The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park Review

I have followed in Hemingway's footsteps around the world to several locations and finally got the chance to visit his birth home in Oak Park this past Sunday. The house is BEAUTIFULLY restored. Our guide showed us a photo of what the living room looked like when the Hemingways lived there and then pointed out the detail in the restored living room explaining how everything was replicated as close as possible to the photo. It was amazing! It definitely makes you appreciate the art of restoring a home to a particular time period.

Of course the main highlight of the tour was seeing the room that Hemingway was actually born, which was a bit surreal!

Our guide was lovely as well! We could tell he was very passionate about Hemingway! Although I know a great deal about Hemingway already, I loved hearing someone else relate all the facts and details.

Thank you to everyone at the birthplace museum! It was a highlight of my trip.

A very nice house in a lovely neigbourhood. It was so nice to have visited the birth home of such a great man.

Incredibly interesting tour! The guide was knowledgeable and pretty funny at times. Loved seeing all the furniture and rooms. Great experience!!!

Students and military receive a discount on tickets! There is no parking lot but there was plenty of parking along the street. Tours can last up to 40-45 minutes but I asked if the tour could be given in 30 minutes and the docent was courteous to accommodate the time by covering the major points. The house was clean- which is awesome for folks who suffer from pollen/dust/dander. (I didn't cough or sneeze once!)

Thanks for reading my review!

My daughter and I enjoyed the tour very much. Everyone at the museum is very nice and passionate about what they are doing. Our guide Larry knows a lot of details about Hemingway and his family, I was inspired to read more Hemingway's works. I highly recommend this place when you visit Chicago.

Definitely visit this museum and definitely take the tour.

Very interesting tour that focuses on Hemingway's family and his upbringing in the early 1900's-- every room has a story to tell. The museum staff were very knowledgeable about Hemingway and the history of the house and surrounding neighborhood, and they were happy to answer any questions that I had. The small gift shop area by the front entrance has a lot of books and souvenirs to look at, and there was plenty of street parking available outside.