A Key West Day Trip: Should You do It?

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And other fun answers about
Traveling to Key West

When I was in Miami, I knew I wanted to travel the Overseas Highway across the Florida Keys to Key West.

In my plan, I expected to travel there, spend a half-day there and then travel back to my Airbnb in Miami, all in one day.

Now, people might wonder, should you do a Key West Day Trip?

The answer is yes, you should travel to Key West, but give yourself more than a day.

I’m modeling Albert Kee, the unofficial Key West greeter to tourists. This is right next to the Southernmost Marker on the island.

If you have a short amount of time in Key West, I give the following recommendations:

  • Take a picture at the “southernmost point” monument
  • Visit the Ernest Hemingway House
  • Visit Fort Zachary Taylor State Park to visit the beaches and walk the trails
  • Go to the Mile Marker Zero of U.S. Route 1
  • Choose a local restaurant to eat dinner.

Here are more details about each recommendation, and also why a day trip to Key West is not enough.

Notable Information about
Key West and the Journey

Key West

Key West itself is a destination that people stay at for vacation. It’s the furthest main inhabited island in the Florida Keys archipelago that stretches 125 miles from Key Largo to Key West.

Some fly directly there, while others drive the Overseas Highway to Key West after flying to a nearby city like Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

I did the latter, and definitely had a plan that could work, and did, to do the round trip in one day. But as I look back, the number one recommendation I would give myself is to stay at least one night in Key West. Driving the Overseas Highway from Miami to Key West and back is too exhausting.

There’s also lots to see just in Key West, and lots to see along the way on other Florida Keys.

The Journey

But first, we have to describe the amazing Overseas Highway that stretches from Key Largo to Key West. It will take at least three and a half hours to travel the highway, and it’s necessary and good to take breaks to stretch your legs and see the beautiful water and landscapes.

Several bridges connect the islands over open water, including the Seven Mile bridge, noted for its extremely long length. The water is tropical clear and the islands are a wonderful sight to see.

There are plenty of places to stop along the way, and I stopped to get lunch and rest at one point. But since I knew I only had one day to do the round trip Key West, I knew I could not really stop at the major attractions along the way.

I loved driving over the water to Key West, though closer to the end, I just wanted to get there. It’s a long drive, especially for one person.

Therefore, if you book a stay in Key West, you can honestly take your time driving down to enjoy the scenery and locations along the way, including sea turtle hospitals, aquariums, and good restaurants.

Arriving in Key West

After driving a long ways, you get to the crown gem of the Florida Keys: Key West.

In Key West alone, there are restaurants, historic locations, nature parks, landmarks, touristy spots, and even wildlife to see that would take a week to go through.

  • Key West Streets
  • Iguana
  • Wild Gypsy Chicken

But before considering that, you have to find parking. During the mid-day, it’s can be difficult to find parking in the historic downtown of Key West. You can park at the post office with an on-site parking attendant, but it’s more costly than on the street.

Places to See in Key West on a
Short Time Budget

Southernmost Point Marker

This is probably the most common tourist spot on the island. Modeled in the form of a large buoy, it indicates that you’ve reached the southernmost point of the continental United States of America. Or so you think.

The actual southernmost point of the island is in a restricted area on the island that you can see from the monument.

As for making a good picture of it, the lighting is not good in the afternoon because the sun casts a shadow over the buoy. Lightroom cleaned it up some, but I wonder whether the lighting is better in the morning.

The Southernmost Point of the Continental USA, or so it says.

You will most likely have a line, so be ready to take a photo when it’s your turn!

Hemingway House

At the Ernest Hemingway House, where the prolific writer stayed and wrote many works while living in Key West, there’s lots to see, from the house itself to the beautiful plant life growing all over the property to many cats, some who have six toes!

Check out these pictures!

  • A James Bond scene was filmed here.
  • Hemingway House backyard

You learn much about Hemingway’s life through a tour guide, from marriages to building a $20,000 pool (a lot at that time), places on the property filmed for movies, including a James Bond film, the story of the cats, and more. One cat was sleeping on Hemingway’s bed while we walked through the room.

  • Hemingway pool

There are at least 50-60 cats on the property, of all different fur colors. And they each have names!

  • Here’s Piper!

Entry is cash only and cost $14. You’ll learn much about the author known best for the book “The Old Man and the Sea,” and see why the property was so conducive to good writing.

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park

This state park, named after the 12th U.S. President, resides on the furthest point west on Key West. You can ride one of the circulator buses to close to the park and pay only $2.50 to walk into the park. It’s $6.50 if you drive.

Beach and palm trees at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park.

The fort on site closes at 5 pm, and unfortunately I didn’t get there in time to see the fort. But the beaches are wonderful. Many good photo opportunities here. Like the one above!

Palm trees, nature trails, and views of the water are so good.

The park is open from 8 am to sunset, so budget your time accordingly.

See the U.S. Route 1 Mile Zero Marker

  • End of U.S. 1 South
  • Beginning of U.S. 1 North

U.S. Route 1 stretches from Maine to Florida, and its southernmost point is right in Key West! It’s really cool to see both the end point and beginning points on this block, and there are a couple of souvenir shops right near these signs. I bought some art and useful items to remember my trip to Key West.

The signs aren’t a lot, but they are good Instagram spots to take pictures.

Pick a local restaurant!

There are several excellent local restaurants in Key West. When you’re right near the water, fresh seafood is readily available, so take the opportunity to eat some excellent food!

I chose the Thirsty Mermaid, and I was so blessed to get food from there. It was so good.

I splurged on this meal, and it was so worth it.

Sautéed Bahamian Conch at Thirsty Mermaid.

I had the Sautéed Bahamian Conch for an appetizer. You read that right—meat that comes from a conch shell! The meat was somewhat chewy, as I was told is normal, and overall I enjoyed trying something so unique.

Local Snapper Sandwich and Grandma Velma’s potato salad. No sign of Grandma Velma at the restaurant.

For my main course I had a local snapper sandwich and Grandma Velma’s potato salad. I didn’t meet Grandma Velma, though.

Key Lime Pie

For dessert, I had a Key Lime Pie, a Key West staple!

I enjoyed my experience at the Thirsty Mermaid a lot and recommend it to you.

The only thing that was bothersome was that it was Halloween and a person sitting at the table in front of me had a mask on with a face that fit the back of their head. So it was a scary face staring at me the entire meal. Needless to say, I stared at my food more often (and drank a lot of water!).

Key Reasons Why Only a Day Trip to Key West is not enough.

Implied at the beginning, I don’t recommend a Key West Day Trip There’s a few main reasons.

  1. If you try to do the round trip in one day and do fun things in Key West, you’ll be driving back at dark. When I drove back, it was Halloween, and dark, and you’re driving over open water. Not a good recipe for a peaceful ride back. Also, be sure to turn your high beams off quickly with approaching traffic. That’s all I’ll say about that.
  2. The journey there and back is long and exhausting. It’s not worth pushing yourself to make such a long trip there and back. Enjoy your drive to Key West, spend some quality time in Key West, and drive back when the sun is shining brightly.
  3. There are so many things to do in Key West, and you need more than a day to see them. Take your time to enjoy Key West. It’s cheaper to drive down, but there is an airport on Key West if you would like to do that option.
  4. There are so many things to do on the Florida Keys—so many different animal venues, restaurants, fun activities, and more. When I return to the Florida Keys, I will be sure to spend lots of quality time in Key West and other Florida Keys.

So yeah, a Key West day trip is possible, but don’t stress yourselves. Give yourself some quality time in this paradise.

Feedback

Anything more you would like to learn about Key West, the Overseas Highway, or more about this journey? Let me know in the comments below.

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Interested in my other South Florida road trip content? Check out my CityPASS Tampa review.

Thanks for reading!