Mel Fisher Museum Key West
Take a tour of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. Mel Fisher and his discovery of the Atocha Spanish galleon is the most famous treasure hunting story in Key West history. Fisher discovered the wreck on July 20, 1985. The $450 million treasure was known as “The Atocha Motherlode.”
Address: 200 Greene Street, Key West, FL 33040
Phone: (305) 294-2633
Website: http://www.melfisher.org
Adult tickets: $12.50
Student tickets: 10.50
Child tickets: $6.25 (ages 6-12)
Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays: 98:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Directions: From The museum is located in Mallory Square, next to the tour bus stop.
The Mel Fisher Museum highlights:
- The museum contains an extensive collection of artifacts from 17th-century shipwrecks.
- The emeralds from the Atocha are some of the finest emeralds in the world.
- The Supreme Court of the United States confirmed Fisher’s ownership of the treasure, with a provision that he donates 20% of the artifacts to the state.
- Mel’s oldest son Dirk, his wife Angel, and diver Rick Gage died after their boat capsized during their quest for treasure.
- Mel struggled through decades of hard times treasure hunting in the Florida Keys with the motto Today’s the Day.
- A popular tourist feature was a solid gold bar that could be lifted by visitors in a plexiglass case. This bar was stolen by two thieves in 2010.
- The museum offers visitors the opportunity to dive the Atocha and go home with up to $2,500 in authentic shipwreck treasure.
There’s more information about the museum on our audio tour(opens in a new tab).
