My husband is NOT a museum goer. We have visited Key West a dozen times and I always have passed by…read morethe Oldest House saying "next time". Do yourself a favor and just go. It is a pure gem of a museum amid the hustle and noise of Duval Street that has been lovingly preserved by the Old Island Restoration Foundation. The real gem here was our docent, Saud. What made the tour epic was Saud's passion and affection for the history of Key West. Not only was he knowledgeable and interesting to listen to, he was the nicest person ever! I had no idea that many of the buildings in Key West have been moved over the past 200 years - by mules - and this conch cottage is one of them. Even more fascinating is that it was home to a sea Captain, his wife, and their nine daughters!!! Eleven people in such small quarters with no air conditioning or modern conveniences - it really gives one pause and an appreciation for all we have now. The property has three buildings, the main house, the kitchen house, and the exhibit pavilion which face a garden with benches. Saud showed us around the gardens and shared great detail about the flora and fauna of Key West (turns out he is also a gardener - of course he is) and introduced us to Larry, the resident rooster and other birds who live in the gardens. Also fascinating to see are the works of art by Mario Sanchez, Key West's famous folk art wood carver. Did I mention my husband loved visiting the Oldest House? Thank you Saud for a wonderful tour and thank you John in the gift shop for being so accommodating and packaging our purchases with care.

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.

Robert the Doll tour on 07.17.26. I did only the 1 hour…read moretour without the VIP investigation. It was about as expected. I wanted to see Robert and I did. The tour guide did a great job with history and a quick tour of the fort and talking about Robert. I learned a lot in a short amount of time about Robert and the Fort. I recommend doing this tour! I appreciate that David followed up with me on my initial review regarding communication emails. He was able to show me that it was a typo on my end in a very professional manner. Thank you!

This Ghost Hunt is more of a Ghost Stunt where the tour guide equips you with ghost hunting…read moreequipment (2 dowsing rods which apparently find water and death). The tour was interesting from the standpoint of learning the history of some interesting deaths and murders around the streets of downtown. But the small group of people wandering around like lemmings watching their rods spin around randomly was a distraction in my opinion. Ted, our tour guide, told interesting stories of the history of the island, military tales, the history of some of the bars and murders in said bars and Robert the Doll. Apparently David Sloan (local expert scribe on all things Key West) used to run the tour but began another tour specific to Robert the Doll at the Fort and handed the reigns off to Ted. Ted was accommodating when the normal venue they operate from was closed for a private event, he made sure to work with other businesses to have restrooms available before the tour. Excellent job! There are a number of Ghost Tours in the City and this one was a fun night out. Lots of history, seeing some cool buildings including the Masonic Temple, and a friendly tour guide make for a great way to spend 90+ minutes on a Key West evening.

When a great stop along the drive down to Key West. The exhibits were thoughtful and informative…read more There is a 90 minute tour which is worth every penny. It's nice to support their rehab efforts

You're in the Keys... so let's know up front this museum is no Metropolitan Museum of Art or the…read moreGuggenheim; the keys have museums but for the most part they are all low-key and this one is no exception. It's not large and it's not overly impressive but it is interesting; more in the sense of it's actual history and not what they have to offer. The real deal is the place was, to put it bluntly, a turtle slaughterhouse... Sea Turtles were brought in from the boats and loaded into the building (that sits over the water as part of the docks). They canned the meat and also made Turtle Soup. Key West no longer processes sea turtles into meals but the history is here... Regardless of whether you love or just like it, it is free, so when life gets closer to normal, swing in for a peep.

This is so much more than a ghost tour or ghost-hunting adventure; Sloan offers history few people…read morewill ever learn about Key West otherwise. I brought a group of eight people down to Key West and every one of them loved Sloan's enthusiasm and knowledge - and all of us appreciated getting the historical information about the fort and those who may have become the ghosts. Robert the Doll, obviously, brings in a lot of people (and he has a fascinating history), but what I especially appreciated was how the tour destroyed so many of the myths. This is perhaps one of the best ghost tours I've ever taken, and one of my top two history tours. Go!

During the Sloan's Key West Ghost Hunt in the city, we learned about Robert the Doll who was…read morebrought to the island as a gift to some kid and that kid basically was mesmerized by said doll. Who knew dolls could be so big? Anywho, it was interesting enough for us to visit said doll and sign up for the 2nd tour bearing the Sloan name. This one was conducted at East Martello Museum, an old Civil War fort which surprisingly dates back to the 1860's. Our tour was conducted by local author David Sloan. He literally wrote the book on Robert the Doll, which you can buy on this tour and around the city. He also wrote other Key West ghostly tales like Haunted Key West, Ghosts of Key West and The Key West Key Lime Pie Cookbook ("limes have to die for this delicious pie" may or may not be words used in that book). David is a masterfully engaging storyteller who explains the history of Robert as well as the ol' Civil War Fort known now as the East Martello Museum, which sits at the entrance to the Key West Airport. Equipped with one Dowsing Rod and an EMF Reader that lights up when spirit energy is nearby, we wandered around the fort, into dark hallways, trying to bring out some spirits. People occasionally got hits (red and orange) but mine stayed green so spirits must be avoiding me like the gals did in high-school. The tour ends with everyone sitting around a glass case containing Robert the Doll. He's the main attraction. Great storytelling by David as some sounds are heard on the thingy that plays sounds (I forget the name). There were tales of people taking pictures of the doll or disrespecting the doll having horrible things happen to them. It was believable enough for us NOT to take pictures or whip it out and taunt the doll. I did take a picture of the poster of Robert the Doll though. The only thing bad that happened was my Windows PC rebooted on me without asking! Ugh! There's an extra add-on to stay afterwards to explore the fort on your own. We did not participate, but a few on our tour did. I haven't heard from them since! Should you go? Yes! It was interesting and informative and captivating. You can tell David has a passion for telling this tale and the stories of the fort and all things spooky. He's as Key West as a chicken crossing the road.

This was such an awesome event during fantasy fest! It happened on the day we arrived and we made…read moreit just in time to start! The costumes were fantastic! There was a group that had an espresso martini cart that they were handing out. I loved it! This is a must do event and also known as the locals parade!!

Seniors wearing only body paint: check People on thongs and…read morenothing else: check Westboro-church like protesters: check This and much more you can find on the annual Fantasy Fest parade that takes place in Key West every year around Halloween time. I have been to this event several times because my husband is from Key West and we visit the town around this time. We usually have a very entertaining time just sitting around and watching the crowd, I don't think this event is for children and I have rarely seen people bringing their kids but it's up to the parents. There is a lot of security and police during and after the parade and have always being safe the times we've gone. If you like what you see in the pictures people post then this event is for you.

5 stars Way Better Than Just Another Bar Crawl! Listen, when…read moremy buddies started yapping about this Key West Ghost & Mysteries Tour, I was like, "Yeah, right ghosts in paradise? Pass the piña colada." I was already half-toasted from Duval Street happy hour, sweating in the humidity, thinking it'd be some cheesy, overpriced gimmick. But man, did it sneak up on me like a whisper in the dark. For what felt like pocket change (didn't even pay friends hooked it up), we wandered the shadowy backstreets of Old Town for 90 minutes, hearing wild true tales of haunted spots: the old firehouse with its dozen restless spirits (including a firefighter named Frank who still haunts the engine room), whispers from shipwrecked sailors on the breeze, and that creepy vibe from places tied to Key West's pirate past and yellow fever epidemics. The guide was a total pro mixing legit history with just enough eerie chills to make your skin prickle without going full horror movie. It's not scary-scary if you're buzzed and laughing with the group; it's more like deliciously mischievous storytelling that makes you glance over your shoulder at every creaky old conch house. What really sold it? Breaking from the usual beach-drink-repeat routine. Sure, Key West is all sun, sand, and rum, but slipping into the island's darker secrets cursed dolls like the infamous Robert, ghostly lights over the water from wrecked ships, and spots where the dead supposedly still linger felt refreshingly different and surprisingly fun. Highly recommend if you love a good story (and maybe a little liquid courage). The guide makes or breaks it, and ours was gold knowledgeable, funny, and just spooky enough to keep things lively. Bonus silly skit (because why not?): Me (whispering dramatically to my friends post-tour): "Guys... did you hear that? Footsteps behind us!" Friend 1: "Dude, that's just your flip-flops echoing." Me: "No, wait shh! It's Frank the firefighter... he wants his hose back!" Friend 2 (laughing): "Or maybe it's Robert the Doll, pissed we didn't say 'please' three times." All of us: "Run!" (We didn't run. We just hit the nearest bar for one more round. Ghosts approved.) Totally worth it. 5/5 even sober, I'd do it again.

If you're going to do a ghost tour--for the love of God, do it in Key West. Forget the cheesy ghost…read morewalks in cities that have to invent half their legends. This is Key West, where the humidity alone feels haunted, and half the locals already look like they've made peace with the afterlife. The Key West Ghosts & Mysteries Tour is the best of the bunch. You're not just shuffling along behind someone in a cape muttering about "orbs"--this is real-deal weird history. The streets themselves creak with old shipwreck stories, curses, and that doll (yes, that doll, Robert the Doll) who stares into your soul like he's still holding grudges from the 1900s. By the end of it, you're not sure if you're spooked by the stories or by the fact that people actually survived Key West before air conditioning. Pro tip: do it in the winter. In July, you'll be sweating so hard you'll mistake heat stroke for paranormal activity. In December, the air's crisp, the island's alive, and a walk through Old Town's lantern-lit streets feels like slipping between worlds. It's equal parts creepy, funny, and fascinating--a Key West cocktail mixed with history, ghosts, and just enough rum-soaked madness to keep you guessing.

It is best free event and the contestants have bring their "A" game. I think this is one of the…read moreevent should not miss. Finally some one has right body paint that is worth a look. The event indicated 8 pm for the contestants to check in. The contest start at 9:00 pm. Actually the judging not start until 9:30 pm. That is the reason I said go there 5 minutes before 9 pm start is good enough. There is VIP section with pay entrance that allows you stay at front. There was various body artists painting. Some of them is local tattoo artists, some is airbrush artists, and some just painted by themselves. The use of color to props is amazing. Some has their whole body is painted. The winner has vibrant colors with a lot of props. The Expo held at sunset pier in key west. It is adults only entertainment. It attracts some crowd during the competition. The artist here is better than the Duval Street regular participant.

Wonderful museum to learn about the history of key west and the train that once got you there…read more Really great place to take the family! Hopefully you run into Charlotte the time traveler!

It's a cool museum, but pretty small and a bit repetitive. Because it was included in Conch Train…read moreTour tickets, it was good, but hard to justify $10 per person otherwise. It does give some good history of Henry Flagler, who is an important person in Florida history.