Key West Favorites

Iconic Bars

• Sloppy Joe's (Duval and Green) https://sloppyjoes.com/
• Green Parrot; My favorite bar in Key West, relaxing during the day, great music at night (Whitehead and Southard) https://www.greenparrot.com/
• Eat it Raw Half Shell Raw Bar (along the docks) https://www.halfshellrawbar.com/
• Conch Republic (Green and Elizabeth) https://conchrepublicseafood.com/
• Captain Tony's; Kind of a cool place with great history https://capttonyssaloon.com/
• 801 Bourbon Bar; drag bar, visit during day light, night time gets too raunchy https://801.bar

Other Favorite Bars

• The Bearded Lady; Craft Beers (417 Southard St) https://www.beermenus.com/places/74991-bearded-lady
• The Roost; Craft Cocktails (508 Fleming) https://theroostkw.com/
• Smoking Tuna; (temporarily closed while they relocate) https://www.smokintunasaloon.com/
• General Horseplay; Craft Cocktails (On Caroline between Duval and Whitehead) https://www.generalhorseplay.com/
• Old Town Tavern; great late-night appetizers (Duval and Olivia) https://oldtowntavernkw.com/
• Waterfront Brewery Craft Brewery (Along the docks) https://www.thewaterfrontbrewery.com/
   

Favorite Bars for Music

• Green Parrot; My favorite bar in Key West, relaxing during the day, great music at night (Whitehead and Southard) https://www.greenparrot.com/
• Eat it Raw Half Shell Raw Bar (along the docks) https://www.halfshellrawbar.com/
• Hanks Hair of the Dog (On Caroline between Duval and Whitehead) https://www.hankskeywest.com/
• Irish Kevin's (Next to Sloppy Joe's) https://irishkevins.com/ (Watch for Oren Polak)
• Schooner's Wharf (Along the docks) https://schoonerwharf.com/ (Watch for Nick Brownell)
• Hogs Breath (Off Duval toward Front) https://www.hogsbreath.com/
• Willie T's (Duval north of Southard) http://www.williets.com/
• The Alamo (corner of Charles and Telegraph) https://thealamo-keywest.com

Quiet Drink or Romantic Dinner

• The Flaming Buoy Filet Co. (424 Eaton) Great wine selection, also beer but not spirits. Try the Lobster Mac and Cheese or the Duck Flatbread. https://www.theflamingbuoy.com/
• Santiago's Bodega (Petronia and Emma) https://santiagosbodega.com/
• Little Pearl (reservations are a must) https://littlepearlkeywest.com/
• Grand Cafe (try the duck!) (314 Duval) http://grandcafekeywest.com/
• Cafe Marquesa (Fleming and Simonton) http://marquesa.com/cafe-marquesa/
• Prime Steakhouse (951 Caroline) http://www.primekeywest.com/
• 915.5 (915 Duval; upstairs on the balcony overlooking Duval) https://www.915duval.com/
• Better than Sex Desert - Restaurant requires reservations a couple of days ahead of time. (Simonton and Truman) https://www.betterthansexdesserts.com/location/better-than-sex-key-west/

Lunch or Dinner

• Thirsty Mermaid; a hair upscale https://www.thirstymermaidkeywest.com/
• Conch Republic (see above) (C-o-n-c-h is pronounced KONK!) https://conchrepublicseafood.com/
• Eat it Raw Half Shell Raw Bar (along the docks) https://www.halfshellrawbar.com/
• Kaya Island Eats (618 Duval) https://www.empouriumkeywest.com/kayaislandeats
• BO's Fish Wagon (Caroline and William) http://www.bosfishwagon.com/
• Celtic Conch (528 Front St) https://www.celticconch.com/
• Rockhouse Live (404 Southard St) https://www.facebook.com/rockhouselivekeywest

Breakfast, but most serve all meals

• Blue Heaven (Petronia and Thomas) https://blueheavenkw.com/
• Azure (425 Grinnell) http://azurkeywest.com/
• Harpoon Harry's (832 Caroline) cash only http://harpoonharryskeywest.com/
• Ram's Head (Petronia and Whitehead) https://ramsheadsouthernmost.com/
• Sarabeth's (Simonton and Southard) https://www.sarabethskw.com/
• Keys Coffee (505 Southard) http://www.keyscoffee.co/
• The Cafe (509 Southard) https://www.thecafekw.com/menus
• Cuban Coffee Queen (Just off Southard and Duval at Key Lime Square) https://cubancoffeequeen.com/
• Harpoon Harry's (832 Caroline Street) Delicious Breakfast but they serve all meals. https://harpoonharryskeywest.com/
• Hot Tin Roof (0 Duval Street - up the stairs behind the Sunset Pier Bar) Great Sunday Breakfast Brunch Buffet - requires reservations! https://www.oceankey.com/Key-West-Restaurant/

Late Night Food

• The Conch Shack (118 Duval Street) a little walkup burger stand just outside Hog's Breath. Try the double cheese burger with jalipinos. https://www.myconchshack.com/
• Angelina's Pizzeria (208 Duval Street) Great quick pizza slices, just outside of Dirty Harrys https://angelinaspizzakeywest.com/
• Old Town Tavern (900 Duval Street) Late night happy hour specials https://www.oldtowntavernkw.com/

Sunset

• Mallory Square (carnival like atmosphere) Sunset Pier (North Duval and left to the water) https://www.mallorysquare.com/
• Sunset Cruise; they stay in the harbor but have drinks on the boat, 50 people at a time https://sunsetwatersportskeywest.com/
• Sunset Pier https://www.oceankey.com/key-west-sunset-pier.aspx

Far South

• Southernmost Beach Cafe; one drink and walk around the area (South end of Duval) http://www.southernmostbeachcafe.com/
• Louie's Backyard back deck overlooking the Atlantic, great food (Vernon and Waddell) https://www.louiesbackyard.com/
• Tipsy Rooster (1325 Simonton) http://www.tipsyroosterkw.com/
• El Siboney; Special Treat for authentic Cuban food in a diner style restaurant but a long walk (Catherine and Margaret) https://www.elsiboneyrestaurant.com/

History

• Hemingway House (Whitehead and Olivia) Audubon House (Whitehead and Green) https://www.hemingwayhome.com/
• Mel Fisher Maritime Museum (Whitehead and Green) https://www.melfisher.org/
• St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Duval and Eaton) https://stpaulskeywest.org/
• Truman Little White House (Front and Caroline)
• Dry Tortugas Day Trip https://www.drytortugas.com/
• John James Audubon House (205 Whitehead) www.audubonhouse.com
• Butterfly Conservatory (1316 Duval) https://www.keywestbutterfly.com/
• Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.A. (1400 Whitehead)
• Mallory Square (Northwest corner of the island) Best place to watch the sunsets with plenty of nearby shops, bars, and restaurants.

Fishing/Snorkeling/Sand Bar Hopping

• Mutton To It; Captain Sam. 305.395.0181. Fishing and scubba diving. He moors over on stock Island which will require an Uber there and back. http://www.muttontoitkeywest.com/
• CoastUp Charters; Scotty is also a friend. He does pickup and drop-off at Garrison Bight, still in Key West but a good walk from Duval. Scotty does mainly sand bar hopping. https://www.facebook.com/CoastUpCharters/

Hotels off Duval

• Double Tree by Hilton near airport with scheduled shuttle to Duval (Call to verify schedule) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/eywdtdt-doubletree-resort-grand-key-key-west
• Hampton Inn Key West near airport with scheduled shuttle to Duval (Call to verify schedule) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/eywkkhx-hampton-key-west

Bed and Breakfasts near Duval

• Ambrosia Key West https://ambrosiakeywest.com/
• Herron House https://heronhousehotels.com/
• Marquesa 414 http://marquesa.com/
• Mango Tree Inn http://www.mangotree-inn.com/
• The Garden House http://www.the-garden-house.com/
• The Cabana Inn http://www.thecabanainn.com/
• Curry House http://www.vacasa.com/
• Old Town Manor http://www.oldtownmanor.com/
• There are plenty of very nice Bed and Breakfasts. I would recommend staying no more than three blocks off Duval and north of Angela or along Caroline.

Lifestyle Bars (from mild to wild)

• Monkey Bar (900 Simonton Street) Karaoke and are pretty low key
• 22&Co (504 Angela Street) Dessert style martini bar; great drinks but watch out for the glitter.
• 801 Bourbon Bar (801 Duval Street) Iconic drag bar. Pretty low key during the day but wild at night
• Aqua Nightclub (711 Duval Street)
• Bourbon Street Pub (724 Duval Street)
• One Saloon (504 Petronia Street)

Event Centers

• Key West Theater https://thekeywesttheater.com/
• Comedy Key West https://www.comedykeywest.com/calendar
• Key West Amphitheater https://www.thekeywestamp.com/

Transportation (Bikes, scooters, and golf carts)

• Hydro Thunder https://hydrothunderofkeywest.com/
• Pirate Rentals https://www.piratescooterrentals.com/
• Blue Sky Rentals https://blueskyrentalskeywest.com/

Other Notes:

• Almost every bar and restaurant you pass is going to be a lot of fun. I have listed only a few of our favorite spots that we frequent.
• Uva Wine Shoppe (605 Simonton) Best wine shop around; The owner always has great recommendations for your event. http://uvakeywest.com/
• Kilwins Ice Cream (505 Duval) https://www.kilwins.com/keywest
• Key West Island Books (513 Fleming) Great little book shop www.KWIslandBooks.com
• Vignette is a very cool little women's shop (526 Southard) https://vignettekeywest.com/
• FlowSpa is a great place for a couples massage (Just off Southard and Duval at Key Lime Square) https://flowspakeywest.com/
• The best beach is Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, which also includes a historical civil war era fort. http://www.fortzacharytaylor.com/
• Fausto's Food Palace is a great local grocery store (522 Fleming) http://www.faustos.com/
• Shorty's Market (215 Duval)
• Kermit's Key Lime Pie Shop (Corner of Green and Elizabeth) http://www.keylimeshop.com/

Cruise Ship Visitor's Tour

Head south on Whitehead to visit Hemingway's house but stop for a quick drink at the Green Parrot on the way. From Hemingway's house, head east to Duval or if you are adventurous, continue south to get a picture of the Southernmost Point Buoy. Once on Duval, head north. You will enjoy the shops, galleries, and bars along the way. A suggested stop is the 801 Bourbon Bar, a typical bar during the day with drag shows after dark. Continue north on Duval, enjoy the shops and bars along the way but if you have a taste for ice cream, stop at Kilwins on the right. If you need anything to take back to the ship, Shorty's Market is a great little mercantile to grab anything you might need as well as a few souvenirs. A little further up the street is Sloppy Joe's which claims to be Hemingway's bar, and sort of is. This is a must stop for a drink or two. They always have some music on stage. If you want to stop at Hemingway's real bar, head west on Green for a half of a block to Captain Tony's for another cold one. Be sure to throw a quarter up into the fish's mouth. From there, you can continue west to Whitehead and then north to the Cruise Ship. But, if you still have some energy left, turn right (east) on Green Street and head about three blocks or so to Kermit's Key Lime Pie Shop for an Island treat worth trying. From there go north along the docks back and around the various restaurants to Front Street. Take Front Street west back to the Cruise Ship. If you still have time before boarding, Mallory Square has a lot of shops and sites to take in before boarding. Or if you want another drink, The Hog's Breath is worth a stop. If you take the entire tour, you will be walking about two and a half miles. If you are a brisk walker, you can cover the distance in about an hour. A casual walker will cover it in about an hour and a half. This walk time does not include any of the time you might spend in stores or bars. Plan at least an hour if you plan to take the Hemingway House guided tour. If you are not in a hurry, you could easily spend two hours looking through the home.




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Rob