City Orientation Walk

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1 - Page 1 - City Orientation Walk Key West is one of the richest cities in the USA. The city is famous for its shipwrecks and also for the famous American writers who lived here. The one thing that separates this city from other cities is its world-famous sunsets. This self-guided tour will lead you to different most popular landmarks of Key West. Guide Location: USA» Key West # of Attractions: 17 Tour Duration: 3 hour(s) Travel Distance: 4.8 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" downloadable on itunes App Store and Google Play. The app provides turn-by-turn GPS navigation to guide you from one tour sight to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Key West. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Mallory Square B) Key West Aquarium C) Key West Shipwreck Museum D) Key West Museum of Art and History E) Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum F) Audubon House and Tropical Gardens G) Harry S. Truman Little White House H) St Paul Church I) Nancy Forrester's Secret Gardens J) Key West Cemetery K) St. Mary Star of the Sea L) Key West Light M) Ernest Hemingway Museum N) Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park O) The Southernmost Point P) Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory Q) Duval Street - Page 1 -

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7 - Page 7 - A) Mallory Square (must see) Mallory square attracts hundreds of tourists and locals. It offers a magnificent, world famous sunset. It has become a tradition in the city to gather around this square and to admire the sun sinking into the Gulf of Mexico. There is a military memorial in the square and around it there are many bars and cafes that also offer unforgettable views of the sunset and the sea. Address: 1 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Flickr and CedarBendDrive B) Key West Aquarium (must see) During the Great Depression, Key West had turned over its charter to the federal government due to the economic disaster that had hit the island. The federal government believed Key West, with its great weather and location, would make a wonderful tourist destination. The Works Project Administration (WPA) was sent in and built the tourist attraction. The Key West Aquarium, opened in 1934, attracts tourists by its uniqueness. The Aquarium was originally an open air aquarium, one of the first and largest at the time. You will see here wonderful indigenous sea-creatures and you can feed the sharks and turtles as well. You can experience here the amazing and mysterious world at the bottom of the ocean. Address: 1 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Flickr and swiatekj C) Key West Shipwreck Museum (must see) Key West Shipwreck Museum is about wrecked vessels that sank near the dangerous reefs of Key West. Actually the city became very rich rather quickly thanks to treasures recovered from these ships. The museum displays the exceptional maritime heritage of Key West and will take you back to 1856, the period of the shipwrecks. The museum is housed in the oldest dwelling in Key West. Hours: Monday-Sunday 9:30 am 5:00 pm - Page 7 -

8 - Page 8 - Address: 322 Duval Street, Key West, FL, USA Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Marc Averette D) Key West Museum of Art and History (must see) The Key West Museum of Art and History is housed in a historical Romanesque-style building. It was built in 1891 with red bricks brought from New York, iron from Pennsylvania and workers from the whole of the USA. The museum tells the history of Key West through folk art, such as Mario Sanchez's colorful wood paintings and portraits by Paul Collins. Hours: Mon - Sun: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm Address: 281 Front Street Key West, FL, USA Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and UpstateNYer E) Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum (must see) Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum deals with keeping and restoring for the public the maritime and colonial period of the New World. Here you can see a large collection of artifacts gathered from the shipwrecks that happened in the 17th century. There are exhibitions of ships that sank near Florida. These ships carried slaves, goods, and many other things from the Old World to the New. You will see here what is left of such ships as Henrietta Marie, Nuestra Senora de Atocha, Santa Margarita and others. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 am 5:00 pm; Saturday-Sunday 9:30 am 5:00 pm Address: 200 Greene Street Key West, FL , USA Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Averette - Page 8 -

9 - Page 9 - F) Audubon House and Tropical Gardens (must see) The Audubon House & Tropical Gardens offer a view of tropical plants. There are brick-paths in the garden and an 1840-style nursery. The house was slated for demolition in 1958, but was saved by the Mitchell Wolfson Family Foundation. This was the first restoration project in Key West. The house contains a lot of antique furniture purchased from auctions in Europe and the first works of the outstanding ornithologist, John James Audubon. Just near the house there is the Audubon Gallery that displays his original art. Don't miss the unique gift shop in the garden. Address: 205 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Deror avi G) Harry S. Truman Little White House (must see) The Harry S Truman Little White House in Key West was the winter White House for President Harry S Truman for 175 days during 11 visits. The house is located in the Truman Annex neighborhood of Old Town, Key West. The house was originally waterfront when it was built in 1890 as the first officer's quarters on the submarine base naval station. The wooden duplex contained Quarters A for the base commandant and Quarters B for the paymaster. In 1911 the home was converted into a single-family dwelling to house the base commandant and additional land was filled in front of the house. The waterfront view was eventually blocked by a new building at the station. Address: 111 Front Street, Key West, FL Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Deror avi. Sight description based on Wikipedia. H) St Paul Church The most prominent feature of St Paul Church is its amazing stained glass windows that depict religious scenes. St. Paul s Episcopal Church in Key West had the first chime of bells in Florida. It was destroyed several times by weather calamities. It is a place where the locals congregate to worship and weddings are solemnized. - Page 9 -

10 - Page 10 - Address: 401 Duval Street, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Flickr and CedarBendDrive I) Nancy Forrester's Secret Gardens (must see) Nancy Forrester's Secret Gardens is a very beautiful place in Key West, that attracts all tourists visiting the city. Nancy Forrester is an eco artist. Her aim is to preserve nature. The garden is also called Key West's Exotic Tropical Botanical Garden and it is a work of art by itself. It is world famous for its exceptional beauty, its endangered plants and parrots. Address: 1 Free School Lane, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Flickr and phault J) Key West Cemetery (must see) Key West Cemetery is located in the northern part of Key West and has several monuments dedicated to victims who died in shipwrecks near Key West. There is a Memorial to the Cuban Martyrs who struggled for an independent Cuba. This cemetery is like the cemeteries in New Orleans where new graves are placed in above-ground vaults, as there is no space beneath. Address: 701 Passover Lane, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Averette K) St. Mary Star of the Sea (must see) St. Mary Star of the Sea is a very beautiful Catholic Church in Key West. The church was built in the High Victorian Gothic style. The construction material is the local coral rock. The inside of the church reflects the Byzantine style. There is the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and a shrine next to the church. It is believed that the grotto protects the island from hurricanes. Address: 1010 Windsor Lane, Key West, Florida, USA - Page 10 -

11 - Page 11 - Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Carlos Lumpuy L) Key West Light (must see) The first Key West Lighthouse was built in It was a 65-feet high conical tower which was transformed into a museum. You can climb to the top of the historical lighthouse to see the old lantern and to enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the ocean. Near the tower you can see an interesting banyan tree that seems to have been planted when the lighthouse was built. Visit a gift shop of the lighthouse for some original gifts. Address: 938 Witehead Street, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Joeschmitty M) Ernest Hemingway Museum (must see) Ernest Hemingway's house was transformed into a museum that tells us something about the life and career of one of the most well-known American writers. This place is a National Historic Landmark that attracts crowds of tourists. This was Hemingway's home from 1931 to 1939, although he retained title to the home until he died. It is a private, for-profit landmark and tourist attraction now populated by six and seven-toed cats that are descendants of Hemingway's cats. His mansion with its beautiful garden is located in the heart of Old Town Key West. Here, the famous author wrote some of his best novels. Hours: Mon-Sun 9am-5pm Address: 907 Whitehead Street Key West, FL , USA Image Courtesy of Andreas Lamecker - Page 11 -

12 - Page 12 - N) Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park (must see) The Fort Zachary Taylor is a State Historic Site and a Florida State Park now. It is situated in the former fort which dates back to the period of the Civil War and it was one of the most important defensive fortresses. The Fort exhibits scenes from the Civil War. For example you can see sculptures of skeletons opening treasure chests. It is not only a historic place but one of the best beaches of Key West. The beach is rocky but very clean and beautiful. Address: Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West, Florida, USA Image Courtesy of Flickr and swiatekj O) The Southernmost Point (must see) The Southernmost Point of the continental USA is marked by a concrete buoy in Key West. The Southernmost point was originally just marked with a sign, which was often stolen. In response to this, the city of Key West erected the now famous concrete buoy in The concrete buoy is actually an old sewer junction that was dug up in the area and found too heavy and large to move, so it was painted up to look like a buoy. This is the most popular attraction in Key West and it is always crowded during the day. If you don't like crowds, you can come here early in the morning and admire the unforgettable view of the sun rising from the Atlantic Ocean. Address: South Street & Whitehead St Key West, FL 33040, USA Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Stefan Kokemüller P) Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory (must see) The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory is a butterfly park that houses from different species of live butterflies from around the world in a climate controlled, glass enclosed habitat. Also there are flowering plants, trees and waterfalls. It is also an educational experience as one can see the entire process of metamorphosis from larvae to caterpillar to butterfly. Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday: 9:00 am 5:00 pm; Address: 1316 Duval Street, Key West, Florida, USA - Page 12 -

13 - Page 13 - Image Courtesy of Flickr and cito Q) Duval Street Duval Street is a famous downtown commercial zoned street in Key West, Florida. There are hundreds of shops on and around Duval Street selling souvenirs, clothing, jewelry but also specialty shops. On the Atlantic Ocean end of Duval Street there is a mix of early Key West Victorian mansions and bungalows dotting the neighborhood. Art galleries, boutiques, inns and Bodega s line the wide sidewalks. Although this end of Duval is more residential and less filled with tourists, the sidewalks still bustle with activity. At the north end, tourists from the cruise ships that dock at the Margaritaville Resort & Marina, Mole pier or Mallory Square are often seen traversing Duval Street's many shops in the afternoon looking for souvenir trinkets and cheap T-shirts. Beware! the streets are congested with Pedi cabs, trollies, bikes, mopeds, cars, and the Conch Train all adding to the touristy feel of this heavily visited end of Duval. Duval Street was designated a Great Street in 2012 by the American Planning Association. Address: 1000 Duval St Key West, FL Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Marc Averette. Sight description based on Wikipedia. - Page 13 -