Who would have thought the Florida Keys & Key West would be steeped in history? A place that seemingly has it all above the surface has even more when you dig a little deeper. With such a colourful exterior comes a colourful past, hidden in the nooks and crannies is a wealth of antiquity just waiting to be discovered, explored and brought to life.
Dry Tortugas National Park
History is breathing in the Florida Keys & Key West, everywhere you look you’ll find museums, landmarks and fortresses with a past you’ll want to keep exploring. From the famous Seven Mile Bridge ( one of the longest over-water bridge in the world) to the Hemingway House, read on to discover the hidden wealth the Florida Keys & Key West holds and enjoy a place of uniqueness and intrigue.
Sailing in Key Largo
Once home to Calusa Indians, Spanish explorers, English pirates and American Presidents, Florida Keys & Key West has seen its fair share of residents. Renowned for accommodating a parade of famous authors, artists and entrepreneurs, none more so than the Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, it’s a fair assumption that Florida Keys & Key West breeds success. You can even find Ernest Hemingway’s actual home he lived in during his time in the Keys with tours allowing you to step back in time and visit the rooms and gardens of a prolific period in the authors writing career.
Ernest Hemingway Home
As you travel deeper through the Florida Keys & Key West you’ll uncover a treasury of museums and fortresses. One of the biggest historical monuments in the Keys is Fort Jefferson, an enormous coastal fortress composed of 16 million bricks, surrounded by beautiful, translucent waters. Word’s struggle to bring justice to a place deserving of the utmost praise, take our word for it, this is one monument worth its weight in gold. Popular culture hasn’t neglected Florida Keys & Key West either, with its fair share of iconic movie locations from films such as flipper and P.T. 109, you’ll find yourself standing on familiar ground.
Snorkeling in Islamorada
Everywhere you visit, you’ll find testaments to great engineering feats. Florida Keys & Key West is the proud home of such feats, with the Overseas Railroad reaching Key West in 1912 and the famous Seven Mile Bridge. Contrary to what the name suggests, the Seven Mile Bridge actually consists of two bridges in the same location. The older bridge was constructed from 1901-1912 and was originally known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge (quite a mouthful). Due to a Hurricane in 1935 the bridge was refurbished for automobile use only, paving the way for a wider, sturdier bridge to be built right next to it. A majority of the original bridge still stands however and is used to this day as a fishing pier with access to Pigeon Key.
The Seven Mile Bridge
With over 2,500 historical buildings, it would take a great deal of time exploring each individual one in this blog, but in short, there’s substance in Florida Keys & Key West. Visit for the charming atmosphere, amazing beaches and crystal clear waters, but always know there’s a wealth of history lurking around every corner.
Well end it here with a video showcasing the just how amazing Florida Keys & Key West is...
https://www.youtube.com/embed/80qGhRCQ7pk
Check out our amazing Florida Keys & Key West deals here