Higg’s Beach is one of the larger beaches on the island of Key West. It has public restrooms as well as grills for cookouts, chair and umbrella rentals, volleyball courts, a pier, and the fabulous restaurant and bar, Salute. Oh, and I forgot to mention lots of parking! These features make Higg’s Beach a favorite hangout for the locals as well as the spring break crowd.
There is no doubt that Key West is a great place to visit. But with each passing year the island becomes a bit more commercial. It has to when it is a major Florida tourist destination. Key West has to be able to compete with Orlando, Miami, and other areas that draw lots of tourists with modern amenities and many activities. We have to change with the times. Otherwise, the island would fall into the tourist doldrums and end up a dead zone like Silver Springs, once a tourist mecca, has become. But that does not mean that with a very short cab ride or drive away you that you cannot still get that old Key West feel. Just cross Cow Key Channel Bridge onto Stock Island and you will find a taste of the way Key West once was.
Case in point, I had to fly up to NJ last week as I had a sudden and unexpected death in the family. While I really did not have the time to drive all the way to NJ and back to get to the funeral on time and back in time for work on Monday, I may have been better off driving to Miami and flying out of there. Here is why…
Ernest Hemingway Key West Today there are about 25,000 people living in Key West. That is a lot of residents for such a tiny island, but Key West has so…
Key West has some beautiful scenery as well as some outrageous places. We have history with old Conch houses, museums, Civil War forts, and a Navy Base. We also have…
Valentine’s Day is already just around the corner. Yes, you can do the norm if you are staying here during this holiday and send flowers and candy to your sweetheart, as the island has no shortage of wonderful florists. Or you can do something a little different with some Key West island flair!
We had a lunch meeting here yesterday and I was excited because I have been looking forward to trying this place out for a while now. When it first opened about 6 months ago they had a very basic menu, so I wanted to wait to eat here until they were ready to go and that they are. (more…)
Mallory Square has been a port for US Navy ships, a cigar roller’s mecca, and a place to buy sponges from the divers who harvested them. Now this famed square is a place to gather nightly and party while you watch the sun go down.
Mallory Square is the center of Key West’s historic waterfront. It is the home of the nightly Sunset Celebration, the Key West Aquarium, the Historical Sculpture Garden, the Key West Shipwreck Historeum, Cayo Hueso Historeum, Sponge Market, Shell Warehouse, and several other shops and restaurants.
This week is Premier Racing week. The 25th-anniversary challenge features world-class competition and yachting teams from more than 12 countries and 24 American states. Nearly 300 racing yachts compete for class championships in this international regatta. To view the action, fans can book seats on spectator boats ranging from excursion catamarans to historic tall ships or from land at Key West’s Atlantic-front restaurants, resorts and beaches.
Sunset Grille is located at the south end of Marathon on Knight’s Key. We ate lunch here a few days ago with some friends and we were really impressed with the food and the great layout. This is an open air tiki bar / restaurant with a pool overlooking the ocean and the 7 mile bridge. In fact the only thing that bothered us was that the beautiful vistas of the ocean to the south was partially obstructed by a huge screen which they use to show sporting events. I wish they would have put up a retractable screen instead.
Driving to Key West? Many people do not realize that the Florida Keys are a chain of islands connected by a series of bridges, and Key West is the very last island in the chain. Driving time from Miami to Key West takes approximately 3 hours, although due to traffic it may take longer. But the vistas are breathtaking, making the drive well worth it at least once in a lifetime.
Below is a charter showing milage from different major FLorida cities to help you plan your drive. (more…)
Enjoying a beautiful Key West sunset on the water is an awesome way to spend an evening. There are several options to choose from, all of which I am sure would be enjoyable, but the America 2.0 is an amazingly beautiful boat.
For 2 hours you sail through the harbor, by Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach, and get a tour of Mallory Square while the revelers there wave exciting wishing that they were on the water too. The crew is so friendly and they serve up bottled water, beer, champagne, and wine, as well as snacks like a fresh fruit and veggie platter.