Meteor Smokehouse

We highly recommend this restaurant and appreciate them for perpetuating the Meteor name. Hey, you can’t find meatier barbecue anywhere else on the island. Check out the menu at metersmokehouse.com

Editor’s Note: On our first visit to the Meteor Smokehouse, we found the following on their dining room menu:

The Meteor Name Story: Following the tradition of historical signs of Old Key West being donated to the Green Parrot, as we attempted to come up with a name for our restaurant, we were given the original tin roof from the set of the Fox TV series “Key West”. Hence the name, Meteor. The tin roof proudly dominates the back interior wall of the dining room.

Turtle Kraals

This bar was used to film the pilot of “Key West”. Visiting the bar you can see how similar it is to the final Gumbo’s set. At the time of the filming, “Roofman” Carr and his wife Nena owned the bar and Roofman appeared as an extra in the pilot episode. www.turtlekraals.com.

Coconut Mallory

At first glance, it seems as if there is a lot of room outside of Gumbo’s bar. The property known as Coconut Mallory, located at Cow Key Channel did not exist as it does today. A boathouse on the premises was transformed into the set for Gumbo to tend bar, Flame and Rikki to dance and Tickle Pink to dream. Today, Coconut Mallory is a timeshare property. www.coconutsuites.com

Gumbo’s Bar

The boathouse at Coconut Mallory transformed into the bar that we all have come to love remained as a clubhouse for the timeshare property until recently. It has always been one of our favorite spots on the island and we visit it several times on each trip to Key West On our last trip, we discovered that the bar has been renovated and later learned it will be reopened as Gumbo’s. While we are glad to know that “Gumbo’s” will be, in some ways, preserved and used as a bar, and will sport the name “Gumbo’s”, we were very hurt to find that much of the character of the structure has been covered over in paneling. Gone is the rustic boathouse feel, and other features have changed, somewhat inexplicably. The familiar half in - half out boat, “Manolito”, remains for now, but has been moved outside the building completely. The original bar was removed from the center of the structure and another was built against the back wall. The tropical canoe painting was salvaged from the front of the old bar, and is still in use on the new one, fortunately. Worst of all, the charming “tiki-hut” style round entranceway has been totally obliterated. We are left with what can be described as the Holiday Inn approach to renovation.

Lost Reef Adventures

Located in the Historic Seaport, Lost Reef Adventures will take you snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing. Our searching took us to meet Nick, the owner of Lost Reef, because he also owns The Lucky Strike and Dream. Dream is the boat used in the pilot credits. It’s companion boat, Lucky Strike was the boat used by Hunter.

Schooner WOLF

With every trip to Key West, we learn more about the Schooner Wolf and it’s captain, Finbar Gittleman. The Schooner Wolf appears in the opening credits of each episode and showed a gorgeous all-girl crew. In reality, there was an all-girl crew on the Wolf at the time, but David Beaird used models. Who knows, maybe it was simpler than getting Screen Actors Guild cards for the real crew!http://keywest.com/scnrwolf.html.

Lemonade Stand Art Gallery

Outside this unique gallery on Thomas and Petronia Sts, is a wall sized mural. This mural is shown in the opening credits of each episode and was painted especially for the show. We found the gallery after finding one of its owners, Sharon, working as First Mate on the charter boat Dream. The art studio does not have it’s own website, but you will be able to visit the sites of the two owners at www.sharonmcgauley.com or www.lettynowak.com.

The Bottle Inn

This quaint guesthouse shows little signs from the front of being the site of the Meteor newspaper. However, if you look closely at the side of the building located on Frances and Southard Sts you can see the doors, windows and distinctive shape of the roof where the Meteor sign once hung. The traditional conch architecture appealed to the Fox television network. The entire building was rented by Fox and was the focal point of the on-site filming. For information on reservations, visit www.bottleinn.com.

Ft. Zachary Taylor

Located off the beaten track of Southard and Truman, we discovered many familiar scenes from this site. When Seamus goes to ponder his future at the end of the first episode, he goes to the rocks located in this park. Jutting out from the shore, you can climb the point where the Atlantic Ocean greets the Gulf of Mexico. The fort was used in episode 11, Compadres, when Tickle Pick escaped from Gumbo’s. In this episode, we are introduced to Dennis Riley playing the bagpipe on the wall of the fort. Dennis, we have discovered, is the Southernmost Bagpiper. The beautiful beach at Ft. Zach, we believe, is where Seamus discovers the beautiful and “very pregnant” refugee, Mireille in this same episode. The beach is visited again in episode 9, Crossroads, when Sheriff Cody discovers a traveler from the past.

Key West Cemetery

A visit to Key West is not complete without stopping at the Key West Cemetery. Located at the center of Old Town, it is bounded by Angela, Margaret, Passover Lane, Frances and Olivia. Used in episode 6, The Greening, you can find Seamus and his old friends howling at the moon one night. You don’t have to go there at night, but you must take the trip in the daytime. You won’t be disappointed. Our favorite tombstone, “I told you I was sick”.

Old and New Courthouse

Never Assume! Visualizing a couple of apparent courthouse scenes, we visited the Monroe County Courthouse. Upon our arrival we found Ranny Fitzgerald. To our amazement, she remembered the show fondly and recounted Michelle Pfeiffer coming into a shop she owned at the time. At the time of filming, Fisher Stevens and Michelle were dating. Describing a tile floor with the Great Seal of Key West as seen in one of the episodes, she was kind enough to phone a friend who then directed us to the “Old” Monroe Courthouse located behind Sloppy Joe’s Bar on Greene Street, 1/2 block from Duval Street. Armed with directions, we were not only able to find the tile floor, but also found the steps where Mayor Caldwell unites the town against the Immigration Service and later, Jo Jo is released from jail into Savannah’s capable hands! Both scenes can be found in episode 10, We The People.

Firehouse #3

This historic site will soon be a Firehouse Museum. However, to us it is historic because it represents the site where Sheriff Cody and Star met for the first time in episode 3, The Great Unknown. Standing at the corner of Grinnell and Virginia Sts., you are taken to the time and place where you see the astonished look on Cody’s face as Star pauses at the stop sign in her large, black pick-up. You are reminded of the sparks that fly between the lion tamer and her “Big Kitty”.

Smathers Beach

The longest beach in Key West is just west of the airport on Roosevelt. The beauty of the beach can be seen in episode 6, The Greening, as Seamus and his old buddies lay on their backs in the sand discussing the future. Named after a former governor, it’s the one of the best known beaches in Key West. Two miles long, the beach was hard hit by a hurricane in 1998, but it has recovered well.

The Marquesa

Mayor Chaucey and Savannah become unlikely friends after the unfortunate demise of Delbert at the Marquesa Hotel in episode 11, Compadres. Located at 600 Fleming St., it is one of the finest hotels and restaurants in Key West.

Other familiar Key West landmarks featured in the show are:

• Southernmost Point - White and South Streets.
• Southernmost Mansion - 1400 Duval St.
• The Lighthouse - Whitehead at Truman.
• Hemingway House - 907 West Whitehead Street www.hemingwayhome.com.
• Mallory Square - www.sunsetcelebration.org.
• Sloppy Joes - corner of Duval and Greene Streets www.sloppyjoes.com.
• LaConcha Hotel - View from the top.
• Kino’s Sandals