The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West, Florida

  Ernest Hemingway Home in Key West, Florida.

Ernest Hemingway was one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, having won both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer prize for his distinctive novels. Today is the 110th anniversary of his birth on July 21, 1899.

If you want to honor Hemingway on his birthday, or simply learn more about one of America's most famous writers, a great place to begin is at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West, Florida. Although he was later closely associated with residences in Cuba and Idaho, and spent a great deal of time in Europe and Africa, some of Hemingway's most enduring works were written when he lived in Key West in the 1930's. This includes the final draft of "A Farewell to Arms," the manuscripts for "Death in the Afternoon" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and numerous short stories, such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro."

Hemingway moved to Cuba following his 1940 divorce from his second wife and after that only stayed in Key West for short periods of time. A few years after his 1961 death, the home was turned into a museum and in 1968 it was declared a National Historic Landmark. The house is open for tours 365 days a year.

One of the notable aspects of the Hemingway home is the writer's studio, which was set on the second floor of a carriage house on the property. At one time, there was a catwalk to the studio from Hemingway's bedroom, so he could get his writing done first thing in the morning. Today, the studio contains Hemingway's typewriter and many of his mementoes. There is also a large swimming pool on the property, which was the only pool in all of Key West when it was built in 1938.

A second option for exploring Hemingway's life is to visit his birthplace in Oak Park, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. His family's home has been restored and is open to visitors. A short walk away, there is also the Ernest Hemingway Museum, located within the Oak Park Arts Center. The museum contains photos and artifacts from the author's life.  

Photo credit: Andreas Lamecker via Wikimedia Commons