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Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum: Traveler Reviews

907 Whitehead St, Key West, FL 33040
305 294 1575
Website
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Ranked #12 of 83 attractions in Key West
Type: Historic Sites, History Museums, Museums
Activities: Group tours/day tour
Owner description: Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote in this for ten years. During that time he wrote seventy percent of his life-time works. Today we operate as a museum... more » Owner description: Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote in this for ten years. During that time he wrote seventy percent of his life-time works. Today we operate as a museum providing guided tours every fifteen minutes from nine to five. The Museum is available for weddings and corporate events. Visit this National Historic Landmark, Literary Landmark and recognized by the Library of Congress for it's importance in U.S. History. Grand Architecture, Lush Gardens, Educational Tours, Book Store/Gift Shop and the world famous Poly dactyl (six-toed cats). « less
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2,501 reviews from our community

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Sandy, Utah
Top Contributor
50 reviews 50 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
31 helpful votes 31 helpful votes
“Beautiful property in need of some TLC”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed February 10, 2013

Our family of 4 chose to tour this home on our own since the guide wasn't available for 30 minutes. The property is lush and extensive. The grounds include the writer's cottage as well as a kitty-cat cemetery.

The home is lovely though clearly in need of some TLC. The walls, mouldings & flooring could all use a thorough cleaning & painting. Each room has a minimal amount of period furniture however, of more interest are the books and various letters that Hemingway
saved.
The grounds are home to the vast number of Hemingway cats which are loose and meandering about. Though interesting this tour could really benefit from some updating as well as modernization.

Visited January 2013
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HemingwayHome, Public Relations Manager at Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, responded to this review
February 11, 2013
Thank you form your review. We are a little confused about your 30 minute wait for a tour since we conduct tours every 15 minutes or less from 9-5. Could you please send us details of why you encountered a 30 minute wait?
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Australia
Top Contributor
81 reviews 81 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 47 cities Reviews in 47 cities
57 helpful votes 57 helpful votes
“Not to be Missed”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 9, 2013

This was a pleasant surprise in Key West. Always something one should see was transformed into a truly pleasurable experience by a charming house, beautiful gardens, famous 6 toed cats and a great tour that brought the trials and tribulations of this famous man to life.

Visited January 2013
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HemingwayHome, Public Relations Manager at Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, responded to this review
February 11, 2013
Thank you very much for your 5-star review! We are glad you enjoyed the tour.
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Birmingham, Alabama
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
5 attraction reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Love the cats”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed February 9, 2013

If I lived in Key West this is where I'd like to be. The house and gardens were beautiful. There are 45 polydactyl cats lounging around the property. It was a hidden paradise, although a bit crowded. We preferred a self tour, and avoided the big groups to get better views of the rooms and grounds.

Visited February 2013
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HemingwayHome, Public Relations Manager at Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, responded to this review
February 11, 2013
Thank you for your review. We are glad you enjoyed your visit and the cats.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Waterford, Michigan
Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
“A must see when visiting Key West”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 8, 2013

The historic Hemingway House was a very interesting place to visit for an afternoon; as a bonus we were able to enjoy a small picnic lunch in the area by the pool before touring the home.

Even though each of the 6 or 8 tour-guide seem to have a slightly different story about the Hemingway family's life while living in the house it was still quite enjoyable and did not take anything away from this gorgeous home, grounds or their place in Key west history even before Ernest Hemingway purchased the property.

We loved seeing all the multi-toed cats wandering around or sleeping on the furniture completely at easy with all the people touring the house & grounds; rumor has it there are 45 living on the property these days.

You should make time to visit this landmark when in Key West!

Visited January 2013
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HemingwayHome, Public Relations Manager at Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, responded to this review
February 9, 2013
Thank you very much for your 5-star review! We are glad you enjoyed your meal by the pool and the tours.
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Des Moines, Iowa
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“An acre of loveliness”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 8, 2013

Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum was a fabulous tour. Our tour guide was knowledgeable. My favorite part was the studio where Hemingway went to write every morning....and the grounds were very very beautiful. There are approximately 45 cats (6-toed) on the grounds and in the house. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live right there on that one acre of loveliness in Key West, Florida.

Visited February 2013
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HemingwayHome, Public Relations Manager at Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, responded to this review
February 9, 2013
Thank you very much for your 5-star review! It is an acre of heaven, all of us that work here feel priviledged to work on this special piece of paradise.
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