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By Jamie Allen Web posted at: 12:49 p.m. EDT (1649 GMT) KEY WEST, Florida (CNN) -- Ernest Hemingway might be long gone, but his spirit is alive and drinking in Key West, Florida. Well, the tourists are drinking to his spirit, at least. From the time the writer lived here in the late '20s and '30s, this key at the farthest southern outreach of Florida's stretch has transformed from island getaway into Party Central for vacationers, a laid-back destination of sunburnt tourists, breezing palm trees, all-day happy hours, and Hemingway t-shirts. "You can't get away from his face. It's everywhere around here," says Craig, a bartender at Sloppy Joe's, which is the name of the bar where Hemingway tipped a few. (The current establishment is located in around the corner from the original.) This time of year is the busiest for Key West. As the world celebrates the 100th anniversary of Hemingway's birth, the annual Hemingway Days Festival is in high gear, attracting tourists from around the globe.
"We wake up to enjoy our history and to teach people how to enjoy their lives." But Key West manages a strong tourist influx year-round. It has become a favorite haven for college kids, senior citizens, and all ages between, most of whom are drawn to the history of the island and its breezy climate and personality. "Laid-back atmosphere seems to be tops," says Andy Newman, who promotes tourism in the Keys. "It's very much a live-and-let-be environment." "We just wake up in the morning and go to another party," says Joe Pais, the assistant director of the Key West Art and Historical Society. Pais visited the island 20 years ago while on vacation, and never left. "That's Key West. We wake up to sunny skies at this time of year, a nice ocean breeze. We wake up to enjoy our history and to teach people how to enjoy their lives." Key West history
When landing at Key West International Airport, the first thing tourists might notice is the airport's sign: The "y" in "Key" looks like it might fall off; the "e" in "West" did. Below, in faded colors, it reads, "Welcome to the Conch Republic." Perhaps the dilapidated look is the result of the occasional hurricane that rumbles through, but not many locals seem to notice or care. Heavy storms have been blowing through here for centuries, and most everyone seems to get by. Explorer Ponce de Leon first mapped the island on Easter Sunday in 1513, according to historical records. In 1821, the same year Spain ceded Florida to the United States, the island was sold in a Havana, Cuba, tavern to John Simonton of Mobile, Alabama, for $2,000. Key West was incorporated in 1828. During the Civil War, it housed one of the largest naval facilities in the United States "because it stayed in Union hands," according to Pais. During the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century, "it was the largest naval base in the United States at that time," Pais says. By the time Hemingway arrived in the late 1920s, the island was an eccentric escape. During those days, the Conch Republic didn't recognize Prohibition, drawing a wide range of residents, from bootleggers to artists. Since Hemingway's days, the popularity of the island has grown steadily. President Harry Truman used his Little White House on the island as a vacation from Washington duties. By the late 1970s, Key West was getting a tourism boost from singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who sang about life on the island in his hit "Margaritaville." Today, Key West is the year-round home to approximately 35,000 people, with an estimated one million tourists passing through annually. Duval by day
The action for vacationers centers around Duval Street through Old Town Key West. By day, a stroll down this commercialized thoroughfare offers a wide range of sights: scooters zipping through traffic, bell-ringing trolleys, sun-dazed guys and gals wearing the barest essentials, t-shirt shops, places offering temporary or permanent tattoos, restaurants boasting the best conch fritters... bars, bars and more bars. Music and the aroma of stale beer waft from joints like Sloppy Joe's. Near the water, waverunners are abundant. Fishing boats head to the Florida Straits for marlin. Sailboats skim to nearby coral reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving. Among the most popular tourist attractions:
Duval and surrounding streets are lined with Victorian architecture, including restored bed and breakfasts like the Curry Mansion. "Key West still has the largest wooden historic district in the United States, bar none," Pais says. At the far end of Duval lies the southernmost point in the United States, just 90 miles (144 km) from Havana. It's a popular picture-taking spot for tourists. So popular, in fact, that a man who calls himself "Shorty" solicits tips for snapping your picture with your own camera. (Beware: if you take Shorty's picture, he'll ask for cash or your film.) Duval by night
As the sun goes down, the crowd heads to the northwest end of the island, where hundreds gather in Mallory Square to pay respects to the last moments of daylight. Street performers entertain by juggling flaming sticks, walking on glass, performing mime routines. All eyes turn to the horizon at sundown, and applause ripples from the square as the last slice of sun disappears. "I've been here three other times," says Scott, 28, from Michigan. "Everyday it's the same. The sun sets and people stop and notice. It's like a monumental achievement each day." By night, Duval comes alive with neon lights and music as partyers crowd the walks and perform what locals call the Duval Crawl: stopping at each bar for one drink, then moving on. There are so many offerings today, even Hemingway might have trouble doing that. Sloppy Joe's is the epicenter of the Duval nightlife. Music -- either a live band or DJ -- constantly blares from the open windows and doors. Bells ring to announce tips to the bartenders. Sloppy Joe's patron Linda Sandler, 33, from Jacksonville, Florida, says she comes to Key West because it's a convenient getaway. "It's a quick trip, still in the U.S., and it's like another world," she says, holding a Corona. "Everything is so laid-back. You lay in the sun in the day and eat seafood at night. And drink, there's always the drinking." Hemingway here, there, everywhere
Especially where Hemingway is concerned. The Hemingway Days Festival runs ten days this year from July 16-25 to honor the centennial of the writer's birth. It includes a birthday celebration at Sloppy Joe's, a "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest featuring bearded wannabes, a short story competition and writers' workshop, and a mock "running of the bulls" down Duval (Hemingway made several visits to the real event in Pamplona, Spain). Of course, there's also the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, a Spanish Colonial affair located a couple of blocks off Duval at 907 Whitehead Street. This is where Hemingway wrote classic fiction like "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." The museum offers tours through the house seven days a week ($7.50 for adults, $4.50 for children). Six-toed cats roam the grounds; tour guides tell visitors that Hemingway brought the first extra-digited feline to the island and these are its descendants. (Hemingway scholar James Nagel says Hemingway actually kept cats in Cuba, not Key West, where his wife insisted upon peacocks in the yard.) Museum-goers consider the Hemingway House as a top-of-the-list priority. "If you come (to Key West), you have to see where he lived," says Jeremy, 22, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "Otherwise, you'll go home and people will ask you, 'Did you go see the Hemingway place? How can you visit Key West without seeing Hemingway?'" Indeed, it's difficult. Even places that don't have much to do with the writer still use his legend, dubbing themselves "Papa's" or "Ernest's Cafe." (Some locals are still sensitive about a recent dispute sparked by Hemingway's family, who wanted profits from anyone that used his likeness or name.) Hemingway's legend is even found off the beaten path. Bahama Village, a low-income section of town currently being renovated with hip restaurants like Blue Heaven, is home to Kermit "Shine" Forbes. Shine was Hemingway's sparring partner back in the '30s. He tells stories about Papa's lack of boxing skills, and how the writer used to visit Bahama Village and have a drink with the residents. Meantime, Pais says the East Martello Museum in Old Town offers the largest collection of Hemingway items, including boxing gloves and notebooks from the writer's childhood. Pais says Papa might be gone, but he was a true Key West resident. "He belonged here in Key West," Pais says. "He was a great character." And new characters continue to show up and drink to Hemingway's name. If you go . . .
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