It’s a well-known stereotype that many literary authors are also raging boozers. Which, forgive us, doesn’t make us want to emulate them any less. In fact, at we can’t think of anything better than to sip a cool drink while typing away at our — er, laptops — out on the porch in the sweet […]

4th of July, Key West-style means friends and families. Daytime fun, then hop aboard chartered boats to experience Key West’s most unforgettable fireworks display – from the water. These cruises are guaranteed to sell out, best to book in advance. May the Fourth be with you!

The Cool Key West Top 10 Key West™ is the original Best of Key West list. These tours and activities are hand-selected and fun-tested to provide the most excitement for the best prices on the island. When you book a Top 10 Key West™ tour you can be sure you are choosing from the very […]

Due to their proximity to the Keys (about 275 miles from Key West; 55 miles from the closest islands to mainland Florida), the islands of the Bahamas have always been a source of influence and immigration for Key West. The islands’ original inhabitants were the Lucayan, Arawakan-speaking Taino peoples; after Columbus made his first New […]

Key West architecture reflects our cultural heritage and natural environment. See America’s largest collection of heritage structures in Old Town Key West. Along with Mallory Square, the Truman Annex, and Fort Zachary Taylor, the historical Key West architecture is a major Old Town tourist attraction. An eclectic mix of over 3,000 wooden buildings dating from about 1886 […]

It is always cooler out on the water than it is on land. That is a wonderful thing in Key West because summer on the island brings excellent opportunities to beat the heat while experiencing some legendary Key West fishing. June and July mean great Offshore Fishing as light steady winds set in from the […]

One of the most popular pastimes for Key West locals and visitors alike is exploring the amazing marine environment around the island. Key West is well-known as a great destination for enjoying the underwater sports of snorkeling, SNUBA, and SCUBA. If you are visiting Key West, I highly recommend that you take advantage of the […]

Join One Human Family and grow beyond the limitations of racism, nationalism, homophobia, and other illusions that keep us from being equal. On January 1, 2000, Key West artist JT Thompson began the new millennium by launching an awareness-building campaign around the fact that all humans are interconnected:  “like fingers on a hand, we appear […]

Key West is such a busy, vibrant little city that you are going to have your hands full with places to go and things to do from morning to night. You will be on the go, and, like many visitors, may find yourself wondering about the best way to get around town. Fortunately, Key West […]

The waters of the Florida Straits, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf Stream-washed Atlantic seaboard of Florida are exceptionally rich in terms of maritime history. From the earliest Spanish and Portuguese explorers, through the golden sagas of over 200 years of Spanish treasure convoys, to the days of the slave trade and the pirates […]

Next up on our tour of Key West public beaches is Higgs Beach, a true all-in-one beach fun zone. Higgs Beach is the public beach at Clarence Higgs Beach Park, a Monroe County Park. Like Fort Zachary Taylor Beach and Smathers Beach, Higgs Beach stands out among Key West public beaches for offering an exceptional […]

For the first stop in our series on Key West public beaches, we visit the southern tip of Key West. Here we find a large, relatively undeveloped, partially forested patch of land surrounding Fort Zachary Taylor, a historic, pre-Civil War brick-built fort that originally sat on an offshore island connected to the mainland by a […]

Smathers Beach is a stand out among Key West beaches. It’s a long, narrow, palm-lined strip of white sand running along Roosevelt Boulevard (State Road A1A) on the south shore of the island. Smathers Beach offers convenient accessibility and plentiful parking, making it popular with tourists and locals alike. Easy access, bathrooms, showers, and picnic […]

In this installment in our series on Key West public beaches, we head west from Higgs Beach along the Atlantic shore to South Beach, one of the smallest of Key West public beaches. A 200-foot-long pocket beach tucked away at the lower end of Duval Street, South Beach is bounded by the back wall of […]

The next beach featured in our series on Key West public beaches is a relatively new addition to the list of Key West beaches. Called Rest Beach or C.B. Harvey by the locals, C.B. Harvey Memorial Rest Beach is named after Cornelius Bradford Harvey, a former Key West mayor and city commissioner. It is a […]

Last but certainly not least in our series on Key West public beaches, we survey the beach-going possibilities for those who are traveling with their canine companions. In keeping with the tolerance for diversity that Key West is known for, the island has a reputation as a pet-friendly place. Many facilities, including a number of […]

Who doesn’t love dolphins? But being able to encounter and observe dolphins in the wild is extra special, and has become one of the most popular of all the various tours we offer. Several schools of wild dolphins live and play in the clear blue waters surrounding Key West. These magical creatures cherish the natural habitat found […]

Imagine swimming along with hundreds of beautifully colored tropical fish, gliding in the water just above coral and sponge gardens, and observing a host of underwater marvels. Our snorkeling tour packages give you all this, plus more. No worries if this is your first time snorkeling, we provide one-on-one instruction and personal assistance. We find […]

No matter which type of fishing you prefer, Cool Key West is sure to meet and exceed your expectations when it comes to the best fishing charters. Whether you prefer fishing with a small group or going solo we have the perfect package for you. Our goal at Cool Key West is to make your […]

From Key West, to Maui, to Tahiti and beyond, the sunset cocktail cruise is a tropical vacation resort staple. Some may even claim that it has been overdone… maybe they want to brush the experience off as “too touristy” or “just for old folks” or “boring”. The way I see it, after years of living […]

Most everyone would agree that Key West is a scenic tropical paradise, with blue skies, turquoise water, exotic foliage, and an interesting urban and human landscape that catches the eye every way you turn. But what is often overlooked is the fact that, because Key West is a tiny island surrounded by a lot of […]