Florida
Key West at a Slower Pace: Living on Island Time
Program No. 21797RJ
Find out what makes Key West such a unique city as you stroll its vibrant streets, discovering its heritage, culture, world-class museums and the true spirit of island life.
Participant Reviews
Based on 40 Reviews
SHOWING
This was our first Road Scholar experience, but not our last. I am a fan of the learning/traveling structure. While I may not be familiar with a geographic area, Road Scholar is and they remove the stress of trying to cover all the high points and still expand your mind.
— Review left February 13, 2026
Key West is much more than a Spring Break destination. It's a charming and vibrant location full of fascinating history, beautiful culture, and important commerce.
— Review left February 5, 2026
This was our first Road Scholar tour ,but our second trip as part of a group tour. Our tour guide Lynn was friendly, organized, informative and welcoming! She paid attention to my husband's strong interest in Hemingway and made a special point to tell us about a show, Hemingway in the Funny Way, at the local comedy club. We had already planned to stay in Key West a few days after the tour so we had a chance to go to the show, which was hysterical! The organized tours with local experts were also excellent! My husband and I were surprised by the extensive history that is connected to Key West! We made some good friends on the trip and enjoyed many conversations about professional and personal backgrounds. The location of the hotel was perfect. During our free time we visited the Butterfly conservatory, walked around the town and went to a farmers market in Truman park. There were a couple drawbacks to the program. We felt there were too many people , 32, in the group. We thought small group would be 12-15. It was difficult to get to know all group members. We also would have preferred fewer group dinners. The restaurants were excellent but crowded and noisy and not really suited for conversation when seated with a large group. We did have one evening on our own but would have preferred 2 evenings on our own to enjoy dinner with a small group of new friends and the flexibility to choose meals from a full menu.
— Review left January 22, 2026
Overall, the program offered a rewarding and memorable experience, highlighted by immersive activities like the schooner ride, which perfectly captured the spirit of island time. The guide was excellent, and the relaxed atmosphere fostered meaningful connections and learning. However, some of the walking felt excessive, and several activities required prolonged standing without adequate seating, which was challenging for some participants. A greater emphasis on experiential activities and improved attention to accessibility and comfort would further strengthen an otherwise very enjoyable program.
— Review left January 16, 2026
This is an excellent program. I would like more slower-paced programs as I am over ninety and hope to continue.
— Review left November 22, 2025
Key West on the slow side, is an excellent opportunity to get a brief history of the city and some of the key people who made an impact on that history. As this event was our first Road Scholar program, I will give it a 4.8 out of 5 for a rating.
— Review left January 22, 2025
If you have never been to Key West, FL, this is a excellent program to see many of the most visited sites,
— Review left December 8, 2024
This was a wonderful tour--fun and educational in an absolutely stunning (and WARM) place! Accommodations and food were outstanding and museums/ships/restaurants were all delightful!
— Review left February 26, 2024
Key West is a very interesting and colorful place. We loved our four days there exploring the natural environment, the writers who made it home, the history of shipwrecks, and even that President Harry Truman made it a Little White House. The food was delicious, especially key lime pie. Highly recommend it!
— Review left February 21, 2024
We love travelling Key West with Roads scholar. It gave us great insight to the world.
— Review left February 12, 2024
Both of us enjoyed the week in Key West. Our director, Lynn, was excellent. She was caring, organized (daily written agenda for all), friendly and helpful. The Hotel was excellent and very well located. We enjoyed the Hotel's restaurant also. The other restaurants were very convenient for walking and the food was good and more than adequate.
We did not go on the sailboat ride on Monday because of the wind and rather high waves. The tour of Key West was interesting and the driver was very informative. The "Island Alex" performance at the hotel was "much fun" and the speaker was interesting and uniquely entertaining! The "Hemingway House" tour was excellent. We enjoyed it very much. The "Tennessee Williams" museum was also very interesting and was made even more so by the gentleman who gave the presentation--we really enjoyed his talk!
The San Carlos Institute tour and talk was okay. The speaker had an interesting background and gave us some insight into the Cuban situation past and present. The Audubon House meeting and subsequent tour would be a C+ for us. The lady who came to our hotel and spoke did a fine job. The Custom House tour was very good and both speakers were excellent. We did return the next day to visit the Custom House again.
The speaker who talked about Harry Truman in our hotel did a good job, but we had been on the Signature Kansas City Road Scholar tour a couple of years ago where we had a "Harry Truman" impersonator who came to our hotel to speak and was truly excellent!! The Little House Tour was excellent.
At the Mel Fisher Museum the young woman who talked with us and took us to her work area on the second floor was excellent. The one thing that might improve the experience would be that every person on the tour would be able to have a chair. It was a long day.
We both enjoyed the entire week very much. We loved the setting and the fact we could walk to programs and not have to board a bus.
— Review left February 8, 2024
This walking tour was quite interesting and informative. A great way to explore Key West. Our leader, Lynn, lives in the area, and was delightful, very well informed but didn't give us an overload of info. She gladly answered our many questions with just the right answers from her wonderful bank of knowledge.
— Review left February 3, 2024
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip To Key West, FL. Our leader was excellent, the history was wonderfully presented, the accommodations were beyond reproach, and the food was excellent!
— Review left January 24, 2024
This was our first trip to Key West. Opal Key Resort and Marina was a great location on the waterfront near all the historic spots we visited. The description was 100% accurate - we kept on the go with enough free time to also explore on our own. The instructors, food and pace were all excellent. Lots of opportunity to eat a delicious variety of Key Lime pies! One of the highlights was a sail on the schooner "Appledore". Craig was an excellent group leader. We loved having a very small group (11 people) and we became well acquainted.
— Review left January 20, 2024
wonderful program with lots to learn and a beautiful place to visit.
— Review left November 19, 2023
We had a wonderful time. Johnny Layton, our guide, went the extra mile to ensure we enjoyed ourselves. The presenters and docents were entertaining and knowledgeable and added greatly to our understanding of this Island's varied history. The Schooner ride was a real treat.
— Review left November 18, 2023
Key West at a Slower Pace is an outstanding tour! Visiting the Hemingway home, Little White House, and Tennessee Williams museum plus other experiences combined with excellent seafood and fabulous weather made for a wonderful winter vacation. Thank you Road Scholar.
— Review left March 21, 2023
Great trip to a beautiful, lively city, which is vibrant and full of life and music. Opal Resort is perfectly located for exploring the city and experiencing the glorious Key West sunsets.
— Review left March 18, 2023
This is an outstanding program. Don't miss it! The town is full of history and outstanding restaurants many included in the cost of the tour. And the accommodations are excellent! Enjoy a Key West sunset after a fun day of learning about our southern most city.
— Review left February 5, 2023
Key West is not only a treat for the senses, but it holds a fascinating history as well. One truly learns what "Island Time" means on this Road Scholars tour.
— Review left February 5, 2023
I just returned from Key West and highly recommend this program. Key West is a very welcoming destination with excellent weather, accommodations and restaurants. There is music in air on every block!
— Review left February 4, 2023
Fabulous--- weather and sunsets and food; exploring the fun city, learning about famous residents
— Review left January 22, 2023
Highly recommend Road Scholar. My experience was more than hoped I for. I learned some really interesting facts about Key West. I met some very nice and interesting people as well. Two thumbs up!
— Review left January 22, 2023
This was my first Road Scholar experience but definitely won't be my last. What a great way to see the world!
— Review left January 21, 2023
Loved the program but involved more walking than described.
— Review left January 20, 2023
The week in Key West was my first Road Scholar experience. It was informative, exciting, and educational.
— Review left February 26, 2020
The Key West on Island time is an excellent and comprehensive introduction to the very interesting history, architecture, and lifestyle of the island. The location of the Margaritaville Resort and Marina to help you connect with the Key West experience could not be improved upon. The Mel Fisher and Custom House Museums added so much to little known or forgotten US history. For a first timer to Key West, this tour met and exceeded my expectations.
— Review left February 17, 2020
This was a fun and laid back trip with a wonderful leader and great participants!
— Review left February 3, 2020
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Key West. There is so much history in this little island and the program included sufficient time to delve into it. We learned so much! This tour is one I would highly recommend!
— Review left January 27, 2020
A great trip with super leadership by John Layton and a great variety of experiences with a schooner, resident roosters, wonderful food and surprising new information and knowledge. It was our fifth Roads Scholar trip and one of our best.
— Review left January 27, 2020
This is a great trip filled with interesting talks, sights and delicious food. John was a wonderful group leader. The hotel's location was perfect.
— Review left January 25, 2020
It is too hard tt type on my computer
— Review left November 11, 2019
Well worth the money!
— Review left April 14, 2019
I felt sorry for those who arrived from the big tourist ships just for the day, on "our" island
— Review left April 4, 2019
Experience Key West from the beginning! History comes alive as you go through the islands storied homes, visit museums with an expert, celebrate the sunset, and dine at some of the best places on the Key! A trip to remember!!!!
— Review left March 14, 2019
This program provides a variety of interesting and informative experiences including a visit to President Truman's summer White House, underwater treasurers, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and even a visit to a Butterfly museum.
— Review left March 10, 2019
This is a fantastic program. It exceeded our expectations.
— Review left February 25, 2019
A great program. Introduces things about Key West I had no idea about - the Truman White House and association with Tennessee Williams are two examples. The pace is decent - not too fast, not too slow. And what fun it was to go in the schooner cruise.
— Review left February 17, 2019
Wonderful experience in Key West! Enjoyed the accomodations and the dining. Very enjoyable leader and a congenial group. Learned a lot and would certainly recommend this trip.
— Review left February 13, 2019
A wonderful way to tour Key West. Fantastic accommodations right in the center of everything with outstanding views, delicious food, great group leader, and engrossing speakers. We learned so much about the area. We would never have been able to see and do so much in this amount of time on our own. Road Scholar made it easy and enjoyable. It was hassle free, most enjoyable, and and lots of fun.
— Review left February 11, 2019