Relive the life of the wreckers as they fight the storms to save the lives and cargo on the treacherous reefs on the Florida Keys. Last show 4:40 PM Like others along the lower Florida Keys, this lighthouse was once vital in helping ships navigate the dangerous reefs. At the museum, a 17-minute film reflects on the expense and hardships Fisher and his colleagues endured. There are two floors with treasures from the sea. Drove past haunted homes way too fast.. couldn't take pics. Things to Do Nearby Travel Planner It also was home to a master wrecker and captain, John J. Geiger, in the 19th century. Last entrance at 4:30 pm. Book your Key West Shipwreck Museum tour now! Tour guide was spunky but the tour was lame. View our ADA Accessibility Policy. They even get you a private view of 'Robert, the doll' at the Martello tower. Whether youd like to dive in and snorkel, fly above the water in a parasail, go on a glass-bottom boat excursion, take a sunset cruise or try your hand at jet skiing, Fury Catamarans offers a myriad of exciting adventures. After wandering through the museum, tourists are invited to climb the 65-foot lookout tower to see if there are any shipwrecks on the horizon. From the colorful cast of transplanted Conchs, like Harry Truman, James Audubon and Ernest Hemingway, to the resident legends, artists, poets, and musicians that make Key West so alluring, Old Town Trolley Tours gives every visitor a look at the people and places that the city is so famous for. 501 Front St, Key West, FL 33040-6618 Open today: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Save Key West Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour 566 Book in advance from $39.86 per adult Check availability View full product details Lynn M 1 4 Very disappointing Review of Ghosts & Gravestones of Key West Reviewed February 25, 2016 via mobile It is home to many endangered and threatened flora and fauna. On Aug. 28, the Isaac Allerton encountered hurricane-force winds off the Florida Keys. document.write(dictionary['message']);In the meantime, a customer service agent is available to take your call. ), This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Includes ride on a trolley bus, so mostly you do drive bye of where the stories took place. Driven across the reef, the ship lost its rudder and sank. The Audubon House, at 205 Whitehead St., is best-known for hosting John James Audubon during the painter/naturalist's annual visits to Key West. Start a tour at the Shipwreck Historeum at Mallory Square, in the heart of the downtown district and only steps from Key West's main cruise dock. There was no one in the museum to ask questions to about items also. Storytellers, in period costume, bring history to life with tales ensuring a fun and fascinating experience for the entire family. The elephant tusk are fake ivory. For a truly serene experience, take a moment to stroll through the Key West Garden Club at the West Martello Fort. The brave wreckers would watch the reef night and day from observation towers (some over 90 high). For my wife and I the best part of this tour was the observation deck. Barge 129 was found along with 8 other wrecks in 2021 by the GLSHS in partnership with Marine Sonic Technology using Side . Also included are relics from Spanish galleons, including a silver bar salvaged from the Nuestra Senora de las Maravillas that guests are encouraged to try to lift. This is a little museum and has some very interesting artifact and tour guide, has a movie you can learn great things about the history , however I took my three year old who was obsessed with the pirates outside and he was sad no pirates inside. Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum also operates the Key West Turtle Museum, where you . Other museum exhibits include artifacts from the Henrietta Marie, which sank in 1700 and is the only slave ship to be excavated in the New World. My kids were very bored, and they usually like museums. Photography by Michael Blanchard, John W. Penney and Historic Tours of America, Inc. Copyright. was founded in 1978 by a group of divers, teachers, and educators to commence exploration of historic shipwrecks in eastern Lake Superior, near Whitefish Point in Michigans scenic Upper Peninsula. I am giving 2 stars because at least the look out tower had a good view of the water and Key West. Aboard the Pride of Key Westthe magnificent Key West Fury catamaran with a glass bottom, youll enjoy the fresh sea air as you voyage above the lively marine world underneath. The day was July 20, 1985 when, after 17 years of searching, Mel Fisher and his crew recovered the $450 million treasure from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita, two galleons that sunk in 1622. Sign up to receive the scariest of offers and stay current on sales and events. Weve added lots of new items to each category in our web store, with several that are one of a kind to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. It does include two stops where you get off the trolley. Men, women, children -- practically the whole town was there. At the Key West Shipwreck and Treasures Museum, youll see first-hand how the wreckers lived and the results of their efforts to save the crew and the ships that crashed while sailing into Key West. Is it walking distance? Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. The MSU Museum, home of the Great Lakes Quilt Center, has more than 500 well documented historical and ethnographic quilts universally rich in diversity and expression. Directions: The museum is located next to the Tour Bus Stop in Mallory Square. The train departs from Front Street Depot and loops through the Old Town to end back behind the Depot at Mallory Square. Key West Shipwreck Museum: Our most recommended tours and activities. The Key West Museum of Art and History, in the U.S. Price $35.00. Articles and other items of interest on ghosts and the paranormal. The trade routes along the waters of the Florida Keys were a danger to the ships because of the reefs in these waters. . More details can be found in our terms and conditions. The Key West Shipwreck museum offers an educational and entertaining look at the life of pirates by combining actors, films, and real shipwreck artifacts. Our tour guide, Charlotte, was fantastic. Good family fun. Tickets were a bit of the expensive side but the tour was good. The Shipwreck Society is hiring full-time and part-time seasonal positions for 2023, with most positions starting in late April/early May, and ending on October 31. The museum is open every day May 1 to October 31, from 10 am to 6 pm. But many Key West wreckers -- diving without masks or tanks -- were injured in its pursuit. The Key West Shipwreck Museum transports visitors back to 1856, when the young citys port had more than 100 ships passing through daily. (Fisher's son and daughter-in-law were killed during the salvage effort.) The one behind it, too. You will not be disappointed! Went to fort and shipwreck museums which was cool. History buffs will be in their glory! Here, you can learn all about shipwrecks and salvaging, the industry that made Key West wealthy and famous in the 1800s. Discover the rich history of Key Wests shipwrecking past at the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum. Thank you for taking the time to share you experiences with us. We were sorry to her you did not find our museum interesting. (305) 296-3913 East Martello Fort & Museum Explore two floors of artifacts from shipwrecks spanning 400 years, featuring treasures from the Spanish fleets of the 1600 and 1700s. They would also patrol the reef in their own small vessels. During the golden age of sail, over 100 ships per day passed by Key West. Antique bottles, pieces of eight, ropes, The Audubon House marks the beginning of the restoration movement in Key West. This museum is particularly fun for families, as young children will get to see details of the culture and history surrounding one of societies most beloved historical figurespirates! Gold and silver. 9:00 am to 5:00 pm - 365 days a year. Find personally selected books, anything Atocha and pirate gear. It's also quite a small place. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) is excited to announce the discovery of the 172-foot schooner-barge Atlanta. The Shipwreck Society is hiring full-time and part-time seasonal positions for 2023, with most positions starting in late April/early May, and ending on October 31. Key West Lighthouse Museum If you're up for a climb, you'll be rewarded with stunning views of Key West and the ocean. Senior tickets: $13.00 Highlights of the museum include displays and video presentations on the history of wreck salvage in the Florida Keys and the sinking of the legendary Isaac Allerton. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Key West Shipwreck Museum can be crowded, so we recommend booking e-tickets ahead of time to secure your spot. Operating Times: Key West Aquarium: Daily. A very good introduction of a interresting piece of Key West history (not easly found in books/internet).1 hour and a half of a bus tour by night. Once a week, on average, during the heydey of America's merchant-marine traffic in the mid-19th century, the ritual was repeated: A vessel colliding with a jagged coral reef, all but invisible even on a sunny day, or swept off course by a wicked windstorm. We are very pleased to announce that the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has received an Operational Support Grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA), for support of its operations during the States 2020-2021 fiscal year, in the amount of $24,000. I see the distorted, strangely proportioned faces. Guided by a young lady in period dress we "traveled" through a wrecked ship, learning about the treasures off the Florida coast, how treasure laiden ships came and went from the port and how many were salvaged by people who became known as "wreckers". The Key West Museum combines actors, films, and the actual artifacts from the 1985 rediscovery of the wrecked vessel Isaac Allerton, which sank in 1856 on the treacherous Florida Keys reef. Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions. Sunday, Jan. 1st: Open at 10am, last entry at 2:30pm. In 1921, the wrecking courts were closed. We offer a satisfaction guarantee located on the customer service page of our website. I see a full head with a face, eyes, a brow line, a nose, and a frowning mouth. 1 Whitehead St, Key West, FL 33040 This group did a great job! grant of $5,000, specificallyto support staffing needs at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, with an emphasis on the Motor Lifeboat House. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Bartholomew and Katherine are fantastic characters. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) recently discovered three 1800s-era shipwrecks in the vicinity of Grand Marais, Michigan (Lake Superior). At 907 Whitehead St., perhaps Key West's best-known dwelling, the Hemingway Home -- where author Ernest Hemingway produced some of his best work during the 1930s -- was built by Asa Tift of Shipwreck Historeum acclaim. Thank you for your feed back. This Florida museumrelated article is a stub. Museum is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm 365 days a year. Not worth the 90 minutes or the $36. Experience a journey like no other aboard the Yankee Freedom III. We appreciate you time. (Robert did it! Lighthouses were built. WHITEFISH POINT, MICH.- The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) is proud to announce the discovery of the 292-foot Whaleback vessel, Barge 129. The attraction is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday. On average, at least one ship per week would wreck somewhere along the Florida Reef. The look out tower is nice to go up and look out. Key West locals get in free with Click here for more info! And they risked their lives, especially during hurricane season, to do so. What do you think??? Go back in time on a family-friendly trip to the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum. On guided tours, actors offer a gripping account of the wrecking operation. Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information. Because of the coral reefs, shipwrecks were common at the time and salvage became a thriving business. Ernest Hemingway lived here from 1931 to 1961 and wrote many of his acclaimed novels including To Have and To Have Not, which was set in Key West during the depression. This was an interesting place to visit. Not until 1985 was the Isaac Allerton rediscovered and fully salvaged. What hotels are near Key West Shipwreck Museum? Nothing in the museum is particularly interesting and it was hard to get through all the information. Among the jewels that have been found, there is a gold pendant with the cross of Santiago and others with symbols of the pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago.[2]. This gives a great view of the water between Mallory Square and Sunset Key. By the next morning, more than 500 people and cargo worth millions of dollars had sunk. The goods salvaged from the wreck would later be sold at auction in Key West with the wrecking courts awarding anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of the profit to the wreckers, depending on how dangerous and time-consuming the salvage operation had been. Our online gift shop has unique gifts and not found anywhere else items that were sure you or that special someone in your life would treasure. The first person to reach the wreck, would get the best of the spoils. How far is the museum from where the cruise ships harbor? We were in and out in about 20 mins. Key West Aquarium and Shipwreck Museum Package. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) is thrilled to announce the discovery of the 144-foot Barquentine Nucleus. In the 1800s shipping was the method of transporting goods from one place to another. Our guide was hilarious and informative. Admission is $12.50 or $25 in combination with a Mel Fisher Maritime Museum visit. Some would be returned to the owner of the wrecked ship, if he had survived. Several other museums and historical landmarks provide more insight. Key West Visitors Center www.KeyWest.com. Thank you. After the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society released the discovery of the shipwreck Atlanta in March of 2022, we found this letter in an old United States Life-Saving Service log from one of the survivors Eli Wait. The orange and green trolleys transport guests around the city of Key West, showing off the citys most intriguing points of interest and sharing the fascinating stories that helped shape one of the countrys most visited destinations. it or Not is a spectacle to be enjoyed by adults and children of all ages. Browse our comprehensive list of attractions and museums below for travel . Embark on an adventure to the world-famous reefs off the coast of Key West. pulleys, barrels and more! We will be sure to share your comments with our entire team! Report: Houston is the No. Today one of the popular Key West attractions is the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum. A fun and spooky tour around the island. Actors play out stories of Key West wrecking. Address: 1 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040 . St. Augustine, FL 32080, Presented by Historic Tours of America Inc. All rights reserved. By using our site, you agree to our. Come join us and see for yourself the beautiful indigenous sea-creatures of Key West and the Florida Keys. Press J to jump to the feed. Also shown are a gold cup used to detect poisoned wine, the only known surviving example of a cinta necklace or belt, a 17th-century navigator's astrolabe and scores of contraband emeralds. There was apparently someone who explains things from a little booth near the start of the museum but that person wasn't there when we went through. 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