The legend that is Ernest Hemingway is mostly known for his brilliant works like The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms often gets associated with his time spent in Paris. Living a robust and exciting life, many people don’t realize that Hemingway spent eight years of his life in Key West.
Known simply as the Hemingway House now, thousands of visitors stop by every year to check out the Spanish Colonial style home that Hemingway and his second wife Pauline restored together. Them finding the home happened by accident. As you’ll see from the website, the couple was in Key West simply to pick up a brand new Ford Roadster, purchased by Pauline’s Uncle Gus. However, the car had been delayed in transit and the Hemingways had three weeks to kill in South Florida.
After awhile, the Hemingways fell in love with Key West and upon discovering the old home, decided to purchase it and restore it. Now the ground is most exciting to visitors for a variety of reasons, most of all the various cats that inhabit the grounds. Named after famous characters like Tennessee Williams and Joe Russell, there are over 50 cats on the grounds as direct descendents from Hemingway’s precious cat, Snowball. What’s more, the majority of these cats possess six toes, a unique feature that Snowball had that interested Hemingway at the time.
The place is also home to many European furnishings and antiques collected from around the world by Ernest himself. Cult followers mostly admire the studio where Hemingway wrote some of his greatest works like For Whom the Bell Tolls and many characters developed in his novel To Have and Have Not were developed from his time and observations of Key West inhabitants.
A great day trip and unique experience. Tickets can be purchased at the door with cash only.