GPS City GuideKey WestSloppy Joe's

Stop 13 of 26 · Key West audio walking tour

Sloppy Joe's

Duval Street · 1937 · Greene and Duval Landmark

What you'll hear here: about a minute on Sloppy Joe's — how it came to be, who it mattered to, and what to look for while you're standing in front of it.

Sloppy Joe's Bar, a historic American bar in Key West, has sat at the corner of Greene and Duval Street since 1937. You can feel the long lines of history: the main bar structure was built in 1917, and the adjoining building that houses the kitchen and Sloppy Joe's retail store dates to 1892. In the 1930s, Ernest Hemingway was a regular patron here, and his presence is celebrated every July with Hemingway Days and the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, an annual tradition that began after manager Michael Walton proposed it in 1980.

On September 8, 1978, Sid Snelgrove and Jim Mayer purchased Sloppy Joe's, and it has been owned by their two families since. On November 1, 2006, the bar was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Beyond Key West, Sloppy Joe's has locations in Treasure Island and Daytona Beach, Florida.

Stand here and imagine the buildings from 1892 and 1917 framing the corner where generations have gathered. Picture Greene and Duval meeting right at this corner.

Where it is

Coordinates
24.55906, -81.80503
Area
Duval Street
Era
1937 · Greene and Duval Landmark
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Three stops free. No account needed. The audio plays itself as you walk.