Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum
4.5
About
We are a fully accredited museum in the Florida Keys. Come discover a museum rich in history! We have amazing treasure in our 1622 Fleet exhibit of the Spanish galleons discovered by Mel Fisher and his crew. Also thought provoking Spirits of the Passage and Key West African Cemetery exhibits to glean insights into the transatlantic slave trade and Key West's unique role in it. And don't miss our three new exhibits -- Spanish Coins in the New World, the Real Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Science of Shipwrecks. You can even take a lab tour to see how history is revealed through excavation and conservation of shipwrecks. Make plans to visit. We're open seven days a week, 365 days a year!
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingAdmission tickets
from £13.98
All you need to step foot in the door.
Full view
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
374 within 3 miles
Attractions
160 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- Frank GNew York City, New York68 contributionsInteresting, worth the visitAn interesting glimpse of history of the new world. One wonders at how all that treasure was accumulated. The story behind his years long search for the treasure and the US govt's attempt to steal it from him offer real insites into both Mr Fisher and govt bureacratsVisited April 2023Written 26 April 2023
- JamesVHuntsville, Alabama102 contributionsA must visit place in Key West.Unique museum. Great history surrounding Caribbean treasure hunting and Mell Fisher. Also has a well done section centering around a wrecked slave trading ship and the impact it had on The Key West community.Visited July 2023Written 12 July 2023
- AJNNJ44New Jersey403 contributionsToday’s the dayWhile the history of the Atocha may be lost on a fair number of Key West visitors I am a shipwreck geek and dragged my wife along to visit Mel’s place. The artifacts on display are tremendous and there is so much history to read. The facade of the building was under construction when we visited and the sounds of jackhammers was a bit distracting but the museum is absolutely worth some time (and the construction should be finished shortly). Today’s the day!Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 27 October 2023
- MAB17 contributionsNice reprieve from the heat in an interesting settingAn interesting stop - it only takes a couple of hours to get through the exhibits. Don't bother with the audio - you don't need it the information is duplicated within written the exhibits. Cute little gift shop - we picked up an interesting map of Florida ship wrecks.Visited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 3 December 2023
- Dorothy MIncline Village, Nevada215 contributionsDon’t miss this !An excellent walk through the long process of Mel Fisher’s discovery of the Atocha and other wrecks. Starts with a short film worth watching. We did not find the listening devices to be very useful. Lots of descriptions with the exhibits. An extensive collection of his finds, not just gold and silver, though there was plenty of that on display. Very educational about life on ship. Where and why the ships were collecting cargo and precious goods from South and Central America. The upstairs rooms and discussion of pirates, privateers and buccaneers was well done, as well as the area with US/Cuban history. Highly recommend visiting.Visited January 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 21 January 2024
- Robert LAmherst, Massachusetts1,612 contributionsInteresting!Right in the middle of Key West tourist attractions is this commercialized museum. The greeter at the top of the stairs had several interesting stories about the "wrecking" culture. In the heyday, there was 1 wreck weekly to be salvaged. Walk to the top of the lookout. Recommended ever if it's corny.Visited January 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 30 January 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
1,996 reviews
Excellent
1,056
Very good
625
Average
219
Poor
65
Terrible
31
Don S
2 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
First of all there was no line.
Second there was no record of my having paid for entrance, let alone enter….
Since I was there, I offered to pay a second admission.
I will be hard pressed to use your service in the future.
Second there was no record of my having paid for entrance, let alone enter….
Since I was there, I offered to pay a second admission.
I will be hard pressed to use your service in the future.
Written 8 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robertoisfun
Fredericksburg, VA848 contributions
I had knowledge of Mel Fisher before our visit and was looking forward to seeing his discoveries. My Honey was not not familiar with Mel's treasures so was not very interested at first. After viewing the short video and seeing some of the displays my Honey enjoyed our visit. They had many informative displays so you were immersed in the time period, customs and daily life. We learned a lot from our visit. I was a bit disappointed that they did not have as many priceless treasures as I was imagining. I wish we stopped by the nearby shop to see what they were selling and for how much during our short stay. Expect to stay 1 - 2 hours here as there is much to see. Worth a visit but will cost you both $35 for admission.
Written 3 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert L
Amherst, MA1,612 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
Right in the middle of Key West tourist attractions is this commercialized museum.
The greeter at the top of the stairs had several interesting stories about the "wrecking" culture. In the heyday, there was 1 wreck weekly to be salvaged.
Walk to the top of the lookout.
Recommended ever if it's corny.
The greeter at the top of the stairs had several interesting stories about the "wrecking" culture. In the heyday, there was 1 wreck weekly to be salvaged.
Walk to the top of the lookout.
Recommended ever if it's corny.
Written 30 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colleen C
Troy, NY2,182 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
This museum is a far cry from the Shipwreck museum across the street. It's clean, well lit and easily to navigated. There is two floors to this museum and there is an elevator. the second floor takes about 20mins. to walk/read through. The first takes about 40mins. The displays were nice and pretty.
I was just set back however on how many of the displays were not from any of the wreckages he found but instead on loan/gifted from other museums. Also the rooms were a little jumbled and not orderly.
if you want an audio guide it's only $2 more on top of admission~ but everything is well described.
I was just set back however on how many of the displays were not from any of the wreckages he found but instead on loan/gifted from other museums. Also the rooms were a little jumbled and not orderly.
if you want an audio guide it's only $2 more on top of admission~ but everything is well described.
Written 29 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dorothy M
Incline Village, NV215 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
An excellent walk through the long process of Mel Fisher’s discovery of the Atocha and other wrecks.
Starts with a short film worth watching.
We did not find the listening devices to be very useful. Lots of descriptions with the exhibits.
An extensive collection of his finds, not just gold and silver, though there was plenty of that on display.
Very educational about life on ship. Where and why the ships were collecting cargo and precious goods from South and Central America.
The upstairs rooms and discussion of pirates, privateers and buccaneers was well done, as well as the area with US/Cuban history.
Highly recommend visiting.
Starts with a short film worth watching.
We did not find the listening devices to be very useful. Lots of descriptions with the exhibits.
An extensive collection of his finds, not just gold and silver, though there was plenty of that on display.
Very educational about life on ship. Where and why the ships were collecting cargo and precious goods from South and Central America.
The upstairs rooms and discussion of pirates, privateers and buccaneers was well done, as well as the area with US/Cuban history.
Highly recommend visiting.
Written 21 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SammySki
Scottsdale, AZ1,131 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
This is my pick for top attraction we visited in Key West. Mel's story is amazing in itself and this museum gives you a chance to see what he brought up from the Atocha. Besides the fabulous jewels and riches, which are mostly saved to the end of your tour, the everyday artifacts tell a lot about the ship and its people that went down in 1622. This is the old history of the Florida Straights. Also the most conveniently located of the major Key West attractions, it sits right at the head of the Duval corridor tourist district.
Written 17 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
729ellie
La Crosse, WI106 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
A really great story that I had never heard about before. Lots of other maritime history and artifacts in this museum. Not so huge, an easy 1-2 hour visit, well worth the time!
Written 14 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MAB
17 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
An interesting stop - it only takes a couple of hours to get through the exhibits. Don't bother with the audio - you don't need it the information is duplicated within written the exhibits. Cute little gift shop - we picked up an interesting map of Florida ship wrecks.
Written 3 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul R
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Family
Having been here back in 2008 with my father I fell in love with the story of the treasure Galleons and Mel Fisher. This trip I decided to shop my daughter it. This museum is nothing like I remember. There was a bunch of interaction and displays of the treasure that was found.
This visit with my daughter left a lack luster feeling. Everything seems to have been removed. There was very little interactions with the story or treasure. We used to be able to feel a gold bar.
I would skip this stop. For a museum based on treasure Galleons there is practically none on display. Artifacts are cool but treasure gets you hyped.
This visit with my daughter left a lack luster feeling. Everything seems to have been removed. There was very little interactions with the story or treasure. We used to be able to feel a gold bar.
I would skip this stop. For a museum based on treasure Galleons there is practically none on display. Artifacts are cool but treasure gets you hyped.
Written 20 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AJNNJ44
New Jersey403 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
While the history of the Atocha may be lost on a fair number of Key West visitors I am a shipwreck geek and dragged my wife along to visit Mel’s place. The artifacts on display are tremendous and there is so much history to read. The facade of the building was under construction when we visited and the sounds of jackhammers was a bit distracting but the museum is absolutely worth some time (and the construction should be finished shortly). Today’s the day!
Written 27 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FLnurseER
Boca Raton, FL2,809 contributions
Hi, are we able to visit the lab during these Covid times? Plan to visit in mid March. Also, how do I purchase a child - 12 years- ticket, only adults admissions are showing on my trip advisor. Thank you.
JuliainTally
Tallahassee, FL13 contributions
How long is the guided tour? How long are the self guided and guided combine?
MFGuestServices
Key West, FL
The museum is self-guided so that you can enjoy the exhibits at your own pace. You may choose an optional conservation lab tour on weekdays that runs from 25 minutes and up, based on questions and answers from participants.
Phyl888
Fort Lauderdale, FL3 contributions
Is the tour also in Spanish?
MFGuestServices
Key West, FL
Hello. The audio tour is in English only. We do have native Spanish speakers on staff in the galleries who are willing to be of assistance.
How long does it take to tour the museum from start to finish
MFGuestServices
Key West, FL
The museum visit is self-guided so you can proceed at your own pace. We suggest you allow at minimum one hour. Some fans who have followed the quest have been known to spend the entire day. It's entirely up to you. We want you to have the best possible experience. We're looking forward to welcoming you in Key West.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingMEL FISHER MARITIME HERITAGE MUSEUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum
- Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost £13.84, while a popular guided tour starts around £11.85 per person.
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum:
- Mel Fisher Maritime Museum Admission Ticket (From £13.84)
- Key West Conch Republic Tiki Pedicab Experience by Kokomo Cabs (From £177.87)
- Private Southernmost Key West History and Culture Walking Tour (From £234.80)
- Round-Trip Transfer: Fort Lauderdale to Key West (From £156.53)
- Key West Historic District Small-Group Walking Tour (From £37.15)
- Hotels near Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum:
- (0.02 mi) Hyatt Residence Club, Sunset Harbor - Amazing Resort -Come Enjoy Key West!
- (0.02 mi) Priced to Book! 1BR/1BA Walking distance to Duval St.
- (0.06 mi) Opal Key Resort & Marina
- (0.08 mi) Hyatt Vacation Club at Sunset Harbor
- (0.15 mi) Amsterdam's Curry Mansion Inn
- Restaurants near Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum:
- (0.02 mi) Doing Work Coffee
- (0.02 mi) Little Whitehouse Subs
- (0.07 mi) Garbo's Grill
- (0.08 mi) Smokin' Tuna Saloon
- (0.05 mi) Bruschetta Francesca