The Southernmost Point Monument
Located at the corner of Whitehead and South streets, the Southernmost Point in the continental United States is marked by an oversized concrete buoy. The monument sits only 90 miles from Cuba's coast and serves as a popular stop for visitors posing for a souvenir photo. FREE!
Sunset Celebrations At Mallory Square Dock
Key West Sunset Celebrations occur nightly 1-2 hours before sunset at Mallory Square Dock, located at the end of Duval Street. The participants of this major attraction consist of arts and crafts exhibitors, street performers, food carts and of course the thousands of tourists from around the world. FREE!
Virtual Tour
Key West Lighthouse Museum
Built in 1847 to aid to ships navigating dangerous reefs off the lower Keys, the Key West Lighthouse now stands sentinel over one of Florida's finest historical sites. The story of this and other area lighthouses is illustrated in a small museum that was formerly the keeper's quarters. The tower was originally 46 feet high and powered by 15 oil lamps with 15-inch reflectors, but was extended to 86 feet in 1894. Inside visitors now climb 88 iron steps to the observation deck, where you'll be rewarded with magnificent panoramic views of Key West and the ocean.
Address: 938 Whitehead St, Key West, FL 33040 - Call 305-295-6616 Ext. 16 for information.
Prices Admission is $10 for adults,$5 for children (children under 6 Free) and students with ID, $9 for Seniors (62+), AAA Travelers and Locals with ID Members - Free. Group Rates also available. Rental of the facility and free tours are available.
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum
This museum honors local hero Mel Fisher, whose death in 1998 was mourned throughout South Florida and who, along with a crew of other salvagers, found a multimillion-dollar treasure trove in 1985 aboard the wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Se?ra de Atocha. If you're into diving, pirates, and sunken treasures, check out this small museum, full of doubloons, pieces of eight, emeralds, and solid-gold bars (one of them you can lift!). A 1700 English merchant slave ship, the only tangible evidence of the transatlantic slave trade, is on view on the museum's second floor. An exhibition telling the story of over 1,400 African slaves captured in Cuban waters and brought to Key West for sanctuary is the museum's latest, most fascinating one to date.
Address: 200 Greene St, Key West, FL 33040 - Phone 305/294-2633
Prices Admission: $12.00 adults, $10.50 students, $6 children 6-12
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
Step back in time and visit the rooms and gardens that witnessed the most prolific period of this Nobel Prize winner's writing career. Educated tour guides give insightful narratives and are eager to answer questions. Hemingway's particularly handsome stone Spanish Colonial house, built in 1851, was one of the first on the island to be fitted with indoor plumbing and a built-in fireplace. It also has the first swimming pool built on Key West (look for the penny he pressed into the cement near the pool). The author owned the home from 1931 until his death in 1961, and lived here with about 50 cats, whose descendants, including the famed six-toed felines, still roam the premises. It was during those years that the Nobel Prize-winning author wrote some of his most famous works, including For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Farewell to Arms, and The Snows of Kilimanjaro. Fans may want to take the optional half-hour tour to see his study as well as rooms in his house with glass cabinets that store certain artifacts, books, and pieces of mail addressed to him.
Address: 907 Whitehead St, Key West, FL 33040 - Phone 305-294-1136
Prices Admission: $12 adults, $6 children, 5 and under free
Key West Audubon House and Tropical
Gardens
This well-preserved 19th-century home stands as a prime example of early Key West architecture. Named after renowned painter and bird expert John James Audubon, who was said to have visited the house in 1832, the graceful two-story structure is a peaceful retreat from the bustle of Old Town. Included in the price of admission is a self-guided, half-hour audio tour that spotlights rare Audubon prints, gorgeous antiques, historic photos, and lush tropical gardens. With voices of several characters from the house's past, the tour never gets boring -- though it is a bit hokey at times. Even if you don't want to explore the grounds and home, check out the impressive gift shop, which sells a variety of fine mementos at reasonable prices.
Address: 205 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040
- Phone
305-294-2116
Prices Admission: $10 adults, $5 children 6-12, 6 and under free
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