Key West

[irishayes]

We only have a few hours in Key West (7:30 am to 1:00 pm) and I thought we would just walk around Duvall Street and Mallory Square. How far is it from the dock to Duvall Street? Can we just walk there?

[LHT28]

depends on where you are docking

check the schedule of where your ship is docking

http://www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov/department/calendar.php

 

you could ask on the KW forum for ideas of things to do

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=155

[LHT28]

Looks like you dock at Outer Mole so you will need to take the trolley & they drop you in Mallory Square ..near Duvall st

[Capt_BJ]

 

The entire length of Duvall, end to end is a little less than 1.25 miles .... if you are in tourist Key West, you are never too far away to walk . . .

 

the comment about the Outer Mole, if not aware. The pier known as the Outer Mole is actually inside the Military property. A free tram will take you to/from the ship and the gate to the facility. You can't walk or roam the property (unless you have valid military ID)

 

Factoid .... if you look carefully at a map of this area you'll quickly see that the marker for southernmost point is NOT at the most southern land on Key West. The actual southernmost point is inside the military property . . . controlled access. The marker is against the fence.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Capt_BJ

[royalcruz]

There is nothing to see in Mallory Square in the daytime. Spend your time on Duval St or elsewhere.

[sasysutler]

fun things to do.. go to the cemetary.. it's been featured on the travel channel. Go to the East Martello tower and see "Robert the doll" He's haunted and a lot of fun. climb the lighthouse, eat some key lime pie, go to the hot pepper store, and DON'T forget to go get sandals at KINO'S. Have fun for us!

[Capt_BJ]

a Duval comment

 

some of the storefronts along Duval are "mature audience" if you catch my drift. occasionally families report they wish someone had warned them b4 they took the kids for a stroll. colorful writing on t-shirts ... drunks falling out of bars to the sidewalk ...

 

just a little management of expectations . . . this is not Disney World.

[BlueHerons]

Go to Blue Heaven and have a nice, relaxing breakfast.

 

I don't know how many drunks you'll see at 8am falling out of bars.

 

Key West is very quiet in the mornings.

[Capt_BJ]

on several visits I've gone for early morning runs on Duval

 

I can honestly say it is one of only two places I've encountered a drunk sleeping in the gutter at sunrise

 

You can have a nice early time in Key West .... stay away from Duval ... downtown Duval anyway. The southern 1/3 mile is less .... welllllll, less!

[Capt_BJ]

from another site I am not allowed to name ... but from a KW resident:

 

Don't walk up Duval Street. Too many people complain about the adult nature of the humor in the windows of Duval. Take Whitehead to Hemingway's house if you must go to the Hemingway house.

 

The Pirate Museum is gone. Pat Croce moved it to St. Augustine several years ago.

 

The aquarium is pretty cool, especially if you get to feed the nurse sharks. The Butterfly Conservatory is *amazing.* The Shipwreck museum is pretty cool.

 

Unless you're a drinker or want cheap tshirts and tchotchkes, Duval is a waste of time. Heck, it's a waste of time if you're a drinker too, because there are so many better places to go on the Rock.

[royalcruz]

I love Duval St. There are some nice shops there. I've purchased nice items in the Coach outlet and in many of the boutiques and galleries: clothing, costume jewelry, fine jewelry, sunglasses, housewares, and local art. There are also some nicer restaurants, like Grand Café and LaTrattoria. Fogarty's is a good casual place for a patio lunch. I like walking around and enjoying the live music coming from the bars; it's not rowdy in the daytime.

 

Conch Republic is a marina front restaurant that is also a great casual place for lunch but it's not on Duval. :)

Edited February 11, 2015 by royalcruz

[Lynda59]

We spent 3 nights in Key West in November on a little mini-vacation (not a cruise) and I highly recommend the Butterfly Conservatory. I thought it would be similar to the exhibit we have in the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans, but it had hundreds of butterflies and quite a few birds. They have a few nice gift shop, too, where I picked up butterfly Christmas ornaments. There are discount coupons for this in all the magazines you see on every corner.

 

As far as the rest of Key West, there was not a lot to do since it was cold, rainy & dreary when we were there. We were disappointed in the restaurants, too, so I would stick to food on the ship.