Ahhhhh...where do I start??? We were fortunate enough to be at this marvelous haven this past…read moreChristmas, and it was outstanding. The property is absolutely lovely, peaceful, and is just a "vibe" once you enter. You are greeted by such warm, friendly people, and as you walk to your room, you are surrounded by unparalleled, peaceful beauty. This was our 2nd stay, and they were both magnificent. The rooms are thoughtfully curated with beautiful local art, and lots nice touches. We were there for our anniversary and were greeted with a bottle of champagne, glasses, and a sweet card - what a nice surprise! There is a gratis, made to order breakfast that is such a great way to start the day and an awesome bonus for guests. The pool area is amazing...it's very clean and well maintained, as is the entire property. We LOVE watching the tortoises in their habitat, and watching the birds is quite nice as well! If you want to escape to a tranquil, beautiful, and truly special place - I cannot recommend this jewel enough!!!!

Our second time staying at The Gardens Hotel, and it never disappoints. We stayed in Cottage #4 on…read morethe second floor and it has all of the feeling of home with the charm of Key West. Having our own kitchen and essentially our own pool were the highlights. Although don't discount the breakfast, which every morning was something to wake up and look forward to. Whether it was Annette or Jorge taking care of us, it was always excellent, and of course having a afternoon cocktail with Dr Philgood was a great way to relax poolside. Special note to Lucy and the Tortoises for some great wildlife viewing while strolling the property with a glass of wine. We will definitely be returning, but not soon enough. Highly recommended for couples to enjoy a serene and safe environment with all of the comforts of home.

A must see while in Key West!…read more It's quiet, serene, beautiful place to just sit among lush garden and watch the sea. So many amazing views and benches available to sit and just relax. It's free, but they do request a donation that is voluntary! There was a kind woman sitting at the desk who gave us a map, and explained their history briefly. It's a beautiful place to stop in and visit, with their butterfly garden and orchid arbor stealing the show. Bathrooms were very clean as well.

This garden is also called "Key West Gardens at Fort West Martello", free entry, free street…read moreparking and run by volunteer, donation are welcome. It's a well maintain garden in the Martello Fort, the volunteer lady was very helpful and friendly. Pretty place with lot of orchid and a small butterfly garden, very relaxing walk and there are picnic tables and benches. Every corner of the garden is a beautiful spot for photographers

On vacation at the keys and the wifey and I stopped at butterfly world !…read more Absolutely loved the vibes I was able to buy a butterfly to take home and walk thru a beautiful garden filled with butterflies, birds and turtles Price was super cheap to enter the garden and the butterflies you can buy to take home was ehhh on the price but worth it since it goes to the butterflies and animals. Everyone was very nice. Would recommend if you have kids or have a gf like mine who enjoys all type of animals

This was a short but sweet stop in key west. We were looking for something to kill time and this…read morewas a good way to kill 30 minutes or so. They do let you come back all day, we didn't end up doing that but it was a nice option. I was amazed at the number of butterflies in this place! It is a pretty short walk through the inside but it was gorgeous with them flying everywhere. There was lots of information around for you to read up on. It was pretty crowded the day we went but there were a few seats you could stop at. It was pretty expensive but worth doing once.

Another beautifully preserved historic property as well as extensive lush gardens. We passed by…read morethe property daily during our brief visit to the keys and admired the well maintained tropical gardens visible from the pathway.

Lovely. Dedicated staff. An unexpected treat in Key West (which turns out to be a thoroughly…read morelikeable town despite the rumor and innuendo). An easy place to have a very nice time.

Tours are not free or have a tour guide as stated in some of these older reviews. It's $10/per…read moreperson now and it's a self walk through/guided tour. It's all self guided. Make sure you read all of the signage - you'll learn a lot. Beautiful gardens out back. Currently under construction as they are building a kitchen for catering of their events. Fun to do if you're looking to kill 30-45 minutes or so.

I really enjoyed this visit. A docent gave us a quick overview of each room in the house then let…read moreus explore the house and grounds at our own pace. The shop was cute as well. It was great to spend time speaking with the docent and curator as well. They had so much knowledge, not just about this house, family, site, etc., but other historic spots and trivia about Key West. Money well spent.

This place is located on Stock Island and was my first visit here since I didn't know it existed…read moreand I've been to Key West maybe 8 times. It is more a forest than a Botanical garden, and in the June heat and humidity, use insect spray for sure! I love Strangler Fig trees, and there were plenty of them. Plant signage was everywhere, there is a stand with plants for sale. I was lucky to be there when the Nursery employee was there and brought me back to the Nursery where there were so many more varieties of plants. They are all very reasonably priced. I bought a small Soursop tree for $10 and another vine type plant with a trellis for $10. I enjoyed the experience, but don't expect the typical Botanical Garden.

We visited here on Wed 2/04/26 in the afternoon. Only a few other visitors, but it was a weekday &…read morewe were in Key West on vacation. Located on Stock Island just east of Key West off US Route 1, next to the College of the Florida Keys campus. A visit is 1-2 hours. Plenty of parking. Easy walking trails that let you meander through the key's native diverse flora. Must be 200+ plant/tree identification markers. Very helpful woman at the entrance provided us with a map for the self-guided tour. This place is maintained by the volunteers of the Key West Botanical Garden Society. Has been here for 90 years. Admission is $15.pp, $10.pp for seniors. Open 10am-4pm daily. Recommended for the visitor that wants to enjoy an alternative to the crowded Key West Old Town & Duval St. Thank you. Nick & Liz, Albany, NY, USA

The University of Florida IFAS Extension has created this beautiful garden in the middle of a…read moreresidential area in Key West, on Catherine St. Here you will see over 50 different species of plants that are native to the Florida Keys, some of which are listed as threatened or endangered by the state of Florida. The wildflowers planted here support a diversity of pollinators including bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, and other insects. It is also a stop-off for resident and migratory birds. Urban, pocket gardens, like this one, have become increasingly important as natural, wild spaces and wildlife habitats continue to decline due to urbanization, increased pesticide use, climate change, and other environmental factors. Recent studies have documented alarming decline in insect populations worldwide. So, increasing plant diversity in yards and neighborhoods is one way to make a major positive impact locally. We loved walking around the path and reading about the plants, butterflies and insects that thrive in the area. Most of the plants have plaques in front, so you know what they are.

**if you have a cat allergies SKIP THIS you will be miserable. All other people this is one of the…read morebest experiences on key west. Full stop When visiting Key West this is a MUST DO. The staff are all so friendly. they keep it infomral so it's not stuffly or rehersed. In our tour group there about 15 people. 4 of whuch were kids and our guide tailored it to them which both sweet and adorable. He also mentioned multiple times that if we wnated a different experance to stick aorund for the next tour. So from tour to tour you'll get a completely different experiace and infomation which is not typical and definatly a more interesting experiance (I do a lot of antique and historically signifaicnt home tours lol) The cats are amazon. Most are very used to people and are happy for some gental and respictful attention. Please if you are visiting, be respectful of the rules and don't pick htem up. If one jumps in your laslp thats fine but don't pick them up on your own. Pets and belly rubs and photos and ear scratches al welcome. We saw margarita glasses being used a water bowls an have implented this at our house now. I could have spent all day here and if we ever return to Key West we'll be back as I;m sure the experience will be different.

When we planned to come to Key West, this was the first item on my bucket list. And it did not…read moredisappoint. After paying to get in, we did a little tour on our own. Mostly my wife looking at the cats and trying to get their attention. We had a cat, they do whatever they want when they want to. At a given time, we came back to the front for the house and garden tour. It was very informative and it lasted about 30 minutes. It does include some very steep stair climbing but well worth the visit. I was not aware of the whole cat thing but it was an interesting story on why and how they got there. But to see where Hemingway, certainly one of America's best writers, lived was a very cool thing to do.... in this heat and humidity :)

Do not miss this trip- book it now! What an amazing day and great snorkeling. The staff is…read moreincredible, they supply breakfast and lunch along with great tours of the fort. I cannot commend the staff enough- very organized and made the trip very enjoyable.

Difficult to get to (take Seaplane adventures), but a gorgeous way to spend a day exploring the…read morefort, having a picnic with the tortugas and snorkeling ship wreck ruins. Theres a vibe here for sure and if youre sensitive to the paranormal, you'll definitely feel it. The park has a dark history for humanity and the folks who were forced to endure it. But today its the gorgeous national park with crystal clear water and beach time.

We were in Key West during a cold snap. The high on this particular day was only in the 50's so we…read morewere looking for some indoor activites as opposed to water or beach activities. The Art and Historical Society is housed in a historic buidling that has served a variety of uses in the past - including serving as the island's customs office, a post office, courthouse and the U S Navy. This four-story architectural marvel was built to be a prominent structure near the water in order to collect customs. After the Navy moved out, it was vacant for a number of years until it was acquired by the Art and Historical Society which completed an extensive, multi-year renovation of the building. Seeing the building itself is worth a visit but the museum includes a wealth of art and history of the Key West are that shoudn't be missed. Allow at least 2 hours.

Located in Mallory Square, this museum depicts the paths of citizens of the southernmost town when…read moreit was the richest and largest city in Florida in the 19th century. Here we see local, national and even international exhibits of art and history. I enjoyed drawings of Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. There are 59 drawings on the walls from the 1st to the 3rd floor. Open daily from 10-4:30 pm. Elsewhere I wasn't super impressed. Admission charge 13.00 and less for kids. Self guided.