Key West

Key West is an island city at the southern end of the Florida Keys and the southernmost incorporated city in the contiguous United States. It serves as a commercial and cultural centre for the Lower Keys and is a major tourist destination.

The island offers a concentrated set of attractions within a small area: historic architecture and museums, bars and restaurants along Duval Street, the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, coastal parks and coral-reef access for snorkeling and diving. Popular outdoor sites include Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and the Southernmost Point buoy, and nightly sunset gatherings at Mallory Square draw large crowds.

Key West developed as a port and maritime community in the 19th century and later became known for tourism, fishing and as a winter retreat for artists and writers. Its built environment includes 19th- and early 20th-century houses, museums and preserved historic districts that reflect that development.

The city occupies the island of Key West at the end of U.S. Route 1 in Monroe County, Florida. It lies roughly 160 miles by road southwest of Miami and about 90 statute miles north of Cuba.

• Access: The island is the southern terminus of U.S. Route 1 and is often reached by road along the Overseas Highway or by air and sea services.
• Southernmost point: The Southernmost Point buoy marks an approximate distance of 90 statute miles to Cuba and is one of the most photographed sites on the island.

What to See #

• Duval Street: A pedestrian street running from the historic port to the Atlantic-facing hotels and attractions; lined with shops, restaurants and bars and known as the main nightlife corridor.
• Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum: A house museum where Ernest Hemingway lived in the 1930s; the property is open to the public and is noted for its population of polydactyl (six-toed) cats.
• Southernmost Point (buoy): A painted buoy at the island's western end marking the unofficial "southernmost point" of the contiguous United States and noting the roughly 90-mile distance to Cuba.
• Fort Zachary Taylor State Park: A state park containing a historic 19th-century coastal fort, clear-water swimming spots and a shaded picnic area used for beachgoing and snorkeling.
• Mallory Square: A waterfront plaza known for nightly sunset gatherings where performers and visitors assemble to watch the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico.