Places to See in Key West

Visitors might think that going to a graveyard to be grim and depressing, but Key West sees it differently. As one of the many things to do in Key West, the locals will actually recommend going to visit to Key West Cemetery if looking for a good laugh, or getting to know the local history of the island.

Mallory Square is a Key West specialty that every visitor should see. It provides a daily, spectacular view and show of the sunset, to which locals will give a standing ovation to.

Even though this isn't exactly a "place" to see in Key West, visitors from all over the world that come to enjoy a Key West vacation usually quickly get familiar with the world famous Conch Tour Train. For most people, this is usually their first stop when in Key West. This bright and yellow tram designed to look like a train takes visitors on an adventure and will point out all the important sites, and odd tales of Key West.

The Key West Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society and Museum is a must-see for visitors that love jewels, treasures, maritime history, and pirates. Named after it’s famous treasure diving founder, Mel Fisher wanted to give the treasure he found a home for the public to learn from. Located off of Greene Street, this maritime museum has a large collection of artifacts collected from 17th century shipwrecks.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! was founded by the talented Robert Ripley, whose sole passion was dealing in the odd and the bizarre. Ripley started out with a series of cartoons for the New York Globe in 1918, that were sports related until he ventured out and started adding items unrelated to sports. He changed the name of the cartoon feature to Believe It or Not in October 1919.

The Key West Aquarium is the only public aquarium in Key West, and features educational programs, and hands on learning the whole family can enjoy. The aquarium is located at the end of Duval Street in the Mallory Square area, and is close to other attractions, so it can be an easy stop and addition to your Key West adventures.

Fort Jefferson was originally built to be a coastal fortress, and is still unfinished to this day. Fort Jefferson is located within the Dry Tortugas National Park, on Garden Key. The Dry Tortugas National Park is off the coast of Key West, and is only accessible by ferry or plane. Fort Jefferson is the park that visitors will get to see, snorkel, and camp, when they sign up to go to The Dry Tortugas.

The Key West Shipwreck Museum is one of the most notable buildings in Key West, and would be hard to miss. The building is a large, old-looking, and made of wood that looks like it was salvaged from a bunch of shipwrecks. A part of the Key West Shipwreck museum is the very tall Lookout Tower, where guests get to walk up to the very top and look out over the city of Key West, Mallory Square, and the ocean to find any wreckage.

President Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt, after a sharp downturn in health and passed on in 1945. Truman immediately went to work, and took his role as the President very seriously. After Truman’s first 19 months in office and working relentlessly, he went to the his doctor for a perpetual cold that didn’t want to seem to go away. Truman’s doctor diagnosed him with being physically exhausted and prescribed him to take a tropical vacation.