Great Mansions for Summer and Fall Visits

Good morning, Happy Mansion Lovers!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so.

September is a great month to visit mansions that are surrounded by terrific estate grounds. Many people either have vacations this month or can take long weekends. The weather is usually good for outdoor strolling, and the grounds are as lush as they ever are.

As I promised, I'll spread around my recommendations so that you'll have choices to select from regardless of where you live in the United States.

Unfortunately, no mansion owners or real estate agents have taken me up yet on my offer to write about their on-the-market mansions in exchange for living in them for a few days. Hopefully, this blog entry will stir more interest. What do they have to lose?

Since I last wrote about mansions in New York City, let me begin by moving up the Hudson River into the country north of New York City. Along that river is some of the most magnificent scenery in the United States. Not surprisingly, the wealthy over the last 200 years bought many of the best spots and erected enormous homes on sprawling grounds beginning as far south as Yonkers and continuing north to just short of Albany in Kinderhook. For details on the more than a dozen mansions and estates you can visit, go to http://www.hudsonriver.com/estates.htm/.

For a Great Gatsby-like experience in Newport, Rhode Island, check into my blog entry which describes the mansion choices you have for this summer. Newport was where the wealthiest people from New York used to go to get away from the hot weather and dirt in New York during the summers.

In the Boston area, let me suggest three locations that you may not have visited. The first is Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This lovely home was once part of an estate that extended down to the Charles River. During the American Revolution, George Washington lived there while he fought the British troops in the Boston area during 1775 and 1776. The poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, lived there and often entertained his famous literary friends within it. Longfellow House is close to Harvard Square where you can also enjoy other pleasant historic buildings in Harvard Yard. For more information go to http://www.nps.gov/long/.

Next, head into Boston to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. This is located in Mrs. Gardner's remarkable Back Bay mansion that features a gorgeous indoor courtyard full of blooming flowers surrounded by great art. On the weekends there are concerts. Be sure to bring your appetite. The restaurant is wonderful. For details, go to http://www.gardnermuseum.org/.

Then, head up to the north shore of Boston to Salem, Massachusetts. After the American Revolution, Salem became an amazingly successful seaport and its merchant captains built beautiful homes to enjoy their wealth and enhance their business connections. The Peabody Essex Museum has conserved many of these early mansions and you can arrange to tour them through the museum. I especially recommend the Gardner-Pingree house. For more information, visit http://www.pem.org/collections/architecture.php/.

No consideration of fine American mansions can be complete without visiting Virginia, home to presidents and plantations. Naturally, you'll want to start with George Washington's home at Mount Vernon<>, located quite near to Washington, D.C. For directions, details and schedules, go to http://www.mountvernon.org/.

Virginia is also home to perhaps the most famous American mansion, Jefferson's Monticello, located on a hilltop near the University of Virginia (which Jefferson founded) in Charlottesville. This remarkable home benefited both from Jefferson's wealth and from his planning. Daily tours end soon so check the schedule before visiting at http://www.monticello.org/.

Many people will not realize that James and Dolley Madison lived about 45 minutes away (by car today) at their home, Montpelier, which is situated on over 2,000 acres of grounds. While the home is under restoration now, you can still tour it. More information is available at http://www.montpelier.org/.

Of course, if you've never been to the White House in Washington, D.C., you would be foolish to visit Virginia without heading to Washington. You can find out more about the White House and tours at http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/life/.

Many people argue that Charleston, South Carolina is the most beautiful city in the Old South. You can visit there and form you own opinion. For choices of mansions to tour, look at http://travel.discovery.com/destinations/fodors/charleston/sightsacts_30982_1.html/.

A well-kept secret for some is Savannah, Georgia home to some of the most beautiful squares in any town. The city also has a delightful assortment of mansions and historic homes. A number of them have been turned into bed-and-breakfast inns. You can check out which one you might want to stay in by clicking on the web links located at http://www.historicinnsofsavannah.com/savannah_bed_and_breakfast.html/. While you are there, I specially recommend that you visit the Juliette Gordon Low birthplace. Ms. Low was the founder of the Girl Scouts, and her home is one of the most interesting ones I have ever visited. To learn more, go to http://www.promotega.org/asu00003/juliettegordonlowbirthplace.html/.

Anyone who ever enjoyed Gone with the Wind will probably want to see the best of what Atlanta has to offer. For walking tours of the best historic mansions there, go to http://www.preserveatlanta.com/walkingtours.htm/.

For those who love more modern mansions, especially those owned by billionaires and celebrities, you have a treat ahead as you take the harbor tours of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. To get a sense of the Fort Lauderdale views, visit http://bestreadguide.excursia.com/photologs/static/MansionsofIntracoastal/index.shtml/.
Be sure to visit the Barnacle house in Miami, Dade County's oldest home, which was constructed out of shipwreck salvage by yacht designer Ralph Middleton Munroe. For more details go to http://superpages.com/cities/mtg/47277/.

I love New Orleans. The city has a charm that's unequaled. The garden district is the best place to see mansions. Here's a great site to give you an advance look at what you'll enjoy there after the horrible effects of Katrina are cleaned up: http://www.inetours.com/New_Orleans/Garden_District.html/.

Everything is bigger in Texas . . . according to the Texans (I know, my grandfather was one, and he always told me this). For fans of the Dallas television show, you should take the time to head north from Dallas to Plano in order to visit the Southfork Ranch where the series was shot. Here is the tour information: http://foreverlodging.com/foreverinfo.cfm?PropertyKey=93&ContentKey=2923/.

I've written about some of the great Frank Lloyd Wright homes you can visit before which are located in Illinois and Indiana. But there are many other wonderful homes there. Many are superb examples of Victorian styles. Here is a listing: http://www.vpa.org/museumsil.html/.

But you may want to locate other great Victorian homes in either the United States or England. This is a great site to help you: http://www.vpa.org/museumsscv.html/.

When many people think of mansions and estates, William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon comes to mind. Located in an isolated part of the mid-California coast, advance reservations are necessary. Near-by accommodations are limited too. So be sure to plan this trip well in advance. Everything you need to know can be found at http://www.hearstcastle.com/.

While many people think first of Beverly Hills when mansions come up, many of California's finest mansions you can tour are located in nearby Pasadena (home of the Little Old Lady). For more information, visit http://www.pasadenacal.com/pk7.htm/.

I've probably missed some of your favorites. If you know of a great mansion I haven't mentioned, please add a comment to help your fellow Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics enjoy their summer more.

Many thanks to DW for reminding me of the Biltmore Estate. This is perhaps the number one destination estate in the United States for your dream summer vacation. Located in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, the Biltmore Estate was built by George Vanderbilt of the famous New York Vanderbilt family about 100 years ago. There are endless activities you can do in the area between concerts, walking in the lush gardens, staying in the inn, visiting the winery and viewing the many film shoot locations. For more information, go to www.biltmore.com/. For more on the history, see http://www.biltmore.com/explore/then/history.shtml/. For more on the films shot there (including Tap Roots, The Swan, Being There, Mr. Destiny, The Last of the Mohicans, Forrest Gump, Richie Rich, My Fellow Americans, Patch Adams, Hannibal and The Clearing) see http://www.biltmore.com/explore/then/history.shtml/.

Please feel free to let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

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May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell