Key West Travel Guide II
Five years ago, I wrote a blog post detailing a family vacation to Key West, Florida - restaurant suggestions, our entertainment and daytime activities and of course photos I took across the island. This one is a little different for a multitude of reasons - one of them being that our entire vacation had a little COVID twist (but then again, what doesn’t). We successfully explored this island for the second time and managed to experience all new and different things - and have fun!
Key West has a certain charm to it far beyond the ocean views or the famous bars on Duval St. It’s in the people, the culture and the stories. This is what makes it unique and worth the visit if you’ve never been before.
To Eat & Drink
Dante’s Pool Bar / By far, our favorite bar was Dante’s Pool Bar. Katie and I found it by accident actually! We had some bikes to ride around the island and grabbed smoothies at The Raw Machine on Duval. We wanted to get drinks somewhere so we just googled “happy hour Key West”. Dante’s was the first place to show up so we biked over there, saw there was a pool and stayed for hours - then we went back the next day and brought our whole family!
Their happy hour was too good not to go back. All drinks are buy one, get one free and the food on the happy hour menu is half price. Too good! Happy hour lasted three hours, and I’m almost certain we stayed the whole time and then some.
The views are great, too! The photo above is looking down on Dante’s. The pool is huge, and it sits right at the edge of the marina. Boats come and go and the catch of the day makes its way into the restaurant and to the grill. Everything about Dante’s is a good vibe!
Cuban Coffee Queen / Anywhere we go, Katie and I are always on the hunt for a new coffee shop to try out. We’ve been at it for about six years now, so we know each other’s taste in coffee. We both loved Cuban Coffee Queen, and it was a perfect little open air coffee shop. Conveniently, it was a less than five minute walk from our house, so we took morning walks there almost every morning. We even filled out a punch card and got a free coffee in our week there :)
Though we never tried the food and can’t speak for it, I’m sure that’s great as well! This is a great stop to grab a coffee, some breakfast, enjoy the morning air and hang out with some Key West chickens.
Old Town Mexican Cafe / This place is said to have the best frozen mojito on the island, and I can’t argue with that… it was pretty dang good. We went for an afternoon snack and happy hour here. I would absolutely recommend stopping in for the frozen mojitos and just hang out for a while. They have a large outdoor seating area, as well.
I’d also recommend Sarabeth’s for brunch! The restaurant is in located inside what was Florida’s first synagogue, and the beautiful architecture still remains - especially in the windows. There is plenty of shaded outdoor seatings and indoor seating as well. You can’t go wrong with any brunch choices at Sarabeth’s.
To Do
Snorkeling Trip / One afternoon, the whole family went out on a snorkeling trip a few miles off the coast over the Florida Reef, and it was one of the best things we did on the trip. The catamaran ride to the reef is about 45 minutes from the marina, but it’s an enjoyable and beautiful ride into the Atlantic Ocean.
While anchored, we could snorkel just about as long as we wanted or get back on and jump off the side of the boat a few times. Everyone did a little of both :) We were able to see the most colorful fish over the reef. The enormity and expanse of the ocean always amazes me - and it’s filled with breathtaking views and creatures like the ones we were able to see here.
On the trip back to the marina, they offer free beer and margaritas! There and back, they allow you to move around anywhere on the boat, so we spent the entire way back on the top deck drinking our margs and Key West beer and taking photos.
Deep Sea Fishing / Deep sea fishing is always included on a Taylor family vacation. We took a half-day charter and were able to catch more fish that I could imagine. I was able to catch a Lemon shark and my mom caught a Nurse shark (we released them both, of course). It’s rare to see these amazing creatures up close and in person, so this was my favorite part of the day. After fishing, we took our catch to Dante’s where they will cook your fish just how you’d like.
SUP / I packed up my inflatable paddleboard and brought it along for the trip. This is one great perk to purchasing an inflatable board because traveling with it was super easy. I only got out on the water twice on the trip - once at Fort Zachary Taylor Park and once at Smathers Beach. Both had their perks! At Fort Zachary Taylor, the water gets deep very quickly, but it’s also super clear water. This made it easy to see some cool fish without going too far out. It amazed me just how deep it gets so quickly. This would be another great place to snorkel - there were tons of snorkelers around me.
Smathers Beach is easier for launching straight off the beach. There is a parking lot right on the beach, it’s a short walk and not as rocky as Fort Zach. That’s exactly why I chose Smathers Beach for an early morning paddle. I was able to take the rental car, pump up my board right there and walk straight into the water (and with no park entry fee!). The water level here is actually very shallow. If you like paddleboard yoga or want to give it a try, this is the perfect place to do it!
Key West isn’t exactly known for the best beaches, but paddleboarding is great if you can get past the rocky beaches when launching in and out of the water.
Key West Island Bookstore / Right around the corner from our house was a little bookstore. We noticed it on the first day, but I didn’t get around to going until our second to last day on the island. I could’ve spent hours in here! I ended up buying Key West: Tequila, A Pinch of Salt and a Quirky Slice of America by Jon Breakfield. I absolutely loved this book! If you want to read a book about Key West and the people who make it what it is or just the escapism life of someone who tried something different, I’d recommend this one a thousand times over.
Katie and I took so many photos, we decided to make new Instagram accounts so we could post them in masses. My account is @myvibe.jpg and Katie’s is @heyoo.vibecheck - follow us :) A lot of the photos I’ve posted on that account are also below.
Key West really is a special island for its culture and unique character. I can’t wait to get back, but until then, I’ll share these photos.. :)
