The Southernmost Point, Key West

The Southernmost Point in the continental United States is claimed to be the concrete landmark located in Key West, Florida, at the corner of South Street and Whitehead Street. The landmark is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in Key West.

Address: Whitehead and South Street, Key West, FL 33040
Directions: From Mallory Square, walk south on Whitehead Street for 14 blocks.

The Southernmost Point Landmark highlights:

The Southernmost point was originally just marked with a sign, which was often stolen. In response, the city erected the now-famous concrete buoy in 1983.
The concrete buoy is actually an old sewer junction that was dug up in the area and found too heavy and large to move, so it was painted up to look like a buoy.
The wording is not accurate. Florida’s official southernmost point is Ballast Key, a privately owned island south and west of Key West.
The marker is not even the southernmost point of Key West Island. The southernmost part of Key West accessible to civilians is the beach area of Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, and approximately 500 feet farther south than the marker.
The claim on the buoy stating “90 miles to Cuba” is a rounded number, since Cuba, at its closest point is 81 nautical miles due south.

There’s more information about the Southernmost Point on our audio tour.