Information
Landmark: Ernest Hemingway Home and MuseumCity: Florida Keys
Country: USA Florida
Continent: North America
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, Florida Keys, USA Florida, North America
Overview
In Key West, Florida, the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum stands out as a landmark rich with history, where the scent of old pine floors lingers in every room.At 907 Whitehead Street stands a striking Spanish Colonial-style home where Ernest Hemingway lived from 1931 to 1939, pounding out some of his most celebrated novels at a sturdy wooden desk.Today, the house stands as a museum where you can step into Hemingway’s world-see his worn leather chair, explore his writing desk, and catch a sense of his Key West years.In 1928, Ernest Hemingway settled in Key West with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, where the salty air drifted in through open windows.In 1931, the couple bought the house for $8,000, and Hemingway stayed nearly ten years, penning *A Farewell to Arms*, *Death in the Afternoon*, and parts of *For Whom the Bell Tolls* at the worn oak desk by the window.The Hemingways kept the house until 1964, when they sold it to a private buyer who hung a brass key on the kitchen wall.In 1968, the doors swung open and visitors stepped inside, exploring the property as a museum for the first time.The Ernest Hemingway Home showcases classic Spanish Colonial style, with lush gardens that smell faintly of jasmine, broad wraparound verandas, and a design that stands out at every turn.The two-story main house stands out with its bright yellow walls and crisp white trim, its large windows catching the light and arched doorways echoing classic Spanish Colonial charm.Inside, antique chairs and worn wooden tables mingle with Hemingway’s own belongings, alongside keepsakes that capture his years in Key West.Hemingway’s writing studio sits in a small, detached building on the property, its windows catching the late-afternoon light.Hemingway spent countless hours in that studio, shaping many of his famous works, and visitors can still see his typewriter sitting by the window, the worn bookshelves, and the very spot where he wrote.The Hemingway House is also known for its swimming pool-a shimmering turquoise rectangle-that was among the first private pools in Key West.In 1932, Pauline, Hemingway’s wife, had a pool dug-an unusual sight in the neighborhood back then.The pool now sits at the heart of the museum, catching the light and drawing visitors in, adding a warm touch to the property’s charm.The house sits amid lush tropical gardens, where local plants and bright flowers sway in the warm breeze, giving the property a calm, serene feel.Visitors often miss these gardens, yet they offer a lovely place to wander among blooming paths and pause to reflect.Several rooms in the house welcome visitors, each with its own history.Hemingway’s library, lined with worn spines and sunlit shelves, holds many of his books and was the place where he spent countless hours reading and writing.Sunlight pours through the windows, washing the space in warmth and giving it a snug, inviting feel.This is where Hemingway spent his Key West days, tapping at the keys in the warm, salt-heavy air.The master bedroom was Hemingway’s private hideaway, filled with his belongings-a worn leather satchel in the corner, and a tall four-poster bed he shared with his second wife, Pauline.The room gives you a glimpse of how Hemingway lived in Key West-you can almost picture him at his desk, a half-finished manuscript beside his glass of rum.The dining room stretches wide and bright, its tall windows spilling sunlight onto the table where the Hemingways once welcomed friends.The room blends period furnishings with pieces that echo the couple’s style from their years on the island, like a weathered wooden chair by the window.The hallway and stairs to the upper floor are lined with artwork and family photographs of Hemingway, a gallery that hints at his life in Key West and on the road-you can almost hear the shuffle of his boots in some far-off place.Hemingway’s years in Key West shaped his life and his writing, from lazy afternoons on the porch to long nights hammering out pages by the sea.The house shows his deep affection for the island, its salty breeze and warm light shaping the mood that runs through his writing.In his years in Key West, Hemingway fell for the island’s quiet corners, its lively streets, and the blue stretch of water where gulls wheeled overhead-scenes that fed his writing.Some of the author’s works shaped by his years in Key West include *A Farewell to Arms*: while Hemingway wrote much of it in Europe, its themes of war and loss grew from experiences he carried with him-memories of humid nights and quiet docks from his time on the island.Death in the Afternoon is Hemingway’s meticulously researched look at Spain’s bullfighting tradition, written during his years in Key West, and it pulses with his enduring passion for the spectacle and the country’s culture.Hemingway wrote part of *For Whom the Bell Tolls* while living in Key West, where the salty air and bright sun framed a story many see as his meditation on war, love, and honor.One of the most memorable sights at the Hemingway Home and Museum is its colony of polydactyl cats-felines with extra toes, some sporting six on a single paw.These cats trace their lineage to a remarkable feline a sea captain handed to Hemingway in the 1930s, its white paws bright against the captain’s weathered hands.People often call the cats roaming the property “Hemingway cats,” and their lazy afternoons stretched out in the sun have become one of the museum’s most charming sights.Today, about fifty or sixty cats roam the property, many tracing their lineage back to Hemingway’s own cat, a gray tabby with white paws.The cats are happy and well cared for, and visitors can watch them wander through the house and gardens, tails flicking in the sun.Hemingway’s cats are woven into his legacy, their lazy stretches in sunlit windows adding a quiet charm to the museum.The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum welcomes visitors to wander its rooms and gardens, either with a friendly guide leading the way or an audio tour playing softly in their ear.The tours dive into Hemingway’s life, his craft, and the rich history of the house, from the worn leather chair by his desk to the sunlit porch where he once wrote.Highlights of the visit include guided tours, where friendly, well-informed guides bring Hemingway’s Key West days to life-sharing stories of his home, his loves, and the pages he filled at a sunlit desk.They share stories that bring the house’s past to life, along with glimpses of the time when Hemingway walked its creaky wooden floors.Self-guided audio tour: If you’d rather wander through the house at your own pace, with a voice in your ear describing the creak of the old floorboards, this tour’s a perfect fit.The audio guide walks you through the house’s history, pausing to share stories about the creak of old floorboards and the objects on display.The museum’s open almost every day of the year-major holidays are the only exception-and welcomes visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., when the sunlight slants across the front steps.Still, it’s smart to check in advance for special events or changes-like a parade that might block the street.Admission’s affordable, and your ticket gets you into both the old house and the garden, where roses still scent the air.Children, students, and military members can often snag discounts - sometimes enough to cover the price of a movie ticket.If you’re in Key West, don’t miss the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum-it’s a must for anyone who loves great books or rich history, right down to the scent of old paper lingering in its rooms.
