We rode bikes to one of our favorite Key West spots, Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Normally we just relax on the beach, snorkel and swim to the rocks. However, this time I decided to take a self-guided tour of the actual fort itself. Very rewarding!
Key West
Key West Bars
Nothing beats the laid-back atmosphere, great drinks, and eclectic live music that can be found at Key West bars! We have many favorites with Schooner Wharf Bar at the top of the list!
Capt. Tony Tarracino
I found the above Capt. Tony Tarracino for Mayor poster (“He Listens To You”) a couple of years ago at my absolute favorite Key West shop, 90 Miles to Cuba, which is located at 616 Greene Street in the Historic Seaport District. A Key West legend, Capt. Tony (1916-2008) served as a shrimper, charter boat captain, gunrunner, proprietor of Captain Tony’s Saloon and Key West mayor from 1989 to 1991. Capt. Tony once remarked, “All you need in this life is a tremendous sex drive and a great ego. Brains don’t mean shit.” He served as the inspiration behind Jimmy Buffett’s 1985 song, “Last Mango in Paris.”
The Old Man and the Sea: Return to Cuba (2018)
“What would life be like if you could step away from shore and live your life on the sea? To find out, we jump aboard WOLF, a 74 foot topsail schooner commanded by Admiral Finbar Gittelman, a 75 year old master sailor from Key West Florida. Finbar weaves tales of his adventures at sea as we witness the open water like never before. Finbar’s family fled Cuba during the height of Castro’s revolution, now he returns for the first time in 50 years to walk the streets and see what remains of his former home.” Visit The Old Man and the Sea: Return to Cuba official website.
Make Voyages
“Make voyages!—Attempt them!—there’s nothing else!” – Tennessee Williams
East Martello Tower Museum, Key West, 1956
“A Civil War Fort, in Florida. Now a Historical Art Museum.”
Tennessee Williams in Key West
“I went down to Key West because I love swimming . . . It was January, and I had to go someplace where I could swim in the winter so I came down here because it was the southernmost point, and I was immediately enchanted by the place. It was so much more primitive in those early days.” – Tennessee Williams (1911-83), quoted in Pop Culture Florida (2000) by James P. Goss
“Williams chose Key West as the first place to settle down after his newfound fame. A visitor to the island in 1941, he moved there after Glass debuted on Broadway and lived briefly at the La Concha Hotel, where he is thought to have finished the first draft of another highly personal play, A Streetcar Named Desire, set in New Orleans. In 1949, he bought a home at 1431 Duncan Street, the only residence he would ever own outright.” – Florida Artists Hall of Fame Bio
“Tennessee Williams visited and lived in Key West from 1941 until his death in 1983. It is believed that he wrote the final draft of Street Car Named Desire while staying at the La Concha Hotel in Key West in 1947. He established residence here in 1949 and in 1950 bought the house at 1431 Duncan Street that was his home for 34 years. He was part of the literary movement that resulted in Key West and the Florida Keys being recognized as the cultural and historical location it is today.” – Tennessee Williams Museum Bio
Logun’s Lobster House
“On the south end of Duval Street, just before you hit the water, there used to be a restaurant flanked by red fringed umbrellas with a thatched tiki bar inside. ‘Logun’s Lobster House’ the sign read, and if you wandered into the seaside lot on the right night in the early ’70s, you might have heard a long-haired young Jimmy Buffett play with his band.
‘The first gig we did as the Coral Reefer Band, we did at Logun’s Lobster House, and it was a dollar a ticket,’ says Jimmy Buffett. ‘David had a table on the front row, and at the table was Truman Capote, John Malcolm Brinnin, Dotson Rader, and a few other people.’
The ‘David’ in question was David Wolkowsky, longtime friend and patron of Buffett’s. A few years before the Logun’s gig, in 1968, Wolkowsky opened the Pier House Resort at the north end of Duval Street. The Miami Herald called the opening ‘the turning point in Key West’s transformation from washed-up military outpost to funky tourist destination.’ Wolkowsky recognized the glitter of Key West under the grime of neglect and economic depression. And he recognized something special in Jimmy Buffett. ‘One of the great attributes of his was his tolerance of crazy people … me included,’ he says.” – Keys Weekly
Southernmost Point Buoy
I took these photos before 8 AM on a Saturday, the perfect time to wander aimlessly through the streets of Key West with the roosters and visit the colorful Southernmost Point Buoy that allegedly marks the “Southernmost Point in the Continental United States” before the crowd descends upon this immensely popular photo hotspot and true Key West landmark! Erected by the City of Key West in 1983, the Southernmost Point Buoy, which lies approximately 90 miles away from Cuba, can be found at the corner of South and Whitehead streets. The adjacent conch-blower statue honors the late Bishop Albert Kee, who was known as “Key West’s Official Ambassador of Goodwill.” The life-size bronze statue of Kee was sculpted by Tom Joris. Sitting at the office completely bored out of your mind? Check out the Southernmost Point webcam and imagine you’re hanging out in Key West! .
Hike #14: Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West
Hike #14, 52 Hike Challenge: Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. We hiked around a few of the trails for a great view of Fort Zachary Taylor, a National Historic Landmark that was named after President Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) and constructed in the mid-1850s. The fort was occupied by Union forces throughout the Civil War. Key West is not known for its great beaches, but Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park is by far the best of the bunch. You can even grab an ice-cold beer at the onsite Cayo Hueso Cafe! Distance: 1.2 miles.
Wandering Florida 