Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Grotte de Glace
Sinquerim Beach Bastion
Port Tobacco Schoolhouse
Barracks / munitions storage.
Vloethemveld
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Green-Wood Cemetery, overlooking New York Harbor.
Where Our Team Looked for Joy During Pandemic Lockdowns
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Florida Key West Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum

Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum

The former home of the Nobel Prize-winning American writer is now home to dozens of six-toed cats.

Key West, Florida

Added By
Henry
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  z.about.com
  jhastings2229 / Atlas Obscura User
  michaelamiller / Atlas Obscura User
  michaelamiller / Atlas Obscura User
Admission circa 2010.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
The cat house replica at Hemingways house   MauiKat / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
🐈   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Ernest Hemingway   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Hemingway House Key West   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Sign outside   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Dragan / Atlas Obscura User
  eoutslay12 / Atlas Obscura User
  eoutslay12 / Atlas Obscura User
  michaelamiller / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
The urinal from Sloppy Joes   tahasic / Atlas Obscura User
  User submitted
  User submitted
  michaelamiller / Atlas Obscura User
Happy Birthday Ernest!!   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Hemingway’s many 6 toed cat descendants make themselves comfotable everwhere in his house and on the grounds.   broadripplehome / Atlas Obscura User
  calvinsehrt / Atlas Obscura User
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
A polydactyl cat shows off his extra digits outside the Hemingway house   Averette at en.wikipedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Ernest Hemingway was a man who lived in many wonderful places, and traveled to many more. But the house on Whitehead Street in Key West was of particular importance, both in Hemingway's personal life and in his literary development.

When Hemingway moved from Paris to Key West in the mid-1920s on the advice of fellow writer John Dos Passos, he was a well-known author but not yet a legend. The house was given to him by the uncle of his second wife; at the time, Hemingway probably could not have afforded to purchase it himself.

It was in this ornate, Spanish-style house that Hemingway wrote his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms, as well as parts of Death in the Afternoon, Green Hills of Africa, and For Whom the Bell Tolls. It was here, in Key West, where Hemingway developed his obsession with the deep-sea fishing for which he is famous, and where he was given the nickname "Papa," which was bestowed on him by the "Key West Mob," his crew of friends in South Florida who would provide the inspiration for his novel To Have and Have Not.

The house is filled with Hemingway memorabilia from the more than 20 years in which he occupied it. Hemingway's typewriter is still there, as are numerous mounted heads and skins from his famed hunting trips in Africa.

On a slightly odder level, the estate is also home to over 50 cats, with names like Pablo Picasso, Hairy Truman, and Audrey Hepburn. About half of these cats are polydactyls—animals with extra toes. A ship captain once gave Hemingway a six-toed cat, of whom the writer was extremely fond, and from whom these cats are supposedly descended.

Related Tags

Animals Cats Repositories Of Knowledge Nobel Prize Literature

Know Before You Go

They offer an active-duty military discount, and if you're nice to the person at the gate, you might get the discount if you're retired military. Don't forget the on-site AO two-fer in Hemingway's Last Penny, embedded in the concrete at the pool out back.

Community Contributors

Added By

Henry

Edited By

rugby007, dlc31723, megan, Collector of Experiences...

  • rugby007
  • dlc31723
  • megan
  • Collector of Experiences
  • broadripplehome
  • calvinsehrt
  • tahasic
  • michaelamiller
  • blimpcaptain
  • mnelson1250
  • jhastings2229
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • eoutslay12
  • jlord7
  • Dragan
  • MauiKat

Published

August 4, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.hemingwayhome.com/HTML/main_menu.html
Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum
907 Whitehead Street
Key West, Florida, 33040
United States
24.551149, -81.800545
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hemingway's Last Penny

Key West, Florida

miles away

Tennessee Williams Museum

Key West, Florida

miles away

Key West High Heel Shoe Drop

Key West, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Key West

Key West

Florida

Places 23
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Hemingway's Last Penny

Key West, Florida

miles away

Tennessee Williams Museum

Key West, Florida

miles away

Key West High Heel Shoe Drop

Key West, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Key West

Key West

Florida

Places 23
Stories 5

Related Stories and Lists

After Lovers Hemingway and Gellhorn Faced Off on D-Day, They Filed for Divorce

literature

By Atlas Obscura

Eight Cat Paradises, Where the Felines Come First

animals

By Jessica Guerra

Hemingway's Six-Toed Cats, Whose Future Remains Fuzzy

animals

By Megan Roberts

Related Places

  • Leo and Leona guard the gates

    Los Gatos, California

    The Cats

    A pair of pure white felines guard the entrance to a spot of California real estate established as an artist's haven.

  • Valparaiso, Chile

    La Sebastiana

    Pivotal home of Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda.

  • Grumpy Cat’s headstone.

    Sun City, Arizona

    Grumpy Cat’s Grave

    The final resting place for an internet icon.

  • Numerous attempts to take down the Catford Cat have failed over the years.

    London, England

    The Catford Cat

    For more than half a century, an enormous feline has watched over this London neighborhood.

  • This ones for the lovers… of cats.

    Baku, Azerbaijan

    'Monument to Lovers and Cats'

    Look up as you explore Baku’s old town to find a monument to the local feline population.

  • This curious cat is especially dear to locals.

    La Rochelle, France

    La Maison du Chat (The Cat House)

    No one knows the story behind the mysterious feline perched on this rooftop.

  • A cat in Parque John F. Kennedy

    Lima, Peru

    Cats of Parque Kennedy

    In the upscale neighborhood of Miraflores in Lima, a pretty little park is home to dozens of cats.

  • beach dog

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Mural of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

    A colorful mural decorates one of the city's oldest animal shelters.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.