Guest Post: Stephany Bikes Key West!

{I'm off in Key West this weekend! While away, I asked some lovely ladies to tell us about their Key West vacations. Here Stephany shares her recent adventure down in the Keys!}

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Hello, all! I'm Stephany and I blog over at Stephany Writes.

Today, I'm taking over Krystal's blog for today as she spends some much-needed downtime in Key West to recap my own little Key West adventure. I just got back from a fabulous cruise a few weeks ago and our first stop was in Key West. I went with my mom and we planned a fun little bike trip around the island. I thought this would be a great way to get some activity in, learn more about this little historic town, and get to know the area. We checked in with our tour guide and from there, headed over on foot to where the bikes where held. We had a fairly small group. I think 12 people in total, including my mom and I which is the perfect group for a bike tour, I think. Not too many people, not too few.

The tour guide was fantastic. He kept up an easy pace and I was directly behind him, with my mom behind me, the rest of the group behind her. He stopped frequently to talk about different historical spots, beaches, and housing structures. He wasn’t too long-winded but kept up an interesting conversation flow. It was really the perfect excursion for my mom and I – I was able to get my history needs fulfilled while my mom was able to get her exercise needs met.

The tour was two hours long and took us from one side of Key West to the other. We passed Ernest Hemingway’s house, traveled throughout little streets and down the beaches. We passed the Southernmost Point of the Continental United States, although fun fact: it’s actually not the Southernmost Point. There’s a little hotel located close by that’s actually more southern than that landmark and our tour guide thought it was more interesting that a "hunk of rock". Ha! So, sadly, I just got a quick snap of one of the most famous landmarks in Key West since he didn’t stop for us to take pictures.

I really recommend doing a bike tour if you’re ever in Key West. Since we had never been, it was a great way for us to get a feel for the island and learn about it’s rich history. (We also got a bit of a lecture from a writer of the newspaper in Key West, about how people are buying houses there but not caring about the history or culture of the island.) After the tour, we had four hours left until we had to be back on the ship so we spent the majority of it walking around the little shops and streets, soaking in the sunshine and trying to find the perfect touristy keepsakes.

We had lunch at the famous Sloppy Joe’s Bar where we both got sloppy joe’s. (How could you not?) The feel of the restaurant was laid-back where you just walked in, found a table if you could, and a waiter would come to you for your order. I get nervous about those types of restaurants since the service usually sucks but this was not the case for Sloppy Joe’s. Service was prompt and friendly and the sloppy joe? TO DIE FOR. The perfect amount of spice in the meat and soggy bread in the sandwich to make it the best sloppy joe I’ve ever had.

 Key West itself was a cute little town, although I would like to see more of the real island next time I go. We spent most of our time near the ship where all the tourist shops were, after the tour. And even on the tour, we just stopped by some famous landmarks, not stopping long enough to snap more than a few photographs. It would be fun to tour the island on my own and be able to spend more than just a few minutes at special landmarks. For a first-timer with just a few hours to explore the island, it was the perfect way to get a feel for Key West and I completely recommend doing a bike tour!

{Editor's Note: What a FUN way to explore a new place! I have never eaten at Sloppy Joe's before...just gone in for drinks! Looks like something to add to my list...}