The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum

So, this guy Ernest Hemingway, heard of him?

He wrote a bunch of books, married a bunch of different women, had famous friends, and lived all over the world, including Key West, Florida.

We visited The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum and I learned a lot. Of course, I have heard of Hemingway, but I don't think I've actually read any of his works. However, I have seen some movies based on his books and his life.

Some of his more popular books are:

Movies have been made of many of his works and a few movies are about his life including Midnight in Paris and Hemingway & Gellhorn.

My two favorite stories from the tour include a urinal used as a fountain and a penny.

The urinal story has to do with the original Sloppy Joe's Bar. So allegedly, the real Sloppy Joe's Bar was in a rental space and the landlord raised the rent, so Sloppy Joe and his good friend Ernest Hemingway got super drunk and just destroyed the place. They stole a urinal because as Hemingway put it, he had 'pissed away a lot of money down the urinal.'

Pauline Pfeiffer was Hemingway's second wife and she oversaw building the first in-ground swimming pool in Key West on their property. She put it where Hemingway's boxing ring used to be. The pool cost a whopping $20,000 in 1930's money! There is a penny cemented near the pool and the story goes that Hemingway was getting fed up with the increasing costs and said that Pauline might as well take his last penny and threw a penny in the wet cement. It is still there.

Also, if you're a cat lover, you will love the Hemingway House. There are over 50 cats on the property. All descendants of a white, six-toed, cat named Snow White. It was given to the Hemingways by a boat captain. Two of his sons named the cat and she was the first of many. There is even a cat cemetery on the property. All the cats, even now, are named after famous people!

Check out the Hemingway House in the photos below!