5–6 hours · a beach-and-history day
A little farther, by golf cart.
Choose this day for a historic fort or a beach pause beyond the compact waterfront, followed by lunch back in Old Town. A cart can reduce the longer walks for your group; it still needs collection, legal parking and a separate return.
TRANSPORT FOR THIS PLAN
This plan is designed around a cart.
Bone Island Rentals is the closest cart rental to Pier B. Check in first at 424 Greene Street, Key West. For golf carts, staff guide you after check-in across the street to pickup at 112 Fitzpatrick Street. The walk to check-in is approximately 0.2 mile or four minutes via Greene Street. Renter and driver must be 21+. Include legal parking and the walk from your space.
Return sequence: finish sightseeing, return the cart to the confirmed location, complete handover, then walk to the crew-directed Pier B entrance. Keep the separate ship buffer.
Rental information
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Operator information only. No affiliate relationship is confirmed. This site does not take bookings.
A good fit for: Groups who want to reduce the longer walks and have a suitable driver.
Some walking remains at the park, parking areas and pier. A cart is not an accessibility guarantee.
ISLAND SCALE / WEST-END DETAIL
A little island. Real distances.
These curated plans stay on the west end. The island view shows scale; the detail shows your stops. It does not add a cross-island excursion.
01 / THE ISLAND
02 / OLD TOWN DETAIL
START · Pier B
- Check in first · 424 Greene Street area45 min
- Fort Zachary Taylor60 min
- Cuban Coffee Queen · Clinton Square building35 min
Return to Pier B reference only. Return the rental at its separately confirmed location first; that location and its connecting leg are not mapped. 55 min return + 60 min extra buffer.
YOUR DAY, STEP BY STEP
Approximate planning allocations · adjust for conditions
Activity numbers match the map; arrows mark travel.
- 01
PICKUP 0 min–45 min after leaving Pier B / 45 min
Check in, then collect your golf cart
Start at Bone Island Rentals customer check-in, 424 Greene Street, Key West—not the vehicle pickup address. After check-in, staff guide golf-cart customers across the street to pickup at 112 Fitzpatrick Street. The existing 0.2-mile / roughly four-minute walk to check-in is an estimate, not a promise. Renter and driver must be 21+. This 45-minute slot includes reaching check-in, paperwork and handover; do not assume a cart is waiting. Before leaving, confirm your rental-return location and deadline, the supplied vehicle’s legal route, capacity, restraints and parking rules. If collection overruns, shorten the park or lunch before touching the return allowance.
TRAVEL 45 min–1h 10m after leaving Pier B / 25 min
Drive to the park and park legally
Ask the operator for a legal route for the supplied vehicle to Fort Zachary Taylor, 601 Howard England Way. The published visitor approach is via Southard Street through Truman Annex and the signed park entrance; do not follow a waterfront shortcut through restricted property. This 25-minute allocation includes admission and parking. Park entry is paid separately from rental; check current fees and alerts. Confirm the cart is admitted and where it may park—neither a space nor a legal route is guaranteed here.
- 02
STOP 1h 10m–2h 10m after leaving Pier B / 60 min
Choose the beach or the fort
Choose one main experience within this hour. For history, explore the brick fort, gun ports, cannon displays and interpretation of its coastal-defense role. For a lighter outdoor break, use the shoreline and picnic areas; the beach includes pebbles as well as sand. Parking-to-stop walking, changing and the trip back to your cart belong inside the same 60 minutes. The park lists restrooms, showers and water-refill facilities; check what is available that day. Do not attempt a full fort visit plus a swim. If entry is delayed, make a shorter fort or shore visit; if closed, stay in Old Town rather than finding another beach.
TRAVEL 2h 10m–2h 30m after leaving Pier B / 20 min
Return to Old Town
Return by the legal route and use marked parking in northern Old Town, convenient for your confirmed rental-return instructions. Pay where required; a small vehicle has no special parking rights and resident-only spaces are not visitor parking. The following lunch is on foot at the north waterfront. Do not assume the lunch venue has cart parking or leave the cart at 112 Fitzpatrick without the operator’s return instructions.
- 03
BREAK / FINAL ACTIVITY 2h 30m–3h 5m after leaving Pier B / 35 min
A simple lunch near the north waterfront
Cuban Coffee Queen at Clinton Square, 291 Front Street #6 in the Shops at Mallory Square Market, is a specific north-waterfront option: coffee and a Cuban-style sandwich, with dine-in and air-conditioning listed by the operator. This is the Clinton Square branch, not the Historic Seaport location. Ask about the wait before ordering; the 35-minute meal/rest allocation includes service and the walk from legal parking. If it cannot fit, choose quick service in the same area, skip extra browsing and begin the rental return earlier. A seat, open door or quick order is not guaranteed.
RETURN 3h 5m–4h / 55 min
Return the rental, then reach Pier B
Allow 55 minutes for the legal route to the operator, parking, inspection and handover, then the walk to Pier B. Confirm the rental deadline at pickup; it is separate from all-aboard. Start earlier if conditions or a queue require it. Cut optional sightseeing first, never the ship-return buffer.
Return the golf cart
Reach your confirmed return location, park legally and complete inspection and handover. Meet the operator’s return deadline.
Return to Pier B
Walk to the crew-directed cruise entrance. Follow your ship’s instructions and keep the separate 60-minute buffer intact.
BUFFER Final 60 minutes
Keep your buffer intact
Aim to be at Pier B before this buffer starts. Allow for access, queues and boarding. Follow your cruise line’s official all-aboard instructions and any earlier reporting time.
Before you commit
The rental-return address and deadline must be confirmed independently of check-in and collection. A cart still leaves walks within the park, from parking and to the pier. Delay cuts: shorten park time, use a quick lunch and omit browsing. Keep the entire 55-minute rental/ship-return allowance and separate 60-minute ship buffer; follow an earlier ship instruction or operator deadline.
These are editorial time budgets, not guaranteed travel or queue times. Begin earlier or shorten the day if your pace, weather or actual rental location needs more time.
Check before you go
City of Key West · port facilities Florida State Parks · Fort Zachary Taylor Fort Zachary Taylor visitor services · entrance directions City of Key West · street-work updates Fort Zachary Taylor · current entry information Fort Zachary Taylor · experiences and facilities Cuban Coffee Queen · Clinton Square location and menu City · event and street-closure calendarEditorial research review: October 19, 2026. Check live conditions and official information on your day.