Tucked down an quite lane off of Duval, brand-new 2 Cents ( ) is garnering raves from discerning foodies for its stellar yet affordable gastro-pub cuisine. Don’t miss the avocado cheesecake when it’s featured. ( ), a cozy and romantic spot serving eclectic, first-rate cuisine, like tuna-watermelon ceviche and pan-seared mahimahi with banana salsa. A couple of newer spots around town have been garnering acclaim of late, including gay-owned Flaming Buoy Filet Co. You’ll find plenty of excellent restaurants around town, all of them casual in spirit but some turning out impressively sophisticated contemporary cuisine. EatingĪs you might guess, given the island’s location, both seafood and Latin American cuisine are major culinary highlights in Key West. But you will find some stunning stretches of sand within walking distance of Historic District hotels and guesthouses, including Fort Zachary Taylor, Smathers Beach and Higgs Beach. It is true that compared with many Florida and Caribbean destinations, few accommodations have direct beachfront. It’s sometimes said, erroneously, that Key West lacks beaches. There’s also a Gay Key West Trolley Tour every Saturday at 4 pm. And you can catch a ride to Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas National Park on the Yankee Freedom II ferry – it’s a long way out to this intriguing island park, but the ride – which includes breakfast, lunch, and snorkeling – is part of the fun. You’ll also find a several tour companies and boat charters catering enthusiastically to the gay market, including Blu Q Catamaran Gay Sailing, Danger Charters, and several other outfitters. Other attractions well worth a visit include the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservancy, Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, and Mel Fisher Heritage Maritime Museum. And President Harry Truman set up his “Winter White House” here in 1946 – it, too, is a museum. In addition to Tennessee Williams, the island has been a part-time home of author Ernest Hemingway, whose rambling old mansion is open for tours (note the many friendly six- and seven-toed cats living on the property, descendants of “Papa’s” own feline friends).
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And the Key West Business Guild, which functions as the town’s gay welcome center, is worth a stop as well to pick up brochures and advice on where to go, and also to visit the fascinating free exhibit on legendary playwright Tennessee Williams, who spent much of his life here.Īs utterly relaxing as it is here, Key West actually has enough in the way of museums and activities to keep activity-seekers quite happy. Of course, even if you’re not a student, this is a great time of year to visit (perhaps you like hanging out in bars and gay resorts packed with college students?). Do this, and you’ll be issued a Gay Spring Break Card. to the staff at the Key West Business Guild ( ), right off historic Duval Street at 513 Truman Avenue. All you have to do to partake of a number of discounts provided by local gay-frequented resorts, restaurants, bars, and attractions is present your student I.D. Key West’s Gay Spring Break promotion ( ) is aimed squarely at the thousands of college students who plan their vacations throughout late winter and into early spring. It’s also pretty easy to get here – if you’d rather forego the pretty 3-hour drive from Miami, just fly here: Key West is served by a variety of major airlines with direct flights to Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta and Tampa. This makes it an ideal tropical getaway if you’re seeking the climate and character of the Caribbean, but with an exceedingly welcoming attitude toward gays and lesbians. In other words, while Key West is very much part of the United States, it feels much like its own little Caribbean nation (they don’t call it the “Conch Republic” for nothing). It’s the southernmost point in the United States (with the exception of Hawaii), and it’s less than 90 miles across the Straits of Florida from Cuba.
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1), which crosses dozens of bridges as it wends its way scenically through the Florida Keys. This tiny island is linked to the Florida mainland by the 105-mile Overseas Highway (U.S. In fact, sunny Key West has lately made a strong push to market itself as the ultimate Gay Spring Break getaway. There are still a few mean weeks left in winter, and one of the world’s most delightfully distinctive and wonderfully scenic gay resort destinations beckons.
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Even with much of North America enjoying a comparably mild winter this year, let’s face it – thoughts of sipping tropical cocktails by the pool, floating happily on a catamaran and scampering to the beach in flip-flops sound pretty appealing right now.