Visiting Key WestFun in the Sun in "The Conch Republic"August 6-10, 2025 Jay and Joyce, along with Karen and her family, traveled to Key West to have some Fun in the Sun from August 6 through 10, 2025. Many thanks to Karen and Cathy who did tons of pre-trip research that paid off nicely. They researched places  to stay, activities to visit, noteworthy restaurants, and the meal plan for other times we would eat at our resort. They shopped for food once they were in Key West and they also cooked breakfast every morning and made sandwiches and salad for some of the meals.
Jay and Joyce flew in to Key West and Karen drove, taking some of Jay's beach chairs and games in her car. The Alvarez family also picked up Jay and Joyce at the Key West Airport. The accommodations at the Beachside Resort and Residences were excellent: a three bedroom with dining room, living room, and a full kitchen that overlooked the Key West waters. The resort had a heated 24/7 pool that was visited on two of the days; two other days swimming was in the waters off the Fort Zachary Taylor Historic Site where we also had fun snorkeling using the full-face snorkel masks that Karen bought and brought. Restaurant meals were great, sampling many of the specialties of the area. Places visited included Fort Zachery Taylor, the Key West Eco-Discovery Center, the Hemmingway House with its 57 cats of which many of thecats and are primarily polydactyl, meaning they have extra toes. This trait is a genetic anomaly where cats can have more than the usual number of toes (usually 5 on the front and 4 on the back). These cats are descendants of a six-toed cat named Snow White that was given to Hemingway. We also visited the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, and - of course - the Southernmost Point Continental USA Buoy.
Karen did all the driving, and that included finding parking spots and avoid other tourists on bicycles. We did some day and night cruising on Duval Street, always a "happening place," and enjoying the activities and entertainment that was offered nightly in Mallory Square.
Hemingway House. Ernest Hemingway bought his Key West home in 1931 largely because his wife Pauline Pfeiffer’s wealthy uncle, Gus Pfeiffer, purchased it for them as a wedding gift. The move wasn’t random—Hemingway had already  spent some time in Key West, originally stopping there in 1928 when a new boat he’d ordered was delayed. During that stay, he fell in love with the island’s warm climate, fishing opportunities, and laid-back lifestyle. The location offered both seclusion for writing and proximity to the deep-sea fishing he adored, so when the chance came to have a permanent residence there, he took it.
Visitors to the house may explore the home and the Hemingway writing loft and grounds on their own or sign up for a free tour. Take the tour. Very interesting.
Southernmost Point Bouy The Southernmost Point Buoy is an anchored concrete buoy in Key West, Florida that claims to mark the southernmost point in the continental United States — though it is neither the true southernmost point of the continental US nor of Key West — and was established as a tourist attraction by the city on September 10, 1983. The large painted buoy is 18 feet (5.5 m) above sea level at the corner of  South Street and Whitehead Street.
The "southernmost point" was originally marked with a small sign, before the city of Key West erected the now-famous concrete buoy in 1983. The buoy has overall withstood several hurricanes and is a gathering place for photographs and tourists. The paint job was damaged by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, but it was refurbished later that year by the original artist. As indicated on the buoy, Cuba is roughly 90 miles (140 km) south of this point in Key West; this was not originally on the marker, but rather on a smaller sign next to marker. As you can see, we made two trips to the bouy, one at night and one during the day. Not shown is the long line of people waiting (both night and day) to take their picture at the bouy.
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Mel Fisher was a famous American treasure hunter best known for discovering the wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha off the Florida Keys in 1985. The ship, which sank in 1622, carried an immense cargo of gold, silver, and precious gems—valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Fisher spent over 16 years searching for the wreck, often facing legal battles, financial hardship, and personal tragedy, but his persistence earned him the nickname "the world's greatest treasure hunter." Today, many of his finds are displayed at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West. The museum is the only fully accredited museum in the Florida Keys. It is also a nationally recognized research and archaeology institution. The museum is a 501 (c) (3) accredited, not-for-profit organization existing to research, interpret, and exhibit the maritime history of Florida and the Caribbean in ways that increase knowledge, enrich the spirit, and stimulate inquiry. Admission price does not include a tour but for one dollar more you can rent an audio device that further describes the exibitions. Rent the audio device!
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