A picture of Sunset Pier was my impression of Key West for several years. I had it as the screen saver on my laptop. Then two weeks ago I had an impulsive idea that would finally send me to legendary Key West. If you are following this blog, then you’ve probably already read my report on where to find the best Key Lime pie. Believe it or not, although I did eat nine pieces of Key Lime pie and two Key Lime drinks, I also did some very Key Westy things. First though, I’ll tell you when the best time is to go there.

When To Go To Key West (if you’re an adult and aren’t going to party 24/7

I am a bit past the staying out at bars and drinking until close, so if you want to miss Key West when it’s going to have “Spring break” vibes, go anytime between April and October. It will be hot, but it won’t be overly crowded every day. There’s a caveat with this recommendation. Friday and Saturday nights are “always feels like Spring break” nights in Key West. I would recommend getting there on a Sunday and leave on the following Friday. That gives you five nights. If you’re going to stay longer, just avoid Duval St. after 4 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Earlier in the week you can hit a couple of the historic bars where Ernest Hemingway and Jimmy Buffet hung out without too much hassle.

If You’re Not Going To Party, What do you do in Key West? 

One of the least active things in Key West is the most popular. Go to the beach! There are several free public beaches and the water is warm. You can rent a lounge chair and an umbrella for two with margaritas available nearby. That pic above this is a free public beach in Key West that’s calling your name right now… If you want to get a little swanky, you can purchase a day pass to the beach of a hotel on the water and you can order margaritas without getting out of your beach chair. You don’t even have to be a guest of the hotel.

I don’t know why that is so big. I kept resizing it but my head still looks like a pumpkin. It’s almost mandatory that you go get your picture taken in front of the giant buoy at the southermost spot in the United States. People line up all day to get this picture. Most of them that are smarter than me and ask someone else to take the picture.

What else is there to do in Key West? Trust me, if you want structured/planned activities, there are many. One I did was a booze cruise snorkeling outing. No, you don’t get drinks before snorkeling. If you’ve never swam around a coral reef, Key West is a good place to try it for the first time. After snorkeling you can celebrate with a few drinks and music. I even saw a shark during my snorkel, but the boat crew said it was “probably” a harmless nurse shark. The coral reefs and other fish were pretty cool. (Btw, that’s not me in the pic).

Do you like weird cats? Then Key West is definitely for you! Or rather, the Hemingway House is your cup of tea. Writer Ernest Hemingway is famous for living in Key West, drinking a lot, fighting a lot, getting married a lot, and for having a lot of six toed cats.

The mansion itself is a great tour with the guides telling a bunch of really surprising and interesting Ernest Hemingway stories.

Then there are the cats. Apparently in the 1930’s a ship’s captain gifted a six-toed cat to Ernest. Six toed cats were thought to be good luck because they would catch and kill mice on ships. Ernest brought it to his house in  Key West, where it helped other cats to have new cats with the genetic extra toe, Now there are 59 of these cats running around the Hemingway property. The house has a dedicated vet who visits weekly. The cats are mostly well behaved and comfortable with people.

Like any touristy spots anywhere in the world there’s a million different tours and activities I could list some Key West ones for you, but I won’t put you through that list because I know you know how to use the interwebs. I would recommend doing your research on the activities and read reviews. I had an activity that was disappointing. I’m not going to call them out specifically. They just spent way too much time on a walking tour that wasn’t named entirely accurately. I was dying to get away from that tour halfway through.

One more thing, don’t rent a car at the airport. You won’t need it. Key West is not very big and you can rent bicycles, scooters, and golf carts everywhere and that’s all you need.

One thing I did love in Key West, aside from cats and Key Lime pie, was the seafood. Every restaurant had fantastic fresh, locally sourced seafood. If you have any questions, feel free to throw them at me in the comments.

Thanks for reading and safe travels!