|
Key West is a small island 160 miles south-southwest of Miami. It is a three-and-a-half mile long and a mile-and-a-half wide, and it is the southernmost community in the continental United States, 90 miles north of Havana, Cuba.
Key West has a colorful history rich in tales of buccaneers, salvagers, and daring naval exploits, having been home to pirates, smugglers, writers, artists, and fishermen. Today’s residents, totaling more than 30,000, are made up of a blend of Spanish, Cuban, Conch, and transplanted Americans who were drawn to the unique charms of this tiny island.
Whether you come by air or car, you pass through the new part of Key West first. This part of town has few attractions, but lodging is more economical here. However, as you continue on to the part of Key West known as Old Town, the streets narrow, and weathered gingerbread homes with rain-collecting tin roofs appear. Many of these charming old homes have been restored.
Most distinctly Key West homes were built by ship carpenters, and are reflective of the prosperity that Key West used to enjoy. Fishing sponges were a staple of the economy here during the last half of the 1800s, and sponge fisheries produced 90 percent of the sponges used in the entire country. Then a blight hit the sponge beds. That, and the relocation of the cigar manufacturers on the island to the Tampa area, hit the economy of Key West hard. World War I, which prompted an economic decline and the hurricane destruction of the railroad in 1935 was also detrimental.
Today a steady stream of tourists flock to the island to take in its beauty and many attractions. Duval Street, which is the main street through Old Town, has been called the “longest street in the world.” That’s because it stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. At the waterfront, all types of activities can be enjoyed. There are sightseeing boats, tour trains and trolleys and much more. You can take a Conch Tour Train or the Old Town Trolley to get a feel of the island. Of course, you can take a walking tour of the town too, or rent a bicycle. There are detailed maps available pointing out the highlights, so it’s almost impossible to lose one’s way.
A walking tour might begin at Olivia and Whithead Streets where you will be able to tour the long-time home of Ernest Hemingway, where dozens of cats, said to be descendants of the original 50 Heminway cats, still roam the grounds. Also on Whitehead are the Audobon House and the Lighthouse Military Museum.
In 1832 John James Audobon, the great ornithologist and nature artist, came here to paint. The house was built by Key West’s first harbor pilot, Captain John Geiger in 1840. There are tropical gardens that surround the house and this is where Audoban spent some time working on his Birds of America folio. The house was dedicated in Audoban’s honor in 1832. Opened as a museum in 1960, the house features an extensive collection of Audoban’s original folio lithographs.
The Key West Lighthouse Museum, once a Coast Guard lighthouse station, was originally built in 1825, but destroyed by a hurricane in 1846. Rebuilt in 1848 and restored in 1990, it is now used to illustrate the history of the island.
The waters off Key West are beautifully clear with an aquamarine cast. Of course you will have to stop at the marker at the end of Whitehead Street designating the southernmost point in the continental United States.
Key West is also a fisherman’s paradise, and the restaurants are casual and offer delightful and unusual dishes. Accommodations vary from moderately priced guest houses and motels to more luxurious ones. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly in Key West, with more than a million tourists a year coming here to sample conch hospitality. Once you visit here, you’ll want to return, again and again.
|
| |
