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| Key West. |
Top Key West Attractions
The first time you visit Key West, or any new destination,
the question asked isn’t usually what attractions should be
scene but what attraction to see first, what to expect, how to get
there, and how much time is needed. We’ve provided tips, advice,
and other information about the top tourist attractions in Key West
to help with your itinerary planning.
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Mel Fisher Museum
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| Address
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200 Greene St. |
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| Admission
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Free |
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| Hours
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9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Daily. |
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| Phone
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(305) 294-2633 |
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| Website
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www.mslfisher.org |
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Once a salvager’s dream, Key West in recent years attracted the attention
of a modern-day treasure hunter: Mel Fisher. A long-time resident
until his death in 1998, Fisher discovered the $400 million treasure
of the shipwrecked Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha in 1985.
It took the indefatigable Fisher 16 years to find the ship sunk
in 1622. He later found other treasure-laden ships that went to
the bottom of the sea from causes such as hurricanes. Artifacts
from that ships found by the famous treasure-hunter are the cornerstone
of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society and Museum. Among items
on display: a fortune in gold, silver bars and coins that were headed
for Spain. A highlight is a gold chain worth more than a quarter
of a million dollars.The museum also produces and hosts rotating
exhibitions that explore different aspects of the New World’s
rich maritime heritage. Interactive modules and audio and video
components make this an interesting stop for visitors of all ages.
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Key West Aquarium
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| Address
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One Whitehead Street |
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| Admission
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$10 |
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| Hours
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10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Daily |
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| Phone
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(305) 296-2051 |
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| Website
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www.keywestaquarium.com |
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You can find the Florida Keys’s coral reefs without getting
your feet wet at the Key West Aquarium. Open since 1934, this was
the area’s first tourist attraction. It has a 50,000-gallon
tank with a huge variety of fish, including moray eels, sharks,
sea turtles, barracuda, tropical fish, tarpon, parrotfish and grouper.
The aquarium also has a touch tank for hands-on interaction between
sea creatures and visitors. You can also observe feedings of resident
sharks, rays and turtles as guides explain habits and habitats.
Where else can you have a chance to pet a live shark? The aquarium
is committed to helping protect the endangered sea turtles. It is
associated with the Turtle Hospital and Florida Sea Turtle Stranding
Network made up of state agencies, universities and marine parks,
all involved in the rehabilitation of injured sea turtles. The Aquarium
is currently home to several turtles on the mend, some of whom are
permanent residents.
Guided tours are offered at 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, and 4:30 PM.
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Ernest Hemingway Home and
Museum
You can see where one of America’s best-known writers lived
and worked at the Hemingway Home, which is a registered National
Historic Landmark. Ernest Hemingway, who won both the Nobel and
Pulitzer prices, lived in this Spanish colonial villa from 1931
to 1940. He owned the home until his death in 1961. The author wrote
many of his best-known works in the second-story writing studio
adjoining the house. Among those books: “For Whom the Bell
Tolls” and “The Green Hills of Africa.” The home’s
furnishings and atmosphere evoke the Hemingway era. The area’s
first swimming pool can be found behind the house. Hemingway’s
wife, Pauline, had it built as a surprise to her husband off covering
the Spanish Civil War. Guides tell visitors that when he learned
the pool cost $20,000, Hemingway fished out a penny and angrily
tossed it to the ground, saying she had spent his last cent. Pauline
had enough of a sense of humor to have the coin imbedded in the
pool, where it can be seen by visitors.
Guided tours are offered throughout the day. And an added attraction
is to make friends with some of the many six-toed cats that roam
the grounds.
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Audubon House
The Audubon House & Tropical Gardens offers a look at the famous artist
as well as the early years of Key West. Artist and ornithologist
John James Audubon visited Key West in 1832, where he sighted and
drew 19 new species for his famous “Birds of America”
folio. It’s believed that many of those detailed paintings
were conceived in the garden of the 205 Whitehead Street property
that now houses the museum. The 19th century home, originally built
by ship’s carpenters for harbor pilot and shipwreck salvager
John Geiger, has 28 original Audubon engravings. It also has a gallery
featuring 500 Audubon lithographs and a rare collection of porcelain
birds created by British artist Dorothy Doughty.The spacious, airy
house is furnished with antiques, including furniture that was salvaged
by former owner Geiger. Meticulous gardens with tropical foliage,
native plants and exotics surround the home. Visitors stroll along
tidy brick paths to see blossoming orchids, bromeliads, towering
trees, a butterfly garden and a 19th century plant nursery. After
falling into disrepair, the house was saved from demolition in 1958
when it was purchased and restored by the Wolfson Family Foundation.
The house marks the city’s first restoration project. The
museum also has a gift shop that sells affordable, original Audubon
artwork.
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Key West Travel Guides
 Frommer's Key West
Lonely Planet Key West
Let's Go Key West
Fodors Key West
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