//
WReef snorkeling, sunset sails, parasailing, all-day adventures from the tame Island Ting to the active Power Adventure. The parasailing tends to be a bit brief (13 minutes), but the crew is friendly.
Hemingway lived and wrote here for a decade. He also raised cats, the descendants of which still roam the grounds and have extra toes.
The perfect romantic place to cuddle up with someone special, unwind, and watch the sun set as sailboats glide by... all without the crazy circus of Mallory Square. It doesn't get any more romantic in this crowded city. Nature trails, 1866 fort with a real moat, beaches, snack stand. Before Ballast Key was deeded to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2019, the beach area was the southernmost point in the continental US accessible to the general public, regardless of what the famous buoy at the corner of Whitehead and South Streets says.
A historic retreat used by President Harry S. Truman. Guided tours are available, as well as a gift shop. It's still used as a retreat and place of business by US government officials today.
The City of Key West has lost more than a thousand of its citizens to the AIDS epidemic. Some of their names are inscribed on a memorial near the White Street Pier. The memorial is embedded in the sidewalk near the ocean, and made of flat smooth granite. The memorial was dedicated on World AIDS Day in 1997, and funded entirely through private sources. At the time of dedication, there were 730 names engraved on the memorial. There are spaces for 1,500 names, and each year more are added and dedicated in a ceremony, also on World AIDS Day in December. A group called Friends of the Key West AIDS Memorial takes care of the memorial.
Visitors can explore the preserved battlement’s collection of relics from the Civil War, learn about the wrecking and cigar-manufacturing industries which shaped the Florida Keys, view the unique folk art of Mario Sanchez and the imaginative metal sculptures of Stanley Papio, as well as meet the Ghosts of East Martello, including the infamous Robert the Doll. The building, formerly the Fort East Martello, is on the National Register of Historic Places
In Key West, burial customs reflect combinations of African, Hispanic, Anglo and other mixed heritages. Due to the water table of the Keys, most burials are in above ground tombs. Grave markers with unusual inscriptions such as I told you I was sick, Devoted Fan of Julio Iglesias and At Least I know where he's sleeping tonight are not unusual. Cemetery maps are available at the front gate.