What’s On World-Famous Duval Street

November 17, 2011 | Filed under Duval Street

A downtown area in Florida’s popular Key West resort, Duval Street is one of America’s countless renowned gems. You might know it best from the Village People’s hit ‘Key West’: “take a walk down Duval Street, you never know who you’ll meet”

You’ll certainly discover so much about the American way of life as it’s lived down by the Gulf of Mexico. Florida is known for its laid-back sunny lifestyle, particularly given its status as an attractive destination for older retired people moving away from the big cities of the States.

But young or old, this particular corner of town has plenty of character for anyone to appreciate. With famous restaurants and bars such as Sloppy Joe’s, Fogarty’s, The Bull and Whistle, and Rick’s Cafe, it’s a quintessentially American place to be, to hang out, and to have a great time. On offer you’ll find anything and everything: big city style bars, cowboy bars, even cabaret shows for the more adventurous!

Just like the rest of America too, it’s a veritable melting pot when it comes to the kind of things you can do and enjoy. Even in shopping, there really is something for everyone, with a mixture of high priced stores and bargain shops.

In the evening the district truly comes alive, and is a huge amount of fun for any visitors. Some people of course pay a brief visit when they arrive and get off the cruise in Florida, but many more like to take their time and appreciate everything there is on offer.

With the opportunity to rent an electric car or take a short cruise around the coast, you can relax and unwind and enjoy the tranquillity that some head here for, just as much as the heady and upbeat atmosphere when the crowds are out having fun.

For a fun escape or a quiet cosy retreat, lots of different people come here for many different things, and they find it.

If you’re heading off and exploring Duval Street and the other charming, exciting spots on offer in the beautiful sunny state of Florida, make sure you find a good deal on holiday insurance by heading to a site such as direct-travel.co.uk, as well as your flights and your accommodation. That way, you can enjoy the amazing experiences on offer and find out why so many people come here and rave about this much talked-about part of the globe.

San Carlos Institute

June 4, 2011 | Filed under Duval Street Buildings Worth Noting

It’s right there in front of you every time you walk down Duval Street in the 500 block but if you’re like me you probably never knew what is was. There it is at 516 Duval, an imposing, beautiful historic building with a Spanish facade lovingly restored. It houses the San Carlos Institute, which is a Cuban cultural center that’s been at this location since 1890. José Martí spoke there. The organization itself began in the 1870s but later moved to Duval Street, where a collection of donors and government funding keep the old building in tip top shape.

The San Carlos Institute, according to its website, was an all encompassing center for Cuban expats in Key West. Initially formed by supporters of Cuba’s freedom from Spain, it quickly became a center for bilingual education…one of the first in the country, in fact. Integrated long before almost any other school in the United States, it wasn’t just for children of Cuban expats. Children of all races could attend the San Carlos Institute.

Money to keep the Institute and the school going came mainly from Cuba during the early days, but of course that changed with Fidel’s takeover in 1959. By 1973 they couldn’t keep things going and closed the school. It sat in disrepair for almost twenty years. In 1981 a chunk of the building fell on a tourist and people wanted to tear it down.

A Miami attorney named Rafael A. Peñalver, Jr. was pretty much solely responsible starting a movement to save the building (and the San Carlos Institute). He put in millions of dollars of his own and the building reopened in 1992. Now you can attend concerts, Songwriters’ Festival and other events in their 360-seat theater.

Walgreens, Formerly Known as The Strand

September 7, 2010 | Filed under Duval Street Buildings Worth Noting Duval Street Shopping

Best Walgreens in the USA

Duval Street has changed a lot over the decades, and however you may look at it, one thing stands out: Duval Street is home to the most awesome Walgreens ever. Seriously, we challenge you to find a grander, more colorful Walgreens anywhere around the country, and betcha you won’t find many housed in a former theater. Yes, The Strand was once a movie theater that sat over 800 people.

Like most small town, old-timey movie houses, The Strand couldn’t stay in business and lost out to the larger movie plexes. Unlike most old movie houses, however, this one has been kept up and maintained. We are lucky that the current tenant, Walgreens, chose to restore the paint job and keep the figurines on the outside of the building.

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The Bull and whistle, the Garden of Eden

April 5, 2010 | Filed under Duval Street Duval Street Bars

The Whistle Bar, the Bull and the Garden of Eden are all located in the same building. Not really sure why the Whistle Bar and Bull are different bars, they seem more like the same bar on two floors but whatever. There is a great balcony at the Whistle Bar where you can look out over the street and people watch. The Bull downstairs often has some sort of live entertainment. The whole building tends to be pretty happening and all three bars are pretty popular. The Garden of Eden is located on the roof and is a clothing optional bar. No cell phones or cameras are allowed. Due to it being on the roof, weather can be a factor on how many people are up there and how naked they are. The Garden of Eden is a hot spot during Fantasy Fest and Spring Break.

Bull and Whistle

Garden of Eden

Margaritaville

April 5, 2010 | Filed under Duval Street Duval Street Bars Duval Street Restaurants

Margaritaville, another must see in Key West. A monument to the free spirited and alternative life style of Jimmy Buffet or a corporate shell, you decide. They do serve pretty good cheeseburgers, personally I won’t eat there again after seeing Corporate Jimmy Buffet sue everyone in sight. Corporate Buffet has sued people for using the phrase “cheeseburger in paradise”, “conch coconut telegraph”, and even sued Six Flags for having a club called “Carrothead Club” for young fans of Bugs Bunny, because it sounds like parrothead. I’ll probably get an angry letter for this but I think Jimmy Buffet sucks anyway.

yay! margaritaville

Sloppy Joe’s and Captain Tony’s

April 5, 2010 | Filed under Duval Street Duval Street Bars

Sloppy Joe’s and Captain Tony’s, well Hemmingway lived in Key West for a couple years and ever since then Key West has been milking this for all it’s worth. Hemmingway’s favorite bar in Key West was Sloppy Joe’s and it has been an iconic place to go have a drink ever since. Apparently Sloppy Joe’s is not located where it used to be. In Hemmingway’s day it was located where Captain Tony’s saloon is now. So you can either go have a drink where Hemmingway physically drank or you can go have a drink in the bar with the same name as where Hemmingway used to drink. Both bars are very popular especially with middle aged tourists. Captain Tony’s has a tree growing through the center of it, which is pretty neat. Sloppy Joe’s is bigger and sometimes has a lot of people in it. They both have live music sometimes.

Capt Tony's

Sloppy Joe's Bar

They are both kind of must sees when visiting Key West.

Simonton Beach

April 3, 2010 | Filed under Beaches Near Duval Street Duval Street

Another beach in close proximity to Duval street is Simonton Beach. It is located at the north end of Simonton street which runs parallel to duval street. It is a small beach and has a boat launch for small boats. It looks out over the harbor and can be a good place to sit and watch boats. There is a small dock I see people fishing off of now and again, it would probably be a good spot to fish at night.

Beach at the end of Simonton Street

There are also bathrooms and changing rooms at the beach and some parking but the parking is very limited.

Harbor View at Simonton Beach

Duval Street Restaurants

March 11, 2010 | Filed under Duval Street Restaurants

Where’s the best place to go for seafood? Anyone who works on Duval Street has no doubt been asked this question dozens of times. Key West is full of fishermen and women, charter fishing boats, commercial fishing enterprises, lobster trappers, and fresh fish every where you look. Just stroll the docks at Historic Seaport when the charter fishing boats come in, you’ll see the mates busy filetting up the fish, or snapping pictures of fish with proud anglers.

But which Duval Street restaurants serve up the freshest seafood at the best prices with the best service? That’s an ongoing debate, and differs according to your needs, but some places have great reputations and others don’t. If you’re willing to pay a bit more, you’ll get better service, and that can make a world of difference, especially at Duval Street restaurants where service can be the worst thing about your meal if you’re not careful. In a town known for expensive real estate and hard drinking, good help is hard to find. You may want to shell out a bit more dough just to have a pleasant dining experience because it’s probably going to be worth it.

Duval Street Hotels

March 11, 2010 | Filed under Duval Street Hotels

Staying on Duval Street while on vacation in Key West can be the greatest thing ever, or it can be a huge mistake. It all depends on what your vacation is all about and how much money you have. And of course which hotel you choose. Duval Street hotels range from the sketchy accommodations with weekly rates and gruff managers, to the posh historical oases of calm and quiet on an otherwise busy street that sizzles with energy day and night.

Duval Street is the center of shopping, restaurants, bars, festivals, and almost everything that’s exciting and fun and doesn’t involve being on a boat or in the ocean. Staying in a hotel on Duval Street will put you within walking distance to just about everything you want to do, including boarding boats for water sports, tours, and excursions.

You will be able to park your car if you drove to Key West, which is something you’ll be thankful to do, once you’ve driven here from Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Key West is a small island, and the less driving you do, the better. This makes the Duval Street hotels very attractive to the average visitor.

There’s only one drawback to staying on Duval Street, and that’s if you end up in a hotel that’s too small or badly designed to isolate you from the noise at night. Luckily, this is not much of a problem in most cases. Many of the Duval Street hotels are small, but they’re clever: they put the rooms in the back so guests can sleep peacefully no matter what craziness is occurring out on the street. Just ask about where the room is located before booking a room and you’ll have a great vacation staying on Duval Street.

Why We Love Duval Street

March 10, 2010 | Filed under Duval Street

Key West is a small island city with a very diverse population. While certainly a wealthy community, there are also plenty of regular folk just trying to make a living in Paradise. While there are lots of snowbirds here in winter, making the average age tilt toward the retirement generation, there’ s a vibrant youthful energy on Duval Street, with kids, twenty-somethings, rockers, skaters, and even a small underworld that’s kept closely in check by our friendly Key West Police department.

In short, Duval Street is a microcosm of a larger city, with many of the elements found only in larger metropolitan areas without the pitfalls that come with urbanization… like major crime and stress. This is the start of a long list of reasons why we love Duval Street!

Stay with us and we’ll take you on a photo-video journey up and down Duval, from Key West’s South Beach to Mallory Square. In addition to streetlife on Duval, you can check out bars, hotels, restaurants, shopping, and festivals. It’s all here on one crazy street called Duval.