Water Activities, shopping, eating, and parties are the charms that drive thousands of tourists annually to conch republic Key West, which is renowned as the sun-and-sand tourist hotspot. Meanwhile, this tropical island has a finer part that several residents appreciate, although it is unnoticed by many of the people who visit this key west conch republic: a lively theater and musical environment that brings countless opportunities to explore international events in historical sites.
The San Carlos is the perfect island entertainment arena, and a tour will undoubtedly bring a considerable quantity of historical significance and architectural charm, as well as a pleasant evening of live music. The Key West Committee of Arts and Culture hosts an annual series of informal music concerts that allow the people of the conch republic to witness nationally famous performers without having to leave the limits of the island of key west.
Most of the activities happen at the San Carlos Institute of Key West, which has been a cultural institution in Florida and its key; Key West for over a century. In 1871 the San Carlos of key west was built by the Cuban exiles as a cultural, social, and educational site, then it has become the epicenter of Cuba’s fight for freedom from the Spanish Colonial control.
The founding of this institute was housed in a modest wooden shack on Ann Street and it was titled Seminario of Cuba; San Carlos, a famed institution of higher education in which Cuban professor and philanthropist Father Félix Varela nurtured the root of Cuba's freedom struggle amid his pupils.
In 1884, the San Carlos was relocated to a larger space on Fleming Street, and when the selected site was demolished by the devastating fire as it also affects a large part of Key West, in 1890 municipal activist Martin Herrera spearheaded efforts to rebuild the San Carlos in the key west heart that is on Duval Street.
Within several years, José Marti, Cuba's famed nationalist and writer, and several other significant personalities in the Cuban secessionist movement started utilizing the San Carlos to preach and unite the Cuban expatriate society into a unified freedom struggle.
In 1892, Mart spoke to a massive crowd of Cuban revolutionaries at the Research center, sparking the establishment of the Partido Revolucionario Cubano, which also supported the values and ideals of a united exile community in planning and organizing the Struggle for Independence that prompted to Cuba's freedom from Spanish rule.
This Cuban community was secondly destroyed by the hurricane but it was built instantly, the San Carlos was then continued to be a learning institute and give an excellent academic tradition. But in 1959 the financial aid was cut off by the government, however, the conch republic key west people’s community didn’t maintain this building and then it was condemned and in 1973 it was closed.
After two decades, in 1985 the fundraising campaign, and political and public support were initiated to restore the beauty of the San Carlos of Key West. After all this, this center was reopened in January 1992, now this center serves as the site of the pilgrimage, where the locals celebrate their culture and events. Now numerous artists and performers visit and perform concerts, so tourists visiting this island must visit this site. It is a recommendable place for people who are interested in classical music and architecture.