Garden Key Visitor Center

Garden Key Visitor Center is located inside Fort Jefferson. At the visitor center you will find artifacts, an informational movie, the bookstore, and souvenirs.

The visitor center is inside Fort Jefferson. Once you enter the fort, it will be to your right.

The Garden Key Visitor center is located inside of the huge red brick Fort Jefferson. Enter the fort through the stony sally port walkway into the large grassy interior of the fort. You will notice several large sea grade trees with their wide, light green leaves. Turning to the right after entering the fort, a Small brown/orange National Park Service Arrowhead sign indicates the Visitor Center Entrance. Stepping up into the visitor center, visitors enter a small museum room and will notice several artifacts encased in glass museum displays. Ceramic pots, plates, irons and other household items are displayed and catalogued. The museum room also features 2 small restored cannons resting against the front entry walls. They are black and shiny, sitting in reconstructed wooden carriages. Opposite the cannons is another glass display case, which show older unrestored cannon, shot and shot materials as well as a large cement barrel. All of these artifacts look old, rusted and weathered after decades of being submerged underwater. In the corner of the white bricked room, there is a short doorway leading to the bookstore. A sign indicating ‘low height’ warns visitors against hitting their head as they enter the bookstore. Inside the bookstore is a large light brown desk which is topped with colorful souvenirs, magnets and keychains. Brightly colored clothing hands on the wall along with several posters, maps and books available for purchase. Leaving the bookstore and heading back into the museum room, several interpretive displays about fort construction and bird migration cover the white painted brick walls. Immediately to the right, pass through the arched brick doorway into a small theater room which has several book cases and a small seating area. The light blue walls of this room feature a clear bulletin board display case with park information, as well as a large screen for showing the park film. In the far left corner of the theater room, two large brown bookcases contain dozens of animal skulls, bones and numerous large seashells. Sea turtle skulls and shells are featured prominently, and their beaks are propped open to greet the visitor. Numerous white and pale pink conch and whelk shells are available for closer examination. The far walls of the theater room are covered with brightly colored interpretive boards, with information about seagrasses and island formation. A small wooden door through an arched doorway leads to a ramp descending onto the first tier of the fort for more exploration

• Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center