If you’re interested in getting an inside view of a famous writer, don’t visit a museum or a library, get an inside view your favorite’s writer’s life by visiting their home. So where can you go to get an inside view of a writer’s life? One option is Ernest Hemingway’s former home and office in Key West. Everything is how he left it, right down to the furniture he used and the art he collected. Even the cats that stray around the property are descendants of one owned by Hemingway.

Mark Twain’s whimsical 19-room mansion is in Hartford, Connecticut. Twain’s personal library is there, too, so you can see what one of America’s greatest writers was reading. Edgar Allen Poe’s house is in Baltimore, Maryland. Poe only lived there for about three years, but presumably penned several works there. Also on display are Poe’s telescope, sextant, and traveling desk, from his days at the University of Virginia. So don’t just read about the lives of writers– experience them.