"Wreck Ashore!" A Visit to the Key West Shipwreck Museum

"Wreck Ashore!" The cry goes out over the island. Quickly every able-bodied man rushes to his skiff and heads out to sea. There is a lot at stake. The first one to reach the wreck becomes the 'wrecking master' and gets the lion's share of the booty from the sinking ship. This was life in Key West back in the 16, 17 and 1800s.

The Key West Shipwreck Museum brings the days of the wreckers back to life. When you step inside, you are surrounded by artifacts from ships that lost their lives on the reef off the Florida Keys. Master salvager, Asa Tift greets you and walks you through what life was like back then. There are gold and silver coins, a 64 pound silver bar from Nuestra Senora de las Maravillas, old bottles, and a grand piano sits in the center of the room. Take your time looking around at all these ancient treasures.

Upstairs travel along the halls of artifacts used by and found by wreckers of the day. Read about the lives of some of the richest wreckers and see a list of all the wreckers from back then. Look closely; maybe you have an ancestor listed there.

When you're done exploring inside, step out and climb to the top of the 65' lookout tower. You can see the whole island from here. Imagine being the first one to see a shipwreck and yell out the call "Wreck Ashore!"

After you've walked all the way to the top of the tower, descend to the lowest level and enjoy a short film about the life of wreckers. As you get ready to leave, you'll pass by the diving gear from the past and present. Would you like to put on that heavy gear and jump in the water to salvage gold and jewels?

To visit is easy. Bring your family to 1 Whitehead Street, right in front of the Aquarium, the sponge market and Mallory Square. Hours of operation are daily from 9:40-5pm with the last show starting at 4:40pm. Pricing for here and the Aquarium are the same: Adults = $15.04, Children = $8.59 and Seniors = $12.90. If you purchase your tickets online the prices are as follows: Adults = $13.54, Children = $7.93 and Seniors = $11.61. Check them out online at http://www.historictours.com/or http://www.keywestshipwreck.com/ or you can call them at 305-292-8990. Come revisit the life of a wrecker at the Key West Shipwreck Museum.