10 Things to Know Before Visiting Key West, Florida!

Fishing dock in Key West, FloridaMegan Moves/YouTube

With lots to see and do in Key West, Florida, there are some things you should know about before you plan a visit!

• The Overseas Highway
• One way of getting to Key West is by driving on the Overseas Highway. This highway is a route that drives through each of the Florida Keys. The route begins in the first Key, Key Largo, and ends in Key West. The entire drive is about two and a half hours long and there are many perks of taking this route! The one thing I loved about the Overseas Highway is that it allows you to see all of the Florida Keys because you drive right through them! Another great perk is that even though it is over a two-hour drive, the drive isn't bad because you are constantly being entertained with the beautiful clear blue water on either side of you! If you are planning a trip to Key West you may find that taking the Overseas Highway is the way you want to go. Flights to Key West itself can be expensive. Instead, one way you could get to Key West is by flying into Miami, FL, renting a car, and driving to Key West via the Overseas Highway! From Miami, it's about a three-and-a-half-hour drive, but along the way, you can stop to see some of the highlights throughout the Keys!
• Hotel Prices
• The first thing you may notice when planning a trip to Key West is that lodging can get instantly eat up most of your vacation budget! Hotel prices can be pretty pricey, but there are some options if you aren't wanting to spend a lot of money. Something we have done in the past is looking to see if there are Airbnbs in the area to stay during our trip. We also have stayed at a hotel called NYAH, which stands for Not Your Average Hotel. We had a great experience and accommodations at this hotel! It is located close to Duval Street, has a pool, wasn't too pricey, and has a lot of space for large groups or family's you may be traveling with!
• Chickens
• If it's your first time traveling to Key West, once you get downtown I guarantee you will notice something interesting about the area. You can expect to see at least one chicken roaming around! And trust me, it's normal! Honestly, I'm not sure where the stray chickens originated from, but read someone describe them as noisy and colorful, just like Key West! I personally enjoyed seeing the chickens because I felt that they were a fun and unique addition to Key West culture.
• Southernmost Point Buoy
• When visiting Key West, there are numerous tourist attractions you may want to check out! However, there is one I think you should definitely see and that is The Southernmost Point Buoy! The Southernmost Point Buoy is an anchored concrete buoy in Key West, Florida, marking the southernmost point in the continental United States, the lowest latitude land of contiguous North American states. Also, from that point, you are 90 miles away from Cuba! This is a fun landmark to visit with family and a way to say you have been to the southernmost point of the U.S.! However, remember how I said it was a tourist attraction? With that, I wanted to let you know that this area can get busy and a line can form to get a picture with the buoy. My advice is to visit early in the morning when there isn't a lot of activity by the buoy so you don't have to spend much time in line!
• Duval Street
• Now let's talk about the place Key West is most well known for, and that is Duval Street! When talking about Key West, you may have heard Duval Street mentioned at least once! On Duval Street, you can find a lot of local restaurants, souvenir shops, and bars. Here you can also see a lot of the Key West architecture. This is a fun area to check out at least once while in Key West but I will warn you, the atmosphere changes as the sun goes down! At night, Duval Street has a very rich and interesting nightlife. Depending on your personality, this may or may not be something you want to experience! The nightlife brings all kinds of people out and the street also gets very busy and crowded. I will say if you are traveling with young children, visiting Duval Street at night may not be something you want to do because there may be some things you don't want your young children to see. So keep that in mind but regardless, Duval Street is an area of Key West you should visit at least once during the day!
• Mattheessen's
• If you have a sweet tooth, here's one place you need to visit while in Key West! Mattheessen's is a great place to find key lime pie, ice cream, fudge, cookies, and more! Every time we are in Key West we go to Mattheessen's for dessert. The staff is very friendly and the shop has a great atmosphere!
• Tourist spots
• When in Key West, there are lots to see and do! The area has a very rich history, and with that comes the preservation and display of that history. I won't go into too much detail about these tourist spots, but I did want to list a couple that I have enjoyed that you may want to check out! Those are the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, Harry S. Truman Little White House, US1 – Mile Marker 0.
• Fishing Charters
• One thing Key West is also well known for is its world-class fishing! If you are even the slightest bit interested in fishing, you must book a fishing charter while in Key West! On these fishing charters, there is a variety of fish that you can go for. For the charters we have been on, we started out catching snapper, then catching sharks, and finished by catching our main fish which have been tarpon! We recommend checking out Reel Easy charters but research and find a fishing charter while in Key West!
• Eating fish caught on fishing trips at local restaurants
• Going along with the fishing charters, one neat thing about the local restaurants near the docks is that if you bring your catch of the day to the restaurants, they will cook it and serve it to you as a meal! This is a great option and way to enjoy your catch from the charter. In the past, the restaurants prepare the fish as we would like and also include a couple of sides to go with the fish. This has generally cost us about $10-$15 depending on where we decided to eat. I will recommend one of our favorite places to eat while in Key West being Turtle Kraals. This restaurant is right on the dock, will cook your catch, and even has evening turtle races!
• Sunset
• The last item on the list here is one of the best aspects of Key West. Most nights, you can expect to see an amazing sunset! The colors of the sky at sunset in Key West are truly amazing and I highly recommend seeing it each night you are in the area! One great place to see the sunset is at the docks. It's not only a great place to have an open view of the sunset, but also that is the time when fishing charters are coming in for the day, and it's neat to see what they had caught for the day!

And there you have it! A list of 10 things to know before visiting Key West! What did you think of the list? Key West is an amazing place and I highly recommend a visit! If you live local to the area, are there any other things you think someone should know before visiting Key West? Let us know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!