Key West Florida. Open left menu key west
The Spaniards, who were the first to see these places, exclaimed: “Oh, Florida!” (Oh, the blooming one!) Legend has it that this is how the state got its name.
When you find yourself in Florida, you often want to exclaim after the pioneers: Oh, what beaches! Oh, what parks! Oh, what museums!
There are so many interesting places here that it is simply impossible to talk about everything in one article. Therefore, we will only talk about Key West, one of the islands of the Florida Keys archipelago, located in the south of Florida.
The Florida Keys are connected to the Florida Peninsula by the unique Overseas Highway. It is 113 miles (approximately 180 kilometers) long and is one of the longest highways in the world, connecting the islands to the mainland.
It is built on the site of an old railroad built in 1912 by millionaire Henry Morrison Flagler. Its length was 160 kilometers - a figure unthinkable at that time, especially considering that most of the road was built over water.
The railway took 7 years to build; it killed 700 people and cost $50 million. But it operated for only 23 years - a terrible hurricane on Labor Day in 1935 practically destroyed it...
Then, instead of a railway, a highway with 42 bridges was built, one of which is a local landmark. Its length is 7 miles (about 11 kilometers), it is called the “Seven Mile Bridge”, and its photograph can be seen in almost any tourist brochure.
Our route lies to the island of Key West. This is the final, southernmost point of the United States, mile zero of the Overseas Highway. There is even a special red, black and yellow buoy installed here, which says: “The southernmost point of the continental United States. 90 miles to Cuba.”
The island of Key West is very small - only 3.2 by 6.4 kilometers, but it fully confirms the Russian proverb: small is the spool, but expensive.
This island has a rich history. Many famous people of America lived and worked here, Presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy came here to relax (by the way, the presidential residence here is called the “Little White House”), the island even has its own airport. They also say that the weather here is always good, the sunset is the most beautiful and that this place is the dream of every tourist... But first things first.
Island of Bones
These islands were discovered by the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon. This happened on May 13, 1513. He called the island that is now Key West "Cayo Hueso" - "Island of Bones". The fact is that the Calusa Indian tribe lived here, and the whole island was strewn with bones (though the Spaniards did not specify whose bones it was...).
Subsequently, in the 18th century, the name of the island turned into Key West, and it has nothing to do with the English word “West”. And the word “key” in the name of these islands comes from the Spanish word “cayo” “small island”, and not from the English word “key” - “key”, as it might seem.
For almost 300 years, only fishermen, pirates, turtle hunters, and marauders - treasure seekers on lost ships - lived here. Shipwrecks occurred here quite often, and looting was a very profitable business. After the War of Independence, the islands went to Spain, and in 1815 they were given (!) for unknown services to the soldier Juan Pablo Salas, who in 1822 sold the island of Key West to a certain John Simonton in one of the bars in Havana for just $2,000!
This Simonton quickly realized that he could get rich by dividing the island into plots and selling them. This is how the first permanent settlement appeared on the island.
The city began to grow rapidly and by 1890 became the wealthiest in Florida with the highest per capita income in the country.
There were more than 160 cigar factories here, more than 90% of sea sponges were mined, and a huge turtle processing plant was built (by the way, turtle hunting was officially banned only in the 70s of the 20th century!).
In addition, at that time Key West already had trams, had its own opera house, and had several banks, some of which still exist today in the same places. And the city of Miami at that time was a tiny, poor fishing village.
City of artists and writers
Key West is often called heaven on earth, and, of course, such a place could not fail to attract many famous Americans. John James Audabon, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, John Dos Passos, Tennessee Williams and many other famous and not so famous writers, poets and artists lived and worked here at different times.
There are a huge number of art galleries and small exhibition halls where you can buy both real works of art and inexpensive paintings by local artists. 
The city is divided into two parts: Old Town and New Town, Old Town and New Town.
Of course, the Old Town is of greatest interest to tourists. It's easy to get around on foot in just a few hours. In general, I would advise walking everywhere here, since you can lose more than an hour looking for parking for your car. As a last resort, you can always catch a taxi - it won’t cost very much, and where else in the world can you ride in a pink taxi?!
There are a lot of museums here - literary, memorial, and historical... It’s simply dizzying. And we must not forget about the beaches and fishing. Time seems to slow down here, and you don’t want to rush anywhere. I must say that the locals are very leisurely, and don’t be surprised if they take a long time to serve you in a restaurant - it’s simply not customary to rush here.
So, if you are limited in time and do not want to run from one museum to another, then I would advise limiting yourself to just a few. 
Of course, you can’t miss visiting the famous Aquarium. It was built in 1934 and is said to be the world's first open-air aquarium.
It may, of course, not be the largest in America, but it attracts thousands of tourists with its unusual show of feeding sharks and huge sea turtles. And here you can touch various underwater creatures with your hands, see barracudas, eels, sea bass - you can’t list them all.
Sharks and turtles are fed 4 times a day, feeding times are written on numerous signs, so it’s easy to figure out how to see the Aquarium and watch a shark or turtle lunch.
And after the Aquarium, you can go fishing, since the choice here is almost unlimited, and try to catch a swordfish or barracuda. Local fishermen claim that they even catch sharks, but this is very rare.
If you catch some unusual fish, they can make a stuffed fish for you for a fee, but it will be quite expensive, and it is unknown how such a souvenir will be treated at customs...
Next, our path lies to the Shipwreck Museum. Here, actors dressed in 19th-century costumes act out scenes from the sinking of the ship Isaac Allerton, which sank off the coast of Key West in 1856.
And then you can go up to the observation deck, where from a 20-meter height you can see a fantastic view of the ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. And who knows, maybe you will be lucky and you will see some sunken ship at the bottom of the sea?
Visiting Hemingway
It's impossible to come to Key West without visiting Hemingway. Perhaps he was and still remains the most famous resident of this island. He first came here on the advice of his friend John Dos Passos in 1920, and the place charmed him so much that in 1931 Hemingway bought a house here with a large garden.
“For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” and “A Farewell to Arms!” were written in this house. and much more.
It was interesting to know exactly how Hemingway wrote. The fact is that he was a rather idle person, he was very fond of fishing, after which he was not averse to spending several hours in a bar with friends, and did not really like sitting at a desk. To discipline himself, he set a certain standard - to write 600 words a day, after which he could do whatever his heart desired.
Hemingway also came up with the following idea: in the courtyard of the house he built an unusual structure - a kind of “birdhouse” in which he set up his office. You can only get there via a very narrow ladder...
This architectural solution can be explained simply: only a completely sober person could walk along it, but a drunk person simply could not climb here! Now, of course, this ladder no longer exists...
And in the house itself there are a lot of things that belonged to “Papa,” as everyone calls him here.
The guides will take you through all the rooms, show you many photographs of the writer himself, his wives, friends, relatives, be sure to take you to a figurine of a cat - a gift from the great Picasso, and tell you how, with the help of iron gates, the Hemingway couple made themselves a huge “multiple” bed (the gates were used instead backs!).
And then you will be taken to a local attraction - the swimming pool.
This is Key West's first outdoor pool. It was built by Hemingway's wife Paulina. They say that when the writer found out that this construction cost him 20 thousand dollars (huge money at that time!), he allegedly took a one-cent coin out of his pocket and threw it into the not yet hardened cement with the words: “On this pool I've spent every last cent of my money!" I don’t know if this is true or fiction, but there really is a coin there.
Another attraction of the museum is cats. Yes, yes, a lot of cats! Well, where else in the world will you find a museum in which cats are almost the main owners?
About 50 cats now live in Hemingway's house - descendants of those who lived here under "Papa."
Hemingway was a passionate fisherman and an equally passionate “cat person,” and at his home he kept an unusual breed of so-called six-toed cats, which he brought from Europe.
It was believed that these cats bring good luck to fishermen, and problems with “using” the catch disappear - to feed 80 cats, you will need more than one kilogram of fish!
These cats are unusual. They have six and sometimes seven toes on their front and hind paws! And they come in a variety of colors, from black to snow-white, from spotted to Siamese.
And they also have very interesting names - not some banal American Murka or Vaska, but, for example, Marilyn Monroe or Winston Churchill... This tradition was started by Hemingway, and now museum employees rack their brains every time, coming up with a name for newborn kitten...
Cats can be found everywhere here: in the house, in the garden, on all the benches and tables, near the drinking fountain that Hemingway made especially for them. In several places there are huge bowls of dry food, near which you will probably see some Greta Garbo who has just had lunch... And not far from the exit there is a cat cemetery, where cats have been buried since the 30s, and on each gravestone there is an engraved name and dates of life of the deceased...
After the museum, I advise you to go to the bar "Sloppy Joe"s. This is "Papa's" favorite bar, and this place is what I would call a "small branch" of the museum.
Here you can see a stuffed fish that Hemingway caught and his photographs. The menu includes various of the writer's favorite dishes and drinks, some of which are named like that: for example, “Hemingway's favorite double hamburger.”
Well, if you are lucky and you find yourself here in mid-July, during the so-called “Sloppy Joe’s Hemingway” - this is a look-alike competition that is very popular here, you will even be able to drink a glass of ice-cold beer in the company of an almost real “Hemingway”.
Festivals and holidays
In general, it must be said that people in Key West love and know how to have fun. Every month various competitions and festivals are held here, so the chance to get to some kind of celebration is very high - this is the Robert Frost Festival, and a theater festival, and all kinds of musical festivals... In a word, there would be a desire to celebrate, but you can always find a reason .
One such event is the Sunset Festival, which takes place in Mallory Square. Local residents, when talking about it, “accidentally” forget to mention that this festival is daily. And we were in a terrible hurry to the embankment, afraid of being late... And only then did we realize that sunset happens every day!
Every day hundreds of people come to the embankment to watch the sun set. Various street musicians, clowns, artists, souvenir sellers gather here, and you can try local exotic dishes and drinks. Well, after watching the sunset, go to some small restaurant or cafe, or just take a walk around the city.
By the way, don’t be surprised by the huge number of homosexual couples. The fact is that Key West is one of the centers of sexual minorities in America, so there are a lot of hotels, shops, clubs and bars over which the rainbow flag flies - the official flag of homosexuals and lesbians.
Our trip to Key West is coming to an end. But, having been here at least once, you want to come back again. The people in Key West are friendly and welcoming, the ocean is warm and gentle, the beaches are wonderful, the food is very tasty and varied... What else do you need to be happy? I just want to say: Key West is a heavenly delight! 
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Key West (Florida) is both a city and an island. The territory belongs. You can get to it via numerous bridges - straight from Homestead or Miami. The island is located at one of the southernmost points of the United States, on a large archipelago called the Florida Keys. Among travelers, this resort is known for its warm climate, gorgeous beaches and high-class hotels.
From the history
Until the 16th century, the Kaalus Indian tribes lived here. In 1521, the first person from Europe visited the place. The island was given a name meaning “covered with bones”, which was associated with Indian battles. The modern name appeared as a result of an error. The Spanish words were eventually replaced by similar-sounding English ones. And now the name of the city of Key West can be literally translated as “Western Key”. Over time, the island began to be populated by new residents arriving from other territories. They were engaged in fishing, and from time to time they had to save passengers from sinking ships from death. Salt production was also developed here. In the 19th century, the island became part of the United States. Over the years, the place has become popular among tourists and vacationers.
At the beginning of the last century, the famous railroad was built across the islands, which stretched straight from Miami. It was destroyed by a strong storm in the 1930s and replaced with a car one. Now just over 25 thousand people live here permanently.
Consequences of the disaster
Strong winds and tornadoes are not that uncommon in Florida. Hundreds of residents died after a hurricane occurred in 1935. But this was not the only such episode in the life of the island of Key West. Most recently, the city of Key West suffered severe damage in September 2017 following Hurricane Irma. Houses and buildings were destroyed, trees were uprooted. The wind speed almost exceeded 210 km/h. The violence of the elements led to severe flooding. As a result, many residents were left homeless, and the people themselves were previously evacuated. The city is gradually being restored, many objects are being rebuilt.
Beach holiday
Why is Key West, Florida so attractive to tourists? Firstly, the special climate. In these parts, the temperature does not drop below zero degrees. The weather is usually clear and sunny. From morning to evening you can spend time on the beach, acquiring pleasant shades of tan, swimming in the purest sea water.
The coastal area is strewn with sand. The most popular among tourists is the equipped Smathers Beach, where there are parking spaces, retail outlets and cafes, a recreation area with the ability to rent tables and chairs. Many come here for diving or fishing. You can buy a catamaran or a boat for a while. There are also wild beaches on the island. For example, one of these is located on the territory of Fort Zachary Taylor Park. A quieter and more peaceful place, visited by significantly fewer tourists.
Entertainment
The already mentioned park is one of the places that are definitely worth visiting in Key West (Florida). Until the 40s of the last century, there was an active fort here. At the moment, it is a historical park where you can take a walk (on foot or by bike), rent a kayak or sit in a cafe. Park visiting hours should be confirmed in advance.
Duval Street is considered the main street of the city. On both sides you can see numerous cafes and restaurants. For example, Sloppy Joe's is a bar that Hemingway himself once visited! Fans of the writer's work are sure to come here to take photos of the interiors and have a couple of cocktails. This place often hosts concerts with live music. Other establishments offer karaoke, and If you come in the evening or at night, you can get into a colorful show and become a participant in the carnival.
Key West Attractions
You can move around the city not only on your feet. It also offers excursions, which are carried out on a special tourist bus. Or you can rent a scooter or bicycle to explore the surrounding area on your own. There are many palm trees around. Coconuts from them are sold in retail shops. A tube is inserted inside to make drinking coconut milk more convenient.
In the southernmost point of Key West, Florida there is a local landmark - a large painted buoy. Sometimes a long line of tourists forms to take pictures next to him. The buoy symbolizes the southern point of the United States (although in fact this is not entirely true). It also bears the marker “90 miles to Cuba.”
The city sells original souvenirs: it is wise to buy something to remember your visit to Key West (Florida). These could be magnets, small crafts, or sold in some stores. They are made on the island, according to local sellers. By the way, real Cuban cigars are prohibited from being sold in the United States.
Museums
Key West is home to many interesting museums. First of all, it is worth mentioning the Hemingway Museum, located in the house where the writer lived. The building has a long history, and it was built back in 1851. In the museum you can see antique furniture and things of the famous author. Hemingway brought some trophies with him from expeditions to distant lands. The museum is home to amazing animals - six-toed cats. These are the descendants of the writer's pet cat.
It is unlikely that any other city has a Shipwreck Museum. Here is an interesting exhibition of things that came to the residents of Key West from sinking ships. In addition to household items, you can see real gold bars, as well as watch introductory videos about rescue operations. Another museum complex where you can get acquainted with maritime treasures and treasures is the Fisher Maritime Museum. And you can see the inhabitants of the ocean by visiting the Key West Aquarium. Entry there, like museums, is paid, but tickets can be booked in advance.
How to get there?
You can get to the island on a large cruise ship. This is how tourists from China and other distant countries arrive in the Florida Keys. Another option is to fly by plane. Key West has a small international airport. But it is worth considering that the weight of luggage is very limited. Most often, travelers prefer to get to the island by car. The bridge offers stunning views of the sea, coral reefs and ships passing by. Along the way you can also see what remains of the destroyed railway.
There are practically no buildings in the city higher than two floors. And some ancient buildings, according to legend, are haunted by ghosts. An example is the Victorian-style mansion Marrero's Guest Mansion, near which the silhouette of a deceased girl, the beloved of the former owner of the house, has been seen more than once. And the walls of some other buildings still remember the times of pirate bloodshed.
You can stay in Key West (Florida) in a good hotel or in a private home. Some residents rent out rooms or entire villas to visitors.
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Things to do in Key West
Always on the list of attractions you can see a unique street of its kind called Duval Street. It is distinguished by the fact that during the daytime you can arrange interesting shopping there, as well as taste incredible dishes from famous restaurants, while at night the entire territory turns into an unforgettable carnival party. The holiday here always lasts until dawn, as a result of which there is often simply not enough time for other attractions in Key West.
For those who love to soak up the sun and walk on soft-touch sand, Key West's longest beach, Smathers Beach, will appeal. The city authorities equipped it at the highest level. American Butler can organize any active type of recreation.
For all lovers of diving and snorkeling close to Key West There is an opportunity to dive to see the Great Barrier Reef. This unique natural site consists of a huge number of colorful corals, as well as many tropical fish that prefer to live in such conditions.
Fishing here brings unforgettable pleasure! The very realization that you can catch a fish in the same place where the famous Ernest Hemingway once did is simply incredible! These waters are home to some representatives of the mackerel family, golden perch and many other representatives of the underwater world.
Romantic Places and Culture in Key West
Key West Island in Florida it is considered a fairly old city, founded back in 1822. That is why many artifacts of the people living here have been preserved here.
- The most popular place in the evening is the central Mallory Square. Sunsets captured at this location have appeared in various films several times.
- The Museum of the famous Ernest Hemingway is considered no less stunning than all other places! In it you can see how this Nobel laureate, familiar to everyone with his unusual view of the world around him, lived in the old days and under what conditions he created his works. All the characteristic features of the interior in which he lived have remained untouched to this day.
- For those who love cultural recreation, city of Key West offers a variety of art galleries, several theaters and a symphony hall. In addition, a successful literary seminar is held here every year. All this allows you to gain a lot of mixed pleasant emotions, as well as feel a feeling of some sublimity.
The city of Key West, as it is often incorrectly called by tourists, is currently considered the best place in old Florida, where you can relax and really have a good rest in the most comfortable world-class conditions.
American Butler invites you to visit this wonderful city by organizing a tour for you and your family and friends.
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Travel to the southernmost city in the USA with us!
Key West is the southernmost city in the continental United States and the capital of the coral archipelago of the Florida Keys, located on the island of the same name. This is a real tropical paradise with palm trees, beaches and turquoise water; Even on police cars it is written that they are guarding his gates - “protecting paradise”. What do the locals do here? Almost nothing. They start the day with the popular Rum Runner cocktail and spend the rest of the day just wandering around the city, telling stories to tourists and having fun. Sometimes it seems that time in Key West has stood still and is just standing still. As in any southern city, no one is in a hurry, with the exception of tourists; you can wait not 5 minutes for your order in a cafe or restaurant, but half an hour, and sometimes even more.
The first European to visit Key West was Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521. Spanish colonists named the island Cayo Hueso, a name Spanish speakers still use today. Literally it means “bone key”, they say that the island was covered with bones after an Indian battle. Over time, Hueso became the English word west, which is similar in sound, and bone key became western.
Key West was once an incredibly wealthy city: locals lived by collecting cargo washed ashore from sunken ships. But those times have long since sunk into oblivion, and now city residents live only on the money that tourists leave here. The latter, it must be said, do not skimp - who counts money on vacation?
Sloppy Joe's bar, Hemingway's favorite bar
The walls of the bar are covered with photographs of Hemingway, and here you can see a stuffed fish caught by the writer. The menu includes a variety of the writer's favorite dishes and drinks, some named after him, like the Papa Doble daiquiri. The cocktail contains rum, grapefruit juice, pomegranate syrup, soda water and lime juice. In fact, although Hemingway enjoyed a daiquiri from time to time, his favorite drink was Teacher's, a cheap brand of Scotch whiskey.
This buoy is one of the main attractions of Key West; millions of tourists are sure to take pictures against its background. Previously, there was just a sign at this place, but visitors often took it as a souvenir. In 1983, the city erected a cement model of the buoy, and so far no one has managed to steal it. The buoy reads “Republic of Conch | 90 miles to Cuba | Southernmost point of continental US | Key West, Florida | House of the Sunset" (“The Conch Republic | 90 Miles to Cuba | Southernmost point continental U.S.A. | Key West, FL | Home of the Sunset”).
The hotel is located in the former residence of cigar magnate Eduardo H. Gato. Interestingly, the Victorian mansion was originally built on the opposite side of the street. But as the tycoon sat comfortably on the veranda with a cup of tea, he decided that the sun was hitting the veranda at the wrong angle. How would you solve this issue?... Eduardo simply ordered the house to be moved and the huge structure, placed on logs, rolled down the street with the help of harnessed mules. Now on hot southern days you can enjoy the shade and cool breeze on the veranda.
The house was built in 1851 by Asa Tift, a shipbuilder and wreck salvage specialist, and by 1928 was completely abandoned and boarded up due to inheritance disputes. The house somehow fascinated Ernest Hemingway, who returned from Europe, and he purchased it for $8,000, which resolved the Tifts’ family problems. The furniture that the writer and his family used is still preserved here, and even the cats that live in the house are descendants of the cats that Hemingway kept, including the “polydactyl” breed that he loved so much.
Neighbors often see the ghost of the writer walking on the balcony or hear the sound of a typewriter coming from the office. It is said that Hemingway can also be seen standing near a window on the second floor and sometimes even waves in greeting.
Ernest Hemingway wrote about Key West: “This is the best place I have ever been to - flowers all year round, date trees, guava trees, coconut palms... Laid on absinthe last night and showed tricks with a knife.”
Every year, thousands of people visit the Ernest Hemingway House Museum to see the desk where A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and other famous works were created.
The real owners of the house-museum are six-toed cats who trace their ancestry back to the kitten Snowball. A strange kitten with six toes on velvet paws instead of the required five was given to the writer by his friend Captain Stanley Dexter in 1930. In 1957, 57 animals already lived in his villa: 43 adult cats and 14 kittens.
In my opinion, this cat never changes pose...
Hemingway himself began to build the pool, but work was interrupted in the spring of 1937, when the civil war raged in Spain, and the writer went to this country as a war correspondent. His wife Polina began overseeing the project. The final construction cost was $20,000 - it was very difficult to dig a massive hole in the hard coral soil of the island. In the 1930s, Hemingway Basin was the only pool in the Florida Keys. Ernest was very annoyed by the construction costs, and at some point he threw a cent into the unfinished pool with the words “Polina, you spent all your money on this pool, to the last cent!” It is unknown if the story is true, but a penny set in cement can be seen at the northern end of the pool.
For 32 years since its opening in 1848, the lighthouse keeper was a woman, Barbara Mabrity, which was completely unheard of in the 19th century. At the age of 82, she was fired for speaking out against the North—Key West remained under Northern control throughout the Civil War.
The house was built in 1829 and has survived occupation by Northern forces during the Civil War, fires, Florida's famous hurricanes, economic turmoil, pirates, heat, humidity, insects, the tropical weather of the Florida Keys, and even moving from one street to another. another.
During the golden age of sail, about 100 ships a day passed by Key West, the waters around which were well known to be some of the most treacherous in the world. On average, one ship a week crashed onto the reefs of the Florida Keys archipelago. Brave local residents were on duty day and night on such observation towers or patrolled around the island in small boats. When the wreck was noticed, a cry was heard over the island - “Wreck Ashore” and the entire male population of the island dropped everything and rushed to the piers in a race to the reef. The first person to reach the sinking ship became the “master”, he controlled the rescue operations and received a large share of the sale of the cargo. On average, half of the sale of salvaged property went to the owners of the ship, the other half was distributed by the master.
One of the bartenders said that he once lived in New York and had his own restaurant there, a lot of headaches and city bustle. Then he dropped everything, sold his house and moved here, where he now works as a bartender. When asked if he was happy, he laughed and said: “How can you not be happy here!? This is paradise!
“Everything here is literally imbued with the proximity of the ocean, and no matter where you turn, you will certainly end up either in the Gulf of Mexico, or you will find yourself on the shore, washed by the waves of the Atlantic. The ocean with you is an inseparable part of the soul and a happy peace, like the presence of a beloved woman, without whom you are lost and don’t know what to do with yourself if she’s not around. " - Berdnik Victor. Return to Key West.
They say a Key West vacation should begin and end at the harbor. The seaport marked the beginning of the island's history about 200 years ago and is still the heart of the island. What could be better than spending a day on a yacht and catching your own dinner?
