First posted January 2021
As we ease into a new year, which hopefully will include some travel, it’s fun to come up with creative places we want to visit. Some of my favorite places to see over the years have been the homes of my favorite authors.
As you’re setting new reading goals this year, be sure to include some books by favorite authors in locations you might be visiting. It’s so inspiring to see the actual desk or look out the same window!
If you can’t visit in person, many of the sites have pivoted to great online or virtual tours so as you’re virtual schooling, “visit” the homes of some of your children’s favorite authors as well!
Some of my favorite author homes I’ve visited include (all book links are affiliate links):
- Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts: It’s been almost 25 years since I visited the home where Alcott wrote Little Women, and I still remember the thrill of seeing her desk and looking out her bedroom window. The site is currently closed due to Covid restrictions but has a virtual tour available. Concord is a treasure trove of author sites including The Old Manse, Thoreau Farm, Walden Pond, and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
- Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia: Apartment #1 in this home is where Mitchell wrote her first and only book, Gone with the Wind. You can see her typewriter and desk and view some of the artifacts from the movie, including a massive painting of Scarlett.
- Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia: Housed in the oldest home still standing in Richmond, this museum has a large collection of Poe’s personal items along with a peaceful garden.
- Shakespeare’s home sites in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England: I spent two weeks in Stratford as a college student and fell in love with Shakespeare’s hometown. There are many Shakespeare sites to visit here. If you’ve read the popular historical fiction book, Hamnet, Stratford should be on your list to visit! Read my review from my 2022 trip here!
- W.B. Yeats’ Thoor Ballylee in Ireland: Another site I visited while studying abroad. While I’m not a huge poetry fan, I could see how the stunning landscape surrounding this tower inspired one of the foremost 20th century poets.
- Lake District, England author sites: Also during my study abroad program, we visited several author sites in the picturesque Lake District, including Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage in Grasmere and several Beatrix Potter sites.
There are many author sites on my must-see list for coming years’ travels:
- L.M. Montgomery’s many sites on Prince Edward Island (I visited in September of 2024 – read my review here!):
- Laura Ingalls Wilder sites in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota (you can even camp on her original homestead!), Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas
- Jane Austen’s House and Chawton House – made popular by 2020’s fantastic historical fiction novel, The Jane Austen Society
- Charles Dickens’ Home in London, England: After reading Mr. Dickens and his Carol, I definitely want to visit this museum!
To begin planning your trip to your favorite author’s home, check out these links to homes open in the United States and England. Visiting the locations that inspired them will be meaningful to you as well!