Anyone wish to share places for us to eat, drink or visit while we stay in the keys this summer?
We know about the sunsets, sloppy joes etc but are looking for some out of the way special places you may have visited.
Luvglass said
08:57 AM Jun 16, 2011
The Hemingway House in Key West is interesting, especially if you are a cat lover. There isn't too much that's either hidden, or out of the way in the keys. It's pretty much a 2 lane road for 100 miles with some "stuff" on either side. Great vibe - better in the winter than the summer though. Enjoy.
DreamerBob said
05:36 PM Jun 17, 2011
We live in the Keys year round. Here's some of our favorites:
Restaurants: 1) Square Grouper on Cudjoe Key - great food!
2) Mangia Mangia - Good Italian food in KW
3) El Siboney - Good Cuban food in KW
4) La Trattoria - good Italian food right on Duval St
5) Fogarty's - mixed cuisine, open air dining right on Duval St
Taverns:A) Schooner Wharf Bar - Keysey but authentic Kew West, live entertainment
B) Finnegan's Wake Irish Bar - Absolute best Irish Bar in KW (& maybe anywhere for me...), GREAT food, if you like Irish at all its a must
C) Green Parrot Bar - gotta go there, Hemingway did
D) Hog's Breath Saloon - great entertainment
Fun Things:1) Butterfly museum - 1000's of butterflies in a walk-thru solarium - walk amidst them - beautiful!
2) Tall Sailing Ship cruise on the SS Western Union
3) Tons of water sports, lots of fishing charters, beaches
4) Conch Train - touristy but very informative, I learned a lot!
5) Stroll on Duval St - where lots of shops, galleries, bars, etc are - touristy, but a must see
6) Turtle Hospital in Marathon - functioning turtle hospital, interesting!
7) Walk a 2.6 mile stretch of the old 7 mile bridge in Marathon, see turtles, sand sharks, sting rays, large fish in the wild - all while strolling the bridge during a beautiful sunset.
8) Dry Tortugas/Fort Jefferson (boat trip) expensive but beautiful
I could go on & on but this should be a good start. Brace yourself though - EVERYTHING in the Keys is expensive, BUT....there's no place like it. Like Fred said, great vibe. Its a laid back atmosphere, clean air, sunshine, un-harried........closer to Cuba than the nearest Walmart.
Summers are HHHOTTT!......be prepared....we usually have a balmy island breeze though.....make sure your AC is all tuned up
Key West is actually a very historically interesting place, was the largest city in Florida in 1900, Henry Flagler (one-time partner of Nelson Rockerfeller) built the railroad which evolved into the road from mainland Fl to Kew West.
Let me know if there's something special that you need to know......
Roz said
02:20 PM Jun 18, 2011
Kudos to you, Bob!
I have been doing the Conch Republic for over 20 years staying everywhere from Key Largo to Key West, and a few I could not find again, and I thought I knew a few places.
We have done these trips by RV, car and even by sailboat, but you laid a few new places on me I shall have to explore on my next Sojourn to the Sourthern Most Point of the U.S.
I recall a couple of places whose memory has grown beyond all possible reality. There was something about Puerto Rican Rum being disperesed.
We know about the sunsets, sloppy joes etc but are looking for some out of the way special places you may have visited.
Enjoy.
We live in the Keys year round. Here's some of our favorites:
Restaurants: 1) Square Grouper on Cudjoe Key - great food!
2) Mangia Mangia - Good Italian food in KW
3) El Siboney - Good Cuban food in KW
4) La Trattoria - good Italian food right on Duval St
5) Fogarty's - mixed cuisine, open air dining right on Duval St
Taverns:A) Schooner Wharf Bar - Keysey but authentic Kew West, live entertainment
B) Finnegan's Wake Irish Bar - Absolute best Irish Bar in KW (& maybe anywhere for me...), GREAT food, if you like Irish at all its a must
C) Green Parrot Bar - gotta go there, Hemingway did
D) Hog's Breath Saloon - great entertainment
Fun Things:1) Butterfly museum - 1000's of butterflies in a walk-thru solarium - walk amidst them - beautiful!
2) Tall Sailing Ship cruise on the SS Western Union
3) Tons of water sports, lots of fishing charters, beaches
4) Conch Train - touristy but very informative, I learned a lot!
5) Stroll on Duval St - where lots of shops, galleries, bars, etc are - touristy, but a must see
6) Turtle Hospital in Marathon - functioning turtle hospital, interesting!
7) Walk a 2.6 mile stretch of the old 7 mile bridge in Marathon, see turtles, sand sharks, sting rays, large fish in the wild - all while strolling the bridge during a beautiful sunset.
8) Dry Tortugas/Fort Jefferson (boat trip) expensive but beautiful
I could go on & on but this should be a good start. Brace yourself though - EVERYTHING in the Keys is expensive, BUT....there's no place like it. Like Fred said, great vibe. Its a laid back atmosphere, clean air, sunshine, un-harried........closer to Cuba than the nearest Walmart.
Summers are HHHOTTT!......be prepared....we usually have a balmy island breeze though.....make sure your AC is all tuned up
Key West is actually a very historically interesting place, was the largest city in Florida in 1900, Henry Flagler (one-time partner of Nelson Rockerfeller) built the railroad which evolved into the road from mainland Fl to Kew West.
Let me know if there's something special that you need to know......
Kudos to you, Bob!
I have been doing the Conch Republic for over 20 years staying everywhere from Key Largo to Key West, and a few I could not find again, and I thought I knew a few places.
We have done these trips by RV, car and even by sailboat, but you laid a few new places on me I shall have to explore on my next Sojourn to the Sourthern Most Point of the U.S.
I recall a couple of places whose memory has grown beyond all possible reality. There was something about Puerto Rican Rum being disperesed.