Key West Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters Museum

Whether just to see the view or if you are a hobby photographer at heart, you need to visit the lighthouse and the keeper’s house. Get off of Duval and learn a bit of Key West history.

The Key West Lighthouse is a fun, quick diversion if you’re visiting Key West, whether on a cruise ship or staying there overnight.
Getting in and out is pretty uncomplicated — the lighthouse is in a central location and you can’t really miss it. It’s $ 10 for each adult, but military are free.
At the end of the day, this is an old lighthouse that’s been renovated, so getting up and down during busy times can somewhat be a hassle due to the small spiral staircase going up the lighthouse. When we were approaching the lighthouse, the entire top portion was full of people, so we almost turned back. But I guess it’s a crapshoot, because when we arrived, we were the only ones climbing up lighthouse. I’m assuming that the lighthouse is more full when cruise ships are in town.
There’s also a small museum in the former light housekeepers quarters, and that gives background for when the lighthouse was relevant. I was somewhat shocked to hear that Key West was once the largest city in Florida.
Overall, the Key West Lighthouse provides a pretty expansive view over all of Key West, and it’s a good destination for kids.

This is a great place to stop if you’ve been walking around all day. Pay $ 10 and you can escape the crowded streets of Key West. Climb up the stairs of the lighthouse for a beautiful view. Visit the keeper’s quarters for some interesting history. The first keeper lost all her children when a hurricane hit the original lighthouse. This of course made my Mom cry but that just gives this stop more stars. Afterwards, you can sit on the porch of the small museum and watch all the people checking out Hemmingway’s home. The girl working in the gift shop was very nice. There are clean restrooms available.

Be prepared to climb spiraling stairs to the top of the lighthouse. But it worth it. Beautiful view of key west.

Not a must see. The views from the lighthouse are outstanding but it’s quite dangerous climbing up there. I came down drenched from sweat and out of breath. Not really healthy to climb in the key west heat.

This attraction is okay. I would not go across Key West to visit this however it is across the street from the Hemingway house which is five stars. So if you’re going to Hemingway, you might as well go see the light house.

The Key West Lighthouse was originally built in 1847, and this is probably one of the few lighthouses I’ve come across in recent years that you can actually go up to the top and see some spectacular views. It’s $ 10 admission ($ 9 if you are AAA members) and there’s a small museum that details the history of Key West and has additional information on lighthouses, the bulbs, and so forth. Then when you get to the tower itself, it’s 88 narrow and spiral steps to the top with traffic coming in both directions, so be really careful when climbing up and down!

For a paltry $ 10 you can experience acrophobia, vertigo, claustrophobia, and inadvertently make feces in your drawers. I had the first three to some extent, but I managed not to do the fourth one — the number two.
88 narrow, spiral steps straight to the top with two way traffic. Be warned! But it’s totally worth it.

After visiting about 4 – 5 other Florida lighthouses, I knew this one had to also be added to my list. Seen perfectly from the Ernest Hemingway house (and rumored to be something Hemingway himself enjoyed looking at from his dwelling), is the Key West Lighthouse.
This lighthouse was built in 1847 to replace the original wooden tower that had been destroyed by a hurricane. The current conical tower of the lighthouse measures 73 feet high and is 14 feet above sea level. It is made of brick, and originally contained a third order Fresnel lens and French-​manufactured red sector glass to warn sailors of dangerous reefs. The lantern was eventually replaced after a hurricane and it was converted from incandescent oil vapor to acetylene in 1915. At that point, a keeper was no longer required and the lighthouse soon was automated.
The Light Keeper’s Quarters was built in 1887 and houses many maritime artifacts. The light was decommissioned in 1969 and turned over to Monroe County, which now operates it as a museum. A restoration in 1989 at the tune of $ 265,000.00 allowed the tower to re-​open to visitors. On the grounds are several colorful statues, as well as free-​roaming roosters. Be sure to catch the film of the lighthouse that plays on a loop inside the Light Keeper’s Quarters, and to see all the lenses on display as well.
As you climb the 88 steps, imagine how claustrophobic and hot it would have been in here in the summer. Once you reach the top, you will see the viewing platform has these metallic wires all around the hand-​railing, which I assume are meant to keep people from falling down during high gusts of wind. You can see panoramic views of the City of Key West from here, including several historic inns, churches, and the Hemingway home, as well as the open waters. Admission is $ 10, and it is self-​guided, so you can decide how long you want to stay. It’s well worth a visit if you’re in the Keys.

Came with my parents, was a nice place
To be honest there is not to much to see, just going up 85 steps to see a nice view which was the only thing that nice there.
My parents age over 65
On the front dest it says very clear DISCOUNT FOR SENIORS
I didn’t ask for it, just gave her the money, before I got my change I ask her «does my parents get the discount, right?»
And then she goes «well, you should ask me before I charge you, now it’s too late, but anyway we are a non profit organization»
So I told her u know what that’s fine just keep it
This place is just ok and I won’t take anyone else gets again.

What you see on the outside, is whats up there. Nothing magical. Read about it on wiki verses paying to go up there to read what is already on wiki for free:)

An interesting historical site. The lighthouse itself is quite a climb. The staircase is very narrow and winding and there’s NO a/​c so it’s quite hot. It’s about 88 steps total climb. Once your up there the platform around the lighthouse is quite narrow and there are placards pointing out points you can see (like the southernmost point etc) the grounds itself have these kinda creepy statue people everywhere. And there is a house that has all the historical mumbo-​jumbo to read and learn. Its worth a visit but maybe more enjoyable in a cooler month.

Outro museu rápido, com um custo um pouco algo de US$ 10, mas com um atrativo excelente se você tiver uma câmera boa, uma linda vista da cidade e litoral se o tempo estiver bom. São cerca de 30 metros de altura para subir na escada em caracol do farol, o que cansa um pouco a maioria das pessoas mas compensa no final. É o atrativo principal, visão fantástica no sudoeste da ilha.
Claro que tem uma lojinha na entrada e saída com alguns artigos para lembranças e a casa do zelador e história da família que ocupava lá para manutenção cerca de cem anos antes.

This was a really cool piece of history of Key West. The view from the top of the lighthouse was fantastic and the plaques were very informative. The keepers quarters was interesting and provided more local history of Key West.

Cool place but would not do it again as it was not worth the five dollars to climb up look and go back down. Go early or late as it gets crowded and can get tight in the lighthouse stairs. If you are afaraid pf heights or get dizzy easily dont do it

This is a good place to get a great vantage point of Key West. You can learn about the area a bit too. The lighthouse is 66ft tall and small, but there was not a great deal of other guests to worry about, in fact, only one other group. One interesting aspect was the statues and figures placed about the grounds. Some are very detailed and realistic looking from a distance. I would say this is a must do if you are in the area especially if you are a lighthouse fan.

It’s what I expect from a lighthouse museum — climb the lighthouse, visit the keeper’s quarters, read about the history, see some old pictures. Neat.

I’m not super afraid of heights so I went up here, but I don’t think it’s worth the price they’re charging. If you have a group of few people, I’d send one up with a camera and let that be that. The way up the lighthouse is interesting because it’s such a tight space, but because of that, it also creates traffic when people are trying to come up and down at the same time. In fact, sometimes it got a little scary because the steps are so narrow and not made for some of those who are larger. There are little windows on the way up which are kind of cool too, but again, somewhat unremarkable.

I did not personally go up the lighthouse because I am afraid of heights. The narrow staircase turned me off as well. However my fiancé did go to the top and took some great photo’s of Key West. It seems to be one of the higher points in the city so you get great views. It a few steps away from the Hemingway House so you can kill two birds with one stone. The only turnoff is the $ 10 cost. Otherwise for decent pictures it’s a good place to stop by.

This tour was very educational and interesting, If your a history buff stop in and learn about the Light house and listen to one of the interactive «Keepers» stories about living and working in a lighthouse. They also have a small gift shop too with all your miscellaneous trinkets and such.
The only thing I didn’t like was that at the top their was several small cables obstructing your view and pictures being taken. Prolly to deter people for leaning over the side. Perhaps if they had an employee at the top pointing out the features and answering history questions they wouldn’t need the «view obstructing cables» lol. They however leave that up to you. There is small placards around the top explaining where things are. I guess that how they eliminated a paid position.
But with all said and done. I had ALOT of fun at the lighthouse so come check it out and learn some history. ;-)

My travel companions and i stopped in Key West for a few hours and walked by the Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters Museum and decided to give it a whirl. We had gotten a map from the tram driver which got us each $ 1 off admission. When we entered we noticed a sign that had said it was the light house’s 165^th birthday. We made our way through the air conditioned museum which had artifacts related to it’s history and a short video. Then we decided to make our way up the spiral staircase to the top. On our way up i freaked out a bit because i could see through the stairs and made the mistake of looking down. Once to the top i was a wee bit winded i must admit but the view was spectacular and i could see most of the island. Then i went back down the spiral stair case and was equally concerned i was going to fall down the stairs as i am clumsy… Luckily i escaped unscathed and am happy i conquered my fear of heights, stairs, and being a general wuss.