The ‘Suns’ Road Trip – 10 : Key West Rum Distillery, Sharks and a Play

[anji]

Florida 2022 – The ‘Suns’ Road Trip – 10 : Key West Rum Distillery, Sharks and a Play

Today was going to be another mooching day, just taking it easy, with a swim and some food and drink before gong to see a play tonight. We had breakfast from the café again and sat by the pool in the sun – beautiful.

Eventually we got ourselves together and set off round the marina area, which was only 5 minutes or less away. It was a beautiful day. We saw the schooner we had gone out on a sunset sail on before – seemingly now a charter ship instead.

We booked ourselves in to the noon tour of Key West’s first legal rum distillery and then browsed a few more shops to pass the time. The tour was free and excellent, if a small building. Unfortunately, you weren’t allowed to take photos inside. Our guide reminded me of Bob from Twin Peaks and I think what he didn’t know about rum isn’t worth knowing anyway. Great guy. He told us about the history of the Distillery and how the rum is made, step by step. The key to a good rum is sugar, not molasses.

Their signature rum is Bad Bitch Rum, which tastes amazing I bought a miniature bottle along with a Vanilla Brulee rum and an original rum. All in plastic bottles for safety and weight. They were generous with the samples too!

After this we bought some takeout coffees and sat on some steps in the sun to drink them, watching more chickens. Then we spent an hour in the Museum or Art & History in the Old Customs House. Lots of fascinating old photos and artefacts about Key West’s rich history.

Will bought a giant cookie from a shop in Duval and then we had a cold drink in Wendy’s. I was disappointed as this always used to be a Denny’s and has definitely gone downhill! From here, we made our way back to the hotel for a swim.

About 5.15 we walked back to the Marina area for early food at Schooners Bar, which was already busy. As we left there was a commotion on the marina’s edge and a man was feeding sharks off his boat! There were 3 bull sharks about 5 foot long actually in the marina just outside the restaurant. He was stringing large fish about a foot long each a rope and throwing them at the sharks. The sharks were taking them and just chomping them up – you can see the tail of one in the photo! Very powerful indeed.

We had tickets for the Red Barn Theatre that evening to see Quarantine for Two, which I’d spotted at home and bought tickets for. The theatre is directly off Duval Street and behind the Hard Rock Cafe, up a little lane, and is just that – a red barn. A really atmospheric and small place. There was a bar outside and we bought a couple of paper cups of white wine. We weren’t allowed to take them into the theatre though.

The play is written by a local called Hy Conrad (writer of the ‘Monk’ series) and was a comedy set in May 2020, a few weeks into the first Lockdown. A couple have had enough of each other and basically hire the same hitman to kill each other! The theatre would also go dark and a big projection of a Zoom call would come up of chats with their friends and their alibi videos. Only one actor was well known from TV – Rhett Kalman – and I believe the other two were local amateurs. It was so funny and would adapt well to a TV play. America had just the same things going on as we did during lockdown – loo roll shortages, uncertainty about what to do, stockpiling, zoom calls, deliveries and wine drinking! Definitely worth seeing.

After the show we used our cocktail vouchers at the Hard Rock before going back to the hotel to pack up a bit to leave tomorrow. I know we’ve not done a lot of the ‘major’ Key West things but we’ve done them before and just wanted to chill basically this time.

Tomorrow – to Key Largo via Botanical Gardens and Crane Pont NP with wild fish pedicure!

Index - https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...2#post15302382
Index -

[scottishnellie]

Fab. That shark feeding?! Wow!

[smithlane]

What a great day! I can't believe those sharks? ! That's gonna put me off swimming in the sea when we visit the Keys

That play sounds like it's right up my street, sounds fab!

[anji]

Originally Posted by smithlane

What a great day! I can't believe those sharks? ! That's gonna put me off swimming in the sea when we visit the Keys

That play sounds like it's right up my street, sounds fab!

See more...

I was surprised to see them right in the marina, must admit. If he does this regularly then maybe they know and are regulars too - like the Tarpon!

[cornishfrogboy]

That Shark feeding, I would love to have seen.

A great day and a concise, superb report.

[mick]

Another great day:spin

Joan