Key West Shipwreck Museum

We went to the KW Aquarium (also great) and admission to the Shipwreck Museum is included (bonus!). Unlike the Mel Fisher Museum, which is cool in its own right, there are a time more authentic items found from wrecks and not just museum replicas. You get a better sense of how the waterways operated (trade ships, piracy, etc) and it’s all set inside of a galleon. There are some informative videos, a real silver bar you can lift and feel, and countless cases full of artifacts and treasures. The tower walk gives in you a unique perspective on the island and is a great way to get some exercise on an otherwise flat island! Don’t forget to ring the bells on the way up and down! However, the absolute best part of this attraction is Capt. Joe, found on the second floor of the museum. What a superstar! He knows everything you can ask about, and does it all in character, and in a way that keeps even young kids interested. Jokes, and magic, and knowledge equals AWESOME!! We will def come back to visit Captain Joe and the Shipwreck Museum!

The Key West Shipwreck Museum was an interesting stop and worth visiting if you’re curious about the island’s maritime history. The museum is mostly self-guided, so you can explore at your own pace, but there is a staff member inside who shares some background and is available to answer questions. We found that part especially helpful—our guide clearly knew a lot and was happy to fill in details when we asked. The exhibits themselves give a good sense of what shipwreck salvaging meant for Key West and how it shaped the island’s past. There are plenty of artifacts on display, and we thought it was neat that they’ve recently added some new items that were just brought up. That helped the experience feel fresh and not like a static display. The museum also does a nice job of mixing in storytelling elements that make the history easier to imagine rather than just reading facts on a wall. One of the highlights is climbing the lookout tower at the end, which gives you a great view over the island and the water. There is also a live cam you can check out on their website and PTV YouTube that has the stream view from the top of that tower. Pretty cool. Overall, while it wasn’t my absolute favorite stop in Key West it is worth doing at least once, because it was definitely interesting, informative, and a nice way to spend an hour or so.

We enjoyed the museum it was fun and a quick pop in and explore kinda thing! We loved the coins and the tower!

Good little museum based on some area shipwrecks, but more importantly the wreckers who recovered the riches and how it affected the area monetarily. A viewing tower as well. Worth a visit.

This was really a fun experience! Its small, but overflowing with artifacts and information. I loved the atmosphere! It was dark and ominous, exactly what you'd expect from a museum about ship wrecks. They have someone there to engage with you and answer all your questions. We didn't climbt the tower, but there's a beautiful view if you're willing to brave the stairs.

We really enjoyed our visit to the Shipwreck Museum! There is SO much history in Key West and they have done an excellent job of presenting the ship wrecking story in such an interesting way. Walking through the levels is neat and gives a real feel for being on a ship. The real artifacts and recovered treasure is incredible and the various presentations of the materials is well-done and captivating. The live actor was so knowledgeable and humorous, and he was super fun to interact with. Being able to climb to the top of the wrecker's lookout tower with spectacular 360° views of Key West was the icing on the cake! A great experience all around! We highly recommend!

Really cool experience for a history lover. More of a spot for the kiddos to enjoy. They have a tower to climb and I’d recommend you do climb it for the views at the top! Captain Joe was super sweet with everyone that walked into the museum. Quite small. 2 levels on the inside. 🏴‍☠️🫡

Wasn't our favorite thing in Key West, but not bad. I was here 20 yrs ago and I don't think a thing has changed. Great views from the watchtower, though.

This museum is located in Key West's Mallory Square, a popular tourist area. There is metered street parking within a reasonable walking distance. If you plan on going to the aquarium you can get a combo ticket and save a few bucks. This museum is about Wreckers, people who goods from ships that sank along the continental United States' only living coral barrier reef, which runs parallel to the Keys. I guess they get their name from shipwrecks. The staff there is very friendly, energetic and helpful. You start you tour in a dark theater with wooden benches, and a movie about shipwrecks and treasure that runs about 20 minutes on loop. I bypassed the movie and went up stairs to the exhibit area. On the level. in the center of the room was the friendliest guy, who was very knowledgable about the museum and explained many of the exhibits to visitors. He did work for tips, but was worth it. The first level has recovered items from sunk ships, featuring artifacts from the shipwrecked Isaac Allerton. the richest shipwreck in Key West's history. You will see dishes, ammunition, medicine bottles, navigation tools and There is.another level of the museum that has a few more artifacts and exhibits on the divers and the impact that the railroad had on ships and wreckers. This level is also where you exhibit on to a deck to take a flight of stairs up to the 65 foot observation tower. The stairs are no joke, but the view from up there is awesome. You can see for miles and miles. It is also a great photo/selfie spot. You are supposed to ring a bell up there if you see a ship wreck. There was another movie that was playing on a loop just before I exited and I skipped that one too. I took me about 40 minutes to go through this museum. It was interesting and entertaining enough. For me, there was something missing, I just could not put my finger on it though. This is still something to see while in Key West. I would probably couple it with a few other stops on the itinerary. There is a bunch of nearby attractions, including the aquarium, tours, and gift shops.

The crown jewel of this is the view from the tower. The museum has some interesting artifacts, but is not organized in a way that is super engaging. The stuff is neat, but not super captivating. Again, maybe a little expensive for the value of what you get. Some of the videos that play in there are pretty dated as well.

The Shipwreck Museum is a fun experience but not a place you can spend too much time, which makes it kind of overpriced. There are some cool displays and the music/entryway vaguely reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney, probably because of the music and the atmosphere plus the unique smell. (If you've been on that ride before, you'll immediately know what I'm talking about.) Climbing up the tower is the best part, in my opinion!

Fun Museum! Can take fun photos here. If in the area definitely stop by it's a must See!

Just starting off, I love historic memorabilia. I also love pirates or anything that has to do with the mysterious sea. The bottom portion of the museum was spooky and smelt like the ocean. Super authentic. We went during the day but when you get inside, it's very dark. There are rows of seats in the bottom, along with a screen playing some informational stuff. When we walked up the stairs, we were greeted by a lady dressed in some themed attire. She was amazing! Super informational with everything we asked about. She went above and beyond telling us history about different subjects. I get some people don't like to speak with others, but I didn't mind conversing with her at all. I lifted the silver bar. It was heavy but I was able to do it. We walked outside and to the top of the place. We had one of the best views of Key West up there. There is a live cam up there too. Overall, great place to visit for a quick tour and some fun information about old relics and shipwrecks.

Yeah, super touristy, but probably the best view from above in Key West. I definitely prefer this than the Key West Lighthouse cus you can get a nice view of Mallory Square and the waters for about the same price. It's one of those places you visit once and you're good. So, definitely would recommend if you never been before and want to learn a little bit more about shipwrecks. They have a lot of into actually in the two levels that's all decked out. There's a person dressed up on the first floor that's available for questions too which I thought was nice. Other than that, that's about it!

Interesting little museum. You go back in time to the 19th century when shipwrecks were a common occurrence in Key West. It's pretty cool if you are into history, ships, and piracy. The artifacts are recovered from actual wrecks. There is a silver bar that you can pick up. It's heavier than I expected. They also play interviews, film clips, and undersea footage. I was bummed out that the observation tower was closed. The admission price for adults is $16. There is a discount if you purchase online. Key West locals get in free the first Sunday of the month. 4 stars.

We really learned a lot about the history of all of the shipwrecks that were salvaged off of Key West. So much of the wealth of Key West came from salvaging. The museum also opens earlier than the other museums in the area on a Sunday morning. It was a nice way to start the day. Loved climbing the tower. Great view. Worth the climb!!!

Very interesting. Great view at the top. The "Captain" inside was full of interesting facts and fun stories.

A museum dedicated to the wealth that came to Key West through Salvaging . I can't say that it would take a long time to go through, unless you read every word and linger over every thing and picture that this will take you much longer than a half hour, but it's a nice way to spend some time and learn something new. And on a hot afternoon in Key west, the AC would be nice, lets not forget that.

Unique ship wreck artifacts, tour guide insight was helpful, videos along the way offer information and nice visuals for what key west used to be like back in the 1700 -1800s. The tower offers gorgeous views you need to see for yourself

This was my 4th visit to this exhibit in the last decade or so, I came this time during fantasy fest, its still a lot of fun to see the artifacts being brought up from the Gulf, upstairs they have artifacts from a slave ship, the bottom floor is the Atocha.

Very cool museum in Key West. So story goes that in 1622 a Spanish ship named Atocha sank in a hurricane somewhere close to Key West. The ship had departed from Havana and was two days out when it was overwhelmed by the storm. Fast forward 1969, Mel Fisher a treasure hunter begins his search for the Atocha. Not until 1973-1975 that he discoverers silver bars and cannons belonging to the ship. Then the real battle between the state of Florida and Mel's salvage company begins. Eventually the Supreme Court favors Mels company and awards him full rights to all found treasure in 1982.

This was very informative. It was worth going for the historical value as well as the legends.

The shipwreck museum is super cool for what it is. It is a little cheesy with some interesting information. The silver is super cool. It is awesome that you can touch it too! It is by far the oldest thing I have ever touched. Usually you aren't allowed to, but you can here, at least the silver bar. The highlight is absolutely the walk up top the lookout. This is the prettiest view of Key West you will get. The tickets are way over priced, but if you buy online you get a little discount and one time is definitely worth it.

Was good touristy fun, learning about shipwrecks and salvaging. America's first millionaires were salvagers from the Keys, who knew? A menagerie of interesting things, Keys bits and shipwrecker's baubles, stuffed into a few chock full rooms, all worth taking in. Definitely a sight to see. We didn't get to hike up the tower because it was too windy ...but I wasn't exactly looking forward to it either ;)

Toured the shipwreck museum while on a cruise as we had time to kill. Admission was $16-18 per person. It seeMed steep for what you got in return. Learning the history and seeing real treasure recovered was fun. Climbing the tower and getting a birds eye view was the highlight for me. The place gives you an experience of what hunting treasures would be like from the video they show. About halfway through the building there was a tour guide who was very nice and informative. The only tip I would leave is if you don't do stairs for mobility purposes this is not the place to visit.

We added this at a discounted rate when we went to the Aquarium. As you enter there is an odd musty smell and a video playing. The museum has some interesting artifacts and history of the Shipwreck treasure hunters from years ago. The main attraction for most is the tower which on a windy day (like then day we visited) can be scary to climb. My daughter went up one flight and was too scared to go further. It's an interesting place to visit...but for me it's a been there done that and I am okay not to visit again.

5 Stars!!!!! Don't get much better n this! I've done this museum a few times before. What's new? Charlotte is. Who is she? I don't rightfully know but her narrating skills and the part she plays as a 1800's wreckers wife is not short of phenomenal. Well versed and knowledgeable and a plethora of info, this lady could very well be reincarnated. The museum is cram packed and full of old salvaged memorabilia and artifacts from days gone by. Every time I come through I find things I overlooked before. If your feeling adventurous and really want a birds eye view of Key West and her surrounding waters climb the tower. The view is breath taking. Feeling really tough? Try and lift the real solid silver bar on display. Definitely the best bang for the buck and a great time for all ages especially the young pirates in the family.

This is a very cool place to learn about the history of Key West. It's open most of the day so you can buy your tickets and show up whenever you want. Very cool stuff inside. Some amazing history about Key West that most people never knew will be learned here.

Pretty cool place. Smells like a shipwreck with neat little artifacts. Guide said you could be there for 45 minutes. Unless you read at a 1st grade level and walk 2mph... you'll prob be in there 15 minutes tops They also have this tower you can climb up that's about 4 flights. At the top you get this beautiful view of the water and keys area.

Bought the admission as part of the tour with the train. The museum is very small and dark. The exhibits are just of found item's on shipwrecks and some video's. The place is 3 levels but tiny and very quick to view the entire place. Wouldn't recommend for kids as its something for older people to that enjoy the history.

Part of our ghost and graveyard tour, we got a sneak peek and I can see how it would be fun to visit. I don't think I'd pay much for admission a coupon would be great! We got to pick up the bar of silver.....if you had the muscles.

This is a must stop if you're in Key West. This place is so cool. It is packed with information that you never knew about Key West. We had such an enjoyable time walking through this museum. Be sure to stop and watch the short videos. They are unprecedentedly informative. Truly a great way to spend 30 minutes and learn something spectacular about Key West.

Meh. Kinda small for $16 tickets. The lady working was nice though. If youre bore it can pass some time but a must see in my book.

Shipwreck! There is a lot of history to learn and enjoy at this cool museum. We got discount tickets through the internet and we were able to get the insight from Colonel Sanders from the 18th century. There's a tower that everyone must climb to the top. The award? A breathtaking view of the gulf coast. Make sure you ring the bells along the way though. It'll make people wonder what you are up to. Arrrrrrrr!

I can't give a review on the interior of this museum because I use a rolling walker as a mobility aid and I was told that they could not accommodate me. I was told that the lift was only for wheelchair users. In my opinion that does not make it handicapped accessible to people with all types of disabilities. It was unfortunate, but the employee did direct us to Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. At Mel Fisher, they let me use the wheelchair lift and were very wonderful at accommodating me. If you have mobility issues, head to Mel Fisher Maritime Museum instead.

The only redeeming part of this tour was the view at the top. We bought our tickets late in the afternoon. We had to wait outside in the sweltering heat. No one else showed up, so they could have just gotten the show started. Finally, the tour started (in the heat). Our first guide must have been affected by the heat as he kept forgetting his lines and stumbling over his lines. Next, we went inside and had another tour guide. He had a couple of good facts, then we were on our own. There really is not much here. Just some random artifacts here and there. They have some videos playing. The AC is not that great either! It was warm in there. They needed to crank it up a bit! Once we went upstairs, we went ahead and climbed the tower. Stunning views from there and a nice breeze. That's why this is a 2 star rating vs 1 star. It is a tourist trap and a decent way to spend 15 minutes if you don't have anything else to do. I feel like we were swindled into coming here. I wouldn't recommend it.

We passed this tower the night before and thought it would be a great place for views of Key West. We were a little sticker shocked, as the price JUST to climb the tower was $7 per person. That's not including the museum entrance or a guided experience. Just as well though, because the museum did seem a little too musty inside for me. The views were really great and it ended up being a good way to kill time and do some sightseeing, but still so steep for what it was!

We really enjoyed this museum. We decided to visit it, after seeing a small portion the night before on the Ghosts and Gravestones tour. An employee told us that he's heard stomping on the second floor.

A very interesting look at Key West's early economy, which was based on wrackers--the rescue and salvage of ships which had crashed on the reefs a few miles outside of Key West. The reenactors act first as an employee, then as Asa Tift, the most notable salvager in Key West, and the original builder/owner of Hemingway's House. The museum inside is a replica of a wracker warehouse (and air conditioned), and at first you are treated to a spiel, and then given some highlights of the different museum like areas of the main room. One of the highlights is a 64 lb. bar of silver from a Spanish ship. Visitors are asked if they can lift it. It alone is worth $17,000. Over 300 were found on the ship it came from. After the tour ends, you can read the cards and look at the displays at your leisure. This took us over an hour, and we did skip a few upstairs. Younger children will be bored, or will want to leave early. Even older kids--middle and high school will likely not stay long. It's too bad, because they information is fascinating. The slave trade, trade routes, weapons, ivory (display is resin), medicine, etc. There is a tower to climb which will give you a 360 view of Key West. Wrackers were millionaires in their day, and even the legal/illegal nature of what they did was fascinating to me.

Very poor service and the workers were very rude. Also the employee that was helping my handicapped grandmother got her chair stuck between the building and a bus. They made her get up so they could get the chair out themselves. All this to get onto the elevator.

Small, smells like dugeon. 10/10 really enjoyed the smells. Would go again! Also the actor on the second floor was PHENOMENAL!! I went to the viewing tower and fell off! 5 stories down, I was flapping like a bird! Mild concussion but 10/10 would go again I had a blast.

Treasure was super cool but GO UP TO THE TOWER ! ! ! ! ! Don't forget, it's at the end of the treasure

It came down to going here or the other Shipwreck Museum - definitely glad we chose this one! You start out getting an intro/overview from "Mr Asa" himself of his life, his house (the museum), and the history of wrecking in the Keys. Try picking up the silver (use your knees) and get a feel for the weight of $32,000. The videos and archived pieces mix well together. The real smell of sea water adds to the experience as well. I'd suggest getting a combo pass with another attraction like the Little White House or one of the Trolley Trains.

I really didn't know much about the shipwrecks around the keys. The artifacts they have in this museum are pretty cool. The "actors" make it fun for kids. There are 3 levels plus the lookout on top. Make sure you are able to climb them otherwise it won't be worth your money.

This was a great stop for our whole family. Through the experience visitors come to understand how Key West gained wealth and a cosmopolitan air in the 19th century through its wrecker economy; it compares to New Orleans or Galveston. Then visitors get the added bonus of seeing so many artifacts from numerous shipwrecks. The mind can run wild with visions of finding buried treasure! An enthusiastic period actor made our understanding of the wrecks more vivid, and the view of Key West and the water from the tower above was stunning. Our boys are ages 12 and14, and they enjoyed it very much. Take the time to get directions and play the sailors' game "Shut the Box" outside as well. We had a great time with it!

Came to Key West to play tourist while diving the local reefs. This drew our crew because of the live music outside, cool looking facade and the hawkers they had outside. Once inside, I thought I had descended into the average flea market. It was bad, dusty, and just a bunch of junk. As one of the kids in our group said: "it was a money sink". One of those try it and wished I had my money back. One of our group climbed the tower to take some surrounding pictures. It was a long ways up, but it was the highlight.

This place rocks! If you are into history, role players, treasure, salvage, antiques, or just general Key West history, then this is the place for you! Located next to the aquarium and around the corner from all the trolley and train tours, the shipwreck museum is an ideal location for making a day of your time on the island. The role players - who are playing Key West-based salvagers from the 1850's - do an excellent job telling the story and keeping all entertained. I especially enjoyed seeing all the salvaged artifacts and treasure. I also highly recommend going into the lookout tower to get a great view of the island. The tour takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours - depending on how much you want to read and explore. A must visit in Key West!

This museum was interesting but there was not much to see. I would have been disappointed if not for the lookout tower. That in itself is worth the trip. They had costumed historians telling stories and explaining some of the exhibits. Overall I'm not disappointed in going, but am left wanting.

Museum itself is meh, but the tower on top of the museum is worth the admission. Amazing views of Key West.

It ain't Disney but it's pretty darn good. Try to go when there are no cruise ships in port and enjoy the museum on your own terms. It's more than stuffy old displays so be prepared for surprises. I probably should just leave it at that.

Very nice museum and a lot of amazing artifacts and treasures to go along with it. Plenty of surprises and the staff give some history lessons and shows about every 20 minutes (Top of the hour, :20 and :40 past the hour). Good part is that you get to go up to the very top of a 65 foot tower and see spectacular views of the town and island of Key West.

Absolutely worth a tour. Gives great history of Key West. They have some great artifacts to look at and a tower to climb with a great view. We did not watch any of the movies but other reviews say they were informative also. You can save a bit if you bundle a few diffent tours.

This was such a disappointment. Please do not waste your time and especially money with this place. We started the "tour" outside in the heat. The guy telling the story talked so fast that you couldn't understand him. He was like an auctioneer barking at you. We finally went inside and was looking forward to cooling off, which was also a disappointment. The air they advertised wad also nowhere to be found. We had the same guy goingon with his story but by then, I lost all interest. We were told to look around and take our time to see everything. There's NOT much to see!!! It was a bunch of dusty old junk that could have been bought at a garage sale or flea market. There were nails, bottles and some padlocks. I know there was the look out rhst might have redeemed part of this tour but it'sa very long way up and I'm not physically able to do those stairs. If there was a handicap access, it was not offered to us. We were out of the museum within 10 minutes. The guy stopped us and we expressed our disappointment but he really didn't have anything to say except thry were 2.00 cheaper than a competitor. Really??? Not really the right answer. I should have asked for our money back but I didn't. This place felt like a scam. I guess thru are true pirates and stole from us!!! I heard back and they said there's a money back guarantee. Too bad you need the tickets and the receipt. Who saves thst while on vacation? You can keep the money. Hopefully more reviews like mine will save other people from going here.

A small museum that has a few things of interest to look at. The introduction by the people working there as "Wreckers" was really cheesy, and could barely hear them over all the noise around. The big bar of silver that was cursed was interesting and everyone enjoyed picking it up to see how heavy it is. The view from the top of the lookout was great, and the video at the end was informative. Good to visit if you want to get out of the heat for half an hour.

I had good expectations for this museum and it was more fore children, explanations were a bit dull, even when there were actors dressed as pirates and people from the era, and movies also were outdated and not very interesting. There were not subtitles whatsoever neither in the movies, nor in the explanations around the museum, my guest only spoke Spanish, so for a place that is supposed to be touristic this is a thing to be thinking about. Decorations inside were like a Disney kind of place. Go with children !

Great tour of Key West's history in wrecking. Nice actors liven it up and show you around the wrecking museum. Cool tower you can climb and check out the city from way up high. You can see 360 degrees all around.

If your into history its an ok way to spend an hour. The good: + Character actors + The tower + History about the wreckers, how Key West started The bad: + no real significant historical artifacts + basement smells like an abandoned slaughter house + small

The tour itself was a little hokey. They do role play, which is good if you're in to that sort of thing (I'm not). However, they let you explore after the first little "skit" inside. I didn't think it was that great, but my hubby is in to history and he enjoyed it. If for nothing else, it is well worth the money to go up the lookout tower and get a panoramic view of the island.