The Little White House is located at 111 Front Street, Key West, Florida, approximately 500 feet south of the Westin Hotel.
The site consists of an 8700 SF historic house museum used by six
American Presidents. President Harry S. Truman (1945-1952) used it for 175 days of his presidency as the Winter White House. Critical decisions involving the rebuilding of Europe, the Truman Doctrine that changed American foreign policy, issues regarding the quest for peace in the Middle East, a Civil Rights Executive Order , and a letter that ultimately led to the firing of General MacArthur came out of these Key West working vacations. President John F. Kennedy (1961-63) held a summit with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan just 23 days before the Bay of Pigs. Other Presidents to use the site include William Howard Taft in 1912, Dwight Eisenhower in December 1955-January 1956 while recovering from a heart Attack, Jimmy Carter in 1996 and again in 2007 and Bill and Hillary Clinton in 2005.
80-90% of the furnishings are original and the restoration is on-going to complete its 1949 appearance. A re-dedication is planned for March 14, 2009.
Two free exhibits and a self guided botanical tour of the one acre of garden is available.
Tours are offered every 20 minutes daily from 9:00 am until the last tour begins at 4:30. Tour length is approximately 45-50 minutes.
A presidential gift shop is located on site.
Annual visitor ship approximately 65,000 on tour 40,000 additional visitors through the exhibits. As Florida’s only presidential site many school age children tour the site.
