Categories: TRAVEL

Visiting Key West

Key West, Florida is a fantastic vacation spot for couples and families. The town is very gay-friendly, and there are so many fun things to do. Key West has some of the best home-made salt water taffy in the world that you can purchase at nearly any souvenir shop or boutique on the island.

Budget minded travelers have an advantage visiting Key West during the summer due to hurricane season. Hotels and motels usually run special pricing during the summer to attract guests, and 99% of the time you’ll know about a hurricane before you leave for vacation. Key West also has many guest houses and B & B’s for the more detail oriented traveler, and will also offer discounts during the summer months. There are both Marriott hotels and Radisson Hotels on the island, so it would be a great opportunity to cash in some Marriott or American Express reward points to cover your lodging costs. View http://www.keywest.com/hotel.html for a list of popular hotels and motels on the island.

Key West has so many fun attractions. While the least expensive is spending your vacation on the beach, there are many historic tour options, fishing charters and water sport expeditions. The best priced snorkeling expedition in Key West is with Sebago. They are chartered Catamarans that take you out to the reef and you snorkel right off of the boat. They offer complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks and run seasonal specials like 2 for 1 pricing or fixed rates starting at $29 per person. You can view their options http://www.keywestsebago.com/.

The most interesting and exciting night time attraction in Key West is their Haunted walking tour. Their tour guides are very animated and knowledgeable, and the tour is really interesting. Adult tickets run $15 each and children’s tickets are only $10, as the tour departs nightly at 8 pm and 9 pm. You can view their website at http://www.hauntedtours.com.

Fishing is also a huge attraction in Key West. Flats fishing is very common due to the mangroves and still water areas around the island. You can easily find flats fishing charters and guides at less expensive rates than deep sea fishing due to the smaller boat sizes and more intimate fishing trips. Flats fishing often yields huge catches like Tarpon, Barracuda, Dolphin and even Shark. Finding a local captain would be your best bet, as they know all of the fishing areas well and you can usually find private charter rates at about $250 per day and single person rates at about $50 per day. For a list of charters in the area, visit http://keywest.com/flatsfishing.html.

You’re going to need to eat while in Key West and there are so many restaurants to choose from. You can find everything from fast food, to Caribbean fare, to Italian, Mexican and more! http://www.foodreference.com/html/keywestinformation.html offers a great list of restaurants and reviews in the Key West area.

Don’t forget the acclaimed Duval Street. One of the biggest attractions in Key West bringing young people down year after year is the “Duval Crawl” event. Key West Lobster Fest starts August 7th, and is a huge food and drink festival benefiting the Key West High School Scholarship Fund, and encompassing the Duval Crawl. There are activities for the whole family, and it’s an event you don’t want to miss this summer. The festival is spread along Duval Street for the weekend and as well as the events of the festival, you can party and check out all of the landmarks and bars and attractions on Duval Street.

Key West is a wonderful place to visit in the summer time–or any time. Due to Florida’s beautiful tropical climate year round, you’ll be able to live in shorts and sandals through your whole trip!