Ernest Hemingway Home and MuseumIn the heart of Key West's old town is the house where
Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway, one of America's most
respected authors, lived and wrote for more than 10 years. The
rooms and gardens are open to the public, enabling visitors to step
back in time to Hemingway's most productive period, and to enjoy
the lush garden where more than 60 cats have taken up residence.
Entertaining guided tours are given.Key West Lighthouse MuseumThe landmark beacon of the Key West Lighthouse was
built in 1847 to warn ships of the hazardous reefs lying off the
lower Keys, and, having been taken out of commission in 1969, is
now a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can climb the 86-foot
(26m) high tower to marvel at the spectacular view. The clapboard
bungalow that was the keeper's quarters has been restored and
maintained as a museum, providing a glimpse of life in Key West in
the 19th century.Pigeon KeyTiny Pigeon Key is an island west of Marathon on the
Overseas Highway, which originally served as a construction camp
for the original railroad built through the Keys. It is now listed
on the National Register of Historic Places and operated by the
non-profit Pigeon Key Foundation as an historic preserve. Visitors
can explore a railroad museum featuring artefacts and photographs
about the original Flagler railroad and building of the old Seven
Mile Bridge. Some of the cottages have been restored.Crane PointIn the downtown area of Marathon is a tropical oasis
of nature trails and educational displays set among hardwood trees
on a piece of land that was originally occupied by a Bahamian
immigrant family in the early 20th century. Known as Crane Point
Hammock, the Adderley's made a sparse and simple life here by
selling sponges gathered from the sea and making charcoal. Their
home has been restored and the grounds laid out with several miles
of walking trails and wooden walkways through the botanic
wonderland. One trail takes in the Marathon Wild Bird Center where
injured Keys' birds are rehabilitated. There is also a natural
history museum on site, dedicated to sea turtles, and a children's
museum. Visitors can also witness fish feedings at a tropical
saltwater lagoon, and an iguana enclosure.Butterfly ConservatoryThe Key West Butterfly Conservatory is billed as a
trip to paradise, and a walk through the tropical wonderland filled
with free-flying butterflies and colourful birds is certainly a
magical experience.Audubon House and Tropical GardensThe restored homestead known as Audubon House contains
the works of renowned ornithologist, John James Audubon, who
visited the Florida Keys in 1832 and completed drawings of 18 new
birds for his folio in the gardens of this house. The house was
originally built in the 1840s by Captain John H. Geiger, harbour
pilot and wrecker, who lived here with his wife and nine children.
The house has been furnished in the typical comfortable style of a
prosperous Key West home of its era. Entertaining audio tours are
available. Visitors can enjoy wandering through the gorgeous
gardens, planted with orchids, bromeliads and other tropical,
exotic and native plants.Dolphin Research CenterOne of the most enjoyable activities on a visit to the
Florida Keys is to get close to the friendly dolphins, which abound
in the area. At the Dolphin Research Center visitors can enjoy
half-day education programmes, walking tours and a 'dolphin
encounter', spending 20 minutes of structured swimming with the
Atlantic bottlenose resident dolphins.National Key Deer RefugeThe endangered, attractive and unique tiny
white-tailed Key deer have found a safe haven in their refuge at
Big Pine Key, where they can roam in 14 square miles (36 sq km) of
their natural threatened tropical hardwood hammock habitat. There
were only 27 or so Key deer surviving in 1957 when the refuge was
established; this number has now grown to about 800. The refuge is
also home to 22 other federally listed endangered and threatened
species of plants and animals, five of which are found nowhere else
in the world. More than 90,000 visitors come to the refuge each
year.
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