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Key West Florida Vacation Travel

More About Key West - Editor's Tips - Weather Maps & Dining



When to go?
Key West is busiest from mid-December through March, bringing heavy traffic on the Overseas Highway. The weeks between Halloween and Christmas offer light crowds, perfect weather and the lowest room rates. The hot and humid Key West summer gets busier each year, especially among families and Europeans. Key West's annual Fantasy Fest is the last week in October; if you plan to attend this popular event, reserve at least six months in advance. Rooms are also scarce the first few weekends of lobster season, which starts in August.

Where to stay?
Key West offers a wide variety of lodgings from luxurious resorts to seaside motels, quaint bed-and-breakfasts, campgrounds and guesthouses. Most establishments offer expanded continental breakfast and often wine in the afternoon. The island itself is only 2 miles by 4 miles, so any lodging is convenient to all that Key West has to offer. Most of the moderately priced chain hotels are located along US Highway 1. The neighborhoods surrounding Duval Street contain many inns and lodges in picturesque Victorian / Bahamian homes. On the southern side of the island you can find some of the larger resort hotels. Be sure to ask about your hotel's hurricane policy.

What to do?
True, the beaches and the fishing are wonderful, but the nightlife is what draws visitors to Key West. The party atmosphere on Key West is closer to that of New Orleans than anything in Florida. Events like Fantasy Fest, the opening of lobster season, Hemingway Days in July and the week leading up to the New Years Eve Conch Drop bring droves of revelers, most looking for the neon cocktails served at famous bars like Captain Tony's, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and Hog's Breath Saloon (don't leave without the famous t-shirt). If you need a break from bar hopping, see the quirkiest graves in America at the Key West Cemetery, stop by Papa's famous 19th century Spanish home and then stand on the southern-most point in the lower 48 states. And remember to pause your party for a few minutes to watch the amazing sunset - afterall, it is a Key West tradition.

 

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