Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West for 10 years. He spent his time writing, fishing, drinking at Sloppy Joes, and enjoying the island atmosphere of Key West.
The Hemingway House is the house that Ernest Hemingway lived in and today it is an attraction and museum you can visit in Key West.
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Hemingway Home and Museum
907 Whitehead Street
Key West, FL
The Hemingway House was built in 1851 and became Ernest Hemingway’s home in 1931. It was purchased by the uncle of Pauline Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s wife for the couple.
You can visit the Hemigway House 365 days a year. Admisison is $12 for adults and $6 for children. Parking in the area is very limited so consider taking the Old Town Trolley Tour. Stop 5 on the tour is Bahama Village and it is only a few minutes walk to the Hemingway House.
Another benefit of the Old Town Trolley Tour is that you will learn all about Key West. And the stories you will hear are filled with interesting facts. On our last tour we learned that the red brick wall around the Hemingway House created a controversy. There are two versions of the story.
Stolen Bricks
One story is that the wall was built with bricks that Hemingway requisitioned (took without permission) when a Key West street was being torn up and that the city found out and made Hemingway pay for the bricks.
Navy Bricks
Another version is that a Key West City Councilman did not like the idea of the wall so he told all the brick makers in Key West not to sell Hemingway bricks. So Hemingway went to the Navy - where had friends - and got the bricks.
A 6 toed Cat at the Hemingway House, Key West
Ernest Hemingway decided to build the wall around the Hemingway House for privacy when his house was added to a Key West tourist guide. It also helps keep the famed 6 toed cats on the property.
As you step into the Hemingway House you are transported back to the 1930’s. The house is filled with the furniture and paintings put there by Ernest Hemingway and his Wife Pauline.
As you walk around the house you will see lots of cats. Many of them have extra big front paws (with an extra toe) that look like catchers mitt. And there are cages behind the house for the more than 40 cats on the premises, many of which are descendants of Hemginways 6 toed cat.
Outside the main house is the writing studio. This is Ernest Hemingway’s office where he wrote such novels as “To Have and To Have Not”, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Death in The Afternoon”, and others. The office has original furniture and paintings.
The pool is a surprisingly 65 feet long. It was the first residential pool in Key West and is still the largest. The story is that it cost $20,000 and Hemingway was not happy about it. So he stuck a penny in the wet concrete and said “you might as well have my last cent”. That penny is still there.
Key West was a big part of Ernest Hemginway’s life. It is where he learned to fish and met a collection of characters affectionately named the mob. With the mob, Hemingway would go on long fishing trips to the Dry Tortugas, Cuba, and Bimini. Many of his friends and experiences in Key West are immortalized in his novels.
The pool and study at Hemingway House, Key West
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