1. Day Trip to Dry Tortugas:  Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park spans 100 square miles (25,900 hectares) of open water, protected coral reefs, and seven small islands in the Gulf of Mexico only accessible only by boat or air. Dry Tortugas is famous for its blue waters, wildlife, and Fort Jefferson—a 16-acre (6.5-hectare) coastal fortress.

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2. The Earnest Hemingway Home and Museum:  Nestled among towering palm trees on Key West, the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum allows you to see where one of the United States’ most famous writers and greatest thinkers lived and worked. The Hemingway Home is a National Historic Landmark and Literary Landmark, and recorded at the Library of Congress as an Historic American Building.

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3.  Mallory Square:  Overflowing with Key West quirkiness, Mallory Square draws a crowd at sunset thanks to its many restaurants, street performers, and daily Sunset Celebration. During the day, visitors come for some of Key West’s best shopping and to admire the open-air sculpture garden, which pays tribute to famous local residents.

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4.  Southernmost Point:  The Southernmost Point of the Continental USA monument is a quick but must-do photo op while vacationing in Key West. The iconic buoy-shaped concrete marker indicates that you’re in the southernmost point of the continental United States, just 90 miles (145 kilometers) to Cuba. Snap a pic and then get busy enjoying island life in this legendary Florida destination.

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5.  Duval Street:  Duval Street, running from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, is Old Town Key West’s main strip, offering a mix of restaurants, bars, boutiques, live music, kitschy souvenir shops, and theaters. Walk the street at your leisure, or plan to attend a Duval Crawl; the street hosts some of the wildest pub crawls in the United States.

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6.  Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park:  Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park spans 54 acres (22 hectares) sits on the tip of Key West and is popular for both its military history and its current recreational opportunities. It is also the location of one of Key West’s favorite beaches, a stretch of sand with turquoise water sometimes called “rocky beach.”

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7.  The Overseas Highway:  Featuring spectacular views of the Florida Bay and the Atlantic, this 113-mile (182-kilometer highway crosses a necklace of islands and 42 bridges from Key Largo to Key West. Along the way, find turquoise water, postcard-perfect beaches, and swaying palm trees, along with the kind of kitschy roadside attractions found only in Florida.

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8.  Truman Little White House:  American President Harry S. Truman used this 1890 landmark as a winter White House, visiting 11 times over the course of his presidency. Now a presidential museum, the house preserves Truman’s legacy with original furnishings, personal items, and memorabilia. Guided tours of the museum uncover personal stories from Truman’s time here.

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9.  Key West Shipwreck Museum:  The Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum lets you step back in time and immerse yourself in the nautical and maritime heritage of what was once the richest city in the US. Discover the perils of shipwrecking and climb the 65-foot (20-meter) lookout tower, from which folks would watch out for Spanish galleons and alert the authorities in case of a wreck.

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10.  Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory:  Butterflies from across the globe flutter through this enclosed conservatory, one of Key West’s most colorful attractions. A garden-like space offers lush habitat for dozens of species, and there’s an on-site learning center devoted to the migratory monarch butterfly. Along with the butterflies, find artworks and educational exhibits here.