Best US Ports Of Call - Key West

Key West first hosted a cruise ship in 1969, and rapidly grew into a don't miss destination. Nowadays over five hundred cruise ships arrive every year. The port of Key West provides 3 cruise ship docks, Mallory Square , Pier B and Outermole (or the Navy Mole), shortened to M, B and OM. If your ship moors at Outermole, expect a short bus ride to the town center.

For more port details check the Key West Port Operations Website. For a comprehensive list of cruise ships that call at Key West see cruises visiting Key West.

Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
In his thirties Hemingway divided his time between Key West for the winter and Wyoming for the summer. His brilliant novel To Have and Have Not is centered on the depression years in Key West. Hemingway was a well-known personality in the town, with his enthusiasm for marlin fishing, late-night drinking, and homeless cats. His Key West house has been turned into a museum showcasing lots of items evocative of those wild years.

Mel Fisher Treasure Museum
In 1622 a fleet of 28 galleons laden with treasures from South America sunk in a storm 45 miles off Key West. In 1985 Mel Fisher with a team recovered the treasures from 2 of the missing galleons, the Nuestra Señora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita. The items found represented the looted wealth of a civilisation, silver from Peru and Mexico, and gold and emeralds from Colombia. The fascinating story of the quest for the wrecks is nearly as unbelievable as the treasures on show. Another educational display contains artefacts from the Henrietta Marie a slave vessel. The wreck was discovered at the same time as the search for the treasure ships, and the salvaged material reveal an insight into the profitable slave trade from Africa to the Caribbean.

Mallory Square
Most passengers think of Mallory Square as an arrival point. But after many have left, Mallory Square is the focus for an evening party with jugglers, mimes, magicians, psychics, clowns, and musicians, with the lovely setting of the sunset in the most southerly spot in the United States.

Sloppy Joe's on Duval Street
This famous bar officially opened its doors on the very day as the repeal of Prohibition. It was originally named Russells, next the Silver Slipper. Then it was Hemingway himself who encouraged the owner John Russell to update the name again to Sloppy Joe's. In the late 1930s the bar moved from one premise to another - when in true Key West fashion, the customers carried their drinks from the old bar to the new. The bar offers a very reasonably priced food menu. For dessert, there's only one option, Key Lime Pie.

Southernmost Point Buoy
At the meeting of Whitehead Street and South Street stands the iconic Southernmost Point, marking the point furthest south in continental USA (Hawaii is further south). An inscriptionsWriting on the buoy says that only 90 miles to the south lies Cuba, and closeby, a plaque recalls the desperate Cubans who have died trying to get to the United States.

Trolley Tour
The conch train station is situated in the middle of Key West, and tickets are purchasable at the station office. This is also a good place to obtain maps and leaflets. The trolley leaves about every half hour. There are nine stops on the route - you are able to get off/get back on the tour as you want. The trolleys take a circular route round the town, and the guide gives a commentary on famous landmarks.

Audubon House and Tropical Gardens
The famed naturalist John James Audubon visited the Keys in 1832, and based himself at this building. Here he noted and painted eighteen new birds for his 'Birds of America' book. The gallery displays a rich variety of Audubon paintings.. Audubon House furthermore has a large tropical garden, with orchids and tropical plants..

Shopping
Lots of shops align Duval Street and the adjacent streets. Here you'll find boho clothes shops, art galleries, Cuban cigar shops, treasure stores, and t-shirt shops.