One of the most popular attractions in Key West is the Southernmost Point Buoy
It was one thing to do my weekly Sunday Morning Sports Talk on WLAP (630 AM) Sunday from Key West and have a lizard resting under my feet, roosters crowing and police sirens sounding off several times. But that was just the start of a bucket list type of do — or at least a bucket list type of day for me.
I have had friends visit the Southernmost Point Buoy in Key West that marks the southernmost point in the continental U.S, the lowest latitude land of contiguous North American states.
The large painted buoy — it is 12 feet tall and seven feet wide — is one of the most viewed landmarks in Key West and like it does most days there was a line of visitors waiting to get their picture with this unique buoy noting that Cuba is 90 miles away to the south.
Originally there was only a sign designating this spot but in 1983 the City of Key West wisely switched the concrete buoy. The paint job was done by local painter-artist Danny Acosta and he restored the buoy to its original status after it was damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
We even found free on-street parking, a rarity in Key West.
Mile Marker 0
Not far from the buoy is another popular tourist attraction — US 1 mile marker 0. Locals told me most days over a hundred people have a picture taken there and during peak season it can soar to 1,000 with a wait in line to get the picture.
US 1 is a highway that runs from Maine to Key West and mile marker 0 can also disappear at times as some visitors are too eager to take the actual sign with them.
The green and white sign in the picture has been trademarked by a local T-shirt shop owner. There are plenty of Mile Marker 0 and Southernmost Point Buoy souvenirs sold in shops near Mile Marker 0.
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park
Okay, I really didn’t know a lot about the park but it was near the buoy and mile marker. Friends also told me it has a very scenic beach. In fact, several folks here told me it was Key West’s favorite beach and it had a big crowd Sunday.
Visitors were picnicking, swimming, snorkeling, paddling, and fishing. There are a lot of picnic tables with grills and you can rent chairs, umbrellas, and snorkel gear.
One negative for me was the rocks on the beach and in the water. My old feet are just not tough enough to totally enjoy that but the water and scenery were both great.
I also enjoyed the short walk to Fort Taylor. It is a national historic monument and has the largest cache of Civil War armament in the world. It is also the southernmost state park in the United States.
A stroll through the fort gives you a close look at cannon and gun ports as well as a glance into what life was like in the fort that played a big role in the Civil War and Spanish-American War but was also used in World War I, World War II and the Cuban missile crisis.
Unfortunately, this was not the third weekend of the month when local re-enactors have demonstrations. I also missed the daily 11 a.m. guided tour.
History is front and center the third weekend of each month as local re-enactors conduct historic demonstrations.
There is a small admission charge at the park.
Key West Wildlife Center
We read about the Key West Wildlife Center — and its free admission — and spent about an hour visiting the facility that provides rescue and rehabilitative care to over 1,400 wild birds annually along with rescue services for sea turtle, tortoises, and both marine and land mammals.
The volunteer on duty told us a little history about the facility including the on-site clinic that provides immediate treatment to injured and sick wildlife in the Keys. She also told us how the Wildlife Centre has an agreement with the City of Key West to provide rescue, medical care, and adoption services for the feral chickens that roam freely in Key West. The Wildlife Center rescues sick, orphaned, and injured local chickens and provides medical care to get the chickens in shape to find them new homes.
She then sent us off on the trail where we got a close look at various birds in the facility’s care as well as the turtle pond.
The facility is open to the public every day except Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Courthouse Deli & Whit’s Frozen Custard
In between stops we found Courthouse Deli and decided why not see what was inside. The employees were so helpful and explained the building was about 130 years old and had been a drug store, grocery store, office, and even a clothing store before switching about four years ago to the deli and frozen custard store.
It had everything from Cuban sandwiches to egg salad. I trusted the staff’s recommendation on Jeff’s Italian sandwich named after a former employee. It has ham, roast beef, salami, onions, roasted peppers, provolone cheese, olive spread, olive oil, and glazed balsamic on fresh Cuban Bread. It took about five minutes to put together and was great. Same with the side of pasta salad we had.
What really caught my eye, though, were the special ice cream cones — one is covered with sprinkles. Return visit for sure to try the weekly special flavor and those cones.
