Nestled in the heart of the Old Town section of Key West, a mere one block from the Tropical Inn Bed & Breakfast, is the one time home of Nobel Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway. The colonial southern mansion style home witnessed some of the most prolific years of Hemingway’s career.

Located at 907 Whitehead Street, the Hemingway House has been listed as a U.S. National Historic Landmark since 1968. Serving as his home from 1931-39, this where Hemingway wrote such classics as the final drafts to “A Farewell to Arms” and short classics “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.”

The original structure was built from limestone quarried from the site by Asa Tift in 1851. Only 16 feet above sea level, the house sits on the second highest location on the island and has survived many hurricanes, a testament to its location and construction.

Other notable facts of the Hemingway House include being one of the first homes on the island fitted for indoor plumbing and the first to have an upstairs bathroom with running water fed from a cistern collecting rainwater on the roof. The high brick wall surrounding the property was built in 1935 after Hemingway’s house was published in a Key West tourist brochure.

The home also has other notable features that will not be given away here, you have to see it for yourself. The house is a great tribute to one of America’s most fascinating but complicated authors. It is a must on any Key West itinerary and literally right around the corner from the quaint bed and breakfast, the Tropical Inn.

Join one of the biggest street parties in the United States when you’re staying at the Tropical Inn Bed & Breakfast anytime between October 17^th and October 26^th.

This year’s theme, “Pirates, Pundits, and Political Party Animals” coincides well with the U.S. presidential election. Zany spoofs and costumes will abound nightly in Key West, with many events over the 10 day span, from the Homemade Bikini Contest or the Pet Masquerade & Parade to Sloppy Joe’s Annual Toga party to name a few.

Fantasy Fest was created in 1979 to draw visitors and business to the Keys during the slowest month of the year. Joe Liszka, founding member of Fantasy Fest, remembers in October of 1978 seeing Duval Street and Key West nearly deserted so he wanted to create a party that would tell people that October is a beautiful time to be in the Keys..

Thus, Fantasy Fest was born but it didn’t become a mainstay of Key West life until 1982, when the island seceded from the United States, becoming what is casually known as the Conch Republic for a short time. 

This year’s festival will culminate with Captain Morgan’s Fantasy Fest parade on Saturday night, October 25^th. But, as the old saying goes, “It ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings” so the Fat Lady tea dance closes out the festival on October 26^th.

So, this maybe a good time to make your reservation for Key West’s quaint bed & breakfast, the Tropical Inn. It’s conveniently located to all of Fantasy Fest events, which will certainly fill your evenings with lively entertainment.

Parasailing is a recreational activity where someone attached to a specially designed parachute is towed by, most likely, a boat. Anyone can do it and commercial operators in the Keys provide a safe experience at a good value. In fact, the Keys are considered the better value for parasailing when compared to the Caribbean islands.

Most parasail rides available in Key West last anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes, after which you gently land back on the boat towing you. Depending on the power of the boat, more than 1 parasail can be towed by a boat at the same time.

But the biggest reward of the experience is seeing the tropical environment of the Keys island chain and the clear, turquoise waters of the Gulf and Atlantic. As an added bonus, a parasail ride will allow you to see much of the marine and coral life in the waters beneath.

Several parasail operators are within close proximity of the picturesque Key West bed & breakfast, the Tropical Inn. Solo rides are priced around $40 and tandem rides around $75, which is a great value for quite possibly a once in a lifetime experience.