10 Best Museums in Key West

Key West is a tourist destination in South Florida, known for its exuberant natural beauty, but also for the great amount of American history and culture it houses. Here you can explore various museums where vestiges of the past that have marked essential moments in the development of the city and the region are kept.

Among the best things to do in Key West, a visit to some of its museums is a must. You can learn about the history of navigation at the Sails to Rails Museum, observe and hold objects found in Spanish galleons at the Shipwreck Treasure Museum and the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, see the homes of personalities such as Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and Henry S. Truman and much more. Here's a list of 10 of the city's best museums.

Topping the list is the Sails to Rails Museum in Key West, which is a favourite destination for tourists and caters to different age groups and preferences, so children and adults can visit and be equally delighted. The museum contains traces of the well-known era of navigation and the evolutionary process that took place until the emergence of the railway.

Inside this museum you will see various exhibits with antique items and many treasures such as the silver bar found in the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank in 1922 and the model of Fort Jefferson National Park.

Another attraction you will see is a scale model of the Overseas Highway, the bridge that connects the city of Miami with some 44 islands in Florida, ending in Key West.

You will also be able to participate in a variety of immersive hands-on activities, watch video presentations on the history of railways in the region and the history of the city itself. All in all, it's an interactive and playful experience for the whole family.

Useful information

• Price: the price to enter the museum is around €14 per person.
• Opening hours: 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Because of its relief and geographical location, Key West is a city with a long tradition of sailing since the 16th century. During that time, many ships have been wrecked in the ocean waters, leaving with them an innumerable amount of wreckage and treasures. Part of these items and objects recovered from the various shipwrecks that have occurred in the region is kept in the well-known Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum.

With tickets to the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum, you will have access to a universe of relics spread over the two floors of the structure. The place can be described as a time-travelling environment, and even the staff are dressed in period attire. In fact, this makes it an ideal destination if you 're travelling to Key West with children.

Among the objects you'll see here is the 29kg silver ingot found in the 1656 ship Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas. You can even hold it in your hands.

You'll also see many other treasures from Spanish galleons and audiovisual exhibitions about the lives of 19th-century looters who risked their lives in search of treasure under the sea. Don't forget to go up to the lookout point, whose height of almost 20 metres will give you a good panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.

Useful information

• Price: the entrance fee is usually €21 per person.
• Opening hours: from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Key West is a city of great historical value to America and Truman's Little White House in Key West is a prime example of this. This place, which is now a museum, was the home of the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman. By visiting it, you will learn more about his life and government.

If you are spending 2 days in Key West or more, you should not miss this place, where you will see several personal objects of the former president. You'll have access to Truman's diary, see the rooms decorated with 1950s furniture where business meetings were held and much more.

Keep in mind that although it was Truman who used this property the most, many other presidents and personalities (Thomas Edison, Dwight Eisenhower, Prime Minister Harold MacMilland and John F. Kennedy) stayed here, which has given it so much value that it was established as a National Historic Site in 1971.

You can also explore the site on your own or join one of the best guided tours of Key West. If you choose the latter option, you can hear more about life at the time when Truman stayed here, the challenges of his government, etc.

Useful information

• Price: admission starts at €26 per person.
• Opening hours: 9.30am to 4.30pm.

If you're a lover of literature, a must-see on your visit to Key West is the Ernest Hemingway House. It is a characteristic Spanish colonial-style building dating back to 1851 and was home to the writer in the 1930s. You can escape the sun for a while by strolling through the garden that surrounds the house and explore the history that lies within.

The property was purchased by Ernest Hemingway in 1931, who lived there with his wife and two children. It is said that the writer produced two of his greatest works in this home: "The Old Man and the Sea" and "A Farewell to Arms". Thus, this museum gathers the traces of Hemingway's presence and elements that allow us to learn about his life.

This destination is one of the must-see places on various excursions around the city, such as the Conch Train. Whichever way you visit the house, you'll see a variety of antique decorations, wooden furniture, fans, artwork, the writer's favourite books and much more.

You'll pass through the writer's bedroom and see his bed, bathroom, desk and the room where he received his colleagues and friends. You will also see the fishing tackle that the writer used to distract himself. It will be an experience that will take you back in time.

Useful information

• Price: approximately 17€ per person.
• Opening hours: from 9:00 to 17:00.

The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum was founded in 1992 and is named after treasure hunter Mel Fisher. He devoted himself to exploration for a long time and, after 16 years of searching, he made one of the most important discoveries in terms of submarines: the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha.

Thus, in the museum you will find everything related to this great find, from the search and exploration process, to the various objects found, which are exhibited to the public in the museum's rooms and galleries.

During the visit, you will learn about the treasure of Atocha. You will see the chests that made up the treasure, the jewels, the gold coins and the silver coins. You will also learn theories about how the galleon sank in the 17th century and the legend surrounding this collection of ancient objects.

Useful information

• Price: Tickets usually cost €17 per person.
• Opening hours: daily from 9:00 to 17:00.

One place to learn more about the military and maritime history of Key West is the USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum. It houses a portrait of Coast Guard life in the area from about 1936 to 1988. This museum is an unconventional one, as it is a US Coast Guard cutter.

You will board the ship to explore its various spaces, such as the engine room, the combat information centre, the radio room, the captain's cabin and stateroom and so on. You will also visit the officers' quarters and the galley where food was prepared for 150 to 200 people during wartime.

You will also have a look at the ship's war equipment, such as the gunpowder shells and their elevators, the 5-inch shells, and the imposing 5"/38 cannon, capable of reaching over 18,000 yards and firing 15 rounds per minute.

Best of all, you can easily reach the ship's facilities. Just walk up to the Truman Waterfront and you're just steps away from the museum. So you can easily include it in an itinerary of at least 3 days in Key West.

Useful information

• Price: the entrance fee is around 15€ per person.
• Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The Key West Lighthouse Museum is located in the Key West Lighthouse area, specifically in what used to be known as the lighthouse keeper's house. Inside you'll learn the stories of the lighthouse, marine life, navigation and its keepers.

If you visit the museum, a visit to the lighthouse is almost mandatory and vice versa. Either way, you will see the antique objects in the lighthouse keeper's quarters, consisting of navigational equipment, nautical charts, newspapers and other documents from dozens of years ago. You will also see furniture from other eras, various portraits and old maps.

The experience is not complete if you don't climb the 88 steps that make up the lighthouse to enjoy the view. You'll appreciate the city from a height of approximately 19 metres, so be prepared with your camera for incredible panoramic views and, if you visit at sunset, all the better.

On the other hand, in case you don't know how to get around Key West, you can visit this museum and the Key West Lighthouse on the Key West tourist tram, as this point is usually one of the stops on this means of transport.

Useful information

• Price: admission is usually €17 per person.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

At the Key West Museum of Art and History you'll find two floors full of history and works from over two centuries of human activity. You'll find art collections and historical items from which to learn about the history and culture of Key West and the southern region of Florida.

The structure is notable for the reddish colour of its walls and was erected in 1891, when it served as the U.S. Customs House. In 1971, the building was established as a North American historical monument and has opened its doors to an average of 500,000 visitors each year.

In its halls you will see temporary exhibitions on various themes, which always have to do with marine history or present the work of local artists. However, there are also large permanent exhibits, with a gallery on the nature of the region, another on Florida and another on the history of Key West.

This is a series of works of art and various objects, numbering around 10,000. You will see various artefacts, photos, paintings, sculptures and much more. You'll be greeted by a huge romantic sculpture of a sailor and a nurse, and you'll come across many statues on the museum grounds, so get your camera ready to capture these art displays.

Useful information

• Price: The entrance fee is approximately €15 per person.
• Opening hours: from 10:00 to 16:30.

Only by visiting Key West in person can you understand why so many historically and culturally significant people loved this town so much that they made it their home. American playwright Tennessee Williams is another example of Key West's appeal to visitors, so a visit to this house museum is another of the things to do in Key West in February or any other month of the year.

Williams lived in Key West for some 40 years and this yellow-fronted house bears many of his traces. On your tour you will see some of the writer's belongings, such as his typewriter. The place is also strategically decorated with various photos and posters of films made from his works.

You will also see a miniature model of the house itself, where the playwright is said to have finished writing one of his greatest works: A Streetcar Named Desire. You will see photos of Williams at some points in his life and audiovisual displays to learn more about him and his work.

Useful information

• Price: admission for the general public usually costs €7.50 per person.
• Opening hours: 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.

On Duval Street you'll find the Oldest House Museum & Gardens Key West, an 1829 building that belonged to the Watlington family. It's a time-travel experience, where you'll see the interior of a typical house of the period, decorated in the American Empire style , mixed with Greek and Roman elements.

It's not only the oldest house in town, but in South Florida as well. As you enter, you'll hear the creak of the wooden floor and see the various pieces of antique furniture that have survived hurricanes, fires and floods over the years.

The place hosts teachers who volunteer to tell visitors historical facts about the house and the different owners it has had. The space has also become an epicentre for cultural events, workshops, art exhibitions and much more.

We should also mention the gardens, which are full of native and exuberant plants, giving the house a fresh air that exudes resilience and a fusion of the past with the present. Without a doubt, an unmissable stop when visiting Key West in December or any other time of the year.

Useful information

• Price: general admission can cost approximately €11 per person.
• Opening hours: daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.