Rainy Day List
Indoor escapes for sudden downpours: air-conditioned museums, artist studios, and a bookstore where key lime pie is part of the checkout process.
The Key West Art & Historical Society’s Custom House museum offers rotating exhibitions on shipwrecks, literary legends, and Bahamian craft—plus a quiet garden courtyard under cover. We note which floors are wheelchair accessible and which rooms have hands-on stations for kids. Rainy-day hours shift to 9 a.m.–7 p.m., and entry lines shorten if you arrive within 30 minutes of opening. Free Wi-Fi hotspots cluster near the café’s back tables.
Local studios open their doors to drop-ins on rainy days, with artists like ceramicists and pastel painters offering 20-minute impromptu demos. We list which ones welcome unannounced visitors and whether supplies are included. Some even unlock their back studios—cluttered with salvaged driftwood and sea glass—where private chats happen over mint tea. No RSVP needed, just ring the bell and step inside the humid glow of creativity.
The only Key West bookstore with a café inside—key lime pie on the counter, coffee on tap—is tucked behind the post office. Rain or shine, its back room hosts a weekly poetry circle, but on stormy afternoons, locals swap stories instead. We track which days the pie runs low (usually Thursdays), and if the AC is running well—the old building sags near the southeast corner. Bring a light jacket; the cool kicks in by 2 p.m.
