Touring the Southern most point town

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KEY WEST, FLORIDA – Key West is literally at the end of the road US one that connect the arch of Islands called the Florida Keys with the main land.

The town is often the first port of call for all of the  Western Caribbean cruises and has a flamboyant, off-beat personality of its own. It is an option for those who like to spent few hours and tour the southern most point town of the States.

As the Old Town is so small, you can wander around it easily and take in the gingerbread architecture, literary legacies and other historic landmarks.
The Port of Key West is perfectly positioned by Mallory Square, right in the middle of Old Town, and each year around 700 000 cruise passengers disembark here and at the Mole Pier a little further away. Every evening there’s a Sunset celebration, when jugglers, mime artists, musicians, dancers and animal tamers come into the square and put on a free show as the flaming sun sinks beneath the horizon.

The celebrations are a seamless blend of both old-fashioned carnival and tourism and great fun too.

The recommended place to visit and begin touring this beautiful small island is  Hemingway’s home. Located on Whitehead Street, the Ernest Hemingway home and Museum  is where literally Legend ‘Papa’ Hemingway lived with his second wife Pauline and their two sons from 1931 to 1939 when they divorced.

He then move to Cuba and she stayed on the beautiful 19th century Spanish colonial house until her dead in 1951. Hemingway would use it as a stopover base until he died in 1961. He used to write in the cool of the mornings in his studio by the swimming pool, the first to be built in Key West, and he wove his many characterful local friends into his stories. His novel ‘To Have and Have Not’ is a fine example of this.

Perfectly preserved, the house is full of his antique furniture, art, old books and hunting trophies, giving to visitors a clear view into his life during his time there.

For a classic tour of Key West visitors can either take the historic Conch tour train, which has been giving narrated rides through the town since 1958, or the new Old Town trolley, both depart from Mallory Square every 20 or 30-minutes. However, if you prefer to see the sights under your own steam, you can hire a bike from several outlets.

Key west’s past is built on the bounty of the many ships that were wrecked off the island. The late diving pioneer Male Fisher found heaps of treasure on the sea bed, that you can see at the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society and Museum.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the licensed plundering of sinking ships became a national pasttime for Key Westers, making the town the richest and largest in America. The story is told at the Shipwreck Historeum Museum located on Whitehead Street, open daily, Monday to Friday.

The most popular shopping street, tourists often come to visit Key West, is Duval Street.
Duval Street bisects the Old Town and is lined with shops and restaurants such as pop star Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville cafe. The oldest attraction is Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not Museum’ with a curious collection of diving antiques and authentic shrunken heads. Sloppy Joe’s, one of Hemingway’s favourite bars is within staggering distance of his former home. Another of his watering holes, Captain Tony’s is close by.

If you’d like to discver the natural side of this tropical paradise you may walk in Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory located on the end of Duval Street, close to the Southern Most point House. Here you will see a different variety of butterflies, colorful plants, birds, turtles and even flamingos. Small conservatory consists of Learning center, Gift shop, Art Gallery and observation area.

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