Culture & History in Key West

Sample the history, culture, and cuisine of Key West in an easy, self-guided walking tour through the heart of "Old Town." This strolling (or biking) tour is perfect as part of a day trip to the island, or as an introduction to a longer stay. You'll be surprised at how much you'll get to do see, do and learn! No tickets are included with this tour, so go at your own pace and stop only where you want. Tread the same path as famous writers, presidents and pirates. Peruse a museum or two, do a little "Duval Crawl" through funky historic bars, find where the locals shop and eat. Don't forget the key lime pie! Using this self-guided audio tour, you can visit over 20 points-of-interest with approximately 2 miles of walking or biking. Get to know famous Duval Street and Mallory Square. Learn about the influence of the Bahamas and Cuba. Visit a presidential museum, a maritime museum and the Hemingway House. Snap a picture at the famous "Mile Marker 0" sign. See remnants of shipwrecks and a pirate's well. Stop at choice eateries, cool off on a city beach. You'll get a local's suggestions as to interesting things to do, the best places to eat, and at the end, the opportunity for a dip in the Gulf. This tour starts at Mallory Square, on the northwest side of the island, near where most cruise shops dock, and there's paid parking there. Zig-zag through downtown, ending a few blocks away from where you started, at little Simonton St. Beach.

Welcome to quirky Key West, or the Conch Republic, at the end of the scenic Route 1 highway over the Florida archipelago. This audio tour explores the storied island apart from its party-town-only reputation. You will start the tour at Bayview Park and figure out what is the Conch Republic of Key West and its foundation plot. After that, you will browse the epitaphs at the Key West Cemetery to spot elements of fun and sorrow on the centuries-old gravestones. Walking down Duval Street, the island's main one, you will make it to the Buoy indicating Key West’s proximity to Cuba to snap a selfie with this famous fixture. Looking up at the Key West Lighthouse nearby, you will be surprised that in the era of male supremacy, it used to be kept by a woman for decades. Next, you will see the hallmark Hemingway Home with the garden and the pool dug in solid coral, which was a sheer luxury in the 1930s Key West, still worth marveling at. Towards the seafront, you will get a chance to meet the iconic live Queen Conch snail itself among the many sea critters at the Key West Aquarium. Finally, you will walk out to Mallory Square, where locals gather to celebrate the sunset. Also, there will be a few museums on the route that you can visit on your own to get a profound historical insight. Join the tour to experience what about Key West appealed to the American novelists and presidents alike and what makes the island special both at the daylight and at dusk!