Key West Hotels

Key West, Florida

The southernmost point in the United States, Key West draws travelers looking for watersports, nightlife, beaches and exciting history. The atmosphere is upbeat and lively, making this place a favorite sunny destination for people of all ages.

Key Sites

A must-see venue is The Audubon House & Tropical Gardens, the former abode of the world-famous naturalist John James Audubon, and current home to 28 first-edition Audubon works. Audubon came here in 1832 and painted over 22 birds for his ‘Birds of America’ folio. Today the stunning building is perfectly preserved, and the brick-paved tropical gardens feature colorful orchids and bromeliads.

Near The Audubon House & Tropical Gardens is the oldest attraction in the area, the Key West Aquarium. Touch-tanks allow children to touch sea cucumbers and anemones, and a 50,000-gallon tank is home to dozens of tropical and game fish. A guided tour allows visitors to see the feeding frenzy in the shark tank, as well as barracudas, stingrays and turtles.

Near the Key West Aquarium is the Key West Cemetery, where the eccentric headstones stand as testaments to the unconventional characters of Key West. If checking out a cemetery doesn’t seem like much of a vacation activity, just wait to see some of the funny inscriptions, like ‘I Told You I Was Sick’ and ‘The Record Shows I Took the Blows but Did It My Way’.

Literature and Art

One of Key West’s famous attractions is the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. Hemingway lived and wrote here for ten years, and visitors can tour the very rooms in which he penned some of his most significant works. Befitting the idiosyncratic author’s legacy, this venue is now home to between 40 and 50 cats, many of which have six toes!

Art and history lovers will want to check out the Custom House Museum, the Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters and the Fort East Museum. All sites are located near the Key West Art & Historical Society, an organization that preserves the unique culture of the Florida Keys by regularly exhibiting regional art, architecture and history.

Adventure Seekers

Smathers Beach, near the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, is a half-mile-long stretch of coast lined with beautiful coconut trees – it is one of four beaches within the city. Many people come here to swim, play volleyball or rent jet skis. Another option is Higgs Beach, where thrill-seekers can rent rafts and other watersport apparatus, or Rest Beach, where people fish off White Street Pier and attend yoga classes on the deck.

Also near Smathers Beach is the Key West Seaplane Adventures, which provides tourists with an exciting and unique panorama over the area, including the Everglades. Several nature trails along the coast are suitable for hikers of all fitness levels, and the views are unfailingly spectacular.

Planning a trip to the exhilarating Key West? Check out our wide range of affordable options.

Points of interest - Key West

Key West City Map