TRAVEL 01-15-06 EZ EE P4 CMYK

The Washin P4 Sunday, January 15, 2006 The Keys 1 0 0 From to , a Mile Marker-by-Mile Marker Guide to the Island Chain

KEY WEST THE LOWER AND MIDDLE KEYS

ATTRACTIONS AND DISTRACTIONS LODGING ATTRACTIONS AND DISTRACTIONS

ª Be the southernmost tourist by standing at the For 10 Key West standouts, see Page P6. Mile Marker 67.5 (oceanside): There’s not much large wide-striped buoy on Fleming and Whitehead of a beach, but State Park (305-664- streets, which marks the Southernmost Point in EATING 4815, www.floridastateparks.org/longkey; $3.50 for the continental U.S. (snap a photo, it’s the thing to one, $6 for two) compensates with camping, do). Go any more south and you’ll end up in Cuba, 90 ª Mangoes (700 Duval St., 305-292-4606) canoeing and nature trails. Pack a lunch and duck into miles away. dresses up the usual suspects (conch, yellowtail) and one of the picnic cabanas on the park’s boardwalk. ª When evening looms, the freaks, uh, the street offers diners two tableside views: a front-row porch MM 59 (bayside): Dolphins, dolphins everywhere. performers come out for the Sunset Celebration at along Duval and a tucked-away courtyard. Dinner Interacting with the mammal is the top priority at the Mallory Square (305-292-7700, www.sunsetcele entrees $14-$25. Dolphin Research Center (305-289-1121, bration.org). The pier transforms into a virtual circus, ª At Pepe’s Cafe (806 Caroline St., 305-294- www.dolphins.org), a nonprofit education facility on including a neo-Houdini (chains, straitjacket, upside- 7192), morning-after partiers crowd inside for . Admission $19.50; dolphin programs down) and Dominique the Catman and his troupe of rehabilitating breakfasts such as omelets stuffed with (meet Flipper, swim with Flipper, etc.) from $40. trained house cats. cream cheese and scallions ($7.50) and a tower of MM 56.2 (oceanside): Campers will love the ª Come darkness, the revelry migrates to boisterous pancakes ($5.25). water views at (305- Duval Street, which becomes an open-air frat party, ª Harpoon Harry’s (832 Caroline St., 305-294- 289-2690, www.floridastateparks.org/curryham complete with bottomless cocktails, loud bands and a 8744) cooks up good ol’ greasy diner food — that is, mock; $3.50 for one, $6 for two) on Little . , sliced by th clothing-optional rooftop bar (the Garden of Eden, if your type of grease comes as a bagel with salmon RV and tent campsites are $26 a night. above the Bull and Whistle, 224 Duval St., 305- and capers ($9.95). Sit at the counter and talk about MM 50.5 (bayside): For a kid-friendly break from pound — flavors include B 296-4565) where the peepers outnumber the the weather, or in the turquoise booths and listen to U.S. 1 traffic and a good area primer, stop at the Voodoo Queen — starting a pantsless. BY ANDY NEWMAN / TDC talk about the weather. Museums and Nature Center of Crane Point ª The Key West City Cemetery, a sprawling 1847 Jugglers join the evening revelry during the ª B.O.’s Fish Wagon (801 Caroline St., 305-294- Hammock (305-743-9100, www.cranepoint.org; LODGING graveyard, has its fair share of historical names and Sunset Celebration in Mallory Square. 9272) wins the prize for its top-notch fish $7.50). Or drive toward the ocean at the same traffic monuments, but for some gallows humor, seek out sandwiches ($8 for fried, $9 for grilled) and oddball light to Sombrero Beach. There’s an appealing park MM 68.5 (bayside): The the more irreverent sites. Pick up a map at the ª Commotion (800 Caroline St., 305-292-3364) character (and characters). (swings, picnic tables, gardens) fringing the sand, hued rooms with big clunky sexton’s office at the main entry off Margaret Street has a lock on linen, with racks of dresses, jackets, ª El Meson de Pepe (410 Wall St., 305-295-2620; and the beach itself (for the Keys, at least) is a beaut. but the standard rooms at and Passover Lane. skirts and shirts for every occasion. entrees $13-$49.95 for paella for two) couldn’t be any MM 48.5 (bayside): The Turtle Hospital (305- Bay Resort (800-723-4 ª Learn about the queen conch at the Key West ª The sponges at Mallory Square’s Sponge Market, more Cuban, short of having Castro mix your mojito. 743-2552, www.turtlehospital.org) is one of the resort.com; from $79) offe Conch Baby Farm (631 Greene St., 305-296- a mini-museum with a shop, are harvested nearby The high-ceilinged, boisterous restaurant feels like a Keys’ top stops. Call for a tour ($15) of the first-rate MM 62.3 (oceanside): C 3551, www.conchrepublicseafood.com; free), an and are ideal for cleaning countertops, cars, unbathed 1950s dance hall; the island fare includes stuffed green facility, which nurses ailing reptiles back to health, long, sandy drive from the aquarium filled with tanks of conchs the nonprofit bodies — or just sitting pretty on a shelf. Also in plantains and roasted pork in cumin-mojo sauce. then buy a T-shirt and donate to the cause. Cottages (800-330-15 hopes to raise and release into the wild. Mallory Square’s marketplace, the Shell Warehouse (There’s a second locale at 3800 N. Roosevelt.) MM 47 (bayside): You can walk 2.2 miles down tages.com; from $74) on W ª At the Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture has two ocean’s worth of shells. ª The Waterfront Market (201 William St., 305- the Old to visit Pigeon Key kitchens. Garden in Mallory Square (www.historictours.com/ ª Peppers of Key West (602 Greene St., 800-KW- 296-0778) is no ordinary grocery: Its shelves are (305-289-0025), a town built in the early 1900s for MM 61 (oceanside): I keywest/SculptureGarden/index.htm; free), count SAUCE) stocks 400 sauces, many with names as fiery stocked with healthful snacks, organic produce, railway workers — or conserve your energy and hop elsewhere. But the myriad heads — the 36 busts depict the city’s most notable as their contents. gourmet cheeses and other lunch fixings good for a on a tram for a guided tour ($8.50, oceanside). suites, villas) at the spraw personalities, including Ernest Hemingway and Harry ª Key West has two art gallery rows: White Street picnic or to take upstairs to eat in the loft-nosh area. MM 37 (oceanside): The star attraction in these (888-443-6393, www.ha S Truman. parts, Bahia Honda State Park (305-872-2353, on get good grad ª Get your culture/history/fish fix in the historic www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda; $3.50 for Clinton Square area, which includes the Mel Fisher one, $6 for two) has the top beaches, the nicest Maritime Museum and the Audubon House. Grab a map at the Chamber of Commerce (402 Wall St., 305-294-2587, www.keywestchamber.org). G ª To cover more ground, hop aboard the Conch Tour Florida Ke Train (305-294-5161, www.conchtourtrain.com; Marathon A $25), which wends its way around the town’s top Great White Heron National Wildlife attractions, including Sloppy Joe’s Bar. Purchase Refuge tickets in Mallory Square. ª Papa slept here . . . at the Ernest Hemingway Turtle Museums and Home & Museum (907 Whitehead St., 305-294- Hospital Nature Center of 1136, www.hemingwayhome.com; $11). He also Crane Point wrote some of his masterworks at the historic 19th- Hammock

5 Key Bahia 0 Vaca Perky’s Bat Tower Honda 4 State Park Pigeon 5 Key Marathon National Key 4 0 3 Deer Refuge Boot 0 2 2 3 Key Sombrero 0 5 5 Seven Mile Bridge Beach 0 Cudjoe 1 Bahia 1 Key Big Pine Honda 5 Spanish Key Key Harbor MM 57.5 (oceanside): Boca Key roadside motel in these par Chica serious dough with the sim Key Sugarloaf 1 Key Key’s Seashell Beach R 0 campsites and some of the Keys’ best snorkeling. www.seashellbeachresort.c 1 Baby’s Coffee Plus, its waterside cabins ($120) are large and the kitchenettes, free kayak ª Turtle Kraals Restaurant (231 Margaret St., secluded. MM 54.5 (oceanside): T 305-294-2640) is an old turtle cannery that serves MM 30.5 (bayside): Stop at the National Key — elevated to palm-top le all kinds of seafood (mango crab cake, $9.95; Deer Refuge visitors center (305-872-2239, Beach and Tennis seafood enchiladas, $14.95), minus the obvious one. www.fws.gov/nationalkeydeer; free) in Big Pine Key www.cocoplum.com; from Key West International On Mondays and Fridays, join in the turtle games, Plaza, a quarter-mile down Boulevard, and imported from Hawaii. Tu Southernmost Airport when six hard-shelled competitors race to the finish grab some info on the Bambi-like critters. Then drive Cocoplum Drive at Route 1 Point Key West line. around Big Pine and No Name keys and keep an eye MM 49 (bayside): The C ª Kelly “Top Gun” McGillis owns Kelly’s Caribbean out. Ask for directions to the Blue Hole, a rock quarry 289-8089, www.crystalba Bar and Grill (301 Whitehead St., 305-293-8484), that’s now home to gators. a bit frayed around the ed a casual yet elegant eatery. In the outdoor dining MM 29 and environs (oceanside): Snorkel or dive that way. There’s mini golf and upper Duval Street (1100-1200 block). Of note: area, dig into such entrees as crab ravioli ($13.95) or the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. See and 29 units (15 with kitch century house; keep an eye out for the six-toed cats, the Wave Gallery (1100 White St., 305-293-9428), Caribbean apple chicken ($14.95). story, Page P7. a huge area, so there’s no c descendants of the author’s polydactyl pet. for local and contemporary works; Harrison Gallery ª At Blue Heaven (729 Thomas St., 305-296- MM 17 (bayside): It’s a trifle, but a weird one. MM 48.5 (bayside) ª Fort Zachary Taylor State Park (end of Southard (825 White St., 305-294-0609), for bold creations 8666), even the chickens and cats under the tables Perky’s Bat Tower (turn down the road at the sign Tranquility Bay Beach H Street past Truman Annex, 305-292-6713, on shutters, wood sculptures, etc.; and Gingerbread can’t distract diners from such dishes as organic black for the Sugarloaf Airport and go to the end; free) on 0888, www.tranquilitybay. www.floridastate parks.org; from $1.50) offers tours Square Gallery (1207 Duval St., 305-296-8900), for beans and rice tostados with jerk chicken, shrimp or was an early attempt at mosquito in late fall and is perfect fo of a Civil War fort and one of KW’s nicest beaches. You scenic-to-folksy paintings, art glass and more. tofu ($10 range). The restaurant, a favorite among control; it’s now on the National Register of Historic and three-bedroom rentals can also snorkel, kayak, fish, bird-watch and hike. ª At Besame Mucho (315 Petronia St., 866- vegetarians, specializes in American cuisine with a Places. The experiment failed: The oblong tower plasma TVs and 2.5 baths. ª See how tastes have changed at the Turtle Kraals BESAME1), fill your home with wares that evoke a Caribbean flair. today remains bat-free. MM 47.5 (bayside): Big Museum (200 Margaret St., 305-294-0209, more romantic era, such as hand-painted lanterns, ª Though many gripe that Louie’s Backyard (700 Barnacle Barney’s Tiki Bar www.seaturtlemuseum.org; free), a former turtle terra-cotta sugar bowls and brass scissors. Waddell Ave., 305-294-1061) is too expensive SHOPPING Hammocks of Mara cannery that now nurses ailing or vulnerable turtles. ª For kitsch with a long shelf life, Fast Buck (average dinner costs $45 each) and overrated, the www.bluegreenrentals.com ª The “Broadway 3 Ways” cabaret show (1125 Freddie’s (500 Duval St., 305-294-2007) peddles view of the Atlantic will ease the pain in your wallet. MM 61 (oceanside): You may not have the Duval St., 305-296-6706, www.lateda.com; bamboo home accessories, tropical attire and the Splurge on seafood, lamb chops or chicken with a thousands of bucks to spend on its prints, but the $24.50-$28.50) features a pair of queens and one one-of-a-kind crab lamp. Half Buck Freddie’s (726 Caribbean streak, or enjoy the same view with a less Alan S. Maltz Gallery (a quarter-mile off U.S. 1 in What Did W straight man (well, almost), who sing and dance the Caroline St.) discounts leftovers from Fast Buck. expensive lunch ($8-$18). Hawk’s Cay Resort on Duck Key, 305-743-3044) is Have any favorite best of Broadway. ª For trinkets that come in all colors and animal ª New York stalwart Sarabeth’s Key West (530 worth a stop just to gawk at the nature photography. spots, restaurant ª If you have a slap reflex, avoid the Key West shapes, head to the Pelican Poop Shoppe (314 Simonton St., 305-293-8181) migrates south with MM 54 (oceanside): If it’s kitschy souvenirs you’re that we didn’t incl Butterfly and Nature Conservatory (1316 Duval Simonton St., 305-296-3887). Before shopping, such specialties as green chile pepper mac and looking for (you’re in Florida, right?), Shell Man travel@was St., 800-839-4647, www.keywestbutterfly.com; explore the secret garden out back, where cheese ($12) and a shrimp roll ($12-$14). (305-743-2272) in Marathon is there for you. Rows $10), where butterflies of all stripes float around in a Hemingway wrote “A Farewell to Arms.” — Andrea Sachs of geegaws — mood rings to T-shirts — are bound to stunning glass-bubble garden. keep the kids busy, and the prices won’t kill you. ª Key West waters are filled with booze and sunset MM 53.5 (bayside): The front porch is nice, but cruises, but for a more sober on-water experience the prices (prints starting at $20 or so) at Marathon’s take a starlight or full-moon kayak tour with Blue Bougainvillea House Gallery (305-743-0808) — Planet Kayak (305-294-8087, www.blue-planet- an artist co-op — are what won us over. Lots of kayak.com; $40) or an astronomer-led stargazer choices here, mostly of the palm-tree-and-pelican sail aboard the Western Union schooner (305-292- variety; the fused-glass fish in the window was a 1766, www.keyweststargazer.com; $45). good deal for $20. ª Get a taste of two Key West icons — Jimmy Buffett MM 50.5 (oceanside): For an explosion of and the roaming chickens — on the Trails of Caribbean color, pop into Krazy Larry’s Last Store Margaritaville tour (see story, Page P7) and at the (305-289-5282) and the Goofy Gecko (305-289- Chicken Store (see story, Page P8). 4228), connected boutiques in a strip mall, for painted furniture, clothing, jewelry, tile paintings and SHOPPING barware (including $295 painted bar stools). MM 30.5 (bayside): For watercolors or sculptures ª Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe (200-A with an aquatic bent, the Artists in Paradise Elizabeth St., 305-296-0806) puts the tart green Gallery (Winn Dixie Plaza, 305-872-1828) features citrus in nearly every household item: condiments, the work of more than 30 locals. (Grab a picnic at the jams, margarita mix, candles, soaps. Free samples! strip mall’s supermarket while you’re at it.) ª Find the sunnier side of SoHo style at Blue (718 MM 15 (oceanside): Baby’s Coffee (800-523- Caroline St., 305-292-5172), a smart boutique that 2326), which calls itself the “southernmost coffee sells fashionably forward women’s attire, such as BY BOB CRIST / CORBIS roaster in America,” is a great place for a caffeine Rebel is one of the perm military capris and ropes of colorful neck candy. When the sun sets, the action heats up in Duval Street’s bars, including legendary Sloppy Joe’s. boost before Key West. You can also buy java by the the Turtle Hospital in M