Key West, Florida - Museum of Torture and Execution (Ripley's Believe it or Not)

Ripley's used to be on Duval Street -- the front looked like an old theater. That building was sold to Walgreens and Ripley's moved down the street. It is near Front Street and Duval Street, where Planet Hollywood used to be. It is a great museum. [Michelle, 08/22/2004]

I'm responding to this post on your site about an attraction in Key West FL....previously reported as gone. No, it's NOT gone! ... I'm 98% sure that this is now a Ripley's Believe it or Not. The Ripley's in downtown Key West has the exact same torture exhibits described above. It's very creepy and very different from most Ripley's I've been to. It looks like they just slapped the Ripley's sign on the front and put some typical Ripley's type things in the lobby, but once you get inside it's all Torture and Horror. I went in 2001 and it was open, and I'm sure it's still there today. [Rob Penticoff, 10/20/2003]

I've seen my share of weird museums but the strangest was in Key West, Florida. When I was 13, about 1974, my family was visiting the Key. Well nothing was more enticing to a teenager than the "Museum of Torture & Execution" right smack in the middle of town. I went in alone as my family visited more mundane sights. As it turns out I really was alone, the only visitor at the time. With wide-eyed curiosity I enjoyed this large one-room museum full of gory wax statues demonstrating the full horror of the Spanish Inquisition. A tape explaining each exhibit would play constantly as you followed a yellow line on the floor around the museum. No blood was spared in the creation of these exhibits and I'll never forget it. I've never been back to Key West since that visit. I wonder if this creepy gem is still open. Has anyone else seen this? [anon]

[RA: Heard reports on the Keys Torture Museum for many years. Apparently it is gone.]