After visiting Key West several times with my family as a teenager, it’s safe to say this location is my overall favorite vacation destination. I was therefore thrilled when my husband had a meeting scheduled in Key West a few years ago. After his meeting, we headed up to Marathon for a few days to enjoy the nearby beaches and parks. If you’re heading to the lower and middle keys of Florida, I have several suggestions of visits and hikes below!
Hemingway Home & Museum
There are no shortages of walkable tours in Key West, and I began most of days with a quick hotel shuttle ride down to the north end of the famous Duval Street. I was able to get my daily hiking mileage in each day – along with a few stops at the local drinking holes and historic sites. One of my favorite stops has always been the Earnest Hemingway Home and Museum. While the house and history surrounding the writer is worth the visit alone, I’m not gonna lie: I go there for the cats.
The cats? Yes. If you don’t know the story already, Hemingway was gifted a polydactyl (six-toed) cat from a sailor back in the 1930’s. This kitty’s many descendants roam the grounds on their extra-toed paws.
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Fort Zachary Taylor is a doable hike from downtown Key West, winding through a residential area and through the entry gates. The battlements are still in relatively good condition, and you can either jump on a tour or roam the grounds on your own. There’s not a lot of food or drink options on the way to the park or in most of the park itself, so be sure to take your own!
After exploring the fort itself, I spent a few hours on the beach. I had been hoping to do a lot of snorkeling on this trip, but we had some unlucky weather patterns that kept the ocean whipped up the entire duration of our stay. There is, however, a small shack selling snacks and beverages (alcoholic and otherwise) near the shore, so you can sit back and enjoy the view and breeze, too.
Southern-Most Point
You might be aware that the southern-most point of the continental US is indeed Key West. The Southernmost Point Historical Landmark is a popular tourist photo op at the end of Whitehead Street. (Unfortunately the monument was so crowded when I went I didn’t manage to get a single good shot myself!) But it’s location makes it a good destination for a hiking route up and down both Duval and Whitehead. During my jaunt, I stopped at the famous Capt. Tony’s bar, and enjoyed the murals and architecture around town.
Bahia Honda State Park
As I mentioned above, while we spent the first part of our trip visiting Key West, we finished our vacation an hour up the road in Marathon. We headed to Bahia Honda State Park first, where there’s plenty of hiking opportunities both on the old bridge span, as well as the shoreline. We finally got in the water for a bit of swimming and snorkeling, too.
Crane Point
There’s a lovely park and museum in Marathon, hidden right next to the cottage we stayed in while in town. (If you’re looking for an affordable room in the area, I highly recommend checking out Tropical Cottages in Marathon. There are few adorable cottages to choose from, surrounding an outdoor tiki bar where you can congregate with the other guests. We had an amazing time each evening and made some new friends – both human and furry!)
Crane Point serves as a nature park, bird sanctuary, and museum, so there is plenty to see here to make the somewhat hefty ticket price worthwhile. We strolled many of the trails, visited the museum buildings hosting historical items and information about the area and railroad, and got up close and personal with some exotic birds.
Enjoying my “Looking Back” series? Over the past few years, my love for both hiking and traveling has increased almost exponentially, and I’ve been fortunate to have had so many opportunities to travel recently. With the current health crisis, our travel plans for 2020 were scuttled; so I decided I’d take some time over the next few months to write this “Looking Back” series, where I dive into a recap of some of my favorite trips over the last few years. Click the navigation below to read more.