Accommodations

Key West offers an relaxing, nature oriented getaway with a variety of condos, vacation homes, hotels, and resorts. Choose an accommodation near any of Key West's local attractions that offers comfort while making the most of the beautiful beaches and attractions at affordably priced rates.

View our Key West Vacation Rentals & Resorts

Activities

The Heritage House Museum in Key West is a Caribbean Colonial House dating from the 1830's, featuring original furnishings, rare antiques and unusual marine artifacts. Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Prize winning author, lived in Key West for 10 years and his home has been converted to a museum dedicated to his life and works. Key West has become famous for its sunsets, with each sunset becoming a social event and beach party. Enjoy over 400 years of history on the Conch Tour Train, as legends and more come alive. 90 minute tours depart every half hour.

Events

The Hemingway Days Festival in Mid July celebrates the legendary author’s work and lifestyle. The Festival features literary readings, a short story competition, a museum exhibit, a fishing tournament and the Sloppy Joe’s Look-Alike Contest. Arguably the best known of Key Wests events is the Annual Fantasy Fest in mid October. Gnomes, Toads and White Rabbit Tea Parties is the theme for the outlandish celebration, with costume competitions, promenades and street fairs, and a grand parade featuring marching groups and lavish floats. Also in Key West is Pirates in Paradise held in late November. Historic Key West and Fort Taylor are transformed into a pirate’s stronghold with pirate entertainers, Tall ships, sea battles, arts and crafts, pirate sails, and a living history encampment that celebrates Key West’s maritime history.

Water Sports

The Gulf waters off the Florida keys are filled with colorful reefs and abundant marine life. The warm Gulf Stream waters are inviting for snorkeling and scuba diving to explore these natural treasures. You can also find powerboat and sailboat rentals, as well as jetski rentals.

Golfing

Take advantage of South Florida's year-round gorgeous weather, tempered by gentle sea breezes. The golf courses are set with a backdrop of white-sand beach and emerald green waters on beautifully tended courses offering some of the best greens in the country.

History

Shortly after the United States purchased the Florida territory in 1821, the U.S. Navy established the first base in Key West to combat piracy in the Florida Straights and the Gulf of Mexico. At the same time, farmers from the Bahamas settled on Key West, former British Loyalists who had left after the Revolutionary war. Because of its strategic placement, Key west was the largest city in Florida by the 1880's, with the wrecking industry still one of its major sources of income.

Other sources of income for the citizens of Key West began to replace wrecking, as steam ships replaced sailing ships and fewer wrecks resulted. Sponge diving was one of the first of these new industries, which gave the wreckers gainful employment while they were waiting for the next wreck to occur. Key West also attracted many immigrants from nearby Cuba, and they brought their cigar making knowledge with them. In the early 20th century, the U.S. Navy expanded its presence on Key West during WWI and WWII. The coming of the Florida East Coast Railroad, and subsequently, the Overseas Highway has brought a boom in the tourism industry in Key West.