Tennessee Williams Key West Exhibit

Museum · Key West

Tennessee Williams Key West Exhibit

Museum · Key West

513 Truman Ave, Key West, FL 33040

Highlights

Step into the cozy Tennessee Williams Museum in Key West, a charming tribute to the playwright’s life, packed with memorabilia and insights that fans will adore.

513 Truman Ave, Key West, FL 33040 Get directions

kwahs.org

@keywestartandhistorical

@afar

"Tennessee Williams Exhibit The city of Key West has an incredible literary history, and one of itsmost celebrated residentswas Tennessee Williams, who lived in townfrom 1941 until his death in 1983. A final draft of his most famous play, A Streetcar Named Desire , was written at La Concha Hotelhere in 1947. Williams later bought and moved into a cottage in town. The exhibit, in another lovely yellowcottage, displaysmovie posters, newspaper articles, photos, first editions, and memorabilia like his vintage typewriters.The free exhibit is manned by friendly volunteers and is openfrom 10 a.m. to 5 p.m."

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@cntraveler

"This exhibition, which opened in 2017, manages to pack a ton of history into a small space. Though the “museum” is more like a one-room exhibition, it’s a fascinating document of Williams’s time in Key West (where it’s believed he wrote the final draft of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1947). A massive collection of photographs, first editions of his plays and books, personal artifacts, and an extensive archive of newspaper and magazine articles paint quite a comprehensive picture." - Jennifer M. Wood

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Gay Vagabond

Google

Tennessee Williams lived a rather tortured life. But the truth is that life’s challenges can bring out the writer in some. Williams took refuge for some time in Key West in addition to New Orleans. I can see some similarities between the two towns. The museum does a nice job at highlighting his life. It is worth a visit to learn more about this great author.

Daniel Weiner

Google

A nice find ... A small museum (prior home) covering his life and career. He lived in Key West for many years. We really enjoyed the memorabilia and learning how prolific he was. Great stop for something different.

Gary Werner

Google

This is a well curated museum, nicely layed out displays , presenting a fascinating historical perspective on this accomplished author.

Horacio Sierra

Google

A cozy, affordable, and informative museum founded by a local to celebrate the life and work of one of America’s greatest playwrights, Tennessee Williams. The section dedicated to Tennessee and his romantic partner, Frank Merlo, is a nice touch often missing from other museums. Why here? Because Tennessee considered it his home for more than 30 years!

RobertsMom NC

Google

Very impressive museum. Larger than I thought it would be. Lots of great displays. Worth a visit.

Mike Amundsen

Google

Lots of historical photos and documents. A great place for TW fans. Staff was very helpful and knowledgeable. Exhibits are well done, too. In Key West, Hemingway gets all the publicity here but Tennessee Williams deserves attention, too.

Danielle Koch

Google

Tennessee Williams was one of America's most beloved playwrights and this is the largest exhibit of its kind that I've seen to date. The self-guided tour is precisely as long or as short as you would like it to be - if you're not terribly interested, you could probably breeze through it in 15 minutes, but if you spend a few minutes at each of the 20 stations the tour could take as long as an hour. The exhibit has a wide range of original materials and follows the life of the writer from his childhood to his death. The docent (Lynn) was very helpful, especially regarding where we could find information on specific plays (as well as which plays are more obscure and difficult to find in print or in film). All in all, this exhibit is an economical way to learn more about the writer and his connection to the Key West area and I would certainly recommend a visit to anyone with an interest in Williams' life and the impact it had on his writing.

Garry McCormick

Google

Very nicely done history of Tennessee Williams along with historical items. While not the original location in Key West where he did his best play writings it does have a scale model of his original house to see. The history from childhood till death is displayed in wall graphics and period accurate playbills, programs, etc. Though small if you like to read the items and props explanations it will take an hour plus to go through.