Mel Fisher Maritime Museum — Attraction in Key West

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...

Do not waste your time or money. Not only is the museum itself extremely low effort and quite underwhelming/small, the staff is absolutely horrible. Upon arrival there was nobody at the ticket booth so we waited in the sun for about 10 minutes until a rude employee came out and made us sign paperwork agreeing to wear a mask and barked that the museum closed at 5 "ON THE DOT" as she rudely put. keep in mind we arrived at 2:30ish so it made no sense to emphasize this point other than to make sure we knew we were not welcome. Keep in mind that nearly every state (especially Florida) has dropped the mask mandate and there is no real reason to keep this rule. I wear glasses and wearing a mask causes them to fog up and blocks my view. There is nearly nothing you can do about this so I typically wear my mask under my nose. The staff rudely informed that this was not enough. They will absolutely follow you around the museum making sure you wear a mask and feel like a criminal for even visiting. The staff in the gift shop scowled at me as I perused the total junk they try to overcharge for as of I was stealing their touristy trash they call souvenirs. No effort put into the exhibits, just boxes with stuff in them. They even closed early and refused guests arriving at 4 telling them the museum closed at 4 despite us being told otherwise when we arrived. This place will not be in business long. One of the ONLY museums that will make you wear a mask and it's not even worth seeing. Rude staff, underwhelming exhibits, exuberant prices, and an unwelcome atmosphere. Visit the Shipwreck museum next to the aquarium for a half decent museum for cheaper. You can even buy joint tickets to the aquarium which makes for a fun day. Blown away by how rude the staff were. I would get a refund if I could, extremely frustrating to have my experience ruined by rude staff...

This nicely preserved historical architecture site is lovely from the outside. The museum is arranged as a wonderfully insightful path to follow that begins with an orientation to treasure hunting around Key West. I enjoyed the sense of "reliving" Mel Fisher's passionate quest spanning years before ultimate success. The artifacts on display give a remarkable glimpse of centuries old portence. Detailed signs outline historical significance regarding the primarily European pursuit of resources in the "New World" and how that impacted native populations. All points are concisely covered with deference to the toil and suffering that occurred on the watch of Royal Families ruling over "countries" that they were able to commandeer the populations of to do their bidding and increase their powers on a global scale, using resources for trade as far as China. Conquests for resources at the behest of Royal orders are accurately described and depicted. From the pieces of ships to indigenous items, slave trade relics all the way up to some of the extravagant precious metal jewelry and gems that Royal families so desired before a deep study on Privateers and Pirates. On the way out, a closer look is given to more recent local history regarding the geopolitical involvements of the "USA" just past the mid-point of the 20th century. The gift shop has some cool items and when you finally leave.. There you will be in a beautiful...