Skip to main content

Rancho Cordova Independent

Key West: A Breath of Fresh American Air

Nov 08, 2017 12:00AM ● By By David Dickstein

Key West Aquarium is home to 100 species of marine life. Photo by David Dickstein

Key West: A Breath of Fresh American Air [4 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

With growing concern over cruise passenger safety in certain foreign Caribbean ports, Key West is a breath of fresh American air. No unlicensed cab drivers or tour guides screaming for your attention as you leave the port, no violence associated with drug cartels, and no concerns over drinking the water. And one more plus for U.S. citizens: no passport required.

So, while Key West has the makings of a Yankee doodle dandy cruise port, don’t for an All-American minute think it drips with mom, baseball and apple pie. In this southernmost corner of the continental United States, a mere 90 miles from Cuba, it’s more like Ernest Hemingway, sport fishing and key lime pie.

The aspirational phrase of “One Human Family” is Key West’s official motto, but if the community needs a temporary slogan to capture its inclusive and stalwart spirit post-Irma, it should be “Open for Everyone’s Business.” The port welcomed cruise ships only two weeks after the devastating Category 4 hurricane at its historic 130 mph winds pummeled the Florida Keys. Fortunately for the tourist destination, Key West fared better many of its neighbors as landfall on Sept. 10 was 20 miles to the east. Structural damage was minimal, but the colorful city of 23,000 full-time residents still dealt with the loss of electricity and access to clean water. Not that Key West doesn’t have experience making do already; located closer to Havana than Miami, and with just one road connecting it to the mainland, being independent and plucky comes with the tropical territory.

So is being laidback. Visitors wanting a taste of that Key West lifestyle will find it easier than one of the countless “gypsy chickens” that freely strut around town. And while Key West doesn’t judge those who vacation in the slow lane, the beauty of this town is it also appeals to tourists looking for more to do than just nibble on sponge cake and watch the sun bake, to borrow from Jimmy Buffett’s signature song, “Margaritaville,” partially written here. For the in-betweeners, here’s some recommendations:

  • Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum – Never mind that Debbie Downer types discount the American novelist’s Key West years as among his weakest and least productive – Mr. Hemingway’s pristinely maintained home of roughly 10 years is still a must-see. An hour-long guided tour ($14 adults) pays respect to the Pulitzer and Nobel prize winner’s storied life as a Floridian, from the works he penned here, including “To Have and Have Not,” to his six-toed cats, some with descendants that still roam the grounds in hopes of purring on the laps of feline-loving visitors.
  • Helicopter tours are often the most expensive shore excursions on the list, but Air Adventures makes the thrill affordable with rides starting at $69. Visitors coming by land or sea take to the air to spot dolphins, stingrays, sea turtles and other marine life.
  • Harry S Truman Little White House – Odds are that Donald Trump will eventually pick Florida for his presidential library, but until then, Truman’s winter White House remains as the Sunshine State’s only presidential museum. The 33rd commander in chief spent 175 days of his term here, mostly on doctor’s orders to be in a warm climate. Originally built in 1890 on what was a naval station, the house was converted from an officer’s quarters to a single-family dwelling in 1911. One year later William Taft became the first president to visit, and since then four others have signed the guestbook in addition to Truman. Tours run several times daily.
  • Key West Aquarium – Key West’s first tourist attraction is humble with just over 100 specials of fish, turtles and birds, and its most popular spots are a touch tank and wherever there are feedings. The Monterey Bay Aquarium it’s not, so don’t think you need to spend the day there or $50 for an adult ticket. Here, we’re talking an hour or two and $14. Yep, old school … of fish.
  • Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory – Lepidopterophobics and ornithophobics beware, but for everyone else, seeing 60 butterfly species and 20 exotic bird species flutter around a glass-enclosed habitat should be highly enjoyable and relaxing. The attraction ($12 adults) doubles as a climate-controlled botanical garden with cascading waterfalls. An art gallery and learning center add to the experience.
  • Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium – Disproving the myth that if you’ve seen one Odditorium you’ve seen them all, the Key West attraction ($17 adults) has at least two things the other 30-plus don’t: a shrunken human torso and a typewriter once owned by Hemingway. There’s plenty more that’s cool and amazing as spread across 10,000 square feet and two floors on touristy Duval Street. If the taxidermized two-headed animals and vampire-killing kit don’t excite you, the hour or two of air-conditioning will.

A fun and relatively easy way to get to these and other points of interest is the Old Town Trolley ($31 adults). Pick it up at any of 12 stops, then hop off and hop on as you wish or stay on to get the full 90-minute tour. Stop 11 takes you to the butterflies and the most obligatory and falsely advertised picture spot in town: the giant concrete buoy that marks the southernmost point in the continental U.S. The true point is on a private island 10 miles farther south, but let’s not share that spoiler with those waiting in line for the ultimate Key West selfie.

Adding in the array of watersports on or in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, not to mention restaurants, bars and stores with more character than a Hemingway novel, Key West has plenty to offer the day-tripping cruiser, the week-long vacationer, or whatever duration of stay your little, wanderlustful heart desires.

Check it out at: Florida Keys Tourism Council: fla-keys.com

Sacramento County Legal ads  Click on this image to learn more about placing legal ads in the Messenger Publishing Groups publications
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent - Memorial ads  Click on this image of a Peace Lily to learn more about placing a Memorial ad in the Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent  Arrest Records  Click on this image of Police Tape to read a listing of recent arrests in the Rancho Cordova Area
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent  Donated to support local journalism  Click on this image to donate to the Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent to keep local journalism alive
Sacramento - Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent  Make the Rest of your life the Best of your life Click on this image of a mature couple to find resources and articles for mature singles
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Click on this ad to find archives of past Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent  newspapers
Vote Republican in 2024
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Grapevine Independent  Image of fresh food Click on this ad for KP International Market to go to their website
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Click on this ad for First US Community Credit Union to be taken to their website
Sacramento Rancho Cordova Click on this ad for Cogir of Stock Ranch Senior Living Facility to learn more about their services
Sacramento Rancho Cordova Click on this ad for Pinnacle Employee Services to learn more about their HR Payroll and Benefits services for businesses
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Click on this ad for American River Chiropractic to learn more about their Chiropractic Memberships
Sacramento Rancho Cordova Call 916-728-5812 to learn more about Superior Landscaping Services company
Sacramento Rancho Cordova Image of Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra Click on this ad to learn more about Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra schedule and buy tickets
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Image of Sacramento River Cats Baseball Team Click on this ad to learn more about River Cats Baseball schedule and to buy tickets
Sacramento  Rancho Cordova Image of Giant Hamburger and Milk shake  Click on the image to learn more about jaspers Giant  Burgers and to view a menu
Sacramento  Image of the Milky Way Click on this ad to learn more about the programs and events at Aero Space Museum of California and to buy tickets
Sacramento   Click on this ad to learn more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation An organization helping disabled Veterans and Homeless veterans find housing and support
Upcoming Events Near You

No Events in the next 21 days.