Visit The Home Of The Writer Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West is a more than attractive visit. The construction maintains the original appearance that it had when the writer lived in it with his family, and is of enormous interest. In fact, it is considered a National Historic Landmark of the United States.

Ernest Hemingway’s residence in Key West

The famous writer chose Key West, Florida, to establish one of his residences. In it he lived for almost ten years with his wife Pauline and their children Patrick and Gregory. More specifically, between 1931 and 1940.

It was during the period in which he lived in this house that Hemingway wrote some of his most famous works. Among them,  To have and not to have, For whom the bell tolls  or The green hills of Africa .

The home was owned by Ernest Hemingway until his death in 1961. Later, his widow sold it to Bernice Dickson, founder of the house museum that we are going to visit. And thanks to this, today anyone can learn, up close, how was the daily life of this renowned American author.

What to see at Ernest Hemingway’s house

The house consists of a large garden with a swimming pool, an annex building in which Ernest Hemingway wrote his works and two floors. In the first one is the dining room, among other rooms. There you can see photos of the author with his different wives (he was married four times), and furniture of Spanish origin dating from the seventeenth century.

We went from the dining room to the kitchen, with tiles on the wall and Finnish dishes. Also visit the breakfast room, whose walls are decorated with Portuguese ceramics. In both, as well as throughout the house, there are French, Spanish and Italian pendant lamps that were purchased by his wife Pauline.

Up the stairs is the marriage room.  There you can see a ceramic cat that Pablo Picasso  gave to Hemingway. And it is that the writer was passionate about kittens. In fact, he lived with about 50, and in the garden he had a cemetery for them. It still exists, so it is possible to visit it.

As a curiosity, the descendants of those cats still roam the house. Many have the peculiarity of counting with six fingers! This is typical of those who were brought by some ship captains from Boston in the 1920s. Meanwhile, the locals attribute it to good luck.

The pool is also located outside, the first to be built in Key West. Of course, it cost $20,000, more than double the cost of the house. With it Pauline tried to surprise Hemingway, but when he found out the price, he got angry and gave his wife a penny, telling her that it was what he had left after the purchase.

Hours, price and location of Hemingway’s house

The house is  open every day of the year, from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. During this period, you can take a half-hour guided tour.

To do this, just go to number 907 Whitehead Street. It’s just a few steps from Key West’s main drag, Duval Street, a must-go too.

Regarding the price, adults must pay a ticket of 14 dollars and children between six and twelve years old, six. Meanwhile, children under five years of age can access it completely free of charge. Of course, it is good to know that you cannot pay with a credit card, since only cash is accepted.

If, in addition to visiting Ernest Hemingway’s house, you want to see other Key West charms, such as Southernmost Point or Lighthouse Museum, you can take the opportunity to take an excursion from Miami.  The cost is around 60 euros and is between five and six hours long. You certainly won’t regret it.