Productions - Key West: A Non-Locals Local Guide

Contents

G eneral Overview

Island Gems

Restaurants & Bars

Ice Cream, Coffee & Shopping

Off the Beaten Duval Path

General Overview

Key West is a small island (5.9 sq land miles) that is the last of the Keys (accessible by road) located off the coast of Florida. This is the land of great food, great drink, great music, and an all-around laid-back vibe. Key West has something for all: water sports and fishing, art and history, songwriters and music, dance clubs and bars, heavenly food and sinful drinks. If you are like us, we forego transportation with wheels and motors and choose to walk to our every destination; however, we do partake in a taxi ride for our arrival from and departure to the airport! However, if you prefer to be off your feet for your trek around the island, you will find an abundant array of rental shops for bicycles, mopeds, and electric cars that seat four to six. Please be mindful if you decide to rent a mopedthe locals will attest that the majority of traffic accidents occurring in Key West involve inexperienced moped drivers. If you are looking for a quick ride down Duval, you can always find a bicycle taxi willing to tote you to your destination. If you are driving down to Key West from Floridas mainland and will be having an overnight stay, you will need to make sure that parking is available where you are stayingwhile the larger hotels/resorts have parking, many of the bed and breakfasts and smaller boutique hotels have limited or no on-site parking.

With an average summer temperature around 80F and an average winter temperature around 70F, you would think you would never need to wear more than shorts and t-shirts, but do not be fooled by this typically mild tropical climate. Winters can be chilly (with lows in the 50s), especially in the evening or whenever strong breezes are coming off the coastal waters. At these times, you should be okay in shorts (especially during the day), but it would be wise to carry a lightweight jacket, sweater or hoodie with you once the sun goes down, especially if you are anywhere near the water! It has been said that the prevalent tradewinds and sea breezes suppress much of the summer heat, but take care to drink plenty of water, load up on sunscreen, and wear very light clothing during the daylight hours of the summer months when the heat (with a little help from the humidity) can get slightly unbearable. May through October is generally considered the wet season, while November through April is said to receive abundant sunshine and less than 25% of the annual rainfall. We have rarely experienced much rain on our many travels to Key West (we tend to visit the island in May and November/December); on the very few occasions when it has rained, the showers generally passed quickly.

There are four main zones of Key West often referred to on maps and by local realtors: Old Town, Casa Marina, Midtown and New Town. Old Town occupies most of the western part of the island and includes many of the main tourist attractions, including Mallory Square, lower Duval Street, Fort Zachary Taylor, Bahama Village and the Truman Annex. Midtown is located in the center of the island, roughly bordered by N. Roosevelt Blvd. (US Route 1), Leon Street, Atlantic Avenue and 1 st Street. New Town occupies the eastern side of the island, east of 1 st Street and north of Flagler. Casa Marina is bordered by United, Vernon and White Streets, Atlantic Blvd and Steven Avenue. This area of the island is named for the Casa Marina hotel located within this zone. Duval Street is the most famous and most traveled street in all of Key West where one can find an array of bars, clubs, restaurants, lodging and shops. It runs approximately north and south across the island from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The north (lower) end of Duval (what we call the wild side) is home to Mallory Square , the majority of bars and tourist attractions, and where most of the carousing takes place until all hours of the night (and early morning!). The south (upper) end of Duval (what we call the quiet side) is home to the Southernmost point.

There are several beaches located in Key West for your sun-loving or watersport enjoyment. Near the Southernmost Point you will find South Beach . Although the Southernmost Resort Collection may try to lay claim to this small white sand beach, it is a public beach that is open to everyone. Beach chairs, umbrellas and small tables are available for rental. The Southernmost Beach Caf adjoins the beach, but drinks are not allowed on the beach (even in plastic containers). Higg's Beach is a white sand beach (wider than it is long) that offers restroom facilities, covered picnic tables and grills (however, these are often occupied by the Key West homeless), and a long pier on which to take a stroll. Chairs and watersport rentals are available, as well as the restaurant Salute. Higgs Beach is located at the south end of Reynold's Street on the Atlantic Blvd.

Smathers Beach runs a half-mile along South Roosevelt Blvd (near the Key West airport) and offers restrooms, chair rentals, picnic tables, volleyball nets, concession stands and food trucks, chair rentals, bike paths, and watersport rentals (including jet skis, parasailing and windsurfing). Fort Zachary Taylor ( http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/home.html ), one of our favorite places to spend a peaceful afternoon, is a 54-acre State Park that offers a white sand beach on the south side and a rocky coastline on the west side (where you will often find a fisherman or two). The center of the park offers picnic tables and grills under pine trees that offer plenty of shade. Park facilities include restrooms and showers, the Cayo Hueso Caf (open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily), chair and watersport rentals (e.g. floats and snorkel gear), nature trails and bike paths, as well as access to the Fort. We have witnessed several weddings while at Fort Zachary, and the caf is available for catered private parties when the park is technically closed to the public. Fort Zachary is located through the Truman Annex on Southard Street and there is an admission charge (even if you are traveling by foot or bicycle); the hours are 8:00 am to sunset (and they do enforce these hours, so if you come to view the sunset, you will have to quickly pack-up and skedaddle once the sun has set!). Prices to enter Fort Zachary range from $2.50 per person traveling by foot or bicycle, $4.50 for a 1 person vehicle, $7.00 for a 2 person vehicle plus $0.50 for each additional person (children 5 years of age are free).

On a side note, for those that like to get in a quick workout while on the island and do not have access to a hotel fitness room, you can get a great workout just by walking to your every destination or jogging along the quieter streets (off of Duval) or along the Atlantic and South Roosevelt Blvds (and get a bonus view of the ocean!). Do not be fooled by the small size of the island! There has been many a day when we have averaged about 12 miles of walking. Impossible you might say? Well, here is one such typical day: morning walk and/or jog from room to Key West airport along Atlantic and South Roosevelt Blvds (and back) to get some exercise and work off the libations from the night before; walk to breakfast and around town for a little shopping and sight-seeing and back to room; walk to Fort Zachary Taylor to spend a few peaceful hours reading and enjoying the beautiful water scenery (then back to room); walk to lower Duval for dinner and drinks; walk around lower Duval for more drinks; walk to upper Duval (opposite end of the island) for maybe another drink or two or three; then back to the room to recharge and do it all again tomorrow!!

We would like to note that this is named the Non-Locals Local Guide for a reasonwe typically do not partake in the traditionally touristy restaurants and bars scattered along Duval (i.e. Hard Rock Caf, Fat Tuesdays, Margaritaville, etc.), so you will not find reviews of these places in this guide. Rather, we like to capture more of the local flavor of the island and visit those places that have more of a laid-back local vibe. Of course, most of us visiting Key West are technically tourists, so we are not in any way denouncing those places that are packed to the gills with out-of-towners looking for a good time (arent we all looking to have a good time?); that being said, we want to make sure that if you find some restaurants/bars missing from our guide, its because we have chosen to not include them. Of course, any time we visit a new venue, we will be sure to add it.