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Any Tips for a First time visitor to Key West

cruisingbajan

By cruisingbajan,
in Key West

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cruisingbajan

cruisingbajan

Posted
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My wife and daughter will be accompanying me on this trip and this is the first time any of us will be in key west. Our daughter is 11 years old.

 

Any suggestions/recommendations are welcome. We are quite flexible and I am a bit of a history buff.

 

Thanks in advance guys.:)

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GradUT

GradUT

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Definitely go to the Hemingway House. They offer a guided tour with the price of admission and I highly recommend it. Either before or after the tour, you can look around the house and grounds as much as you like. We did the tour first and then walked around the house on our own getting a closer look at all the interesting pictures and mementos in the rooms. If y'all like cats, you'll really enjoy all the polydactyl cats there. (You can pet them, but not pick them up.)

 

You might also enjoy a visit to Ft. Zachary Taylor. The extensive remains of the fort are interesting to see and there are guided tours at noon or you can pick up a self-guide brochure. There is a good beach there for swimming/snorkeling. (I recommend wearing water shoes because there's a rocky strip between the sand beach and the water.)

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peter_krynicki

peter_krynicki

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You might want to stop in at the Custom's House, the big, red building just off the docks on your way up Whitehead to the Hem house. They are celabrating the 100th anniversity of the railroad with an exhibit...

 

http://www.kwahs.com/

 

On your way up Whitehead you will also pass the Audubon house the Bahama village (for shopping) the lighthouse for views, and finally the Southernmst point for photos.

 

On your way back walk along Petronia to the left. You will pass La Creperie and Blue Heaven and Columbian Grace in case you want to pick a place for lunch. It's fin to sit inside La Creperie and watch Yolande make crepes, but it's alos fun to sit in Blue Heaven's garden and watch the chickens.

 

Pjk

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

Posted
Posted
My wife and daughter will be accompanying me on this trip and this is the first time any of us will be in key west. Our daughter is 11 years old.

 

Any suggestions/recommendations are welcome. We are quite flexible and I am a bit of a history buff.

 

Thanks in advance guys.:)

 

Somebody already recommended The Hemmingway house and it sounds like a good idea for you two. I would add, google cityview trolley and buy two tickets ahead of time, it saves you a little money and this is a great service and you can get off and on where/when you want. Also as an fYI, I bought our tickets ahead of time, let them on the ship, they looked it up on their system and said NO PROBLEM. We took a complete tour, the 2nd time got off at the Southern most point, back on to Hemmingway, then had lunch at the Blackfin Bistro and from there walked back to the ship.

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bouhunter

bouhunter

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You can tour this ship:

 

http://www.uscgcingham.org/

 

Next to it is a Navy submarine hunter ship you can also tour, I forget the name of it. Both are very interesting and worth a visit if you have time.

 

If you're a history buff I second the Hemingway House and Truman's Little White House.

 

Your daughter might like the Shipwreck Historeum.

 

As you can see there is no shortage of things to do in KW!:)

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Aquahound

Aquahound

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Next to it is a Navy submarine hunter ship you can also tour, I forget the name of it. Both are very interesting and worth a visit if you have time.

 

That was the Coast Guard Cutter MOHAWK. Sadly, that ship is now a reef off the Florida Gulf Coast. It is no longer here. There just wasn't enough traffic to save it. I can only pray INGHAM doesn't meet the same fate.

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kikipug

kikipug

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history stuff, make sure you and your family try a slice of choc covered key lime pie on a stick.... awesome !!:p

 

You'll find this at Kermit's... head down Greene St to the corner of Elizabeth... that location has a great koi pond and waterfall out back that your daughter will love!

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bhopal21

bhopal21

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I would also ride the old time trolley.

 

I second the recommendation for Truman's Little White House and for the Hemingway House.

 

And allow sometime for some ice cream.

 

Enjoy!

 

Keith

 

Save your money and use The City View Trolley instead. It is $10 less and much more comfortable.

 

Mike:)

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bouhunter

bouhunter

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That was the Coast Guard Cutter MOHAWK. Sadly, that ship is now a reef off the Florida Gulf Coast. It is no longer here. There just wasn't enough traffic to save it. I can only pray INGHAM doesn't meet the same fate.

 

So sorry to hear that, we toured her with friends from Toronto when they met us in KW in March of 2011. There was a lot of history to that boat. When we were last in KW March of this year I didn't get down to that area and didn't know she was gone.....:(

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Loucat

Loucat

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Save your money and use The City View Trolley instead. It is $10 less and much more comfortable.

 

Mike:)

 

I agree and the tour takes you all over the island and you can hop off and on to see all the sites that interest you. It saves miles of walking.

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SeaPA1

SeaPA1

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One of my favorite things to do has always been to go down to the marina, where the tall ships are docked, and have a beer & a snack at Schooner Wharf. Nice little waterside bar/restaurant, very relaxed, usually have a guy playing guitar. Our boys (now 9 & 7) have a good time walking along the docks checking out the big tarpon that are swimming around underneath.

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LeeMarie3

LeeMarie3

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One of my favorite things to do has always been to go down to the marina, where the tall ships are docked, and have a beer & a snack at Schooner Wharf. Nice little waterside bar/restaurant, very relaxed, usually have a guy playing guitar. Our boys (now 9 & 7) have a good time walking along the docks checking out the big tarpon that are swimming around underneath.

 

 

I've seen a manatee there. When the water is clear, it really is spectacular just to look down.

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Aquahound

Aquahound

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I was wondering are the duck tours operating in key west yet? and what is cost /

 

No. They are still having some problems and haven't gotten their go-aheads yet from the Coast Guard.

 

I've seen the duck boats on trial runs in KW harbor and let's just say, I won't be recommending the tour after seeing how they handle wakes thrown by other vessels.

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