Key West….my favourite!!

Following on from my previous blog about my cruise around the Caribbean I thought I would tell you a little bit about my favourite port of call – Key West…

Oh wow, what an amazing place, this is somewhere I WILL come back to.  Its vibrant, full of history and very unique!!

This Island is about 4 miles long and 1 mile wide.  Duval Street, its famous main street is 1.1 miles in length.

We were advised to take the World Famous Conch Tour Train which cost $30 each.  The train departs regularly from the Front Street Depot and ends right behind it in Mallory Square.  The journey takes 90 minutes where during the tour the train will take you through Old Town Key West.  You have three stops – one is at Station Depot where you have 10 minutes to find refreshments and do a little bit of shopping, giving you the chance to buy some homemade fudge.  The second stop is the Truval Village, located at the corner of Duval Street, here you will see Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, the Key West Lighthouse, the Southernmost point, the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory and the many fine art galleries, shops and restaurants of upper Duval Street.  The third and final stop is at Flagler Station.  The drivers are absolutely amazing, are very proud of the history and really give you a great insight to Key West

For those that may not know the Southernmost point is an anchored concrete buoy marking the southernmost point in the United states.  To have your picture taken be prepared to queue.  The attraction was established in 1983 by the city at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street.  From this point, Cuba is 90 miles South.

It seems at night this is when the place really comes to life, there are lots of bars playing live music or holding cabaret style shows.  It also attracts a lot of the gay community, in actual fact Key West was the first American city to actively and openly recruit gay tourists.  Apparently, the drag shows in Key West are out of this world!!

There were also lots of great shops around the harbour, so a great opportunity to do a little more shopping!

Don’t forget Key West is only 90 miles from Cuba!!