A Tour of Ernest Hemingway's House

Back to Chapter Two: Key West

Probably my favorite site that we saw in Key West, this lovely old home was only a few blocks from our lodge.

Standing there by the front door is our tour guide, a native of Key West who knew lots of stories about the famous writer. We didn't find all of them as funny as the rest of the tourists did. But he was a good story-teller.

An example of the stories that others found so amusing while we did not: This pool was purchased for twenty thousand dollars by Mrs. Pauline Hemingway while her husband was gone on a trip during the Depression. Hemingway was not a little surprised to come home and find this new installation that cost more than twice as much as his entire house had cost. He pulled a penny out of his pocket and said, "You might as well take my last cent!" Pauline slapped it down in the still-wet pavement of the patio and later, after Hemingway had gone on to other wives and other lands, she was fond of pointing it out to the rich and famous celebrities whom she entertained.

Whatever kind of life this man had, he sure had a lovely home while he was living in Key West!

The tour guide joked that perhaps Hemingway selected this particular house because he could stumble toward this guiding beacon on his way home from Sloppy Joe's bar and know he'd be heading the right way. Whether this makes you laugh or not, it is a lovely view of the lighthouse. That vibrantly flowering tree is something that Hemingway brought home from his African safari.

I love this view of the house.

Learning to walk in the lush grounds surrounding the house.