Duval Street, Day and Night: A Guide from Half a Block Away

Duval Street is the spine of Key West. It runs about a mile and a quarter straight across the island, from Mallory Square on the Gulf of Mexico to the Southernmost Point on the Atlantic, and most of what people come to Key West for happens on it or within a block of it. Marrero's sits half a block off Duval Street on Fleming, which gives us an unusual view of it: close enough to walk out the gate and be in the middle of things, far enough away to sleep.

This is our guide to Duval by day and by night, and to what it is actually like to stay this close.

Where is Marrero's on Duval Street?

Marrero's is at 410 Fleming Street, in the stretch of Old Town between Duval and Whitehead Streets. Walk to the corner and you come out onto Duval beside La Concha, at the 400 block, roughly a third of the way along the street from the Gulf end.

That puts the liveliest part of Duval within easy reach. La Concha is two minutes from our gate, and the Tropic Cinema, Frita's Cuban Burgers and the Green Parrot are all two or three minutes away. Sloppy Joe's and Captain Tony's, at the Mallory Square end, are about seven minutes on foot, and Mallory Square itself is about ten. The quieter southern half of the street, with its galleries, guesthouses and cabaret bars, runs on toward the Southernmost Point, about a 20-minute walk from us.

Is Duval Street loud?

Yes, especially at night and especially at the Mallory Square end, where the bars keep their doors open and the music spills onto the sidewalk until the early hours. If you stay on Duval itself, you will hear it.

Half a block makes the difference. Fleming Street is a residential Old Town street of Victorian houses, gardens and tall trees, and by the time Duval's noise has turned the corner it has mostly faded. Guests often tell us they were surprised by how quiet and restful the house is, given that they could walk to Sloppy Joe's in minutes. It is the reason many people choose us: all of Duval on the doorstep, none of it outside the bedroom window. You can see the rooms on our guest rooms page.

Duval Street by day

Morning: coffee and Old Town on foot

Duval is at its best early, before the day-trippers arrive. Start with a café con leche: Cuban Coffee Queen has a stand at the southern end of Duval and its original shop down by the Historic Seaport. Then walk. The side streets off Duval, Fleming, Southard, Eaton and Caroline among them, are lined with the island's old wooden houses, and most of the things worth seeing in Old Town are within 15 minutes of each other. If you would rather ride, the hop-on hop-off trolley tours stop along the way, and our innkeepers can recommend a guided walking tour.

Lunch and shopping

For lunch, Frita's, around the corner from us, serves Cuban burgers and sangria in a mural-painted courtyard, and Two Friends Patio at 512 Front Street is a lively open-air spot near the Gulf end. We cover more in our guide to eating like a local.

Duval's shops run from souvenir stands to national chains, but the independent boutiques are the ones worth your time. Two of our favorites are Tucker's Provisions at 611 Duval Street, a well-edited general store of clothing, books, gifts and its much-loved rooster caps, and Vignette at 526 Southard Street, a women's clothing and jewelry boutique a few steps off Duval.

Duval Street at sunset

As the afternoon goes, everyone drifts north. At the top of Duval, Mallory Square hosts the nightly Sunset Celebration: street performers, musicians, artisans and food carts on the waterfront, and a few hundred people turning to watch the sun go into the Gulf. It is about a ten-minute walk from Marrero's. Arrive an hour or so before sunset to find a spot at the water's edge.

If you would rather watch in private, our guide to the Key West Lighthouse Sunset Experience covers the alternative.

Duval Street at night

After dark the street changes character. The shops stay open late, the bars fill, and music comes from every other doorway.

The classics

Sloppy Joe's, at 201 Duval Street, is the bar everyone has heard of, with live music from late morning until the small hours. Around the corner at 428 Greene Street, Captain Tony's Saloon occupies the building that housed the original Sloppy Joe's in Hemingway's day, and its walls and ceiling are papered in dollar bills. Both are about seven minutes from us.

Where locals drink

For something with more local character, the Green Parrot at 601 Whitehead Street is two minutes from our gate and has been the island's favorite neighborhood bar for decades: free popcorn, a pool table and live music most nights. Hank's Hair of the Dog Saloon, on Caroline Street, is a relaxed, dog-friendly garden bar with live bands.

Drag and cabaret

Key West's drag and cabaret scene is part of what makes the island itself, and much of it is on Duval. Aqua, at 711 Duval Street, and 801 Bourbon Bar, at 801 Duval Street, both put on nightly drag shows, each about a five- to seven-minute walk from us. Further south at 1125 Duval Street, La Te Da has a cabaret with a long tradition of headline performers.

Ghost tours

Once the streetlights come on, the ghost tours set out through Old Town, and several of them stop outside our own front gate. Marrero's is said to be one of the most haunted houses on the island; you can read Enriquetta's story on our haunting page.

How to get around Duval Street

On foot, mostly. From Marrero's everything described here is walkable, and walking is the quickest way to cover Old Town. For the longer stretches toward the Southernmost Point, a bicycle is the local choice, and our innkeepers can point you to rentals. The city's on-demand shuttle, Key West Rides, is booked through an app and covers stops throughout the island.

Coming home

After a day on Duval, the walk home takes a couple of minutes. Our afternoon happy hour gathers guests for a drink before dinner, and in the morning a continental breakfast of local pastries and Cuban coffee is waiting before you head out again. For more to do beyond Duval, see our See & Do page.

We look forward to hosting your next Key West stay.

The Marrero's Team