambiance.
Fort Jefferson is an awesome day trip. I went on one of the big catamarans. Even though the Cats are very stable, there was a 4-foot chop all the way back and I got sick as a dog–my transderm scop patch didn’t help.
I stayed at Duval Gardens when I was there. Nice enough, but don’t let the pool photo on their website fool you…it’s tiny.
When Hemingway hung out at Sloppy Joe’s, it was located at 428 Greene Street. The bar at that location now is called Captain Tony’s Saloon and is pretty famous in its own right. Sloppy Joe’s has since relocated to its current location on Duval Street.
Sounds like you already have a place to stay chosen-- but every time (3 or 4) I’ve gone to Key West I’ve stayed at the La Concha Hotel. Just as a place to stay it’s nothing special room-wise, but it’s right on Duval Street in the middle of everything, and it’s the oldest hotel and one of the oldest buildings in Key West. Several famous people have stayed there, including Tennessee Williams, and Hemingway when he first began to visit KW. The bar at street level is another place he’d occasionally hang out and drink.
One time I stayed at the La Concha we got a balcony room overlooking Duval Street, and that was a hoot late at night watching a parade of inebriated people stumbling down the sidewalk saying crazy things. The people watching was a big part of the fun for me in KW-- there’s an interesting mix of oddballs and tourists from all over the world, and it creates a vibe like no place I’ve ever been.
Wish I could recommend a bar called Grunt’s, but it closed down years ago. Discovered it wandering off the beaten path a bit (it was on some sidestreet off Duval). It turned out to be a place the locals hung out at, and we hung out with several of the performers from Mallory Square we watched earlier at sunset. A guy who had a robot act showed up still in his silver paint. A guy who laid on a bed of broken glass was cool-- I bought him a beer and talked to him for a while. I asked him how he did it:
Broken Glass Guy: " When I was in the army, stationed in the east, an Indian shaman taught me secrets…"
Me, laughing: “aw, c’mon”
BGG: " Yeah, the trick is, a lot of sharp points spread out over a large surface area don’t put enough pressure to break the skin-- usually".
I asked BGG about one point where he had a big frat-boy jock type stand on him while he was laying on the glass, and he winced when the guy jumped a little. He said, “yeah, that guy was an asshole” and showed a couple puncture wounds on his upper back from that incident.
Have a great time!
I’d also add the Wrecker’s Museum, Audubon House and Abbondanza’s for really good Italian if you need a break from seafood (If you can countenance such a thing.)
+1 on the Green Parrot , Sloppy Joes’, Cap’n Tony’s and the Blonde Giraffe! The last time I was there we did Duval St on roller blades; getting up the back ramp of Fat Tuesdays was interesting.
The bathroom also has a slope which made using the urinal a bit of a challenge…
If you like Cuban food then El Meson de Pepe’s near Mallory Square was good.
Look into renting a scooter. There’s a street that runs parallel to Duval that takes you all the way down to the bight, where the water excursions are. Much less traffic.
IIRC, you can go up to the roof of La Concha and look over the city. Very pretty at night.
Wife and I did scooters on Cozumel, had a blast.
Well, we decided to split things up a little. Our first place is the Southernmost House Hotel It looks fantastic to me. The south end of Duval street. Four nights.
Then since we have a rental car out of Miami, we may wander back towards the City. Maybe Key Largo for four more nights. Then it would be a quick trip to the airport when we leave.
Quoting myself ^
We are all set.
After the above mentioned Southernmost house stay, we are working our way back towards Miami (for the airport) and staying on Duck Key. The resort is Hawk Cay. We have a first floor room with a private deck near the adults only pool. Should be great because I suspect the first four nights will be busy walking and having fun all over Key West. Dial it back, and chill before coming home.
My Wife and I travel GREAT together, and this is lining up to be a wondrful trip. Thanks for all the input ~ enipla.
Heh. I stayed on Duck Key back in 1970, when it was a barely developed island. There I met and went scuba diving with Eric Bley the day before his brother jumped off an East German ship passing by the Keys.
Can anyone talk about the travel options and their comparative advantages and disadvantages?
Flying in would probably be fastest, I suppose. But then would I need to rent a car there in order to get around, or are the main destinations on the island close enough to do without a car?
What about taking Amtrak to Miami? Is there any easy way to get to Key West from there other than car rental? And it’s a long drive, right?
Thanks!
And is there any such thing as a cheap place to stay?
I have spent a considerable amount of time in Key West. It’s one of my favorite places on the planet. Lots of good info in this thread.
Driving there from Miami will take some time. Plan on 4-5 hours; if it everything goes smoothly it will take less time, but plan on 4-5 hours. It’s much easier now that the 7 Mile Bridge is no longer in use.
Get a pair of the best shoes in the world while you’re there at Kino Sandals.
The Old Town Bakery on Grinnell has excellent fresh bread stuff and coffee.
The Blue Marlin Motel is a nice place and they have a pool. The Silver Palms is newer and also has a pool.
I think someone mentioned the Green Parrot; cool place but it’s on Whitehead, a block over from Duval Street.
The Schooner Wharf Bar at the end of William Street is a great place to go after you watch the sun set at Mallory Square but Captain Tony’s is closer and is also cool.
Explore the island on bikes or mopeds. Talk to the locals about places to eat and drink, too; Key West is one of the friendliest cities in America.
I highly recommend driving up to John Pennekamp and going snorkeling or at least renting a canoe. If you don’t want to drive that far, Bahia Honda is closer to Key West and also worth seeing.
When I was in high school and college I used to stay at the Lazy Lakes Campground on Sugarloaf Key and the place is still there!
Ddamn, I love the Florida Keys!
Ascenray, there are lots of cheap places to stay. It’s not hard to find cottage motels in the Keys where you can open the back door, walk 40 feet and you’re in the water.
Heya. We are looking forward to the drive from Miami. We live in the mountains, and a drive over seemingly endless bridges over water is going to be surreal.
My Wife and I are divers. Just not very often. Might snorkel. John Pennekamp and a canoe could be fun.
We canoed on the Macal River in Belieze in 2011. It was great fun. Stayed at Duplooys Jungle lodge. On the last day, we got in a canoe, and our luggage was put in a van. My Wife and I then went down river to meet up with our luggage in San Ignacio and were driven to the Belize airport to continue our trip.