Hey guys! Today I wanted to share my top 10 things to do in Key West, some of them are quick and easy things that you could fit in whenever you have a free day/afternoon/morning, and some take a little more planning ahead! This is the second in my Keys Travel Series, the others will be coming soon! So, just to recap what's been posted & which posts are coming:

10 Things You HAVE to do in Key West - this one!

Packing Tips For Key West

Eating Your Way through the Florida Keys

Review: Port St. Luci, Florida

Marathon, Florida: Turtle Hospital

I tried to add a variety of things to the list, but it was hard since some of my must-do's are food related and I can't post about those for another few posts! But these ten things are really great, and we had a blast touring with Old Town Trolley Tours, and kayaking with Lazy Dog: Key West Kayak and Paddleboard Tours!

1. Take A Hop On/Hop Off Tour

Taking a tour on hop on/off buses is one of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new city. I definitely recommend it here! It's a great way to get the "lay of the land" so to speak, and the drivers point out lots of different interesting things you might want to come back and visit! Like I said above, we booked with Old Town Trolley Tours & loved it!

2. Visit the Southernmost Point

This is definitely one of the big tourist attractions, so try to plan your visit to this spot during a time of day that the cruise ship passengers haven't gotten there yet, otherwise you'll have to wait in line for a long time! We went at like, 8 a.m. and were some of the only ones there!

3.Visit Ernest Hemmingway's Home

Even if you aren't a huge Hemingway fan, go for the 6 toed-cats! We took the tour of the house, because, well I've always had kind of a soft spot for Ernest...and it was so neat! It was also very cool, and a nice break from the heat of the island!

4.Grab Coffee at the Cuban Coffee Queen

This ended up being one of my favorite things in the city. Ya'll know how much I love coffee. My friend and I took our hotel shuttle to downtown/Duval Street, and then walked to the Cuban Coffee Queen! It's also a must-visit because the "Greetings from Key West" mural makes for an amazing photo-op!!

5. Kayak!!

I'm not a super confident kayaker, but it was so fun kayaking with Lazy Dog: Key West Kayak and Paddleboard Tours ! Our guide (Garret?) was really nice & we saw some manatees!! It was really incredible.

6. Take the Ferry Over to Dry Tortugas

This is one of the activities that you'll really need to set aside a full day for. If you want to see get some history, and snorkel in some amazing water, take the ferry over to Dry Tortugas National Park! The trip is kind of long, the park is about 70 miles away from Key West, but the water was really pretty and I had a blast standing by the railing and feeling the sea spray hit my face(my hair may never recover from the salt water or the wind! I'd bring a hair tie!)

7. Visit Mile Marker 0 of U.S. Highway 1

This was just a cool, say-you've-seen-it spot that we went and briefly saw on our way out of town, but it was really neat to say we've been to the beginning of the longest North-South highway in the U.S.

At 2,369 miles, this highway goes from this point in the Keys all the way up to Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border!

8. Visit the Custom House

This is one that we didn't actually end up having time to do, but I am 100% planning a trip back down, and this is at the top of the list. My American Art Historian heart needs to visit. I really want to get a picture of the Unconditional Surrender sculpture

9. Have a drink at the Smallest Bar in Key West

My best friend and I stopped in here after a long afternoon walking around downtown, shopping and seeing all the things we'd seen on the trolley tour and wanted to come back to. With only three bar stools – it is definitely the smallest bar I've ever been to! The bartender that day was SO NICE! We had a great time chatting and enjoying a break from the sun, and would've stayed longer if we hadn't had to walk to dinner reservations.

10. Have Key Lime pie, at all the restaurants.

It might sound cliche, but we definitely had a ranked list of the slices of key lime pie that we tried while we were there, I'll tell you more about our favorites in my "Eating Your Way Through The Florida Keys" post that is soon to come, but if you're planning a trip to the keys, eat as much as you can. It's not as overwhelmingly lime-y as key lime pies from the mainland can, and it was amazing.

Note: Splitting a slice between the table prevents feeling too over-gluttonous, but can end in a fork battle for the last bite!

Thanks so much for reading!! Have you been to Key West? What were your favorite things to do??

Let me know if you try any of these things! I'd love to hear what you think!!!

xo, Lauren

West Key, Best Key | Top Ten Must-Do's in Key West