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!
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Admission tickets
from £13.98
All you need to step foot in the door.
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  • Frank G
    New York City, New York68 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting, worth the visit
    An 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 bureacrats
    Visited April 2023
    Written 26 April 2023
  • JamesV
    Huntsville, Alabama102 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A 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 2023
    Written 12 July 2023
  • AJNNJ44
    New Jersey403 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Today’s the day
    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!
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 27 October 2023
  • MAB
    17 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice reprieve from the heat in an interesting setting
    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.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 3 December 2023
  • Dorothy M
    Incline Village, Nevada215 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don’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 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 21 January 2024
  • Robert L
    Amherst, Massachusetts1,612 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting!
    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 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 January 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,996 reviews
Excellent
1,056
Very good
625
Average
219
Poor
65
Terrible
31

Don S
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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
2.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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.

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MEL 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: