Key West Historic Sites

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National Geographic Driving Guide: Florida and the Southeast

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Purchased from Spain in 1821, the country’s southernmost port of call became a naval base and a center for fish, shrimp, and sponges. Salvaging of sunken ships gave Key West the country’s highest per capita income by mid-century. Though a hurricane blew away a portion of Henry Flagler’s railroad to Key West in 1935, the Overseas Highway linked the island to the mainland three years later and continues to bring a stream of visitors. The historic district harbors a mix of Bahamian- and New England-style architecture. (Chamber of Commerce, 402 Wall St. +1 305 294 2587 or 800 527 8539). CONTINUED

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Ernest Hemingway owned this Spanish-colonial house, now open to the public, from 1931 to 1961. Dozens of cats, many extra-toed descendants of Hemingway’s own polydactyl pet, roam the lush gardens.

Photograph © Patrick Ward/Corbis

Audubon House (Whitehead and Greene Sts. +1 305 294 2116. Adm. fee) Built by a sea captain in the 1840s and named for the naturalist who visited Key West in 1832, this restored neoclassical dwelling features elegant 1840s furnishings and original Audubon engravings.
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society (Front and Greene Sts. +1 305 294 2633. Adm. fee) In the 1980s treasure hunter Fisher located the wreckage of Spanish galleons that went down off the Keys in a 1622 hurricane. The museum showcases some of the remarkable gold, silver, and artifacts recovered from them and explains the hardships and thrills of treasure hunting.
Harry S Truman Little White House Museum (111 Front St. +1 305 294 9911. Adm. fee) A short video and a tour explore Harry S Truman’s Key West retreat. Furnishings include the President’s mahogany poker table.
Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Park (Southard St. and Truman Annex. +1 305 292 6713. Adm. fee) Constructed from 1845 to 1866, this stronghold seized so many Confederate blockade-runners that it claims the nation’s largest collections of Civil War armaments, most still lodged within the fort’s walls. The crumbling battlements afford fine ocean views.
Ernest Hemingway Home (907 Whitehead St. + 305 294 1575. Adm. fee) The Nobel laureate owned the Spanish Colonial house from 1931 to 1961 and wrote much of his oeuvre here. Tours cover the house—furnished with antiques the author collected on his travels—the gardens, and his writing studio.