Nice and informative museum about the history of the Florida Keys. They have interactive exhibits,…read moredocumentaries, library, artwork, fish tanks, and much more. Great place to divert from the sun, too! Open Tuesday- Sunday 10am-5pm General Admission = $15.00 55yrs and 0ver Admission = $12.50 Student Ddmission = $6.00 Military = Free Admission.

Looking for things to do on an overcast day in the keys, we found a few museums in the area and…read moredecided to check out the Florida Keys history museum. First thing is that, yes, there's a big sign on the street to enter but, you feel like you're going the wrong direction after you have to navigate through a resort gate and drive-through what appears to be there maintenance area before arriving at the discovery center. The building itself looks newer and is very large and there's plenty of parking. Upon entering, we had no idea what to expect because we couldn't find the cost of admission anywhere so we had to ask and make the determination if we wanted to go. For $15 per adult and six dollars per student we decided why not. The museum itself is set out nicely with the first floor, including a history of the Florida indigenous people, and then the development of the keys. These are lots of computer screens with interactive items but, they need to be locked because we accidentally got to the desktop and saw we went this first with a variety of windows open, various search items and even Roblox and other games open that kids were playing. There is also a small aquarium section with three tanks. Upstairs there is a small art gallery and a theater that plays a rotation of historical movies. We saw one about state parks (1/5) and one about the overseas highway (4/5). So kind of hit and miss there. If you are a history or museum buff or really interested in the keys then this might be worth a stop but, would not recommend for a family with kids as they will get bored easily.

Looking for a One of a Kind Experience? With Animal Encounters, Feedings, Habitat Views, Teaching…read moreSessions of Under-the-Sea Creatures, and Sights you Might Never be able to See In-Person on Land~ This Spot in Marathon Really gives an In-Life Personal Experience for All Ages of Us Humans! When you Arrive, Parking is Free and the Establishment is Welcoming! Once you Walk-Up you are Warmly Greeting and Asked if you have ever been before! The Menu Explains Everything you Can, Want, or Dream to Do! Take a Minute to Explore & Decide what you want! After that, the Gift Shop is right behind you! Keep Walking and you are Submerged Into this Amazing Aquarium Encounter~ What do you want to See? Do you want to Learn? They have In-Water Encounters and Land Encounters as well as Guided Tours & Hourly Observations! ~What can you Feed~ ::Stingrays ::Tortoises ::Tarpon ::Snappers ::Lobsters ::Barracuda ::Alligator ::Fresh Water Turtles They have a Cafe OnSite Called the Eagle Ray Cafe with Full Menu Lunch / Beverages of Assortment Plus Beer|Wine! The Coral Reef Tank is Such a Sight to See! You see more than a Lovable Magical SeaLife Sight that could be Watched for Hours! The Biggest Part of Our Experience was Feeding the SeaLife!! They give you a ClipCard after Purchase and it gives you Multiple Feedings! The Quality, the Staff, the EXPERIENCE is One of a Kind! Something to Encounter! A Place to Be and Earthly Bond to Life~

The aquarium was a wonderful experience for our grandson! The staff are so friendly and…read moreknowledgeable about the animals and made it a great day. We will be back!

In all the years that I lived in Miami, I never once visited Viscaya; I live in shame. Mostly…read morebecause when you're local the mentality is, "why pay to see a fancy house? you can drive by coral gables or south beach and see them for free". I will say, the grounds are absolutely delightful, especially if you go in the Springtime as we did where flowers are all in full bloom, that alone is worth the ticket price. The architecture is exquisite! A feast for the eyes in so many ways. When we came to visit, they were doing renovations. You could see the water damage on the roof and walls, probably caused by one of the many Summer storms, because of that the tickets were at a discount that day but we were still able to appreciate the beauty of Viscaya. There are two cafe's. One in the garden of the main house, and another across the street where farm animals use to be kept. Surprisingly, the food and drinks are reasonably priced. The day we were there, a wedding was going to take place and there was a lot of commotion going on. Fancy tables being set up, fine china, crystal glasses, the whole works. We asked a security guard how much it costs to have a wedding reception there and he said: "Just to rent the space, no tables, no nothing, starting price is 100k". So if you have 100k lying around, and plan to get married soon, this could be an option for you. Jokes aside though; I'd definitely visit again.

Imagine being transported to a palatial European setting...except you're in Miami. We took the…read moremetro to Vizcaya and made the ten minute walk to the gardens. The property and history is pretty amazing. As many other reviews have mentioned, a good portion of the rooms and structures are closed for renovations. They have reduced the entry to $20 from $25 but it still was a little disappointing that the casino building and several rooms in the house were closed. Being that it was the offseason, some of the gardens did seem to be past their peak. We hope to return when everything is open in season and tour the whole facility.

This is an interesting pit stop if you're in South Florida. We went because it was mentioned in…read moresome TV shows and was something that stood out as unusual. But, it is really quite small. If this was a $10 admission fee, I'd probably add one star. But, they charge $25/pp and there's not much to the place. All that said....is it interesting? Sure. It makes you wonder why the guy who built the place obsessively worked to make it. The story about his lost love gives his the motivation. Still, pretty incredible that he went to this effort by himself.

My husband has wanted to come here ever since he was a kid, after hearing Leonard Nimoy talk about…read moreit on his show In Search Of.... Hubs told me about it, and then we heard about it together on Coast to Coast Am, early in our marriage. I had forgotten all about it until we were planning our trip to the Keys and my husband brought it up, so, we made it a priority to visit. Homestead is basically the last city you hit on the mainland before you begin your journey through the Keys, so you don't really have to make special plans to get here if you're heading there. Admission is $25 per adult, slightly less for children. With tax and a credit card convenience fee of $1.50, our total admission cost was $55. Personally, I think it was worth it, but then, I am into the weird stuff. The place can accomodate at least 100 people, but due to the oddity of the place and, I'm guessing, it's lack of notoriety, it doesn't seem to get very busy. There were maybe 25-30 people in the 2.5 hours we spent there. Coral Castle is almost entirely outdoors and exposed to the elements, so it is not really a castle. There are sitting areas, a dining area, bathing area and one enclosed living (sleeping) area. The living area could be called a tower, as it is two floors, but 1) You only get to see the lower floor which is now kind of a tool shed museum and 2) You can peek in it, but you can't actually go in it. Everything is made of a type of stone called oolite limestone. It is extremely strong and very heavy. The mystery of the castle is how it was built. How did one 5' tall man move multiple stones, weighing a ton or more, by himself? How did he make his stone chairs rock, and his stone gates turn? He claimed to know the secrets of the pyramid builders, and to this day, no one really knows how he did it. There are guided tours at regularly scheduled intervals, and you can join in anytime at no additional charge (recommended), or you can walk around and look at everything yourself, but there is no signage. You can stay as long as you want and take as many pictures as you want as well. There is a gift shop which has a cutout of Edward Leedskalnin, the man who built Coral Castle, that you can take a photo of or selfie with, along with the usual gift shop fare of shirts/sweatshirts, postcards, magnets, books, and other items. If you're looking for something interesting and unusual to do on the way to the Keys, I highly suggest a stop here. 99/2025

Arrived at 4:55pm to find it already closed. Disappointed as I would have like to have more travel…read moreinformation for my last minute visit.

A great stop when you first arrive - easy to find with plenty of parking…read more As soon as we walked in we were greeted by friendly staff who gave us several maps and handouts so we could get our bearings and gave us the inside scoop of when and where to park in Key West and the main streets and sights to try to see while there. There are a few items for sale inside but it's mostly just to get your bearings.

This place is located about a half hour from downtown Miami. The drive isn't bad, but I'm not sure…read moreabout traffic in the area generally. We arrived here a bit after 1:30 p.m. on a Thursday. As we toured the gardens, I could see the road we came in on as it continued past some areas of the garden, and by 3 p.m. it was packed with cars at a crawl. So come early? The facility has ample parking on site. There is a main building that houses the gift shop, ticket counter, and a very small cafe. The gardens spread out behind it. Our tickets were free thanks to a Horticultural Society membership that my wife got. If you know that you'll be visiting at least a couple of sites like this within a year, it is worth checking on this to save some money on entry fees. There are paved paths throughout the gardens. You can walk the entire property, but they also offer hourly tram tours. We opted to do the tram first, and I think this is definitely the way to go. You can get a 1-hour overview of all the areas and then decide what to re-visit on foot afterwards. The focus of the gardens is tropical plants, though they have some other varieties as well. Our guide on the tram tour was quite good. He provide a historical overview and highlighted specific plants and architectural design choices as we drove around. Afterwards, we checked out the butterfly house and a few adjoining buildings. We also revisited areas with particularly nice views. My wife wanted to track down some Egyptian geese and also iguanas, both of which we'd seen on the tour. We were able to find both without too much effort. We probably spent 2.5 - 3 hours here. I enjoyed this more than I expected, and if you have any interest in landscape design or botanical gardens, this is a very worthwhile stop near Miami.

It was absolutely beautiful. Really enjoyed the main act for the Valentine's Day event…read more Things could be a little more organized as entrance to specific praise areas were not well indicated but overall a good experience. I would suggest that chairs lot be allowed or only be allowed in the back [in picnic area] as they block the views for everyone behind them that is actually sitting on the picnic blankets.

It was amazing time in the history of the country during the Cold War we had a Nike base in the…read moreheart of the Everglades from 1964-1979 and today you can go see where they were stationed and stored nice tour

We very much enjoyed our Nike Missile tour and were glad we took the time to make this short detour…read moreon our trip. We are definitely cold war nerds and have been to a few other missile sites around the country. This one has its own unique history being so close to Cuba. And it is so great it has been preserved so we can all go there and learn about this important era of history. Our tour guide (a volunteer) was outstanding!! He had so much knowledge to share. The tour takes about 1.5 hours and was well worth every minute.

an excellent collection of art. the surrounding area of the…read moremuseum is also very scenic and beautiful, definitely worth exploring and great places to take pix! have fun c.

So, this is a bit of a complex review to write because the take-away is that I loved my visit, but…read morethe experience left me wanting more, mainly because the subject matter of the main exposition was just not my cup of tea, but I can see how it would appeal to the Miami community because of their love for sports. The setting and location could not be better - totally breathtaking. Views of the causeway and Biscayne Bay / Downtown Miami are amazing. The architectural details with concrete and MCM inspired wooden accents are just perfect. The staff were knowledgeable and helpful, and definitely added to our experience, and the gift shop is great. The restaurant is excellent and has a thoughtful menu, with several items that are inspired by pieces from the permanent collection. The sports art exhibit took much more space than I would have liked. There is a LOT of money in Miami, and I would have expected a permanent collection or even visiting exposition that would rival museums in New York, Philadelphia, or Washington, DC. - modern art, Impressionism, renaissance, or other fine art would be incredible. That being said, I will definitely return to enjoy the museum, and look forward to seeing where their artistic directors take things in years to come!