The charm of Cape May, considered the oldest seaside resort town in the United States, can be seen by strolling along streets like Perry, Jackson, Ocean and Decatur. Historical character including stained glass windows, gingerbread trim, front porches, two-story sleeping porches, gables, and turrets are all around on lovingly restored and maintained Victorian-style homes, elaborate mansions, and guest houses.

In the heart of New York’s scenic Finger Lakes region, on the northern rim of Seneca Lake is the historic, charming, and picturesque small city

The Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion has been painstakingly restored to show how Philadelphia’s rising middle class lived in the period from the 1860s to the 1910s.

The Methodist Camp Ground, originally called Wesleyan Grove, on Martha’s Vineyard dates back to 1835 when Jeremiah Pease and a few other men secured half an acre in Oak Bluffs.

In this post I highlight the downtown area, Church Hill and the Hollywood Cemetery.

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.

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.

Wilderstien, is a Hudson Valley house museum that was occupied by three generations of the Suckley family, in Rhinebeck, NY. Thomas Suckley was a descendant of two prominent New York families: the Beekmans and Livingstons.

This section of Brooklyn, was land once owned by the Ditmas Family. The Ditmas Park Historic District is a National Historic District which contains approximately 2,000 buildings, mostly residential.

Just off bustling King Street, is Carlyle House, built by merchant John Carlyle between 1751 and 1753 in the Georgian-style. The house is architecturally unique as the only stone 18th century residence in Alexandria.

Norwalk native LeGrand Lockwood, New York financier, railroad magnate, and Treasurer of the New York Stock Exchange purchased 35 acres in Norwalk, Connecticut to build his country estate. French-trained architect Detlef Lienau was commissioned to design a technologically advanced 62-room mansion with indoor plumbing, running hot and cold water, burglar alarm system and heat and ventilation controls.

Boston, and neighboring Cambridge are among the most loved cities, loved for their art, culture and history. Boston Tea Party, Boston Public Garden and the Freedom Trail is a unique collection of museums, meeting houses, churches, parks and burying grounds that tell the American Revolution story.

A nationally designated historic district, Old Town Alexandria, is best experienced on foot. Century-old architecture, red brick sidewalks, and cobblestone streets gives this area quaint character and charm.

Glenview is a mansion built in 1877 by successful stockbroker, John Bond Trevor. In 1876, Trevor purchased 23 acres and commissioned architect Charles W. Clinton to design his home in the New York City suburbs. Nothing was spared both inside and out, when building the house.

The village of Catskill, a historic river town located along the banks of the mighty Hudson, was incorporated in 1806. New Yorkers would head to the Borscht Belt to sunbathe, swim, dance, and dine during the summer months and the area soon became known as the Jewish vacationland.

Hudson, named for the famous English explorer Henry Hudson, has seen it all. It started as a busy river port town, then a center of inspiration for landscape painters leading to the Hudson River School.

Glenview is a mansion built in 1877 by successful stockbroker, John Bond Trevor. In 1876, Trevor purchased 23 acres and commissioned architect Charles W. Clinton to design his home in the New York City suburbs. Nothing was spared both inside and out, when building the house.

This small historic Victorian-style town, nestled in the Lehigh Mountains, is definitely worth exploring. The town’s main commercial streets are Broadway and Race Street with charming old buildings, some maintained, some restored. The coal mining and railroad town was founded in 1818, and named Mauch Chunk (derived from the Indian words meaning “bear mountain”).