Mallory Square, Key West, Florida

Mallory Square is a historic waterfront plaza at the northwestern end of Duval Street in Key West, Florida, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico at the westernmost point of the Florida Keys. The square has been a commercial and social gathering point since the 19th century when Key West was one of the wealthiest cities per capita in the United States, powered by the salvage industry and sponge and cigar trades. Today Mallory Square is best known for the Sunset Celebration — a daily gathering of street performers, artists, craft vendors, and spectators that begins approximately 90 minutes before sunset and continues until the sun drops below the horizon. The celebration has occurred every evening since the late 1960s, drawing hundreds of visitors to watch jugglers, acrobats, escape artists, fire dancers, and musicians perform on the plaza. The sunset itself, with the sun dropping into open water without an obstructing landmass, is among the finest in the eastern United States — the event attracts genuine appreciation even from visitors who arrive for the performers. Permanent vendors sell food, art, and jewelry from licensed positions on the square. The surrounding waterfront includes the Key West Aquarium (one of the country's first public aquariums, opened in 1934), the Key West Shipwreck Museum documenting the island's salvage heritage, and the Custom House Museum. Cruise ships dock at a terminal immediately adjacent to Mallory Square, and on days with multiple ships in port (particularly Tuesday through Thursday) the square can be very congested. The Sunset Sail departing from the marina adjacent to the square provides an alternative sunset viewing angle from the water.