Tours & Attractions - Area Overview
Make no mistake, the sea is in charge here and always has been. Throughout the ages the fluctuation of the sea has determined the fate of the coral islands we call the Florida Keys and will dictate its future as well. Put into simple perspective, sea level has been rising for the past 15,000 years, and the rate appears to be increasing due to the long-range effects of global warming. Just imagine: A 6-foot rise in sea level would eliminate all of the Lower and Middle Keys except Key West. The Upper Keys, being somewhat higher, would escape extinction for a time. But if sea level increases by 15 feet, the string of islands known as the Florida Keys will be reduced to a couple of tiny islets, and the majority of Paradise will be lost once again to the sea.
To be in the Florida Keys is to become one with nature, for the Keys offer unparalleled opportunities to be in direct daily contact with her substantial bounty. You’ll know what we mean the moment you crest the first of the 42 bridges now spanning our islands and feel the vast power of the surrounding seas. Gaze down on our string of coral pearls from the air and you’ll see that the Keys look insignificant juxtaposed against the encompassing Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Insiders’ Guides to other locales will introduce you to the lay of the land. But to gain an understanding of our world, which we reverently refer to as “Paradise,” you must be forearmed with the scope of our waters, for all things revolve around the sea here. We will acquaint you with our climate, weather, and the multiple interrelated habitats of our tropical ecosystem—the only such ecosystem in the continental US.
Tours & Attractions - Attractions
Don’t wait for a rainy day (you might not have one) to explore our historical sites, out-islands, museums, nature preserves, and marine research centers. You’ll find the majority of our most popular land-based diversions bordering the Overseas Highway, for our string of islands is not very wide. So put on your sandals, grab your hat, and don’t forget the sunscreen! You are about to set out on an adventure in the Florida Keys.
Tours & Attractions - Kidstuff
There is so much for the little ones to do in the Keys: observe dolphins in their natural habitat, swim with sea creatures in our tropical waters, learn about the ecosystem of the Florida Keys at our museums and parks, and lots more!
Tours & Attractions - Arts & Culture
Creative juices flow freely in the Florida Keys. Is it the sunshine? Or maybe the profusion of riotous colors everywhere you look? Perhaps our pervasive nothing-is-impossible, sky’s-the-limit attitude is a contributing factor. Or maybe it’s the fact that when you’re in the Keys, you take the time to smell the bougainvillea.
Key West is the cultural center of the Florida Keys. This scintillating port has long attracted free spirits and adventurers—wreckers, sailors, spongers, shrimpers, and pirates—who played an enormous role in Key West’s settlement and development. An enigmatic quality inherent in the essence of Key West draws fertile minds and searching souls to its inner sanctum like moths to a flame. From Ernest Hemingway to earnestly trying, Key West has hosted for a time the famous, the infamous, and the obscure.
Join us for an Insiders’ look at the arts, from Key Largo to Key West, some traditional, others not so. Enjoy our music, theater, and dance while you are here and tour our myriad galleries. Or, if your timing is right, catch an arts festival, literary seminar, or theater gala for a creative night out.
1. Audubon House & Tropical Gardens
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-2116 or (877) 294-24
Address: 205 Whitehead St.
Insider Pick:
Description: In 1832 John James Audubon did spend time on the grounds of John Geiger’s huge garden. Legend has it that Audubon sketched the white-crowned pigeon and the Geiger tree he found in the garden here. During his stay in the Keys, Audubon produced 18 sketches of native wildlife. Original lithographs of these drawings are on display at the Audubon House. The house and environs, however, are more reminiscent of the family of Captain John Geiger, a wrecker who built the house and lived here with his family. Set your own tour pace with a free pair of headphones and a tape that brings the house alive. Audubon House is open daily.
2. Curry Mansion Inn
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-5349 or (800) 253-34
Address: 511 Caroline St.
Description: This imposing home evokes images of an opulent old Key West, although the 3-story Conch house now serves as the focal point for a bed-and-breakfast inn and a museum. Built in 1905 by Milton Curry, Florida’s first homegrown millionaire, the inn’s public rooms display a selection of antiques and memorabilia. Poke around in the attic, and you’ll find an 1899 billiard table among the old dresses and luggage. From the attic you can climb the widow’s walk for a panoramic view of Key West Harbor. Self-guided tours are available daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. See the Accommodations chapter for information on overnight stays in the adjacent buildings.
3. East Martello Museum
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 296-3913
Address: 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd.
Description: This enchanting, artifact-filled former fort will bring you up to speed on Key West history. Built during the Civil War, the brick fortress was never completely finished because the circular Martello design became antiquated before it was ever armed. Operated today as a museum and gallery by the Key West Art and Historical Society, the 8-foot-thick walls support pictures, artifacts, and historical documents. Featured in the small gallery are the charming wood carvings of Key West’s Mario Sanchez and funky welded sculptures by the late Stanley Papio of Key Largo, fabricated from bedsprings, toilet fixtures, and other so-called junk. You can climb the citadel to the lookout tower for an unobstructed view of the Atlantic coast. East Martello Museum is open daily.
4. Florida Keys Historical Military Memorial
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Flush with military history, Key West honors its best with this handsome memorial dedicated to those who have proudly served their country and the military events directly affecting Key West and the Keys. Beginning in 1822, when the US Navy raised the American flag over Key West, through the era of the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, and the ongoing war on drugs, this simple, elegant display stands proud as a sentinel reflecting a community paying homage to these historical events and brave souls.
5. Harry S. Truman Little White House
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-9111
Address: 111 Front St.
Insider Pick:
Description: President Harry S. Truman came to Key West for the first time in 1946 and went on to spend 11 working vacations in the commandant’s quarters, dubbed the Little White House. You’ll be able to view Truman’s Winter White House as it looked when he spent his 175 working vacation days here. The family quarters, poker porch, dining room, and living room are open to the public. President Eisenhower spent two weeks here recuperating from his second heart attack, and Kennedy held a summit meeting here before the Bay of Pigs action. Jimmy Carter visited with his family in 1996 and again in 1997 for New Year’s Eve, and Bill and Hillary Clinton spent a weekend here in 2005. Guided tours are conducted daily.
6. Hemingway Home And Museum
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-1136
Address: 907 Whitehead St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Once the home of Key West’s most famous writer, Ernest Hemingway, the Hemingway Home and Museum ranks as Key West’s most popular attraction. Built by wrecker Asa Tift in 1851, the home took on historical significance when Ernest and Pauline Hemingway moved in. Pauline spearheaded extensive remodeling, redecorating, and refurnishing and fitted her backyard with the island’s first swimming pool. Hemingway wrote several of his most celebrated works, including For Whom the Bell Tolls, Death in the Afternoon, The Green Hills of Africa, and To Have and Have Not, from his pool-house office out back. The Hemingways lived in this Key West home from 1931 to 1939. Be sure to look for the infamous six-toed cats!
7. Key West Lighthouse And Keeper’S Quarters Museum
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-0012
Address: 938 Whitehead St.
Description: This 1847 structure, inland on a Key West street just across from the Hemingway Home, affords visitors a bird’s-eye view of Key West from atop its 90-foot light tower (88 steps to the top). Why a lighthouse so far from the water? It was positioned here to avoid the fate of its predecessor on Whitehead Point, which toppled in a hurricane the previous year. The keeper’s quarters houses maritime memorabilia and a gift shop. The lighthouse museum is open daily for self-guided tours. Children younger than age 6 are admitted free. Adults may purchase a combination ticket for admission to this museum, the East Martello Museum, and the Key West Museum of Art and History at the Custom House (see descriptions elsewhere in this chapter).
8. The Key West Museum Of Art And History At The Custom House
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 295-6616
Address: 281 Front St.
Insider Pick:
Description: The Custom House is on the National Register of Historic Places and remains one of the finest examples of Richardsonian/Romanesque Revival architecture in existence. Inside you will find 7 galleries and a gift shop. Exhibits of artwork and historical artifacts change periodically; however, those on the second floor traditionally focus on the history of Key West. Be sure to continue up the stairs to the third floor. There are no exhibit galleries here, but the works of folk artist Mario Sanchez, which line the walls between the closed office doors, are worth the climb. There’s a great view from the arched window overlooking Sunset Key and the harbor here, too. The museum is open daily.
9. Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society And Museum
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-2633
Address: 200 Greene St.
Insider Pick:
Description: For 16 years “today’s the day” was the hope of treasure salvor Mel Fisher, who finally struck pay dirt on July 20, 1985. Finding the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which Fisher estimated to be worth $400 million, ensured his legacy as treasure hunter extraordinaire. Heavy gold chains, jeweled crosses, and bars of silver and gold are among the artifacts on display at the permanent first-floor exhibit. In 2007 Mel Fisher’s Treasures subcontracted a company to salvage the shipwreck site of the Santa Margarita. Their discovery of this 1622 Spanish galleon yielded a metal box full of pearls, gold artifacts, and chains. The second-floor exhibit changes frequently—call for details. A museum shop offers a variety of pirate and nautical gifts. The museum is open daily.
10. Ripley’S Believe It Or Not Museum
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 293-9939
Address: 108 Duval St.
Description: Ripley’s Believe It or Not is world-famous for strange, fantastic, weird, and just hard-to-believe artifacts. In the Ripley’s Key West location, they house a Key West gallery with items from Ernest Hemingway (reading glasses, a typewriter, and a shrunken torso) and Count von Cosel, who stole the body of his beloved and kept her in the fuselage of a plane in his backyard. There is also a Boutique of Weird Clothing displaying a vest made of human hair, a giant pair of shoes, and even a pair of Madonna’s underwear. And if all that weren’t enough, they also have a portrait of Vincent van Gogh made from butterfly wings. You know you’re not in Kansas anymore!
11. San Carlos Institute
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-3887
Address: 516 Duval St.
Description: Founded in 1871 by Cuban exiles, the San Carlos Institute was established to preserve the language and traditions of the Cuban people. Dubbed “La Casa Cuba” by legendary poet and patriot José Martí, the institute helped unite the exiled Cuban community. The current building was completed in 1924 and operated as an integrated school until the mid-1970s. With the perseverance of the Hispanic Affairs Commission, a state agency headed by Rafael Penalver, restoration of the San Carlos was completed and the institute reopened on January 3, 1992, 100 years to the day after José Martí’s first visit in the late 19th century. Today the San Carlos Institute is a museum, library, school, art gallery, theater, and conference center. The institute is open weekends.
12. West Martello Tower Joe Allen Garden Center
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (305) 294-3210
Description: Built in 1862, the West Martello Tower, like the other forts on the island, was never involved in an actual war. It was, however, used for target practice by the US Navy, which accounts for its somewhat shabby condition. Today the tower is also the Joe Allen Garden Center, and the Key West Garden Club operates here. Use the self-guided tour to spot local flora, including a key lime tree, or just find an inviting spot to relax. West Martello is open Tues through Sat in season. The schedule may vary; call for more information. Admission is free, but note that shirt and shoes are required.
13. Dolphin Cove
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (877) 365-2683
Address: MM 101.9 Bayside, Key Largo
Description: Dolphin Cove, situated on a 5-acre lagoon in Key Largo, offers an in-water encounter with bottlenose dolphins in addition to myriad other water activities. Structured and natural dolphin swim encounters are offered daily. The encounter is preceded by a 30-minute boat ride in the waters of the backcountry, where you will receive an orientation briefing about the dolphins and about the interactions you will experience. Dolphin Cove also offers guided ecological tours of the Everglades National Park backcountry waters and Florida Bay. Other interesting trips into Florida Bay are offered on request, such as guided snorkel trips, kayak tours, sunset cruises, and even a private nighttime crocodile search in the nearshore waters of the Everglades.
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: MM 100 Oceanside, Ocean Bay Drive, Key L
15. The Dolphin Connection
City: Florida Keys, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (888) 251-3674
Address: MM 61 Oceanside, at Hawk’s Cay Resort, D
Description: The Dolphin Connection’s Dolphin Discovery provides an interactive, 25-minute, in-water encounter with bottlenose dolphins. You will not actually swim with the Connection’s dolphins, but you’ll get to know them up close and personal. You’ll be able to touch, feed, pet, and play with them from the security of a submerged platform (great for nonswimmers or those people with physical limitations). Dockside Dolphins is a 30-minute, behind-the-scenes look at dolphin training sessions. Participants learn how the professionals at Dolphin Connection train the dolphins and then, from the dock, take part in an actual training procedure. You’ll be able to feel, feed, and pet the dolphins but not have to get into the water. Advance reservations are required for all programs.