Southernmost Point Buoy

Southernmost Point Buoy is the colorful concrete marker at Key West’s southern end, where most people stop for the familiar photo beside its “90 Miles to Cuba” bands. It is a quick landmark stop; a long line can outlast the visit itself.

The visitor photo marker is at 1499 Duval Street while the original South and Whitehead Streets corner undergoes seawall and roadway repairs. If an older map pin sends you to the historic corner, head to 1499 Duval for the current marker. Parking nearby is limited, so plan to walk from elsewhere in Old Town or use a paid space. Early visits often mean less waiting, though the line varies.

The original concrete buoy went up in 1983 at South and Whitehead to mark that corner as 90 miles from Cuba. Its bold bands and wording turned a tourist marker into one of Key West’s best-known symbols. The geographic claim is symbolic: Ballast Key lies farther south, so this is not the exact southernmost point of the continental United States.

Before the buoy became the main photo, Julian “Yankee” Kee sold local fish and conch from a table near the historic corner. His grandson Albert, known as “the Bishop,” greeted visitors and sounded a conch shell. That neighborhood story gives the landmark a human history beyond the queue and the snapshot.

Stand beside the buoy and leave a little water in the frame; a person next to it shows its scale, and the waterfront makes the setting clear. If a line forms, have your phone ready and take a couple of frames before moving along.