Things to do · Key West · United States
16 best things to do in Key West
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Marc Averette ( Averette ), Public domain
Quick answer
The essential sights in Key West are Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, Mallory Square Sunset Celebration and Duval Street. Of the 16 picks below, 5 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 9 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Harry S. Truman Little White House
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum | Old Town and Duval Street | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Mallory Square Sunset Celebration | Old Town and Duval Street | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Duval Street | Old Town and Duval Street | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Southernmost Point buoy | Old Town and Duval Street | 15–30 minutes | Free |
| Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park | Truman Annex | Half a day | Low cost |
| Snorkelling and diving on the Florida Reef | Historic Seaport | Half a day | Expensive |
| Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters | Bahama Village | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Harry S. Truman Little White House | Truman Annex | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory | Old Town and Duval Street | 45 minutes | Mid-priced |
| Key West Cemetery | Old Town and Duval Street | 45 minutes | Free |
| Mel Fisher Maritime Museum | Old Town and Duval Street | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Fort East Martello Museum | Casa Marina and South Roosevelt | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Historic Seaport harbour walk | Historic Seaport | 1 hour | Free |
| Key West Aquarium | Old Town and Duval Street | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden | Stock Island | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Sunset sail | Historic Seaport | 2 hours | Expensive |
The 16 best things to do
Historic site · Old Town and Duval Street
1.Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
Hemingway lived and wrote in this Spanish Colonial stone house on Whitehead Street during the 1930s. Guided tours run through the rooms and the writing studio, and the gardens are home to dozens of cats, many of them six-toed descendants, according to the museum, of a cat given to the writer.
Go first thing in the morning before the tour groups and the heat; tours start frequently and are included in admission.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Architecture
Waterfront · Old Town and Duval Street
2.Mallory Square Sunset Celebration
Every evening the dock at Mallory Square fills with jugglers, tightrope walkers, musicians and food carts for the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. It is free, crowded and very Key West, with sailboats crossing the horizon as the sun drops.
Arrive about 45 minutes before sunset to find a spot on the water's edge and see the performers set up.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
Street · Old Town and Duval Street
3.Duval Street
The island's main street runs from the Gulf to the Atlantic, with long-running bars such as Sloppy Joe's and Captain Tony's, galleries, cigar shops and restaurants. The Gulf end is busiest at night; the quieter southern end has galleries and the Atlantic waterfront.
Walk the full length once by day, then come back after dark when live music spills out of the bars.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
- Shopping
- Food
Landmark · Old Town and Duval Street
4.Southernmost Point buoy
A large painted concrete buoy at the corner of Whitehead and South streets marks the southernmost point of the continental United States, with the note that Cuba is 90 miles away. It is the island's most popular photo stop.
Queues for a photo can be long by mid-morning; come at sunrise or after dark.
- Time needed
- 15–30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
Beach · Truman Annex
5.Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
A brick fort from the mid-19th century at the island's southwestern tip, with a state park beach next to it that has some of the best snorkelling from shore on Key West, picnic tables in pine shade and sunset views. The fort's casemates hold a collection of Civil War-era cannon.
Wear water shoes; the beach is rocky and coral rubble underfoot, and fish gather around the rock groynes.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- History
- Nature
Experience · Historic Seaport
6.Snorkelling and diving on the Florida Reef
Catamarans and dive boats leave Key West Bight for reef sites such as Sand Key, where shallow coral heads hold parrotfish, angelfish and sometimes turtles and nurse sharks. Trips are usually half a day, with gear included.
Book a morning trip, when seas are usually calmer, and use reef-safe sunscreen.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Book a day or two ahead in winter and spring; trips can be cancelled for wind, so keep a backup day.
- Kids
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
Landmark · Bahama Village
7.Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters
Built in 1848 inland on Whitehead Street, the lighthouse has 88 steps to a gallery with views across Old Town's tin roofs to the sea. The keeper's quarters museum covers life at the light and the island's shipwreck history.
It is opposite the Hemingway Home, so climb it straight after your tour.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- History
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Historic site · Truman Annex
8.Harry S. Truman Little White House
President Truman spent working holidays at this former naval commandant's house, and it later hosted Eisenhower, Kennedy and Carter. Guided tours show the original furnishings, Truman's poker table and the room where policy was made in shorts and Hawaiian shirts.
The surrounding botanical grounds are free to walk; the house is by guided tour only.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
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Garden · Old Town and Duval Street
1.Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
A glass-domed tropical garden at the southern end of Duval Street where hundreds of butterflies from around the world fly freely among the plants, along with a few small birds. It is cool, calm and easy with children.
Wear bright colours; butterflies are more likely to land on you.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Rainy day
- Couples
Historic site · Old Town and Duval Street
2.Key West Cemetery
Founded in 1847, the city cemetery has above-ground vaults because of the high water table, a memorial to sailors of the USS Maine, and witty epitaphs such as 'I told you I was sick'. Its narrow lanes are shaded and quiet.
Enter from the Margaret Street gate and pick up a map to find the famous headstones.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Old Town and Duval Street
3.Mel Fisher Maritime Museum
Gold bars, emeralds and silver coins from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, wrecked in 1622 and found by treasure hunter Mel Fisher's team in 1985, fill this museum near Mallory Square. Exhibits also cover the slave ship Henrietta Marie.
Try lifting the gold bar on display, a hands-on highlight for children.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Casa Marina and South Roosevelt
4.Fort East Martello Museum
A Civil War-era brick fort near Smathers Beach, run by the Key West Art and Historical Society, with exhibits on island history, folk art and Robert the Doll, a reputedly haunted doll that draws ghost-story fans.
Combine it with a swim at Smathers Beach, a short walk east.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Waterfront · Historic Seaport
5.Historic Seaport harbour walk
A boardwalk around Key West Bight passes schooners, fishing boats, tarpon cruising under the docks and open-air raw bars. It is where the island's charter fleet and sunset sails depart.
Look into the water near the fish-cleaning stations, where large tarpon often gather.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- After dark
- Couples
Aquarium · Old Town and Duval Street
6.Key West Aquarium
An open-air aquarium on Mallory Square, first opened in the 1930s, focusing on fish, turtles and sharks of the Keys, with touch tanks and guided feeding tours. It is small enough for a short visit with children.
Time your visit for a guided feeding tour; tickets are usually valid for the whole day.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
Garden · Stock Island
7.Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden
A frost-free botanical garden on Stock Island with native hardwood hammock, freshwater ponds that attract migratory birds, and boardwalks through tropical plantings. It is one of the few places to see the native Keys landscape near town.
Visit in spring or autumn migration for the best birdwatching around the ponds.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
- Kids
Experience · Historic Seaport
8.Sunset sail
Schooners and catamarans leave Key West Bight about two hours before sunset for a cruise along the island's western shore, often with drinks included. Watching the sunset from the water avoids the Mallory Square crowds.
Choose a traditional schooner for a quieter sail, or a catamaran for more space and a party atmosphere.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Reserve a day or more ahead in high season.
- Couples
- Views
- After dark
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and Fort East Martello Museum |
| History | Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters and Harry S. Truman Little White House |
| Views | Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters and Sunset sail |
| Outdoors and nature | Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Snorkelling and diving on the Florida Reef, Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory and Key West Aquarium |
| Food and markets | Duval Street and Historic Seaport harbour walk |
| After dark | Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, Duval Street, Historic Seaport harbour walk and Sunset sail |
| With children | Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and Snorkelling and diving on the Florida Reef |
| On a rainy day | Harry S. Truman Little White House, Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and Fort East Martello Museum |
What to book ahead
- Snorkelling and diving on the Florida Reef: Book a day or two ahead in winter and spring; trips can be cancelled for wind, so keep a backup day.
- Sunset sail: Reserve a day or more ahead in high season.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Key West?
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. Hemingway lived and wrote in this Spanish Colonial stone house on Whitehead Street during the 1930s.
+What can you do for free in Key West?
Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, Duval Street, Southernmost Point buoy, Key West Cemetery and Historic Seaport harbour walk. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Key West when it rains?
Head indoors to Harry S. Truman Little White House, Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and Fort East Martello Museum.
+What is there to do in Key West at night?
Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, Duval Street, Historic Seaport harbour walk and Sunset sail are best after dark.