Famed author Ernest Hemingway called this place in Key West, Florida home from 1931 to 1939. Thousands of tourists visit the 1851 southern colonial mansion every year and, after taking the tour, it’s easy to see why.
After paying a nominal admission fee, one of the tour guides will take you around the house. They share humorous stories about Hemingway in every room. Unlike most historic properties, there’s little at the Hemingway House that’s off limits. Rooms are open, airy and decorated with items believed to have been owned by Hemingway. (The house was sold after Hemingway’s death, empty and without any furniture.)
Following the tour, you have the opportunity to walk around the house at your own pace, see things you might have missed and take as many photos as you want. Certainly not the norm for a place on the National Register. While the house is beautiful and the gardens are exotic and tropical, there’s one thing that every visitor agrees makes this historic home special. Wherever you go on the property, you’re sure to run into a cat. But they’re not ordinary felines.
According to legend, when Hemingway lived at the house, he cared for a number of six and seven-toed cats and their descendants have free reign over the property today. Most of them are friendly and love the attention. You’ll see them in unexpected places lounging around the house, on the patio and by the pool. Caretakers treat them like kings and queens with regular checkups from a local vet and their own house that’s a miniature version of the Hemingway mansion. When the cats pass on, they’re buried in a cemetery with their own homemade gravestones. Some of the famous names that have roamed the property in the past have included Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn and Gremlin.
The Ernest Hemingway House is a place that must be experienced when in Key West. Even if you’re not a fan of Hemingway, or cats, you’ll find something of interest here. The Ernest Hemingway House and Museum is located at 907 Whitehead Street near the lighthouse and is open year round.
