Key West City Cemetery Attractions & Landmark
Interesting Tour of Unique Headstones
Key West,
FL, 33040
United States
+1 305 292 8177Overview
It may sound morbid to go strolling through cemeteries, but this cemetery is also a historical landmark. Established in 1847 and covering nearly 20 acres, the cemetery includes the graves of sailors killed in the sinking of the USS Maine in 1898. You will see unique headstones, like a ship's mast or the famous one reading, "I told you I was sick." Admission is free to tour the site on your own. For a USD10 donation, a 90-minute tour leaves at 9:30am on Tuesday and Thursday from the main gate, reservations are not necessary.Open Hours
Mo to Su from 07:00 AM to 06:00 PM
We were amazed on our tour of this cemetary. We saw tombstones from "Florida's first millionaire" to the midget who wanted to be buried in a full-size coffin. There is a map, available for a small donation, that helps guide you through the cemetary. **The stone slabs are laid on top of the body so it doesn't get washed away during flooding/huricanes. **It seems sad that some stones are falling to disregard. Many of the banyon trees are taking over! **A plot can hold up to 5 people. Two can be buried below ground and 3 above ground, so a family of 5 could be stacked there.
Most of the graves are above ground and many of the headstones are ornate and unusual. Take time to read the stories about the departed you will find on some grave markers....they are quite different and interesting!
Ok, I may be a little morbid, but the cemetery was really cool. It's free and open from dawn to dusk. While there isn't a tour guide there is a pamphlet that we got from the lady who did our Haunted Ghost tour. The pamphlet was 4 bucks and it told you were all the cool and interesting graves were, like which ones were the oldest and where notable Key West islanders are buried. There are also some fun stories about some of the people buried there.
There is not much parking around the cemetary with most spots marked for residents but it's well worth the walk to take a walk through this cemetary. There is a map for $5 available guiding you to the more famous and interesting gravesites which, unfortunately we did not buy. It seems like many locals use the cemetary for their daily walks or bike rides. Many of the graves are above ground with some of the below-ground graves in bad shape. We noticed many of the older headstones that were replaced.
The most peaceful cemetary I've been to. I went to take some black and white photos - it was very nice. It would be nice to see palm trees lining cemetaries in my area.
When I went to visit the cemetery, it was really hot that day. I didn't have any water, either. I thought I was going to die in the cemetery. Most all of the graves are above ground, because the city is only a few feet above sea level. Some of the graves are very old as well going back to the nineteenth century. Tours of the cemetery are available about 9a.m. every morning, but I couldn't get up that early after doing the Duval Crawl every night I was there.
