A Key West Tour of sunsets, forts, and mansions… loaded with American history

If you are curious about our history; one that dates back to the colonists, take a Key West Tour and make sure

you visit the city’s “Old Town.” The place carries legacies of the Spaniards, the English, and our own ancestors

of the 1800s.

Mallory Square, Duval Street.

On the Island’s western trip is the original Key West settlement, called "Old Town." The historically famous

Mallory Square and Duval Street are located here.

Mallory Square is a collection of classic bungalows and guest mansions, right on the waterfront. It’s an age-old

tradition to watch glorious sunsets here. Every night, large groups converge here. Street performers compete

with arts and crafts exhibitors. Food carts fill the air with tantalizing aromas… even psychics converge here, to

celebrate the square’s landmark “Sunset Celebration.”

Also located nearby, is Duval Street – a mile long street that stretches from shore to shore – The Gulf of Mexico

in the north and the Atlantic Ocean, in the south. Its well-preserved mansions proudly display their flamboyant

Bahamian and Spanish legacies. At the north end, cruise ships dock and tourists come ashore to splurge on

shopping.

On some nights, the gregarious spirit of the Conch Train intermingles with the pedi cab passengers. The couples

on mopeds, tourists in the trollies, and the friendly bikers… all make this street feel like a carnival. The famous

Sloppy Joe’s bar and other such restaurants and bars have earned the night –life here, the term “Duval Pub

Crawl.”

A Key West tour is incomplete without a visit to Fort Zachary Taylor, which was constructed in 1866. The fort

was used extensively in the 1898 Spanish – American war but is no longer in use. The Harry Truman (winter)

White House is located within this area, next to the Harry Truman Annex and the unique "Bahama Village" – a

gated residential community for citizens of African-Bahamian descent.

Some other historical places to visit on a Key West tour, are the Ernest Hemingway house, and the Tennessee

Williams house.

Hemmingway House, or the 907 Whitehead Street house (as it is sometimes called), is the house of Nobel

writer Ernest Hemmingway. It was a wedding present for his wife, Pauline, from her rich uncle, Gus Pfeiffer.

According to a legend, since Hemingway paid a massive $20,000 (back then!) to install a swimming pool there,

he decided to commemorate the event, by sinking a penny in the concrete, saying, "Here, take the last penny

I've got!" and guess what..? That penny is still there.

The American playwright Tennessee William-author of many classical plays such as The Glass Menagerie, also

owned a house on Key West; not in the Old Town, but rather at 1431 Duncan Street, in the “modern” New

Town neighborhood. Unlike Hemingway's grand house, the Tennessee Williams house is a rather modest

bungalow. The locality of New Town, on the eastern part of the island, is also a great sight-seeing spot; with

modern residential apartment areas, retail malls, shopping centers, schools, ball parks, and yes, the Key West

International Airport.

In addition to fantastic weather, sandy beaches, and leisurely streets, a Key West tour has much to offer for the

tourist or holiday maker who also happens to be an American history enthusiast. To make the most of your trip

there, give us a shout out.