Key West Home Tours to Celebrate 63 Years of Preservation

The Old Island Restoration Foundation (OIRF) is offering a unique opportunity to explore the architectural history of Key West, Florida with its annual home tours. These tours are set to take place in December 2022, January, February, and March 2023 and will feature five homes each weekend that are notable for their historic significance, creative renovations, and examples of the Florida Keys lifestyle.

The OIRF is dedicated to protecting the island's architectural and cultural heritage, and their efforts have drawn recognition from organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On the tours, visitors can expect to explore homes constructed by shipbuilder-carpenters and cigar manufacturing barons in the 1800s, with unique interiors full of art collections and antiques, as well as lush gardens and outdoor living areas.

The tours are planned for Wednesdays and Thursdays, Dec. 28-29, with participating homes decorated for the holidays; and Fridays and Saturdays, Jan. 13-14, Feb. 17-18 and March 17-18. Participants will need to provide their own transportation and tickets for the tour cost $55 per person ($45 for OIRF members) when purchased in advance through oirf.org/home-tours/ or $60 at the door on tour days.

The OIRF's home tours are a special opportunity to see the wide range of architectural styles on the continental United States' southernmost island, from small 19th-century cottages to ornate period mansions decorated with intricate wooden "gingerbread" trim. It is a chance to experience the beauty and diversity of Key West's history and culture first-hand. 

For more information on the tours, visit oirf.org/home-tours/.