Harry S Truman Little White House Museum

Key West, United States

4.2

Open now

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 305-294-9911
Website:
www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com
Address:
111 Front St, Key West, FL, 33040
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.2 miTrolley Stop #1
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Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Key West) 2:56 PM Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Since 1890, history has left its mark on the Truman Little White House. Initially, it served as the naval station’s command headquarters during the Spanish-​American War, World War I and World War II. In 1946 the historic building first served as the winter White House of President Harry S. Truman and a site for the Cold War response by later presidents. Today, the Truman Little White House is a public, living museum as well as a retreat and place of government business by our nation’s leaders.

History

Established in 1988.

The Harry S. Truman Little White House is the State of Florida’s only presidential site.

Originally, it was constructed in 1890 as naval officers housing. Important visitors have included extended stays by inventor Thomas Edison and scientist Edward Hayden and it has been used by six American presidents. It’s most important usage was as the winter White House of Harry Truman who spent 175 days of his presidency here from 1946 through 1952. Harry Truman faced the rebuilding of Europe, the Palestine question, issues of Civil Rights and labor unrest changes in foreign policy and our response to the Cold War.

Other presidents have included William Howard Taft in 1912, Dwight Eisenhower in 1955 – 56, John Kennedy in 1961 and 1962 and former Presidents Jimmy Carter in 1996 and 2007 and Bill Clinton in 2005. All have found it a restful place to restore body and mind as later presidents have used Camp David.

Meet the Manager

Piper S.

Manager

Built in 1890 as a base home for the Naval Commander, the residence served many purposes until it became President Truman’s winter home. Tours are led by knowledgeable guides that share information about Truman’s life in the home, his presidency, the history of the Little White House and more. If you’re interested in learning about historical facts, this is one of the Best Key West Attractions to visit.

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20 reviews of Harry S Truman Little White House Museum

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Sparks, NV
This place is a fascinating step back in time. It has basically been restored and maintained exactly as it looked back when Harry Truman used to vacation here. There are also a lot of historic artifacts and photos and I enjoyed learning more about Truman. Did not take any pictures past the front door because it is still an active presidential vacation sight (although the last president to use it was Clinton) and the Secret Service does not allow photos. There is ample parking at nearby hotel garages.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Coming from Washington, how could the Truman White House not be my favorite Key West tourist site? To me, it’s just so random that there’s a little piece of politics down here in Key West. I loved the tour, and the house is in very good shape.
Along with the Ernest Hemingway House, the Truman Little White House is the other must-​do tourist destination whether you’re staying in Key West or visiting on a cruise ship. You have to wait for a guided tour, but that’s to be expected since they have so many artifacts from Truman’s time here. The whole trip doesn’t have to last more than an hour, so it’s suitable for kids.
They also have a nice gift shop with reading material if you’re looking for something to read on your vacation!
I really enjoyed my visit here, and I would also recommend walking around the Truman Annex, because it’s a very quaint collection of streets and houses that is removed from the Duval craziness.
Place rating: 4
St. Petersburg, FL
Interesting and beautiful KW landmark. The entire Truman Annex development is an oasis. I walked through the museum even tho hubby wasn’t interested– some interesting history here!
Place rating: 4
Birmingham, AL
I went here with two family members. We learned a LOT about president Truman and the Little White House– like that presidents and their families continue to use the house (like Truman’s grandchildren and the Clintons). Our tour guide, Eric, was knowledgeable and friendly. I’m not a big history buff, but I stayed engaged throughout the tour.
Place rating: 4
Reno, NV
I enjoy seeing any piece of history.
So checking on Unilocal for things to see and do, the little White House came up. I had no clue Truman liked Key West and spend some time on the island. As part of the old naval base it was interesting to wander around the old buildings that have been converted into condos and other housing units.
Then into the porch area to purchase tour tickets. They are guided and no photos allowed since Presidents can and have used the house since Truman. Also if there are other sights in town you want to see, you can purchase package tickets. They are a nice value and have months to use them. I did the White House and Hemingway bundle
Inside it was amazing all the furniture and other articles were left as though Truman had just recently left. Old Life and other magazines were on the coffee table with the ashtrays. In the bedroom closets were hats and shirts worn by the president. It was a great step back in time. There were a few rooms we couldn’t see because they were ready to be used by the President or his guests, for security reasons.
The staff was so full of information and was put out if you asked any extra questions. Great bit of history
Place rating: 4
San Gabriel, CA
Personally, I enjoyed the Little White House’s guided tour a lot better than the Ernest Hemingway Home’s guided tour.
Ticket for the Little White House’s guided tour: You can purchase tickets at the gift shop for $ 15 per adult, but I got combination tickets (Little White House + Hemingway House) for a grand total of $ 24.90 (ticket for the Hemingway House can be used anytime in the next 6 months). Daily tours are offered approximately every 20 minutes from 9 AM ~ 4:30 PM.
Photography is strictly prohibited during the tour due to security reasons (some former Presidents came back here for the family holiday gatherings). President Obama was invited to come here (twice), but he never had a chance to visit here. Somewhere in the house there is actually a Presidential suite, but that’s not included as a part of the tour. About halfway through the tour, you’ll be sitting in the video room and watching a 10-​minute footage about Harry Truman.
One of the highlights I remembered was the A/​C (I’ve been to several other historical housing tours and the air was really stagnant, well not with the Little White House — fresh air from A/​C)! Our experienced tour guide was pretty good and I learned few interesting facts from him:
* 90% of furniture are originated in 1949 and still remain intact.
* The surrounding neighborhood (Truman Annex) was turned into condominium.
* Seven American Presidents visited here: William Howard Taft, FDR, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, JFK, James Carter, and Bill Clinton.
The tour lasted about 45 minutes and once you’ve finished the tour, feel free to explore the gift shop and the free exhibit about Harry Truman and the Little White House (located inside the gift shop).
If you are into housing tours, histories of the U.S. Presidents, or just don’t have the time for one-​day visit to the Dry Tortugas National Park, then the Little White House is worth to check it out.
Place rating: 5
Las Vegas, NV
The Little White House turned out to be the best site we visited in KW — who knew? We had a great tour guide, «Bruce» — who really imparted a lot of great factoids and information. This place is truly living history — and we were actually surprised that visiting here was one of the top highlights (we thought we were going to love Hemingway House) — but The Little White House tour was head’s and tails better. The tour really brought out some cool historical facts & gossip that was informative and entertaining. We didn’t want it to end! Totally worth your time and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how cool this place is.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
I lived in KW for a year, and this is one of the funnest places I visited. It does not feel as touristy as the Hemmingway house. It is much more authentic, and the staff is very enthusiastic.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Do you like US history? Well you should make sure if you are in Key West, that you take the time to tour this museum. The funny thing for me as I have been in Key West countless times and I never knew this place even existed.
You enter a compound which is now comprised of privately owned houses but which once was a military base of some sorts. And the Little White House was where Truman used to come to relax but also to have meetings with other dignitaries from 1946 to 1952. The tour is short, maybe 5 rooms and costs about $ 16 dollars.
I think the part I liked best was wandering the neighborhood and looking at all the beautifully restored homes (that part is free). But learning a little history never hurts either.
Place rating: 4
Phoenix, AZ
We were in Key West and to our great advantage there was a BOGO at most of the museums. We went to the Little White house and had a fantastic tour. It was very interesting to hear the stories of Truman visiting Key West, conducting business as well as pleasure there. The furnishings were perfectly period and the image of Truman was easily envisioned there. The guide was well informed and gave a lot of information. The video was nice and we really enjoyed the beautiful grounds. It was easy to envision the view before the military bldg went up. Being in Key West you can see why President Truman fell in love with it and returned numerous times. A terrific museum that is well maintained. Thank you for a wonderful tour.
Place rating: 4
Providence, RI
Had the pleasure of visiting Key West this past week & one of the highlights of our trip was most definitely visiting the «Little White House».
The staff were all very personable & courteous towards us, genuinely interested in where we were from & how we were enjoying our visit to their small piece of paradise they call home. Being native New Englanders we are usually accustomed to people who are cold mannered & borderline rude.
We were also very luck to have Anne as our tour guide, she was very welcoming & down to earth. We visit a lot of museums when we vacation & some tour guides are down right cold & pretentious but we found NONE of that here!
The compound itself is much smaller than I expected as the tour compromises of about four of five main rooms of the house, the rest of which seems shut off for office or personal use from government employees (it neighbors a massive Navy station). Regardless of the size this place is a MUST SEE for any US history buff.
Place rating: 5
Caldwell, NJ
The Truman Little White House is a stop not to be missed while in Key West.
You’ve soaked up the sun, seen the reefs, sipped a few island drinks, now take in a little piece of American history, that very few, including myself, knew existed!
I think we were particularly lucky to be guided through by Jimmy, a lifelong Key West resident that speaks of his hometown with such pride you expect to see tears. He regaled us with stories of selling newspapers to the military personnel once stationed there, painting a picture so vivid you think you’ve gone back to 1945!
It felt like President Truman was in the house with us, enjoying a game of cards, writing a letter to his dearest Bess, bringing order back to a world in chaos, or just being ‘Human Truman’.
Jimmy did a great job keeping everyone in the crowd, young and old, from the US, China and Amsterdam involved and hanging on his every word.
A worthwhile visit while in Key West!
Place rating: 4
Lake Mary, FL
Definitely worth an hour of your time. Was more interesting than I thought. Solid four stars. A lot of interesting tidbits…
Place rating: 4
Lubbock, TX
What a great tour given by Chris. She was so informative. Lots and lots of history here. She went into allot of detail in every room that we went into. How neat it was to think that you walked the same steps and were among items that 7 previous Presidents were at. We highly recommend this tour.
Place rating: 3
Detroit, MI
This cute little museum can feel a bit overpriced but for history buffs, it’s worth it. The outside is fun for a quick walk around and the exhibits are thoughtfully created. In a place where a lot of the options are tourist traps this place is a real gem. I do believe the tour is what makes the experience though so if you just bop on by without doing the tour it’s really not worth it.
Place rating: 4
Vero Beach, FL
The museum was very educational and inspirational. We enjoyed the tour very much.
Bruce, our tour guide, took us through the house and it was very interesting. Since was Christmas time, the house had 2 Christmas trees with ornaments on them. The rooms of the house had a lot of interesting things in them. Everything was very old in the house. I learned about some presidents but not about this one!
Place rating: 4
Sahuarita, AZ
Is okay. Is a little overrated I think. You are better off reading wiki than seeing Truman’s toilet.
Place rating: 3
Chalmette, LA
I’m admitted history dork so I was actually looking forward to visiting this place. We got here on a week day morning and I was surprised that there was a good 20 people on our tour. The tour is 15.00 each plus tax and it’s a guided tour so of course there is a tip involved as well. I thought this was a little high for what it is. The guide and cashier like to emphasize that the house is owned by the state of Florida but they recieve no tax dollars. I wish they would so I wouldn’t have had to pay 15.00.
They tour itself was pretty good. Our guide was great so that helped. He gave us some history on the house but it was mainly about Truman since he spent the most time here (besides Thomas Edison who was working on weapons for the government). The tour will have you believing Truman was the greatest president ever, I’ve read a few books on him so my opinion is a little different. I will say I loved his poker table and want that thing in my house.
Note: No cameras allowed inside the house
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
When he would vacation here, Truman said he got more work done than he ever did in Washington. You can see why.
This place is great for history buffs. There’s a custom-​made poker table that still has the chips and cards out on display. There’s also Truman’s bar and the briefcase he used to carry his precious classical records.
Our tour guide, Anne, was a total sweetheart, and a wealth of information.
When you go, you’ll see a copy of the famous «Dewey Defeats Truman» paper and learn why you can’t look up the full copy of the paper online. You’ll also hear the story behind Truman adopting the slogan, «The buck stops here.»
Presidents as far back as Taft and as recent as Clinton have stopped here. Apparently, Jimmy Carter’s family are big fans of it, too.
Then-​Secretary of State Colin Powell chose the Little White House to host a peace summit between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Visit the Little White House and you’ll have a greater appreciation for the amazing feats of President Truman.
* Sadly, no photos are allowed inside. I hate that.
Place rating: 4
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Though the «Little White House» has been visited by Presidents Kennedy, LBJ and Clinton, but it’s really epitomized by its longest resident presidential visitor, Harry S Truman. A tour of the Little White House is an educational treat even to a history buff like me, revealing so much more about Truman and the Truman Administration than you can ever pick up by just reading a book.
The best part about the Little White House is that it is very much in tact, 90% original with everything in place and just the same as it was when Truman vacationed there. Also, the tour offerings are really top notch not only giving a great insight in to what Truman was like as a person, the challenges he confronted but also what Key West itself is about and the attractions of it.
If you’re in Key West, it’s well worth a visit and I highly recommend it.