Sails to Rails Museum: Interactive Key West History
4.7
9 Ratings
Sails to Rails Museum Key West
Immerse yourself in Key West's rich history at the Sails to Rails Museum. Explore interactive exhibits, rare artifacts, and a scale model of Fort Jefferson. Discover the city's maritime heritage, the impact of Henry Flagler, and the challenges of building the railway. Don't miss the chance to touch a genuine silver bar from a Spanish Galleon!
Duration:
1 hour
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Sails to Rails Museum Key West - Guests visiting Sails to Rails will journey through the Age of Sail, a time when tall ships plied the treacherous waters of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys from the 1500 to early 1900’s. These waters were once filled with treasure-laden Spanish Galleons, dreaded Pirates, merchant ships and more as the New World made its riches known to all who sailed her waters.They will also learn about the time in America when railroads opened up the frontiers of an emerging nation.
A visit to Sails to Rails is one of the most comprehensive overviews of Florida Keys and Key West history a visitor can obtain. This museum is a top attraction in Key West for adults and kids of all ages!
What's Included
- Admission
What's Not Included
- Transportation to/from attraction
Additional Information
Situated in the historic district of Key West Bight, this state-of-the-art museum invites you to participate in interactive exhibits, watch raw video clips, explore unique relics, and view the sole scale model of Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park.
Immerse yourself in a dynamic journey through Key West’s history, revealing the past of sponging, turtling, fishing, cigar production, and tourism that served to popularize Key West. Experience the touch of a genuine silver bar from the Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which sunk loaded with gold, silver, and emeralds during a hurricane near Key West in 1522. Familiarize yourself with Henry Flagler, business associate of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, within the original paymaster’s train car from the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway. Within the Maggie Atwell House, behold the only surviving wooden structure constructed by the FEC, and gain insight into the laborious process of railroad construction over the open seas and through the mosquito-ridden mangrove swamps of the Florida Keys.
Location
Sails to Rails Museum Key West
901 Caroline St
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(9 Ratings)
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Hippiegirlanna
Mar 27, 2024
Great place to learn about the history of Key West from the 16th century thru the 20th - My husband and I enjoy going to history museums. We were pleasantly surprised by the huge amount of information at this museum on all the history of ship wreckers, and the development of Key West since the 1600 and beyond! Very informative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Randall_h
Dec 18, 2021
If you like history and... - If you like history and one man’s perseverance to achieve a valuable goal. Easy visit and nice way to duck out of sun.
Review provided by Viator
Bockscar1
Mar 9, 2020
Neat museum! - Been on a Flagler kick, and the southernmost terminal was a must-visit. Small museum but good info. Spent about an hour and a half. Did a wonderful job explaining Flagler's vision and the many engineering innovations required to achieve it.
A key question the museum did not address, and I wish it did, is answering why the railroad failed as a business enterprise after it was built (before the 1935 hurricane). Flagler had envisioned it as being part of the Panama Canal transportation chain, but it didn't play out that way. Why?
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mark
Jan 12, 2020
Excellent museum, especially if you are into locomotive history - I had high hopes for this museum and it did not disappoint. In addition to all of the artifacts, the short films were also very interesting. Spent well over an hour here. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erica955
Dec 7, 2019
Excellent source for Key West history - We spent about an hour and a half here learning about Key West’s origins and development over time. There are a number of well done exhibits, we especially enjoyed the timeline that correlated what was happening in the broader world to what was happening in Ke y West. Likely your best source of information about Flagler’s Overseas Railway short of reading a book on it. This was a delightful small town museum with a broader regional reach. Well worth your time, highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richardrb9379hm
Dec 2, 2019
How Key West came to be - I saw the Shipwreck Treasure Museum and Sails to Rails (formerly Flagler Station) Museum on the same day. They both explain how shipwreck salvaging created the wealth in Key West, and the railroad part explained how Standard Oil business partner to John Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, built the East Coast Railroad Extension from 1905-1912, connecting all the Florida Keys together through 42 bridges to Key West. Both the Museums are very interesting in understanding how the Florida Keys and Key West developed. I would recommend this museum.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniel
Oct 15, 2019
Great History Lesson - Loved this museum. Great history lesson. The facility was exceptionally inviting, clean and full of great information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juliebfromindy
Aug 31, 2022
A piece of history to visit - We were familiar with Flagler and his railroad adventures so we thought we’d take a more in-depth look inside this museum. There is a parking lot right across the street and building is handicapped accessible. When you walk in you have a beautiful model of the fort located at the Dry Tortugas. It really is fantastic. The you enter the rather small exhibit area about what Key West supplied to the north, a timeline of the railroad, some fun ship information, and a great introduction to the sponge market. Next you enter an outside area that has a great movie about Flagler and his dream of a railway to Key West. You then visit a replica of a rail car followed by a restored house used during the building of the railway. Museum is small but full of very interesting information. Would be better if it all was airconditioned but we survived.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolanng11
Sep 22, 2021
Don’t buy special tickets - Entrance Cones with Tx for Trolley and Train - It’s a good thing to do while waiting for the Trolley. (I am really glad we did not buy special tickets just to come into the museum.)
It is informative; however you learn a lot of the same information in other museums. So you are getting some repetition
The woman who checks you in is as lovely as can be and knows the schedule for both the trolley and the train. (Down to the minute.)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
