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The Audubon House staff encourages group tours throughout the year and are able to accommodate groups up to 60. With groups of 20 or more we have found that we need to split them in two. One group is taken through the gardens with our gardener, while the other will be taken on a tour of the house, where history is brought to life by our docent who will walk them through all three stories of this historic home. Each group is given the opportunity to tour both the house and the gardens which takes approximately one hour. If guests are only interested in our gardens which consists of one acre of lush foliage, most of which is labeled with common name, scientific name, places of origin and practical uses of the plants. Garden tours are available and include information about practical uses of the plants. Many were used medicinally in the past and some are still in use today. Other practical uses are dyes, furniture making and host plants to insects. During garden tours the natural history of the Florida Keys is discussed with focus on impact to plant life.
For garden rental information e-mail Lynne Johnston: kwconect@yahoo.com Click here for admission rates and a discount coupon on our House & Gardens tour. Audubon House & Tropical Gardens was chosen
South Florida Magazine's Please take your time and enjoy the Audubon House web site. And if you get the chance to visit our tropical paradise of Key West, please be sure to make the Audubon House & Tropical Gardens part of your plans for a wonderful Key West experience! |
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Audubon
House & Tropical Gardens
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The
Audubon House & Tropical Gardens
offers a relaxing and educational environment for families and groups of
all ages. This 19th century home was built by Capt. John H. Geiger, a
harbor pilot and master wrecker. It was an era when shipwrecks frequently
occurred on the off-shore reef. It was a time of yellow fever, slave ships
and Indian wars. Slated for demolition in 1958, the house was saved by the
Mitchell Wolfson Family Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit
educational foundation. This was the first restoration project in Key West
and is still considered the gem of the island's restoration movement.
Antique enthusiasts who tour the house appreciate the unique quality of
the furnishings, which were typically found in a prosperous Key West home
in the 1800's. The museum is open daily from 9:30am-5:00pm.
Classes
of butterfly's life cycles are also taught to both students and adults by
our botanical specialist. Teachers and students from all over the United
States come to the Audubon House to learn about this fascinating process. On
the property is a butterfly garden planted with various host plants to
attract certain butterflies. Butterflies lay their eggs on their particular
host plants and students will learn which butterfly goes with which host
plant. Students are shown the host plants with butterfly eggs on them
and can usually find three different species of butterfly eggs. Care for
caterpillars is also discussed as well as hatching of the chrysalises. By
the end of the class students will have learned the metamorphosis of
butterflies, how to identify the eggs, the importance of host plants and the
difference between moths and butterflies. After the educational aspects of
the class are taught students are shown the hatching tank where the
caterpillars and chrysalis are kept. Students then can enjoy releasing a
freshly hatched butterfly.
