Living in Key West

Is Fort Zachary Taylor one of the most haunted places in Key West? 👻🌴

Happy Friday! Grab your coffee because Fantasy Fest's biggest weekend is here, and we have plenty to talk about!

We're kicking things off with some college football predictions before diving into what's happening around the island.

Greg's talking real estate and something buyers don't always consider. What can't listing photos tell you about a home? From unusual smells and sloping floors to natural light and neighborhood noise, we're sharing some things that can completely change how you feel about a property. 🏡

And with Fantasy Fest heading into its final weekend, we're sharing what's happening around Key West, including the Masquerade March, Duval Street Fair, and Saturday's big parade! 🎭

Then things get spooky as we head to Fort Zachary Taylor, one of Key West's most fascinating historic landmarks. From its important role during the Civil War to the soldiers who lost their lives there, the fort has some incredible history.

But according to local ghost stories, some of those soldiers may have never left. Mysterious footsteps, unexplained sounds, and sightings of uniformed figures are just a few of the stories surrounding this historic fort. 👻

Would you explore Fort Zachary Taylor alone after dark?

Island life, real estate, Fantasy Fest, and a little haunted Key West history.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday at 7 AM.

#KeyWest #FloridaKeys #FantasyFest2026 #HauntedKeyWest #WakeUpInKeyWest

Zombies on Duval Street, apple cider margaritas, and haunted shipwreck treasure? Just another week in Key West! 👻🌴

Happy Wednesday! Grab your coffee because we have plenty to catch up on!

We're talking about our night watching the Zombie Bike Ride, experimenting with fall cocktails, and Stephanie's plans to turn part of our home into a little container garden. 🌱

We're also sharing an exciting real estate opportunity! Two of our favorite Key West spots, La Crêperie and Viv, are for sale, and we'd love to help find their next owners.

With Fantasy Fest in full swing, we're looking at some of the fun events happening around the island this week, including the Pet Masquerade, Headdress Ball, and Rocky Horror Picture Show! 🎭

Then we're heading to the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum, where we're diving into the fascinating history of the Isaac Allerton shipwreck and the dangerous work of the wreckers who helped build Key West.

And, of course, things get spooky. From mysterious shadow figures and unexplained activity to a supposedly cursed silver bar, the museum has some pretty unsettling ghost stories. 👻

Would you bring home a piece of shipwreck treasure if someone told you it was haunted?

Island life, local happenings, real estate, fascinating history, and a little Key West mystery.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday at 7 AM.

What happens when a supposedly haunted doll disappears, and all the strange activity stops? 👻

Happy Monday from Key West! ☕️🌴

We're catching up on our weekend at Goombay, homemade vegan gyros, college football, and our puppy houseguest who has decided his nightly potty walk should include a trip down Duval Street. Apparently, he has a better social life than we do.

Greg's also talking real estate and whether a home that's been sitting on the market for months is necessarily overpriced. 🏡

With Fantasy Fest in full swing, we're sharing some of the fun events happening around Key West this week, from Mrs. Roper Romp to Tutu Tuesday and the Pet Masquerade! 🎭

Then things get spooky as we revisit the Audubon House and the mysterious story of Mrs. Peck, a supposedly haunted doll that vanished in 1997. From unexplained sightings and strange photographs to alarms going off in empty rooms, this is one Key West ghost story with a particularly unusual ending.

Would you keep a haunted doll if you found one?

Island life, football, real estate, Fantasy Fest, and a little Key West mystery.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday at 7 AM.

Happy Friday from Key West! ☕️🌴 Fantasy Fest is officially here, and we have plenty to talk about!

We're breaking in our new espresso machine, sharing Stephanie's pumpkin succulent creation, and making our college football picks for the weekend. 🏈

Greg's also talking real estate and the tradeoffs between living in the heart of Key West and having more space farther up the Keys. Plus, we're checking out a new spot on Angela Street and sharing what's happening around the island for Fantasy Fest's opening weekend! 🎭

Then things get a little spooky. 👻

We're heading to the historic Audubon House, where the fascinating history of one Key West family comes with some pretty unusual ghost stories. Mysterious figures, unexplained voices, and even the occasional tug from someone who isn't there!

And here's the fun part. The Audubon House actually shares its ghost photos and videos on its website, so you can judge for yourself!

👻 See the Audubon House ghost stories, photos and videos

Do you think the Audubon House is haunted?

Island life, local happenings, real estate, football, and a little Key West ghost hunting.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday at 7 AM.

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Do you believe in ghosts? And have you ever experienced something you just couldn't explain? 👻🌴

Grab your coffee because we're getting into some spooky Key West stories this morning!

We're kicking things off with a little ghost talk before Greg shares some important things to consider when buying an older home in Key West. Those charming historic houses have plenty of character, but there are a few things you'll want to know before falling in love. 🏡

With Fantasy Fest kicking off Friday, we're also looking back at how Key West's biggest celebration got started in 1979, including some surprising stories about the people who created it. 🎭

Then we're heading to the legendary La Concha Hotel, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year! From famous guests and fascinating history to mysterious elevator rides and unexplained sightings, this iconic Duval Street hotel has some stories to tell. 👻

Would you spend the night in a hotel you knew was supposedly haunted?

Island life, real estate, a little Key West history, and some good old fashioned ghost stories.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday at 7 AM.

#KeyWest #FloridaKeys #FantasyFest #HauntedKeyWest #WakeUpInKeyWest

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What if one of Key West’s most dedicated lighthouse keepers never really left? 👻🌴

Grab your coffee because we have plenty to talk about this morning!

We’re catching up on college football, homemade chocolate chip scones, and Stephanie’s latest sourdough experiment. Vanilla rose, anyone? 🍞

We’re also celebrating 100 years of Fausto’s Food Palace! 🎉 From its humble beginnings to becoming a beloved Key West institution, we’re sharing some of its fascinating history.

Then things get spooky as we dive into the remarkable story of Barbara Mabrity, the legendary Key West Lighthouse keeper who survived a devastating hurricane and, according to local ghost stories, might still be keeping watch. 👻

Would you climb the lighthouse stairs if you thought someone was following you, but nobody was there?

Island life, local history, a little football, and a good old fashioned Key West ghost story.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday at 7 AM.

#KeyWest #FloridaKeys #KeyWestHistory #HauntedKeyWest #WakeUpInKeyWest

Support the show

Would you walk through the Key West Cemetery alone at night? 👻🌴

Grab your coffee because today we’re heading into one of the most fascinating places in Key West.

We’re digging into the history of the Key West Cemetery, including the hurricane that led to its creation, the surprising number of people believed to be buried there, and some of the ghost stories and strange encounters that have become part of its lore.

And since we’re talking cemeteries, we also decided what we’d put on our own headstones. 😂 We’re not giving those away here, but Stephanie’s probably won’t surprise anyone who knows her.

Which leads to the very important question...

If you could choose your own Key West headstone inscription, what would it say?

Before things get spooky, we’re catching up on some big conversations happening around the island. Greg has a property of the day and a little real estate education about transient versus nontransient rentals in Key West. We’re also talking about the proposals for the future of our only hospital, the latest movement on Key West’s sargassum problem, and the debate over what should happen to the old Diesel Plant in Bahama Village. 🌴

Local news, real estate, Key West history, ghosts and whatever else we happen to get into along the way.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday.

Support the show

Custom T shirts, long distance sourdough lessons and a haunted doll who apparently expects you to mind your manners. Just another morning in Key West. ☕️🌴

Today we’re catching up on our week before heading into a little Key West history with some Truman Little White House trivia. And somehow Greg manages to turn that into the perfect excuse to show you a pretty incredible double property on Truman Avenue with transient licenses for nightly rentals. 👀🏡

We’re also talking about two things happening in our community right now. The big decision ahead for Key West’s only hospital and the Key West Little Pantry, where neighbors are quietly helping neighbors right here on the island. ❤️

And then things get weird.

Stephanie tells Greg the story of Robert the Doll, including the very important rule that you’re supposed to ask Robert’s permission before taking his picture.

So naturally, we need to know...

Would YOU ask a doll for permission before taking his picture? 👻😂

Grab your coffee and come hang out with us.

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday.

Support the show

Grab your coffee because we have a very October morning in Key West for you. ☕️🌴👻

We’re puppy sitting, talking football, and sharing some of what’s happening around the island this week, including a new BBQ spot we tried, the reopening of Café Solé, what’s coming to the Waterfront Playhouse, and an interactive art installation headed to Fantasy Fest.

We’re also talking about the absolutely ridiculous amount of rain Key West got last week. If it felt historic, apparently it was. October 1 brought 3.64 inches of rain and broke a daily rainfall record that had stood for 83 years. ☔️

And because October is Black Cat Awareness Month, we’re talking about why black cats have historically had a harder time getting adopted, where some of those old superstitions came from, and the cultures where a black cat is actually considered a sign of good luck. 🐈‍⬛

Then things get a little spooky.

Our Key West trivia question takes us to Captain Tony’s Saloon and the surprising original use of the building. From there, we get into the story of the enormous tree growing right through the middle of the bar, the legend of the Lady in Blue, and some very creepy discoveries reportedly made beneath the floor during renovations. 👻

Some of it is documented Key West history. Some of it is legend. All of it is very Key West.

Football, food, puppies, black cats, island happenings and a Key West ghost story.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday.

Support the show

Happy October from Key West! 🎃🌴☕️

Grab your coffee because we have plenty to talk about this morning.

We’re kicking things off with a little college football chatter, making our picks for some of the best games this weekend and, arguably more importantly, talking about what we’re cooking and eating while we watch. 🏈

We’re also tackling one of October’s most divisive questions. Candy corn. Are you eating it or throwing it directly in the trash? 😂

Then we’re talking about our attempts to go a little more analog, sharing some book recommendations, and discussing just how rainy Key West has been lately.

But our biggest conversation today is about something anyone who lives in or visits the Keys has probably encountered: sargassum.

What exactly is causing the sargassum problem? Why has there been so much of it? What is Key West doing about it? What solutions are being explored, and what can we learn from the way other places around the world are dealing with it?

It’s one of those complicated island issues without a simple answer, so we’re digging into what’s happening and what could potentially be done about it.

College football, books, candy corn, island life and a deep dive into one of the biggest environmental challenges facing Key West.

Basically, another morning with us. ☕️🌴

🎙️ Wake Up in Key West
New episodes Monday, Wednesday + Friday.

Support the show