The Rusty Anchor
Sink your troubles at the Rusty Anchor. That's what the sign says. The guy face-down on the picnic table suggests it's working.
About
The Rusty Anchor is the social center of the Leonida Keys — the bar where the Crab Festival banner stays up long after the festival ends, where the porch crowd mixes locals and tourists in the easy, indifferent way that only happens in places without a dress code, and where someone is always slightly further into the day than you expected. Painted picnic tables in blue and yellow. Bottles of something local on every surface. A couple doing what couples do in the Keys. And somewhere in the foreground, a man who found the picnic table more comfortable than the bar stool and made his peace with it. Pull up a seat. Stay longer than you planned. The Rusty Anchor does not encourage productivity.
Best Time to Visit
Afternoon — the porch fills up from 2 PM and doesn't thin out until well after dark
Travel Tips
- •The porch is better than the indoor bar — claim a seat early before the afternoon crowd arrives
- •The Crab Festival happens seasonally and transforms the entire property. Check the timing
- •The locals at the Anchor know everything about the Keys that doesn't appear in any guide. Buy one of them a drink