One of the most prominent writers of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway roamed the world extensively, lived in different countries and cities, and called Key West, Florida, his home for nearly a decade. The author’s former abode is now The Hemingway Home and Museum.
Last update: December 15, 2025
Visiting the Hemingway Home and Museum
When you travel to Key West, the southernmost isle-city in the Florida Keys, you can’t help but pop into the Hemingway Home and Museum. Many come here drawn by the bigger than life legacy of the Nobel Prize-winning American novelist, journalist, traveler, and avid fisherman.
A few tour the Hemingway Home and Museum with one hidden agenda, to count toes on the massive paws of Hemingway cats.
Hemingway Cats
The writer was known for its curious fondness for polydactyl (many-toed) cats. His first six-toed cat was a gift from a ship captain. Hemingway called her Snow White. He would name all of his cats after famous people, a tradition that is still followed at the Hemingway Home and Museum.
Many of the cats at the author’s former house and some on Key West – the island is small after all – are possible descendants of Snow White.
Extra toes on the cat’s front and even more rarely back paws seem to have resonance with Hemingway’s life. Always the one with an extra passion, a thrilling endeavor to embark on, and a new story to write about.
Hemingway in Florida Keys
Hemingway settled in Key West in the late 1920s with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer. Pauline’s wealthy uncle bought and funded the restoration of Hemingway’s Key West home as a wedding gift for the couple.
The choice of the new home was inspired by the sense of freedom and adventure, irresistible island culture, easy access to the sea and abundant fishing opportunities that come with it, and proximity to the Caribbean, especially Cuba that the author loved and eventually moved to in the late 1930s.
Touring the Hemingway Home and Museum
Although lavish, especially compared to the housing quarters of the 1930s, The Hemingway Home and Museum was first of all a residential property. Located right across from the Key West Lighthouse, the estate is still a central landmark on the southernmost island of the Florida Keys.
It gained even more attraction when Hemingway decided to dig a massive swimming pool on the property, 24 feet wide, 60 feet long, 19 feet deep at the south end, and 5 feet deep at the north end. In the late 1930s, the construction cost $20,000, a huge sum of money for that time. Since the author traveled a lot as a war correspondent, Pauline oversaw the project. The final result was grand. It had the capacity of more than 80,000 gallons and underwater bulbs that illuminated the pool like a green fire at night.
The massive swimming pool is still a signature site at the Hemingway Home and Museum. And so is the Writing Studio. A smaller cottage separated from the main house was a sacred sanctuary where the author worked in the morning and early afternoon.
Once he reached his daily writing quota, Hemingway would leave the property and head to the sea for afternoon fishing escapades. These sea excursions worked as a soothing balm to the author’s soul and inspired many of his novels.
How to Visit
The Hemingway Home and Museum is open daily. You can purchase the ticket right at the gate. No reservation is required. If you want to explore the property in relative serenity and undisturbed by dozens of visitors, plan to arrive early in the morning. The ideal time is as soon as the site opens for daily operations.
The Hemingway House and Museum in Photos
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