Hemingway Home & Museum

Relentlessly hyped—especially when you consider that Ernest only lived here for eight years—and often busy, this is nonetheless one of Key West’s most appealing sights. The stories related by the laconic guides (they set off every 15 minutes) bring the place to life. And it’s a must for fans of polydactyl (six-toed) cats named after celebrities. Nearly 50 of them roam the museum grounds, many of them descendants of Snowball, Hemingway’s own multi-toed ball of fur, which lived with him on the property. Today, all of the cats are named after famous figures such as Rudolph Valentino or Tennessee Williams, as a nod to Hemingway’s own tradition. In late 2012, the US Department of Agriculture won a decade-long battle against the Hemingway Home, claiming that the animals shouldn’t be allowed to simply roam the property. Nothing has been confirmed on how the cats’ free-wheeling ways might change, but it’s best to catch them now.