Key West ghost tours: walks, trolleys and Robert the Doll

How this guide works

Key West has several ways to spend an evening on its ghost stories: ride through Old Town, walk it, or sit inside one historic building after dark. This guide sorts the operators already in the KeysCompass directory by format, then covers the daytime stops the stories keep pointing back to: the Historic Cemetery and Robert the Doll.

Nothing here is ranked. Each operator appears because it has a directory listing that points to its own site, and every detail below comes from that operator or from the City of Key West. We do not publish ticket prices, departure times or phone numbers, because they change by season and by night. Check the operator's own page for tonight's schedule and tickets.

Ride or walk: how the tours differ

Ghosts & Gravestones, Key West is the ride. Its own FAQ describes about 60 minutes of narrated storytelling through Old Town aboard a covered trolley it calls the Trolley of the Doomed, led by costumed Ghost Hosts, with a guided walking stop inside the Key West Shipwreck Museum, where the group goes down into the museum's cistern. The tour starts and ends at the Conch Tour Train Depot at the corner of Front and Duval Streets, which its FAQ gives as 501 Front Street; the Conch Tour Train lists its depot as 303 Front Street, so look for the booth at that corner. The operator says advance online reservations are required and asks you to check in at least 15 minutes before departure.

Key West Ghost & Mysteries Tour is the walk. Its site describes a tour of about 90 minutes, sometimes closer to two hours with a large group, over about four short, flat blocks. It meets at the corner of Duval and Caroline Streets, on the Caroline Street side at 429 Caroline Street. Stops it names include the Artist House, the Otto family home where Robert the Doll once lived, and Casa Antigua, and at least one stop goes inside a building. The operator recommends booking ahead because tours sell out.

The Alex Vega Key West Firehouse Museum at 1024 Grinnell Street runs a third format after the museum closes for the day: a two-hour evening inside the historic firehouse, starting with a 45-minute narrated audio tour by flashlight and followed by 75 minutes of investigating on your own with equipment the museum provides. The museum caps each night at 13 guests, says advance reservations are required, and notes that the building is mostly air-conditioned.

Old Town Trolley Tours, Key West is a different product: a daytime hop-on, hop-off sightseeing loop with 13 stops. Its operator, Historic Tours of America, also runs Ghosts & Gravestones and sells the two as a package that does not have to be used on the same day. If someone in your group says "the ghost trolley", they mean Ghosts & Gravestones.

Kids, mobility and dogs

Ghosts & Gravestones rates its tour PG-13 and says it is not suitable for young children. Its vehicles have no wheelchair lifts, and the operator says much of the route runs through historic sites with stairs, cobblestones and rough ground, so it is not recommended for guests who cannot safely manage those; call at least 24 hours ahead to ask about accommodations. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed on board, and alcohol is not.

Key West Ghost & Mysteries calls its walk family-friendly and sells reduced children's tickets, with the youngest children free. Its FAQ says the route is wheelchair accessible except for the last stop, which has stairs; if you cannot climb them, the guide tells that story outside. Well-behaved dogs can come along, but not into the last stop.

The firehouse evening is designed for older children, teens and adults, and guests under 18 must be with a parent or legal guardian. The museum says parts of the night happen in low light and include histories of death and murder, so it asks parents to decide whether that suits their child. Some areas of the two-story building need stairs; ask the museum before you book if that matters.

Key West Historic Cemetery by daylight

The Key West Historic Cemetery is the city-owned cemetery in the middle of Old Town. The City of Key West says it was established in 1847, after the October 1846 hurricane unearthed the old beach-side burial ground, and that about 100 interments still take place there each year inside its fenced 19 acres. The main entrance and the Sexton's office are at Angela and Margaret Streets; the city lists the physical address as 701 Passover Lane.

Pick up the free self-guided tour map at the front entrance, or contact the Sexton's office to ask about a guided tour; the city recommends appointments. The gates follow daytime hours posted by the city, so plan the cemetery as a morning or afternoon stop. Key West Ghost & Mysteries says its night walk does not go into the cemetery and suggests visiting during the day.

This is an active cemetery, and the city notes that the graves are private property maintained by families. Give a service room if one is under way, and leave the tombs as you find them.

Robert the Doll at Fort East Martello

Robert the Doll lives at Fort East Martello Museum, the Civil War fort at 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd. that the Key West Art & Historical Society opened as its first museum in 1950. The society describes Robert as a handmade doll from around the turn of the 20th century, 40 inches tall and dressed in a sailor suit, the lifelong companion of Robert Eugene "Gene" Otto. Myrtle Reuter, who bought the Otto home, donated him to the museum in 1994, and he has been on display there since.

The doll's own site says general admission to the fort includes a visit with Robert, and that his one rule is to be respectful and ask his permission before you take his photo. It also says apology letters arrive at the museum from visitors who skipped that step. The fort is a daytime museum, so see the Key West Art & Historical Society's page for current hours and admission.

Neither night tour goes to the fort. Ghosts & Gravestones tells Robert's story on board and says that to see him in person you visit his glass case at the fort. Key West Ghost & Mysteries stops at the Artist House on Eaton Street, the former Otto family home. If an afternoon storm rolls in, pair the fort with the Key West rainy-day museums kit on Day kits.

Haunted addresses you can visit on your own

Some of the stories you hear on the tours belong to places you can visit yourself. Marrero's Guest Mansion at 410 Fleming Street, an adults-only guesthouse, tells the story of Enriquetta Marrero on its own site, and Ghosts & Gravestones tells it too. The Key West Shipwreck Museum on Whitehead Street is open daily as a museum as well as being a stop on the trolley tour.

The tours also tell stories about Captain Tony's Saloon, St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Fort Zachary Taylor. Treat those as stories the operators tell, and check each place's own rules and hours before you go in.

Halloween and Fantasy Fest week

Ghosts & Gravestones calls October its busy season. Fantasy Fest is Key West's ten-day festival in late October, and its official site lists 2026 as October 16 to 25 and 2027 as October 22 to 31, so in 2027 the festival ends on Halloween. Both the trolley and the walking tour say their tours often sell out, and Ghosts & Gravestones suggests allowing extra time for parking in October.

If your dates fall during festival week or around Halloween, book the tour as soon as your nights are set, then build dinner and parking around the check-in time. Fantasy Fest posts its own parking and transportation page; read it before you drive into Old Town that week.

Parking, heat, rain and dinner

Ghosts & Gravestones has no private lot and points guests to metered street parking and public lots near Front Street. Key West Ghost & Mysteries says parking can be a few blocks away and names a small lot across Caroline Street from its check-in, the lot at Mallory Square and several lots on Greene Street. The firehouse says street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood. For where to leave the car in Old Town, see Key West parking and cruise day: pier, Old Town and honest timing.

Both tours plan to go out in the rain. Ghosts & Gravestones runs rain or shine in covered trolleys and says it will offer a new date or a full refund if the weather turns dangerous. Ghost & Mysteries goes out as long as it is safe, hands out rain gear, and refunds tours it cancels for weather. The firehouse is indoors. The firehouse also notes that most Key West ghost tours are spent outdoors or in a trolley without air conditioning, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water and a light rain layer.

Eat before or after, not in the check-in window. For restaurants by neighborhood, use Where to eat in Key West, by neighborhood. Save the tour, dinner and a daytime stop at the cemetery or Fort East Martello together in Trip planner.

Frequently asked questions