Duval Street, Key West

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This is the main street in the old part of the city, and you will end walking it a lot. There are a lot of restaurants and galleries. Truman house, Pan Am house, Hemmingway house, Audobon house are either on it, or within the immediate vicinity. There is also a theater.

Duval Street is one of the most popular areas of Key West. It is what Bourbon Street is to New Orleans- the most crowded and action packed and heavily touristed portion of the area. Here you will find some of the most popular bars and restaurants in addition to shopping. The Key West Aquarium and some of the museums are located along Duval Street as well.

Much like Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Duval Street is the place to go in the evenings. Unlike the Big Easy, there are few evening options away from this main drag. During the day, Duval Street is a prime people watching spot and the place to spend your on land time while in Key West.

I loved the shopping on Duval. SO many shops to choose from. Dive shops, souvenirs, clothes, art, etc. I could spend the whole day there and not hit every store. LOTS of beachwear and sarongs. Grab a bite at Sloppy Joes or any of the other restaurants on the street.
Sunset at Mallory Square isn't to be missed, but get there early....no parking and the place gets packed due to all the street performers and everyone wanting to watch the sun set.
Beautiful!

If you have kids it seems low key from 8:am to 9:pm after 9 it get fast and loud. We couldn't stay off the street - the kids and my wife loved the shops $$$$$$$. Try it you will love it, keep your credit cad at the hotel if you can or you will know every ATM on that street like me.

Duval Street is party central in Key West and is home to a multitude of bars and lounges. Duval has the flavor of a cross between a college party town and a beach resort. The atmosphere is distinctly casual and the common practice is to hop from bar to bar in search of better entertainment/music. Almost every establishment has live entertainment ranging from regular bands to open mikes. Some are better than others - all are entertaining if not amusing. The other bonus of Duval is that taking your drink with you along the street seems to be an accepted practice.

As the evening progresses and people get increasingly tanked, Duval can turn into a carnival of sights and sounds, and is host to many, many crazy things. Expect to see things you would otherwise not expect to see given how tranquil Key West can appear during the day.

A couple of nights on Duval St. will have you and your liver begging for mercy. Plan to spend a few days recuperating from the constant party.

I was never much of a Duval Crawler when we lived here in the 60s. But it seems like now when we drive down to Key West, we always end up driving on Duval Street to get to someplace I want to see. We've only actually walked down Duval once that I can remember - that was when we returned our rental car and picked up the Bone Island Shuttle and got off downtown to have lunch.

We walked by a place with a guy with purple hair (or at least his hair was purple in the spotlight) playing a guitar and singing the "One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater" song. Except that instead of people the thing that was being eaten was a slang word for the male sex organ that begins with P and rhymes with wrecker.

There are all kinds of street entertainers from musicians,artists,acrobats and fire breathers, also very interesting characters as you can see from the picture. Key West is also known for it's Gay and Lesbian scene

It's such an interesting place. The architecture is unusual (to us Northerners!) and I love the plants, flowers, and palm trees. Duval Street is the main street with many, many stores and interesting sights to see.

My husband and I were out one night and saw this car parked on Duval Street. The white things are all shells--the whole car is decorated with shells! There are some eccentric folk living in Key West :o)

You cannot travel to Key West without strolling Duvall Street. Stop in one or two of the more "famous" bars such as Sloppy Joe's or Hogs Breath, sit back and people-watch. I would patronize the "chain" places like Hard Rock or Fat Tuesday's only after experiencing the one-of-a-kind bars. The Duvall Crawl is a must-do, leave the kids at home for this one.

This is when you walk up Duval St from one end to the other trying to hit as many bars as you can! Take a taxi after or just walk (if you can!). Learned this from trolley car tour guide. Duval St. is the main drag where the shops and nightclubs are located. It’s a great place for window shopping, dining, and people watching.