Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum, Key West

I remember hearing about Mel Fisher's amazing discovery of the Atocha shipwreck when I was a kid, so I was excited to visit the museum and see many of the artifacts in person. The museum is located near Mallory Square across from the Opal Key resort, and it is the perfect place to spend a couple hours inside especially if the weather turns rainy in Key West. We purchased our tickets just inside the main door and I think the price was around $17 for adults plus I think we paid $1 or so extra to use a guided headset that tells more about the displays. I was happy to see that we could pay with a credit card - unlike the Ernest Hemingway house which only takes cash. One of the displays is a short video around 15 minutes long or so that tells a bit about Mel Fisher and his discovery of the Atocha. Throughout the museum there are various artifacts including coins, gold, silver, jewelry, chains, and cannonballs. There are many wall panels containing historic information about the ship, the history of the area, and even pirates. I enjoyed my visit to this museum and recommend it if you have a couple extra hours in Key West.

Not to be missed in key west. Pre purchased tickets online to save a few dollars. The video at the beginning is a great introduction to the museum. After watching it, all of us (2 parents and 3 kids- 15, 11, 9) were very interested to see the displays and artifacts. If you only have time for one key west museum this should be it. Not a huge place so it can be experienced in an hour or less. If you are interested in archeology, history, treasure, diving, being rich, or thinking about being rich, this is for you. I did not do the behind the scenes tour but if I have the chance to go back I will.