Dozen Distinctive Destinations
Key West, FL
Year Listed: 2005
The southernmost tip of Florida and the last in the string of islands known simply as "The Keys," Key West packs a host of attractions on a tiny speck of land, three miles wide by five miles long. Its centuries-long history has been shaped by everyone from New World explorers to LGBT vacationers, from humble fishermen to the rich and famous, many of them drawn by Key West’s well-earned reputation as a tropical paradise with breathtaking sunsets and vibrant nightlife. While much has changed since author Ernest Hemingway lived here, if you look carefully you’ll still see reminders of the laid-back town that "Papa" Hemingway loved. The author’s Spanish-style home is now a museum and one of the island’s biggest draws - along with Harry Truman’s Summer White House and the Maritime Heritage Museum established by famed treasure hunter Mel Fisher.
This harborwalk allows visitors to stroll along a promenade near local shops and restaurants where they can see historic sailing vessels in Key West?s famous seaport.
Credit: Jimmy Weekley
The Key West Cemetery and its quirky epitaphs - including one that reads "I told you I was sick" - are perfectly in keeping with the island’s off-beat élan. Visitors won’t want to miss a stroll or bike ride along palm-lined streets where they’ll discover gingerbread mansions and tin-roofed "conch" houses. At the end of shop-lined Duval Street, waterside Mallory Square is the site of nightly sunset celebrations. Once the sun makes its final descent, the island moves to a different beat as streets lined with sidewalk cafes, open-air bars and world-class restaurants, come alive. Adored by sports enthusiasts, Key West offers gin-clear waters for swimmers and snorkelers, while scuba divers relish discovering shipwrecks submerged along the Keys coastline.
