The Florida Keys and Key West

About 150 miles south of Miami-Dade County is Key West, Home to the Southern Most Point in the United States. Key West Florida is a very "Animal Friendly" place, home to the decendants of Ernest Hemmingway's 6 toed cats and to chickens that roam the city often entering the Taverns along the way. The chickens decend from the fighting cocks of the early settlers of Key West. The chickens are now locally protected and the cats live mostly in and around the Hemmingway Museum on Whitehead Street near the Southern Most Point. The Hemmingway Museum is open to the public and you will be surprised to find the cats resting in many of the rooms on your tour.

Mallory Square is the official Daily Sunset Celebration Spot. Everyday as the sun sets, hundreds converge on Mallory Square to witness this spectacular event. There is music, food, drinks and of course, places to buy souvenirs.

Great places to eat, drink, dance and party the night away abound. Perhaps, the most famous of them is Sloppy Joe's Bar, known to have been a favorite hangout for Hemmingway. Duval Street is filled with people having a great time shopping and seeing the sights and there is plenty to see in Key West. A great way to see the city is to take a ride on the Conch Train or the Old Town Trolley. You will be given a narrated tour of the entire city.

Key West has many large well known hotels, but there are also many smaller hotels and B&B's located on or near Duval street, the main street in downtown Key West. If you can find a room in these smaller places, you be delighted by the amenities from the hot breakfast to the tropical lagoon style pools to the well appointed rooms. If you stay on or near Duval Street, you can park your car for your entire visit, you will enjoy the strolling down the streets lined with restaurants, taverns and shops.

If you want to get around the entire island, consider renting a bicycle or a scooter, you will have a great time visiting the Fort Zachary Taylor, Hemmingway's Museum, the Southern Most Point, the Key West Beaches and Mallory Square and other points of interest in beautiful historic Key West.

Actually, getting to Key West is half the fun, so on your road trip south through the Florida Keys make sure to take your time and stop along the way, there are spectacular views from almost anywhere in the Keys. You can swim with dolphins, snorkel, dive, fish, or just relax, it is up to you. As you travel US 1 south, you will be surrounded by water, the Gulf of Mexico to the West and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The fishing from the bridges is great and so are the views. Be ready for extrordinary beauty of the Florida Keys and Key West.