Key West Art & Historical Society continues its series of educational and entertaining walking tours led by local artist and historian Sharon Wells on Saturday, March 10 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, spotlighting the lives and locales of Key West writers and artists.

Said to have more writers per capita than anywhere else in the nation, Key West has long been synonymous with writers and artists, attracting the likes of Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Elizabeth Bishop, John Dewey, Tennessee Williams, Robert Frost, Jose Marti, Thomas Sanchez, Annie Dillard, and James Gleick, all who have called the island city “home.”

“Key West is infused with culture, history, intriguing characters and a tradition of “live and let live,” and has long lured authors, novelists, short-story writers, playwrights, biographers, journalists, publishers and literary agents to the frost-free, tropical city,” says Wells.

Wells begins the tour at the Custom House Museum, which Hemingway frequented daily to retrieve his postal mail when he lived here from 1931-1939, and finishes on the corner of Dey and Elizabeth Streets, where artists Suzie depoo and Pulitzer-prize winning poet James Merrill lived, respectively. Tour-goers will walk approximately a mile, with highlights to include the Audubon House, Capt. Tony’s Saloon, Sloppy Joe’s, and the Red Barn Theater. The cultural, historical, literary, and architectural heritage of these historic neighborhoods comes alive in her commentary and personal observations, anecdotes and involvement in Key West’s historic resources for nearly 40 years.

The tour series is presented by The Society as part of their commitment to providing activities and programs that highlight the abundant history and cultural assets of Key West and the Florida Keys.  Tickets are $25 for members, $35 for non-members. Register now as space is limited.  For more information, visit KWAHS.ORG/EDUCATION or call Adele Williams, Director of Education at 305.295.6616 extension 115. Your museums.  Your community.  It takes an island.