Epic Travel → North America → The South → Florida → Key West → Shipwreck Treasures Museum

Location: Key West, Florida

Time Required: 2 hours

Red Tape/Notes: Open 365 days a year, 9:40am – 5pm (last show at 4:40pm). Admission is $15.04 per adult if purchased on sight. For additional details on the museum, visit their website.

What’s Nearby?: Hemingway Home, Kayaking, Snorkeling, Fort Jefferson

The Keys are/were notoriously troublesome for ships navigating through the area, due to the reefs surrounding the islands, and many ships were lost at sea. Of these ships, a rare few were carrying the kind of cargo that would classify them as “treasure ships”. I love seeing sunken treasure and dreaming about stumbling across my own someday. This particular museum uses a combination of actors, film, and artifacts from an 1856 shipwreck (discovered in 1985) to relay some of the history behind the wreck-salvage business that flourished in Key West in the 1800’s. There’s also a cool 65 foot tower you can climb, which has a nice view. If you’re looking for a less romanticized museum (and one that’s more museum-y), and one that will tell you about treasure hunting in the modern era, the Mel Fisher Museum is amazing.

Epic Travel → North America → The South → Florida → Key West → Shipwreck Treasures Museum