Key West’s Historic Homes

Key West is a place we all enjoy visiting for it’s laid back and stress-free vibes.  But did you know that it is full of historic homes?  One of the great pleasures of visiting Key West is admiring the hundreds of historic homes that have been lovingly preserved and restored.  Not many visitors have had the opportunity of peeking in these homes.  However, there are four weeks out the year that the owners of some of the Key West’s most interesting houses open their doors on Key West house tours to raise money for historic preservation on the island.   One of  the tours is “Old Island Restoration Foundation” (OIRF) hosted the Key West Home Tours and this is one of the oldest home tours in the country.

Some of the Key West historic homes varied tastes and originality are based off of their owners. Some showcase homes have been scrupulously restored. Others have been ingeniously renovated. Many have art collections and antiques.  You won’t see Cezanne or Picassos; many people have work by local artists in their homes and trust me that is nothing short of extraordinary.  But if you can’t plan to visit during one of the four times a year that these tours are happening, you would still have plenty of history to take in.  Just rent a bike and take a stroll to the historic sites.  They are unique and quite interesting because of how they manage to never lose the tropical serene that goes hand in hand with their surroundings. 

Here is a list of a few historic sites worth visiting:

• Ernest Hemingway Home
• Oldest House
• Audubon House
• The Red Barn Theater
• Tennessee Williams
• Fort East Martello Museum.
• Harry S. Truman Little White House
• Key West Heritage House Museum and Robert Frost Cottage