Last month we headed back down to Key West with our friends Ben and Maria. Our first stop was Robbie’s of Islamorada of course. It never disappoints and is a must see. This time the pelicans were in full force when we were trying to feed the tarpon.
We stayed three nights at the Opal Resort in downtown Key West which was walking distance to most restaurants and shops. Our room was fantastic and as you can see our ocean view was blocked by a cruise ship. Luckily, it left that evening.
Our first night in Key West
Since this was the first time Ben and Maria have been to Key West we had to hit all of the famous restaurants and bars. We grabbed dinner at Sloppy Joe’s and had drinks at Dirty Harry’s and Captain Tony’s Saloon. What we didn’t know, was the history behind Captain Tony’s which we learned the following night on our haunted pub crawl.
We were there December 1st and the entire town was decked out for the holidays!
Southern Most Point
The next morning the four of us headed towards the southernmost point, an attraction none of us have been to before. If you recall, the four of us have been to the easternmost point on Saint Croix, so this was cool that we got to do this together. Word of caution though, there will typically be a line for photo opportunities.
The walk there was fun and entertaining.
We had to stop at the Green Parrot for a cocktail and then had a wonderful lunch at the First Flight Brewery, located in original Pan Am Office.
Shipwreck Museum
Later that day, Scott and I decided to check out the Shipwreck Museum. The museum offers a rich history of the shipwrecks and the wreckers that would salvage the goods off of the boats. There were hundreds of shipwrecks outside of Key West, due to the shallow reefs. The story goes, that “wreckers” would flash lights to deceive captains and then the ships would run aground. The wreckers would then steal the goods off of the ships.
The view from the very top lookout was amazing and I had no idea there were that many boats in the Harbor.
Haunted Pub Crawl in Key West
That evening we watched another amazing sunset and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Bruschetta Francesca. All of the pasta was handmaid and it was amazing.
After dinner we were pleasantly surprised by a bicycle parade. The bikes were all lit up and people had on costumes.
From there we headed to our haunted pub crawl. Key West is also known as bone island if you want to know the story there you have to do the pub crawl. Our tour guide was fantastic he wouldn’t allow us to film but I did get some cool pictures of each of the houses he took us to.
The story behind Captain Tony was he had a wife and a lover and the wife ended up killing the lover. Her tombstone is actually in the bar itself. The wife was then hung by the town hanging tree and that tree is still growing inside Captain Tony’s Saloon. During the building’s construction, while removing old flooring, workers discovered the skeletal remains of several people. They kept one of the skeleton’s and it sits behind the bar.
Our guide walked us to more haunted houses and shared each of their stories. Let’s just say, Key West is one of the most haunted cities in the US!
Snorkeling in Key West
The following day we had a snorkel trip scheduled with Fury Water Adventures and we headed out to Archer Key. Unfortunately it was extremely choppy and the current didn’t make for pleasant snorkeling so we cut that portion of the trip short.
The boat was loaded with paddle boards, noodles and kayaks. In addition, this was the first excursion, that put out breakfast bites of fruit and pastries.
Next we headed to a sandbar called Woman Key and while we had a good time, it wasn’t nearly as warm as it was in Duck Key. On top of that we did see sea urchins and we were barefoot so that made us a little uneasy walking through the sand and rocks. They did provide beer and sparkling wine for us at the sand bar.
Our captain and first mate of the boat were fantastic and lunch was the best we have ever had on an excursion. They offered salad, fried chicken, pasta and a veggie platter! Amazing.
Fort Zachary in Key West
We got back early in the day and so Scott and I decided to walk to Fort Zachary just about a mile and a 1/2 from the hotel. Along the way, we walked through the Truman Annex, a gorgeous neighborhood. The first weather bureau is located here too.
This Fort was fully surrounded by Confederate territory yet it was maintained by the Union during the Civil War. In 1971 it became a National State Park.
Key West Holiday Parade
Once again we enjoyed a beautiful sunset at the hotel and then headed off to another amazing dinner this time at the A and B Marina.
Being in key Western the holidays we have no idea what to expect but they had decorated the whole town beautifully. That evening we got another surprise with the town parade for the holidays. It was the perfect ending of a fantastic weekend in Key West.
We are glad we finally stayed in Key West. This allowed us to learn about its’ history and enjoy live music and libations. The nightly parades were a bonus and it helped to kick off the holiday season.
As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and vlog (see video below), as we have more boating adventures to come. Follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney.
Cheers, Scott and Ally
