After my 20 minute saga in the rain I arrived at the Audubon House and Tropical Gardens. I checked in at the gift shop then stepped outside into the most gorgeous tropical paradise.
The gardens are gorgeous and looked especially lush in the rain. There were little nautical nods throughout the gardens, such as the light posts, honoring the creator of this residence, Captain John Huling Geiger, who was a harbor pilot and master wrecker.
Side note: I didn't know what wrecking was before visiting Key West, Wrecking is the practice of taking valuables from a shipwreck which has foundered or run aground close to shore. It was on the back of the wrecking industry that Key West became the richest city, per capita, in the United States in the mid-19th century. Wrecking was hard, life-threatening work that often required venturing out into inclement conditions.
It was hard to capture the ginormous size of these leaves, they felt like something straight out of Land Before Time.
I walked through the gardens to get to the main house and was excited to get up on the covered porch and get out of the rain.
In true Key West style, I was greeted by an adorable little kitten.
I was excited to take the tour and discover Audubon's connection to the home, since I couldn't find any information about it online. As it turns out, John James Audubon has no actual connection to this specific house. The artist visited Key West in 1832, construction of the Audubon House didn't begin until 1846.
In 1958, the house was slated for demolition to make way for a gas station when Mitchell Wolfson and his wife Frances stepped in to save it. Their purchase and subsequent renovation of Audubon House sparked the restoration movement in Key West that is evident today in the city’s Historic Old Towne District.
Using local folklore, which tells that Audubon stayed with the Geiger family during his visit, even though the dates don't match up, The Wolfsons were able to use the artists famous name to get the home restored and saved as a historic site.
After a two-year restoration, during which time electricity was added to the home, Audubon House Museum opened in 1960. The Museum commemorates Audubon’s 1832 visit to Key West and shares his artwork within the Geiger home.
The home is furnished with antiques dating to the first half of the 19th century, including several items originally belonging to the Geiger family. Those can be found on the third floor and in the parlor (painting of Captain Geiger) and dining room (serving table). A replica cook house in the gardens provides further insight into life in mid-19th century Key West.
Captain Geiger used the best carpenters and finest materials available for his mansion, which was built in the American Classic Revival architectural style. A model of quality workmanship, the entire wooden structure was constructed with mortise and tenon joints. The wooden frame of the House and the floors are of Dade County Pine, a now-extinct hardwood almost impervious to termites. The exterior doors are cypress, and the staircase is mahogany.
By the time Captain Geiger began construction on the home that would become Audubon House, he was one of the 10 wealthiest men in the Florida Keys. He married Lucretia Saunders and had 12 children, including seven daughters and two sons who lived to adulthood.
In stark contrast to the rest of the historic home, there is one room that is a permanent installation art exhibit created as a tribute to James John Audubon and his work of documenting the wildlife of Florida.
This was my favorite part of the tour...
That magical room was the last stop on my tour of the home, I made sure to stay in there as long as was necessary for me to soak in every vibrant and exotic detail. Then it was time to venture back into the rain to explore the rest of the gardens.
Before heading out to explore, I took a little, quiet moment to relax in one of the porch's rocking chairs, taking in the sound and smell of the tropical rain. Sweet, little kitty came and kept me company.
The tour guide came over and was excited to point out this extremely rare orchid that had just barely bloomed, it was really beautiful.
They were setting up a wedding that looked like it was going to be absolutely gorgeous. I was told it was very unusual for it to be raining on the island during this time of year, like unheard of. So that was kind of a bummer for this wedding, I'm sure they still had a wonderful day.
This is a replica of an 1850s-era cook house.
I really wanted a special keepsake from this life changing trip, I was hoping to find something at the art festival, but nothing caught my eye. So after my tour through the gardens, I wandered into the gallery store I thought an Audubon print from this historic home would be a perfect, memorable keepsake. I absolutely love his prints, I have two (reproductions of course) from when I visited Savannah. I made quick friends with the gallery attendant, his name was Mark and he was also born and raised in Salt Lake City! We ended up chatting for a couple of hours, he told me all about what life is like on the island for a local and he gave me excellent recommendations for good places to eat.
Make brought out the original of the famous Audubon flamingo print to show me!
I ended up getting these two, colorful prints of warblers and buntings. I thought the colors and compositions complimented each other nicely and will look beautiful hung together or separately.
After my time at the Audubon House, I was ready to call it a day and head back to my cozy hotel and change into some dry, warm clothes. On my way home, I picked up some key lime treats from one of the bakeries on my "to try" list.
A rooster followed me in to get out of the rain. Nobody seemed to notice or care, so I'm guessing this is a usual occurrence.
The bakery was filled with all things key lime, it was hard to choose what to get, I wanted to try everything!
These are the goodies I ultimately ended up with. Again, I was struck with the dilemma of wanting to try more than one kind of key lime pie, and didn't have anyone to go halfises with, so I was forced to buy them both for myself.
Being in bed, in dry clothes, with yummy treats, while watching movies was the perfect ending to a day of exploring out in the rain.
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