Key West Tours

If you're in Key West and prefer to enjoy it at your own pace, self-guided tours are for you. There are many things to see and do in sunny Key West such as:

Tour Hemingway House. Ernest Hemingway lived in a beautiful mansion located at 907 Whitehead Street in Key West. His house sported the very first swimming pool which he had told his wife NOT to put in! But, she did and when the Nobel Prize winner returned to his house when the pool was almost complete, he took a penny out of his pocket, exclaimed that the pool had taken his last cent and stuck the penny in the cement, where it still resides. The Hemingway house is just a short stroll from the Key West port at Mallory Square where the cruise ships land; a perfect way to spend the morning for your day in paradise.

Walk to the Southernmost Point in the continental US. A stroll down Duval Street is just the right way to see all of the beautiful architecture and taken in a few cocktails on your way. A walk to the Southernmost Point in Key West will take you 2 miles down the street if you've gotten off on a cruise ship but it's well worth the time and exercise. If you prefer, grab a cab and head down to the Southernmost Point marker. Make sure to grab your camera as you'll certainly want some souvenir photos of you and the marker.

Do a self-guided bar tour. Now, THAT'S what I'm talking about! Visit some of the most interesting bars in Key West by starting at Sloppy Joe's, a favorite of Ernest Hemingway. Your next stop should be Captain Tony's which still sports the 'Hanging Tree' of Key West which is inside the building. The building that houses Captain Tony's was originally the first undertaker and morgue home. In fact, the first undertaker's daughter died and is buried under the area that now holds the pool table. And, there's no sense to going to Key West without stopping in at Jimmy Buffet's Marguaritaville where you can see Buffet memorabilia such as a few real gold records! There's always a fun video playing on the monitors a the bar so belly on up! Other bars of note which are a lot of fun include: The Conch Republic, Schooner's Warf, and Hogbreath Saloon.

If you're more of a joiner and would like an overview of Key West, you might want to join the Conch Tour Train. Relax on the train for 90 minutes and listen to the tour guide give you neat little tidbits about life in Key West. You'll learn more from this type of tour than you can ever learn on your own! The tour will guide you around the whole island which really isn't saying much for a piece of land that is 2 miles by four miles...

There's prime snorkeling just 7 miles off Key West and a bunch of different boats that are just waiting to take you there. ? The reef is a short 30 minute boat ride off shore and, although not the most gorgeous reef in the world, it is filled with interesting fish. There are frequent dolphin sightings in the area; a bonus any way you look at it! There are many different snorkeling tours but, imho, the Fury is the best. This high speed catamaran will get you snorkeling in the water at the reef in record time.

The Fury furnishes all snorkeling gear but, for the best experience, I suggest you bring your own. Rental snorkeling masks always seem to leak. Refreshments are also available on board gratis so go ahead and work up an appetite as you glide among the yellowtail snapper, parrot fish, and barracuda (gulp)! Last time out, we even saw a shark - that got us out of the water and into the beer in record time!