Bratislava’s nickname “Little Big City” comes from the fact that it is Slovakia’s largest city, but one of the smaller European capitals. The charming city center and Old Town area is very compact with many beautiful buildings, but not many visitors compared to other nearby European cities.

This historic district, established in 1982, is a four-block stretch, bordered by Livingston and Montgomery Streets and contains approximately 40 buildings, mostly residential, in this planned community. The land was originally part of the Bronson Smith farm.

The story of Kykuit began with philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil and the estate he built that was home to four generations of the Rockefeller family. The 40-room Georgian-style historic home in Pocantico Hills was built in 1913.

Ruth Livingston Mills and Ogden Mills owned homes in Paris, Newport, Manhattan and California, but it is this 65-room Beaux-Arts Gilded Age mansion that five generations of Livingstons lived and entertained. The 40,000 square foot mansion was originally a smaller house, built in 1832 and greatly altered and expanded to what it is today.

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, and its largest city. Founded in the 9th century, its been the capital city throughout most of its history. The city is huge, but the bulk of the tourism is in the Old Town, famous for its 14th century medieval architecture.

Ogunquit is a classic Maine beachfront town. With miles of sandy beaches, numerous oceanfront dining and no shortage of gift shops in town and the Marginal Way.

The Potomac River town of Williamsport was settled by General Otho Holland Williams following the American Revolution. General George Washington came to the area himself scouting the area as a possible location for out nation’s capital. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal came to Williamsport in 1834, creating an important commercial route to Washington, D.C. and the Chesapeake Bay.

Winchester was a strategic prize during the Civil War and famously changed it flag about 70 times during the battle. Union one week, Confederate the next.

Downtown Portsmouth is a very walkable historic seaport city. Once one of the nation’s busiest ports and shipbuilding cities and its depth is expressed in the fine architecture. There are significant examples of Colonial, Georgian and Federal style houses, some are now museums.

The town was originally settled in 1753, by Europeans from Pennsylvania. By 1858, Statesville was growing rapidly and soon began a leader in the production of tobacco and tobacco products, the manufacture of blending whiskey, and a large distributer of roots and herbs.

Uptown Charlotte is the area most cities consider their downtown area. A symbol of the New South where traditional industry blends with innovation and creativity.

Mooresville was originally settled by Europeans that had originally settled in Pennsylvania. They established cotton farms, which eventually grew into large plantations.

Mount Vernon is an American landmark and once a vibrant 18th century plantation and home to the first President of the United States. The estate is located on the banks on the Potomac River.

This trip was done on one of the many ferries that travel the Rhine. I say this so you know that you do not have to book a riverboat excursion, just merely hop on a ferry. Some of the ferries have dining tables and chairs where you can sit, eat and drink as you enjoy the romantic scenery.

The home of Thomas Cole, Cedar Grove, is located in Upstate New Yorkvillage of Catskill. Cole was an English painter, known for his landscape paintings. He first arrived here in 1825 on a sketching trip.

The city hosted the noteworthy Columbia Records recording session in 1928 know as the Johnson City Sessions.

During the 1920’s, the Prohibition era, Johnson City had ties to Al Capone and his bootlegging distribution network in the Appalachian Mountains. This earned the city the nickname “Little Chicago”.

Kennebunkport is a coastal town in southern Maine, settled in the 1600’s as a ship-building Mecca. Former sea captain homes are now guest houses and inns. Dock Square, the center of town in Kennebunkport, is known for its quaint shops and restaurants.

The Lyndhurst mansion was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in the Gothic Revival-style. The 67-acre estate landscape design was the work of Ferdinand Mangold. The Tarrytown estate had three resident families: the Pauldings, the Merritts and the Goulds.

Having heard people say how the Thousand Islands region was a gorgeous part of New York State, I felt a roadtrip was necessary. Nicknamed the “Venice of America” in the early 1900’s Amidst the gentle waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway lie the villages of Alexandra Bay, Clayton, the town of Cape Vincent and the city of Ogdensburg.

Sea Cliff is not the usual look-alike homes Long Island town that dominate parts of Nassau County. Instead, the village has Victorian buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places with clapboard, shingle, turrets, wood trim and carvings. Many were build as summer homes in the the late nineteenth century resort town and they have been called one of the best collections of late Victorian homes in New York’s Nassau County. The town is intimate, at one square mile, most residents are able to walk to restaurants, beach, stores and 16 town parks without getting in the car.