The Grand Guesthouse Key West Florida Area Guide
The Grand Guesthouse Key West Attractions
Audubon House & Tropical Gardens
205 Whitehead St.; (305) 294-2116
Original lithographs of John James Audubon’s drawings are on display at this former home of shipwreck salvager Capt. John Geiger. Tour the home and the surrounding lush tropical gardens and learn the techniques Audubon used to create his avian masterpieces.
303 Front St.;(305) 294-5161 or (888) 916-8687
The Conch Train has been winding its way through the streets of Key West since 1958. This hour-and-a-half tour has stops for refreshments and shopping. Sights include the Hemingway House, Southernmost Point and Bahama Village, among others.
281 Front St.; (305) 295-6616
The Custom House was originally home to Key West’s customs office, postal service and district courts. It was restored and converted in the early 1990s into a museum and the official headquarters of the Key West Art & Historical Society.
(305) 242-7700
The Dry Tortugas is a cluster of seven islands about 70 miles west of Key West. The park is accessible only by boat (either your own with a permit, or on the Yankee Freedom III: (800) 634-0939; drytortugas.com) or seaplane ((305) 293-9300 or www.keywestseaplanecharters. com). Activities include exploring the historic Fort Jefferson, snorkeling, bird- watching, fishing and camping.
The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum
907 Whitehead St.; (305) 294-1136
This Spanish Colonial home where Ernest Hemingway once lived and wrote contains many of the original fixtures and furnishings, as well as artifacts from his life. Take the tour and say hello to one of the 40 to 50 six-toed cats, all descendants of Hemingway’s cat, Snowball.
Florida Keys Historical Military Memorial
1 Mallory Square
This open-air multi-war memorial to multiple wars is in honor of those who lost their lives while serving the U.S. Plaques explain battle information and list the names of Florida Keys military veterans dating back to World War II.
Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center
35 E. Quay Road; (305) 809-4750
Sponsored and operated in part by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA, the Eco- Discovery Center features interactive exhibits, including a mock-up of Aquarius, the world’s only underwater ocean laboratory.
3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd.; (305) 296-3913
This Civil War fort built in the late 1800s now houses a sculpture garden and museum featuring a collection of relics from the Civil War. Artifacts also document the wrecking and cigar- making industries—and the museum is home to Robert the Doll, a highlight on Key West’s trolley tours.
The Original Ghost Tours of Key West
430 Greene St.; (305) 294-9255
Take a guided walking tour during the day or night through the eerie areas of Old Town Key West. The tours end inside the only haunted Hark Rock Café in the world, right on Duval Street.
Harry S. Truman Little White House
111 Front St.; (305) 294-9911
This historic building famously served as the winter White House for President Harry S. Truman in 1946. Truman later made 10 more trips to the Little White House, which is now a museum focusing on his Key West experience during his presidency.
Key West AIDS Memorial
Foot of White Street and Atlantic Boulevard; keywestaids.org At the entrance to the White Street Pier, the Key West AIDS Memorial commemorates Florida Keys- friendly people who have died from AIDS-related causes. New names are engraved each year on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day.
1 Whitehead St., at Mallory Square;
(888) 544-5927
The Key West Aquarium is home to alligators, jellyfish, sharks and many other marine animals. It features a touch tank with conchs, sea stars, sea urchins, giant hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs. Guided tours and feeding presentations are available.
The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory
1316 Duval St.; (305) 296-2988
More than 50 different butterfly species from around the world and 20 different exotic bird species coexist in this climate-controlled, glass-enclosed habitat that includes waterfalls, flowering plants and trees.
701 Passover Lane; (305) 292-8177
Stop at the sexton’s office near the entrance at Passover and Windsor lanes for a map of a free walking tour from the Historic Florida Keys Foundation. The tour includes the famous headstone of hypochondriac B.P. “Pearl” Roberts that reads: “I told you I was sick.” You can also arrange for a guided tour in exchange for a donation to the foundation by calling ahead of time.
(305) 396-2224
Walk with us, talk with us—and sample the best Key West cuisine along the way. Key West Food Tours take up to 10 people on a walking tour of Old Town, stopping at six island food favorites.
Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden
401 Wall St., at Mallory Square
This sculpture garden, at the site of the original shoreline in Mallory Square, features 36 bronze busts of the most influential men and women from Key West’s past, including Henry Flagler, Ernest Hemingway and President Harry S. Truman, among others.
Key West Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters Museum
938 Whitehead St.; (305) 294-0012
This lighthouse opened in 1848, was decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1969, and now stands as a museum dedicated to Key West’s maritime heritage. Take a look at the artifacts of lighthouse keepers past, and then climb the 88 steps to the top of the lighthouse for a great view.
Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum
1 Whitehead St.; (305) 292-8990
Walk up the 65-foot lookout tower for a 365-degree view of Key West and its harbor, learn about the lucrative wrecking industry and discover artifacts from the Isaac Allerton, the richest shipwreck in Key West’s history.
512 Eaton St.; (305) 985-0433
The Key West Theater is a newly renovated performing arts center that presents original plays, musicals, films and concerts. The season includes world premieres of plays penned by Key West writers, a Broadway concert series, nationally known musicians and music acts, concerts by local musicians as well as national recording artists such as Christopher Cross.
Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
5210 College Road, Stock Island; (305) 296-1504
This natural conservation habitat is home to many endangered flora and fauna as well as two of the last remaining freshwater ponds in the Keys, making it a migratory stopping point for rare birds from as far away as South America.
1801 White St.; (305) 292-1008
The Key West Wildlife Center is in the 8-acre Sonny McCoy Indigenous Park and includes a nature walk with a freshwater pond and two aviaries. The center also provides rehabilitative care to more than 1,000 native wild animals.
Mallory Square Sunset Celebration
400 Wall St.; (786) 565-7448;
This nightly festival begins at the water’s edge about an hour or two before sunset and includes street performers, local artisans, food carts, palmists and psychics. Jewelry, T-shirts, photographs, paintings and sculptures made by local artists are also for sale.
200 Greene St.; (305) 294-2633
Exhibits include treasures from the Spanish galleons of 1622 discovered by Mel Fisher and his crew, Spanish coins in the New World, the Real Pirates of the Caribbean, the Science of Shipwrecks, artifacts from a merchant slave ship and much more.
Mile Marker 0 Sign
490 Whitehead St., corner of Fleming Street
U.S. 1 begins here in Key West, continues 2,369 miles north up the East Coast, and ends in Fort Kent, Maine. Stop here to commemorate your visit to Key West with a photo next to the iconic Mile Marker 0 sign.
Old Town Trolley Tours of Key West
201 Front St.; (855) 623-8289
Historic Tours has been running sightseeing trolleys in Key West for more than 25 years. Hop on and off throughout the day at numerous attractions including the Hemingway House, Little White House, Shell Shop and Mallory Square.
322 Duval St.; (305) 294-9501
The Oldest House in Key West features family portraits, original furnishings and other period pieces, ship models and documents that tell the story of old Key West. In the rear of the house is a spacious, peaceful garden where benches invite you to sit and reflect.
319 Duval St.; (305) 296-9911
The Red Barn Theatre has been producing plays and musicals in Key West for more than 35 years. This 88-seat theater is actually a converted carriage house built behind the Duval Street mansion in 1829.
108 Duval St.; (305) 293-9939
Ripley’s contains more than 550 odd, bizarre and unusual exhibits housed in a historical building. Exhibits include taxidermy of two-headed animals, a shrunken torso, white buffalo and a landscape carving made of camel bone, among many others.
516 Duval St.; (305) 294-3887
This historic landmark serves as a Cuban museum, library, art gallery and theater. Take a self-guided tour through exhibits such as The Life and Works of José Martí: 1853-1895, and the History of the San Carlos Institute.
Tours start at Kelly’s Caribbean Bar & Grill, 301 Whitehead St.; (305) 395-1435
David Sloan is the author of the books Ghosts of Key West and Haunted Key West and is the haunted history columnist for the local newspaper. Sloan’s Ghost Hunt tour takes you through Old Town using “actual” ghost- hunting equipment.
The Southernmost Point
Corner of Whitehead and South streets
This colorful, anchored concrete buoy was erected in 1983 to commemorate Key West as the southernmost point of the continental United States. There is usually a line of people queuing to take their photo next to the buoy.
533 Eaton St.; (305) 296-0458
The Studios of Key West is a local nonprofit dedicated to nurturing artists and the artistic process. This newly renovated building houses a gallery devoted to contemporary art, a theater, artists’ studios and classrooms.
Tennessee Williams Key West Exhibit
513 Truman Ave.; (305) 842-1666
Learn about Tennessee Williams’ literary accomplishments and life in Key West through this extensive collection of photographs, first-edition plays and books, rare newspaper and magazine articles, videos, a typewriter used by the author while writing in Key West and other artifacts on display.
5901 College Road, Stock Island; (305) 296-1520 or (305) 295-7676 (tickets)
The Tennessee Williams Theatre presents national tours, concerts and local and national cabarets in the facility at Florida Keys Community College.
416 Eaton St., Key West FL 33040; (305) 433-3511
Tropic Cinema is a nonprofit movie theater that shows independent films and documentaries in addition to hosting a wide variety of community cultural events.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham Maritime Museum and National Historic Landmark
0 Southard St.; (305) 395-9554
With more than 50 years of service around the world, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham offers a portrait of Coast Guard history from 1936 to 1988.
310 Wall St.; (305) 294-5015
The nonprofit Waterfront Playhouse produces plays and musicals in its 150- seat theater, right next to Mallory Square. The building is actually a converted ice- house from the 1880s, and the original, sweeping stone walls still stand.
1100 Atlantic Blvd.; (305) 294-3210
The West Martello Tower is a former Civil War-era fortification that is now home to the Key West Garden Club and the Joe Allen Garden Center. Take a walk along the brick pathways to view its collection of native and exotic trees and plants.
Key West Events
JUNE 2022
JULY 2022 AND ON
The Grand Guesthouse Key West Florida Dining
Staff’s Top Picks
We’ve listed some of our favorite restaurants and hope that you will enjoy them.
We will be happy to help you make any reservations you need, just let us know! Enjoy!!
Key West Activities
Scuba & Snorkeling
The 120-mile Florida Keys island chain is home to the continental United States’ only living-coral barrier reef. This teeming backbone of marine life runs the length of the Keys about five miles offshore and offers Florida Keys scuba diving vacation memories that last a lifetime.