Key West

Key West, Florida, is the island city at the end of the Overseas Highway. It sits at mile marker 0 of a road that the Monroe County Tourist Development Council measures at 113 miles and 42 bridges. The council calls it the nation's southernmost city, closer to Havana than to Miami. The main things to do in Key West are the sunset gathering at Mallory Square, the Hemingway Home, the lighthouse, the Southernmost Point and the Dry Tortugas boat.

The Keys have only one highway, so the lane works and hurricane rules matter as much as ticket prices. We read the figures below on 3 November 2026 on the pages of the council, the Florida Departments of Transportation and Revenue, NOAA, the National Park Service and the sights' own sites. We could not read the city's pages on bus fares, parking and Duval Street rules, the airport's airline list or the state parks' page for Fort Zachary Taylor.

When does the sunset gathering start at Mallory Square?

The Mallory Square sunset gathering starts two hours before sunset, when magicians, jugglers, musicians and fire-eaters take over the square, says the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. Cruise ships do not dock during sunset, the council adds.

The clock time moves by more than two and a half hours over the year. The table gives the US Naval Observatory's calculation, and the start times are our arithmetic.

The square also holds the Key West Aquarium and Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum, by the council's listing. We did not read a price for either.

Duval Street is the other evening address, named by the council for its live music. We read no source for the street's hours or rules. The Key West Visitor Center, run by the Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce at 510 Greene Street, is the place to ask.

What do the Hemingway Home and the Key West Lighthouse charge?

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum charges $19 for an adult and the Key West Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters $17, each on its own site. The lighthouse's page puts the two across the street from each other, so they fit into one visit.

The Hemingway Home sells tickets only at its main gate and takes no reservations. A 3% fee is added to card and mobile payments. Tours start every 15 minutes from 9:15 a.m. and last 20 to 30 minutes. The museum says the cats on the grounds descend from a six-toed cat called Snow White.

The lighthouse stands at 938 Whitehead Street, and visitors climb 88 steps to the top of the tower. The rest of the property is fully accessible, says the Key West Art & Historical Society, which runs it. By the Society's account the lighthouse opened in 1848 with a woman as its keeper, and the Coast Guard decommissioned it in 1969. Seniors, locals, college students and retired military pay $13, or $11.50 online.

How true is the Southernmost Point buoy's 90 miles to Cuba?

The Southernmost Point buoy says "90 Miles to Cuba" in its own lettering, and we read no official measurement of that distance. The buoy is a painted concrete monument. The council lists the point among the city's sights and says only that the city is closer to Havana than to Miami.

The buoy is about 0.6 road miles from the Hemingway Home and 1.5 from Fort Zachary Taylor, on our own routing. We read no address or rules for it.

Which beaches on the island does Florida test for water quality?

Florida's Healthy Beaches program samples five beaches on the island: Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Higgs Beach, Simonton Street Beach, Smathers Beach and South Beach. The Department of Health rates a sample good at 0 to 35 enterococci per 100 millilitres of marine water, moderate at 36 to 70 and poor at 71 or more. We could not read its latest results, so check them before you swim.

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park is the one the council sums up as a historic fort with a beach, for snorkelling, history and sunsets. The state parks' site blocked our reads, so we give no fee or hours. Higgs Beach Park has sand, Fort West Martello, a café and a playground, and the gardens at West Martello Tower charge no admission, by the council's listing.

The council warns that water access in the Keys often means limestone rocks and mangroves. Sargassum seaweed commonly reaches Keys shores in warmer months, the council adds; it does not sting and is not connected to red tide.

NOAA's rules apply throughout the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Removing, injuring or possessing coral or live rock is prohibited, and so are feeding fish and anchoring on living coral. Snorkellers and divers must fly a dive flag, which the council describes as red and white. On 3 November 2026 NOAA listed the sanctuary's Eco-Discovery Center as temporarily closed.

How do you get from the island to Dry Tortugas National Park and the Key deer?

Dry Tortugas National Park lies about 70 miles west of the island, by boat or seaplane only. The Key deer live up the highway on Big Pine Key, not in Key West. The park's own page covers the crossing, camping and closures.

The Key West Attractions Association, a trade listing, gives the Yankee Freedom ferry at $235 for an adult and $180 for a child, leaving daily at 8 a.m. Boarding starts at 7:30 at the ferry terminal. The ferry's own site and the seaplane's rates page both blocked our reads, so those are the listing's fares and not the operator's.

The park's $15 entrance fee, for ages 16 and over, is included in a ferry ticket. Dry Tortugas is not on the 2026 list of parks charging non-residents $100, while Everglades National Park is. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains the surcharge. The same trade listing puts the park's free interpretive centre at 901 Caroline Street, inside the Sails to Rails Museum.

Key deer country runs from Big Pine Key west to the Lower Sugarloaf Keys, in the Lower Keys, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks drivers to go carefully there. The service strictly prohibits feeding, touching, capturing or harassing the deer, which were listed as endangered in 1967. Its refuge's Nature Center opens from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday. For an injured deer, call the FWC Wildlife Hotline on 888-404-3922.

How many nights does Key West need after a four-hour drive?

Two nights are enough for Key West after a four-hour drive, by our own count, and three with a day at the Dry Tortugas. No official page we read suggests a number. A first evening goes on the sunset and a full day on Old Town and the beaches. The ferry boards at 7:30 a.m., so a ferry day from Miami means sleeping on the island the night before.

Old Town is where a car matters least. The council calls the city one of the easiest places in the Keys to explore without a car, especially Old Town. Walking, bicycles, pedicabs, taxis and ride share are all in use. The city's parking pages were unreadable, so ask a hotel about parking before you book.

The distances are our own routing. The airport is about 3.1 miles from the corner of Duval and Caroline Streets.

How long is the drive to Key West, and which airlines fly there?

The drive to Key West from Miami International Airport is about 159 miles and 4 hours 6 minutes without traffic, on our own routing. The council names six airlines that fly in. No official source gives a drive time. The council says only that traffic can build at peak times, so allow extra.

The route takes the Florida Turnpike south to US-1 at Florida City, and the Turnpike Extension and Card Sound Road use cashless electronic tolling. Green mile markers then count down from 127 to 0. The council's 113 miles is the Overseas Highway proper, an All-American Road, from north of Key Largo. Do not stop on bridges or shoulders except in an emergency, the council asks.

The Florida Department of Transportation began a $17.7 million rehabilitation of the Seven Mile Bridge on 2 March 2026, with completion estimated for summer 2029. Its lanes may close only from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday to Thursday, on nights without events.

On 3 November 2026 the department's closure page listed three other works in Monroe County. They were night closures on the Channel 5 Bridge, Sunday to Thursday from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., and single-lane closures on the Bahia Honda Channel bridge, Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The department also listed intermittent closures on US-1 at North College Road, on the island, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Read the page again on the day you drive.

The council names six airlines at Key West International Airport: Allegiant, American, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue and United. The airport's own list could not be read, so there may be others. The council says shuttle buses, ride share, taxis and rental cars serve the airport, but we read no fare. Marathon's airport has no commercial service. Key West Express runs a passenger ferry from Southwest Florida to the Historic Seaport, and we read no fare or timetable.

What replaced the Duval Loop bus?

The app-based Key West Rides replaced the Duval Loop on its stops, at $2 a ride, according to the Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber posted on 30 December 2025 that the Duval Loop route would be suspended from 2 January 2026. The Chamber is a business group, not the city, and the city's own transit page could not be read.

The council's 2026 getting-around page names Key West Rides On Demand and does not mention the Duval Loop at all. It says the service connects with the Lower Keys Shuttle, whose fare we could not read. Check the fare and service area in the app.

Bicycles are a common choice, and the council says riders must use lights at night.

Why does a Monroe County hotel night carry 12.5% tax?

A hotel night here carries 12.5% tax because three layers stack up on the Florida Department of Revenue's forms: state sales tax, a county surtax and the county's tourist tax. Shop goods pay only the first two, 7.5% in all.

The totals are our arithmetic from the department's lines, and a $200 room therefore carries $25 of tax a night. The city adds no layer of its own, since the department says only Bal Harbour, Miami Beach and Surfside may levy a municipal resort tax. The county collects its 5% itself, and its own page could not be read. Shelf prices leave the tax out, as our guide to sales tax in the USA explains.

How dry is Key West from November to April?

The island's dry months run from November to April. Each brings about 1.5 to 2.2 inches of rain on NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the airport. The year totals 40.44 inches. September is the wettest month, at 7.24 inches, and March the driest, at 1.53.

The airport averages about 56.5 days a year at or above 90°F and no nights at or below freezing. The council says the winter sea averages in the mid-70s °F, and that the first thundershowers start by late May.

The city is on Eastern Time. Clocks went back on 1 November 2026 and go forward on Sunday 14 March 2027.

Why are visitors to the Keys asked to leave before residents in a hurricane?

Visitors to the Keys are always asked to leave first when a storm threatens, the Monroe County Tourist Development Council says. Evacuations take longer because the Keys have only one highway. Visitors are asked to go for a hurricane of any category, and residents must evacuate for Category 3 or higher. The county's own emergency page could not be read, so this is the council's account.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, says the National Hurricane Center. An average season has 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. The council puts the highest potential for storms between 15 August and 15 October.

On 3 November 2026 the National Hurricane Center gave a low pressure area northeast of the Bahamas a 30% chance of forming in seven days, and the council listed no watches or warnings for the Keys. A National Weather Service notice of minor saltwater flooding on low streets in the Keys ran until 5 a.m. that day. Those are one morning's readings, so check both pages again before you travel.

Monroe County's emergency hot line is 800-955-5504, and Florida's emergency information line is 800-342-3557. Each hotel has its own refund policy, the council notes. Our guide to Florida covers the rest of the state, including its three national parks.