This collection is massive, and it's easy to lose track of time, even though there are only half a dozen rooms. I found I had been wandering through for nearly an hour without realizing it and almost missed my tour of the restoration lab. If you are an archaeology nerd you can't pass up the lab, well -worth the extra admission.

This is a great place to visit. You can learn about Mel and how he dives for treasures, you can go through the museum and see the treasures he has found. You can have a self guided tour with audio or without.

Very interesting. A wonderful story of an amazing family. They never gave up and when they finally found the treasures after years searching they had to fight Florida and USA government for the rights of there findings.

I will ask her what other reviewers have said: Pros - Definitely some fun artifacts to see! - If you’re willing to read plaques, learned a lot especially about privacy and the Keys. - Mildly diverting way to avoid the hottest part of the day. Cons - Staff was not horrible, but a bit terse and sarcastic. One of them basically followed us around while we read exhibits which was awkward. - More expensive than it should be considering how small it is. - Several exhibits away for research (that happens with museums, but they already have so few exhibits 😅) Overall, decently fun and we’re not at all sorry we went, but it didn’t blow us away. Probably not an amazing museum for kids either, since it’s mostly things to read.

The museum is great and tells the story of both Mel and the ships. Lots of interesting artifacts and history. The staff is incredibly friendly. I especially enjoyed visiting with Jason who told me more about the Fisher story and the area. He also told me to make sure to visit in the future because they are in the process of adding an additional 10,000 sq feet to the museum.

Visiting this maritime museum was a fascinating experience! It was interesting to learn about the story of Mel Fisher and his search for Atocha. The artifacts from the 1600, the science of conservation and the displays on piracy, slave trade and the Cuban missile crisis were all very informative!

The Fisher treasure hunt is an amazing story of determination. We felt cursed determination. The museum also has stories to tell of pirates, slavery, and archeology. The museum is great for all ages.

The first floor of the museums is REALLY cool. They have actually artifacts on display. The customer service was great, the really tall guy that checked us in today was very nice. It took us about 45 min to go thru the museum, including watching a short 5 min video. The gift shop has some great maps.

Excellent museum! Well presented information and amazing artifacts, especially the jewelry. Definitely part of history about which I knew little.

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.

Definitely worth visiting while in Key West. Learned a lot about Mel Fisher’s work and his discovery along with the history of the ship.

I'm a big fan of mel fisher and the atocha history..but was kinda disappointed in the museum ..was hoping for more.but still neat to see.

Fascinating history and artifacts. Time well sent. We went there with a friend from Spain who explained the history of the islands, much of it was discovered by Spain.

Oh my gosh this museum is not to be missed! What treasures what a great man, Mel Fisher, what a lesson in life to never give up on your dreams!!!!

Outstanding exhibit! Great to see all of the history and artifacts. Lots of silver and gold. Incredible emeralds. What a great story Mel Fisher lived!

We have been here twice before, but it has been quite a few years. They have nicely expanded this museum since we were last here, and it is much nicer now, with more exhibits and more information. The boys loved going through and seeing all of the artifacts....and learning about everything. We highly recommend stopping here and taking the whole family through.

Really one of the coolest stories ever. From Spanish Colonialism to the Supreme Court. What a treasure ;)

First of all, let me say that I knew Mel Fisher and I have coins from the Atocha (and Santa Magarita) when he was selling Atocha coins in his museum gift store. Before his passing, I have spent many a times talking to him in his office (when it was in the gift store) which is why I feel the need to write this review. I took my middle school daughter and her friend to visit the museum and what a disappointment. The staff was rude and in particular the ticket counter person. I told her that I needed tickets for one adult and two children and I gave her their ages. She rang me up and before I could see the amount on the credit card terminal, she pushed the enter button on the terminal to get to the signature prompt without seeing the charge amount. I then asked her what the total amount was and she told me it was thirty something dollars which would have been the correct amount for one adult and two children. I signed the credit card Point of Sale terminal to process the payment and thought that all was in order. Out of curiosity, I checked the printed receipt and found out that she charged me for three adult tickets. I immediately confronted her about it and told her that she had lied to me about the amount. She denied that she had lied to me. Knowing that she had been exposed for her dishonesty, she immediately refunded the two adult tickets and then charged me the correct amount for two children's tickets. Being Asian, I believe that she intentionally tried to cheat me thinking that she could get away with it since we were an Asian family. Little did she know that I was an Economic Crimes Investigator specializing in access device fraud and have dealt with people who are more than dishonest. Secondly, the museum is a shadow of what it was. The amount of Atocha treasure and artifacts have been whittled down to a fraction of what it used to be. There used to be a huge stack of silver ingots and now, I do not know if the coins on display are real. There is very little on the wreck site itself and how it was mapped out and surveyed by Mathewson. On the second floor, there is information on another wreck that I had never heard of. Altogether, this was a very disappointing tour and not as good as when I visited in the 90"s. Moral of the story: Be wary of the staff at the Mel Fisher Museum and save your money. Mel Fisher would be disappointed in the museum that carries his namesake. "Today's the Day!!"

Great history and well displayed museum. I learned lots of interesting facts and I've lived around the water my whole life. Prices are fair, dress is casual and staff is friendly.

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.

I visited here during a trip to Key West. As I went through I realized that the day that I visited was actually Mel Fisher's birthday. I had an awesome time. There was a lot of information and cool treasure on display. The staff was pleasant and there was no wait on Sunday afternoon. We paid the $ for the audio addition which is only for downstairs. If you love learning, you'll be happy to visit here.

Mel Fisher Maritime museum is a great historical stop in Key West. It has good history about everything it took for Mel Fisher to come up with his bounty, from beginning with the planning as well as the actual dive operation, and lastly the legal battles to fight off greedy governments from taking all of his hard work. There are a lot of historical artifacts and interesting facts about sailing back in the 1600s. The first floor is dedicated to the gold, silver, jewelry and artifacts of the man shipwrecked in the second floor is dedicated mostly to historical aspects of the African slave trade. Outside there is an area dedicated to Cuban refugees, however if you read the placard‘s you’ll find that the people responsible for printing these placard‘s are no fans of free Cubans. Their writings are absurd and do everything they can to make the communist government of Cuba and Fidel Castro to appear to be anything other than the monsters that they are. Hopefully they will be corrected and changed. Other than the absurd placard’s this is a five star visit.

This was a great museum. The whole story of Mel Fisher's discovery of the Atocha is detailed with many interesting exhibits. The audio tour was very good, as well. The 2nd floor went through other interesting historical periods ranging from the Slave Trade, Piracy/Privateers and up through the Cold War