Museums in Lower Keys (Key West)

Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum

Anyone who enjoys tales about pirates and buried treasure will appreciate this small museum. Named for a local salvager who found sunken treasure aboard a wrecked Spanish galleon, the museum currently houses a collection of these treasures, including doubloons, solid gold bars and four sunken ships from as far back as 1560. The museum also shows a film on Mr. Fisher that describes his 1985 discovery. Admission: Adult-$11.00 Student with ID-$9.50 Child-$6.50.

Wrecker's Museum

If you're interested in local history or want to see odd island sites, include a visit to this museum on your itinerary. Designed by a ship's carpenter and built around 1829, this one-and-a-half-story house has unusual architectural features, including portholes and a detached kitchen building. The house also features antique cooking utensils and antique appliances such as a beehive oven.

Custom House Museum

The Customs House chronicles the history of Key West. In the 1820s, the city became an official port of entry to the United States, permitting cargo salvaged from wrecked ships to be legally brought here for sale. Eventually, that booty made Key West the richest spot in Florida. The red brick and terracotta Customs House features a main gallery of rotating art exhibits and smaller galleries with exhibits related to Key West history. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children aged 12 and under.

Curry Mansion

A magnificent Key West landmark, this home on Caroline Street is a true treasure, restored and maintained by folks who love this historic house. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the house is a study in spit-polished woodwork and Tiffany glass. The home's 22 rooms are filled with antiques, and the home itself is trimmed with porches and verandas and topped by a widow's walk. A self-guided tour lets you take a leisurely look around this magnificent relic of a ship-salvaging family. The property also serves as a hotel, should you love it so much you want to stay a little while longer.

Key West Garden Club

The Key West Garden Club is housed in this Civil War-era fort tower. The club maintains a handsome garden featuring native tropical plants. Art shows and flower shows take place here regularly. An orchid show is a particular lure for connoisseurs and the like. March and November are the prime time for shows. Also in March, the club operates a tour of private gardens in the city, which gives you a chance to look at houses you'd never see otherwise. Donations are welcomed but there's no official charge.

Key West Shipwreck Historeum

Before tourism became Key West's major source of income,'wreckers' earned their living by salvaging what they could from ships wrecked on the reefs. At the Key West Shipwreck Museum, you can learn about the 'wreckers' and see jewelry, china, house wares and other artifacts from the Isaac Allerton, which sank in 1856. An observation tower offers a great view. The tour guides are living history actors. Admission is USD8 for adults and USD4 for children. There are shows every 30 minutes.

Key West Art & Historical Society

A non-profit organization founded in 1949, it comprises of the Fort East Martello Museum and Gardens, the Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters Museum, and the Museum of Art and History at the Custom House. The exhibitions running at the moment are Vera Vaseks' glass sculptors and Dale Dapkins' abstract art. The museum also rents out its property for weddings and other events. This is a beautiful area just to stroll through, even if you don't catch an exhibition.

Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory

If you're a fan of the delicate winged creatures, then this is definitely the place for you. The Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, which treats visitors to amazing sights and smells of mother earth, has a climate controlled enclosure for about 60 species of butterflies. The colors, size, shape, history and lifespan can be studied at the Learning Center - a great experience for children and adults alike. The gallery and gift shop have lots more in store. Admission: adults USD10, seniors/military personnel USD8.50, children (4-12)USD7.50, children under 4 enter free.

Pirate Soul

Pirates of the Caribbean are closer to you now than ever before and one man is responsible for it: Pat Croce. He's been a live commentator on the NBA on the NBC show and has been a bestseller author. But this time he's done things differently. The Pirate Soul Museum opened by him in Key West pays tribute to pirates across the world. Don't be surprised if you find Captain Johnny staring at you with weird hair-dos and masks, because it's a winding journey into the alleys. You can touch Captain Kidd's loots and weapons and see history unfold.

Reworx

Modern art meets recycling at this unusual museum, which displays art created from industrial scrap materials. Whimsical and odd, these curious exhibits vary from huge displays of salvaged metal pieces to smaller works made from recycled waste. All are a tribute to the imagination. The museum also features a gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs.

Fort East Martello Museum & Gallery

This well-run local museum displays artifacts that represent the history of the Keys. Model ships, diver's equipment and other nautical themed items are exhibited. Displays include the daily life of the Keys' previous inhabitants. Located in an old fort, the museum features a lookout tower from which visitors can view the island below and the surrounding ocean.

Roy John-Karl Gallery

The owner of the gallery, Lynne, is an award-winning painter who paints in all styles and mediums. She has had several shows over the United States and overseas. For one of the shows, she converted the interior of a sports bar to her gallery. Other works include a 20 ft. by 50 ft. baseball bleacher mural and a sculpted nine foot football quarterback! A must visit for all art lovers.