We woke up and headed out via Uber around 7:45am. We were dropped off at the Southernmost Point of the Continental USA. It is marked by a statue and its neighbor is property owned by the government. It’s simple but still pretty cool.

From there we had a decent walk to Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Fort Zachary Taylor, built from 1845 to 1866 to guard Key West’s harbor, stayed under Union control in the Civil War and later served in coastal defense through World War II. The top tiers were removed in 1898 for modern batteries. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973, it became a Florida state park in 1985, preserving the fort and one of the largest collections of Civil War cannons.

It was $2.50 per pedestrian and gives you access to the beach and fort. You can climb to the top of the fort as well. The beach offers a refreshing breeze and rentals. Admission is from sunrise to sunset and you can come and go. The parking seemed ample too, in case you want to drive.

We walked up to Blue Heaven for breakfast. They had some live music and were pretty busy. Tables had a 20 minute wait, but we were able to sit at the bar. I had eggs, potatoes, bacon, and sausage. It was all really good and the service was great despite the busy environment. The music was easy listening and at a good volume.

Then we walked over to the Key West Lighthouse, which is $19 for admission and you can climb to the top. We passed on this but did peek at the lighthouse, then headed across the street to the Hemingway House, which was about $19 for admission and includes a 30 minute guided tour.

Almost all the estate is up for grabs and you learn a little history about the house and the man, including his wives, in particular the second one who technically owned the house. On the property are 57 cats, so they are just as much a part of the tour as the house itself. Many have six toes and a few have seven toes. You get a decent view of the top of the lighthouse from one of the balconies, which was also how Hemingway found his way home many times when he indulged too much at the bar. It also has a gift shop on site.

We then headed up to the Key West Cemetery. Tip: you can only enter off Margaret Street. The Key West Cemetery was established in 1847 after the October 1846 hurricane washed away the earlier burying ground. Some older markers, for example 1829 and 1843, were relocated there. On 19 acres atop Solares Hill it holds an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 graves, many above ground due to the high water table, and includes historic memorials such as the USS Maine Mast.

It isn’t shaded, and by this time it was hot and humid and we were basically dripping with sweat, so we wandered a little bit and then headed for AC, which led us to Southernmost Pint Brewpub, Blast Beer Company Brewery. The bartender was awesome, attentive, and social. I had a Good Boy vodka drink and the boyfriend tried a flight. He was impressed with the beer. We both relished in the AC and we really didn’t want to leave.

However, we had one more brewery to complete the trifecta on Key West, so we headed to First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery. The boyfriend tried a beer, but the real showstopper here was the food. We had a bunch of appetizers and everything was incredible. It was hands down the best meal of the trip. We had the ahi tuna poke, sweet corn curls, deviled eggs, and shrimp scampi flatbread. It was a $100 meal for sure, but it was worth every penny. The service was also good, and they have both AC inside and an outdoor patio.

We walked over to Clinton Square Market, which has some unique stores and restaurants and is located in a historic building. We then stopped by the Smallest Bar, which lives up to the name, before heading to Hemingway Distillery.

Here you have the option of a $35 tour, flights in the tasting room, or flights and or cocktails in the social club. We opted for the social club and sat at the bar. We had a drink and spent some time enjoying the atmosphere. A woman was also using us as guinea pigs, trying out some new sips of cocktails she was making for a tasting menu.

Sunworn, sweaty, and tired, we grabbed an Uber and returned to the hotel. We were pretty worn out, so we ordered dessert from Better Than Sex to our hotel room. I had to see what such a highly rated dessert place had to offer, 4.8 stars out of 5 with over 4,500 reviews.

We got the Pervert, which is a peanut butter silk pie, and the Pimp, which is a caramel salted popcorn cheesecake. Both were rich and delicious. I can definitely understand their rating. It’s hands down a delicious dessert. The only downside about the place is the limited hours, 6 to 11pm, hence the Uber Eats to the room.

We called this dinner, as we were still pretty full from our tapas meal earlier. We relaxed for the rest of the night and fell asleep early.