For whom the bell tolls? It tolls for thee—if you’re a fan of the man many call the greatest American writer of all time, Ernest Hemingway, and you find yourself in Key West (about a three-hour drive from Miami).

For 10 years, he lived in a limestone-block home on Whitehead Street and wrote such literary epics as The Snows of Kilimanjaro and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, a National Historic Landmark, is one of Key West’s most popular attractions. After visiting it myself, I can clearly see why.

A Man's Mansion

The house is two storeys tall, with sprawling grounds and rooms full of memorabilia owing to the man’s legendary manliness, including spoils of war (he was a World War I ambulance driver and reportedly the first American injured in Italy), his fishing gear and, of course, his studio, where he produced many of his well-known works.

The Spanish Colonial style home was built in 1851 of native rock hewn from the grounds and has the first swimming pool built in Key West.

Legend has it that when Hemingway had the pool built in the 1930s, it cost him $20,000, prompting him to take one cent, press it into the wet cement of the patio and announce, “Here, take the last penny I’ve got!” The pool and penny are still there.

What's New, Pussycat

Hemingway’s love of cats is legendary—and still evident. Here you’ll find about 60 well cared for felines, most of them of the polydactyl (six-toed) variety. Hemingway had been given a six-toed cat and many who live here now are descendants of that original.

A slew of shapes, sizes and colors, they pretty much have run of the place and all carry names of old, from Spencer Tracy to Audrey Hepburn and Pablo Picasso.

I can’t swear to it, but one furry purr machine that let me scratch his ears one day may have been Hairy Truman.

The house may also be home to the most famous cat drinking fountain in the world. Hemingway had it built for his cats, the trough of which comes from Hemingway’s pal, Joe Russell—owner of Sloppy Joe’s—and is actually one of the bar’s old urinals. Pauline Hemingway tastefully added decorative tile to disguise its origin.

Antiques Everywhere

Virtually everything you see in this building is an antique of inestimable value. In the master bedroom is a large bed with a headboard made from an old Spanish monastery gate.

Atop a Mexican chest is a replica of a famous cat statue given to Hemingway by Pablo Picasso (the original was broken by a thief). In the master bath are weight scales; Hemingway battled the pounds most of his life.

In the dining room is Pauline Hemingway’s 18th-century Spanish walnut dining table (where I scratched Hairy Truman’s ears). Here also is a hand-blown Murano glass chandelier. The nearby kitchen is cozy and modern, for its time. Portuguese and Spanish tiles are inset into the kitchen walls.

In the room where Papa’s boys Patrick and Gregory stayed are some incredible memorabilia, including first editions of his books in chests, along with boots and saddlebags from his Western trips. Framed photos show him skiing in Austria, fishing in Cuba and pounding away on his typewriter.