5 Places to Learn Something New in Key West

Fort East Martello Museum and Gallery is housed in a beautiful Italian-style Martello coastal fort and exhibits relics from the Civil War as well as collections of unique artworks. The highlights include folk pieces by Mario Sanchez, historic photographs and Ernest Hemingway ’s World War I uniform jacket.

This exciting museum is also home to the iconic and creepy 19th century Robert the Doll. You can even take a ghost tour featuring Robert and one of the most hair-raising places in Florida.

At the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, you can tour the house and the lush tropical grounds and see where Hemingway worked and lived. The Nobel Prize-winning author moved to this yellow-shuttered colonial house in 1931 with his second wife. 

Pay particular note to the rabble of 6-toed cats and Hemingway’s collection of 17th and 18th century Spanish furniture. The cats who live on the museum grounds are descendants of Hemingway’s original cat, Snow White, that he got from a ship’s captain as a gift. Be sure to visit the museum’s gift shop and pick up a watercolor painting of the house or funny keychains and magnets.

Harry S. Truman Little White House is Florida’s only presidential museum and that you can tour to learn about President Truman’s time here. He used this stunning villa as his post-WW2 winter White House. The interior is lavishly decorated and only accessible on a tour, but the surrounding botanical gardens are equally splendid, and free.

On a tour, you can see the home where President Truman came to relax and rest. You’ll hear fascinating stories of one of the most important man of his time and learn about other famous visitors and residents. If you’d like the VIP treatment, book one of the premium tours and see and experience more on your visit.

If you’re unsure where to start when getting to grips with the island’s creative side, try the non-profit Studios of Key West organization. It’s well-known as the heart of Key West’s arts world. The gallery space is home to a selection of artists’ studios where you can check out public exhibitions, workshops, and festivals. Admission to the museum exhibitions and campus is always free of charge.

You’ll discover live music, new Key West theater, writing, performance and art classes, and national, international and island artists in 4 Key West galleries located under one roof. Their landmark Art Deco building is a photo-worthy beauty, located just steps off Duval Street.

Key West's unique and intriguing cemetery lies in the heart of Old Town. You’ll find the main entrance and Sexton's office are at the intersection of Angela and Margaret Streets where a grand maze of white mausoleums pokes out from the center of colorful Key West. The cemetery sits in a 19-acre park-like setting where people of varied heritage rest side-by-side, echoing the island city's diverse heritage.

Bahamian mariners, Cuban cigar makers, millionaires and paupers as well as Catholics, Jews and Protestants have all found their final resting place here. It's an oddly alluring space for a wander, and make sure to look out for typical island idiosyncrasies, some of the gravestones here have rather amusing inscriptions.