Virtual Roadtrip: Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum

One of America’s Most Honored Authors and the Famous Six-Toed Cats

Stop #12 on our Virtual Road Trip is the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida! Ernest and Pauline Hemingway lived in the home with their two sons, Patrick and Gregory, for almost 10 years. The limestone house was originally built between 1859 – 1861 for Asa and Anna Tift. By 1931 when the Hemingway’s discovered it, the home was vacant, boarded up, and in need of repair. They spent a significant amount of time and money rebuilding, refurbishing, and improving the house and grounds.

Today, guided tours of the Hemingway Home are provided by a knowledgeable team of docents. The tours cover a wide range of topics, from the construction of the home and stories about the family to descriptions of the original furniture, art, and personal items. Once you leave the main building, the tour continues outside and includes stops at the first swimming pool in Key West and the loft studio used by Hemingway to write many of his classics. The famous six-toe cats have free roam of the property, so expect to see many of the descendants of “Papa” Hemingway’s beloved feline friends.

Tour Tip: The Hemingway Home is one of the most popular attractions in Key West. Purchase your tickets in advance, as the tour groups are kept small to allow everyone to enjoy the house without being cramped in the smallish rooms. Have your camera ready to take pictures of the famous cats and don’t forget to snap a quick photo of the Nobel Prize-winning author’s studio.

Following the Connection

While living in Key West, Hemingway spent summers in Idaho and Wyoming. In 1939 he was invited by the owner of the recently completed Sun Valley Resort to celebrate and promote the grand opening of the first destination ski resort in the United States. In the Fall of 1939, Hemingway completed For Whom the Bell Tolls while staying in Suite 206 of the Sun Valley Lodge.

Next Stop: The Sun Valley Resort, Sun Valley, Idaho

Detour: Hemingway was in Europe during both World War l and World War ll. In 1917 (WWI) Hemingway answered a recruitment ad by the Red Cross and was dispatched as an ambulance driver to Italy. He was also in Europe in 1944 -1945 (WWII), working as a journalist and was present during the Invasion of Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, and the Liberation of Paris. The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, and The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, are the most comprehensive military museums in the United States associated with the World Wars.

Plan Your Trip

Key West is one of the most popular destinations in the United States. The peak tourism season begins in late December and continues through April. Our advice it to plan your trip well in advance for the best reservations and deals. Also consider late March through May when the crowds have thinned a little and the temperatures are still pleasant. Here are some recommendations from the travel desk at Check-it-Off Travel to consider while planning a trip to the museum.