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Best Way to Get Around Key West?

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Text and Photo © Cindy Muir. Photos © Tammy Camp.
Catch beautiful views biking around Mallory Square in the mornings.

Best Way to Get Around Key West?

Rent a Bike!

I started renting a bicycle in Key West during Meeting of the Minds back in 2010. I’ll admit that I thought it was a waste, since we had a rental car driven down from Ft Lauderdale. But I’ve come to rely on bikes during the annual Meeting of the Minds Parrot Head convention (MOTM) and I’ll let you know why.

During MOTM in 2011, I was on a mission to meet and interview Trop Rock musicians for the magazine column I wrote at the time. I was in the “Single Girl Room” of my Parrot Head Club and my short-term room mates didn’t rent bicycles, but I got mine as soon as I could. There was one afternoon when I was going back and forth between the Lighthouse Court and Captain Tony’s, waiting for a couple of musicians to be available to talk with me. If I hadn’t had the bike, I never would have made the timeline.

Hopping on a bike eliminates that wait for a shuttle bus and burns a few calories, to boot!

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It’s easy to spot Parrot Heads riding around Key West!

Bicycle rentals average about $10.00 a day in Key West. If you’ve paid attention to the information coming from PHIP (Parrot Heads in Paradise), you’ve seen that registered attendees of MOTM can receive a discount at the bike rental area at the Casa Marina Hotel.

There are also other bike businesses that will even deliver your bicycle to where you are staying. All bikes usually come with a basket (that’s SO handy!) and a locking chain to secure your bike to a rack, street post or palm tree.

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It’s easy to spot the Key West local’s bikes.
I don’t think you can rent the washtub trailer…

 

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TIP: It’s common to park with a lot of other rental bikes. Remember your bike’s number.

One word of caution: out of the four years I have rented a bike in Key West, there has only been one year that I haven’t suffered a fall.

Yes, there tends to be alcohol involved at MOTM, so ride your bike with common sense. Don’t forget to put on our breaks or stop and think there is a curb on which to rest your foot (when there isn’t), as I have done! I still say that a skinned knee is worth it to get around quickly in Key West!

I live in Port Aransas, Texas and love all things Parrot Head and Trop Rock. I enjoy interviewing Trop Rock artists, attending events and always look forward to seeing Trop Rock friends from around the nation! Author of the Trop Rock lyric infused cozy mystery book "Schooled for Murder." Check out my website at www.CindyMuir.com

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