Wheelchair Travel in Key West: 5 Cool & Accessible Experiences
The Key West, FL was definitely right up my alley and I would go there a million times if I could! I’m an all time water/ beach person as a true Pisces is, but one of the things that really drew me in was their website. It had a separate page for people with disabilities and how accessible the Key West is! (Which it was) How cool and welcoming is this! Getting on a flight is one thing but finding accessible things to do is a whole other ordeal. That’s why I put together this list of accessible activities in the Key West that I enjoyed and would totally recommend!
Snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
I wish we’d taken a picture because the whole experience was so good! The boat itself had a ramp so going in and out was easy - peasy. But, getting into the water was a task. There were two guys from the State Park and my two bahubalis 💪🏻 (Dad/Bro) who carried me in and out of the water. At one point, I literally sat on the edge of the boat and fell into the water! That was nice! (Now I get why people cliff dive!) The snorkeling itself took a second to get used to but, it literally felt like I was watching the Disney movie, Finding Nemo live! One kid even saw a shark! 🦈
Key Lime in the Key West. They have it in all forms: pies, ice cream, alcohol!
They say when in Rome, do what the Romans do which basically means to follow what that state does. :P Hence, Key Lime Pie is a must. When we go and explore place. We need to also explore their culture and the things they do right 🤷🏻♀️
Shopping on Mallory Street/ Duval Street
If you think that street shopping is cheap, then think again! I guess since this is a tourist place, the prices are jacked up! When we went, it was quite hot - going in the afternoon was a bad choice perhaps. No wonder, the streets were empty that time! I was bathing in sweat and stopped by every shop just to get under the fan lol. The shopaholic in me still managed to get a few stuffs though🙃
Swimming with the Dolphins at Island Dolphin Care
This was a spontaneous thing which I’m so glad we did! The guy at the Coral Reef State Park told us about the Island Dolphin Care and told us how his wife works there - how coincidental was that! (Totally meant to be) This organization works with people with all kinds of disability, not only physical - like autism for instance. I had an assisted swim which basically means an instructor (Danielle who brought so much joy in the water) would come in with me. My mom and I were definitely excited to encounter dolphins, but we didn’t expect the amount of happiness that it brought us. No wonder it’s called Dolphin Therapy!
Food - Marker 88, Breakfast club, Ana’s Cafe, the Cafe
Our family is a big-time foodie with a mix of dietary preferences - Vegetarians, Eggetarian (Lol) and Non-Vegetarian. So, the hunt for food was a long one! Luckily, we found options, many actually, and one of them was a Pescatarian (Vegetarians who eat fish!) restaurant - The Cafe. Ana’s Cafe had great Cuban coffee (for all the Coffee addicts), and the Breakfast Club was obviously meant for ‘breakfast food’ items. Out of all, I think Marker 88 was the best. It was on the beach, had live music, a boardwalk onto the sea and we were there for sunset 😍. Plus, the food had so many options which ticked all the boxes!
I already know what I want to do when I come back! I obviously wanna redo the snorkeling and swim with the dolphins. But, I also wanna go on this private boat by Active Disabled Americans - an organization specializing in accessible boating trips for people with disabilities.