bookish vacations
As I’ve grown as an adult I realize there are two types of vacations. There are “sitting” vacations (ie: all-inclusive resorts and some cruises) and “doing” vacations (ie: Disney World and exploring cities). My husband and I are firmly in the camp of “doing” vacations. I want to see every landmark and visit as many museums as I can. But even more, I want to translate my love of reading and books into stops along the way.
This week I want to share with you five bookish places I’ve had the privilege of visiting (both near and far from my home in Massachusetts) and five I have on my bucket list.
Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House — Orchard House, located in Concord, MA, is most noted for being where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set Little Women in 1868. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting here twice, once with my mother in August 2013 and once with my husband in 2021. (Until I put the photos side by side, I didn’t realize how much the front landscaping had changed in the eight years between my visits.) Little Women has had a place in my heart ever since my grandmother gifted me a copy when I was about nine years old. It was extra special to visit Orchard House in 2021 after seeing, and adoring, Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film version, since the set design of the dining room and parlor in the movie are an almost perfect match to the real home.
Walden Pond — Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau lived for two years and wrote about in Walden, is less than two miles away from Orchard House. The woods around the pond are now a state forest with a walking trail today. My husband and I first visited on a weekday in the fall of 2020, so we were pretty much alone on our hike, and again in summer of 2021 on a weekend, which was much busier. If I was to go back, I would definitely plan to go on early on a weekday, especially if the weather is chillier, in order to have a more tranquil experience.
Jane Austen’s Home — On my honeymoon to the UK in 2019 my number one priority was visiting Jane Austen’s home in Chawton, a quick train ride outside of London. Jane lived here for the last six years of her life with her mother and her sister, Cassandra. It was truly a humbling experience getting to see the writing desk where Jane worked on her six novels. When thinking about her impact on literature as a whole, it feels like her novels have always existed, but visiting her home was a great reminder that they were crafted by a real human being. Also as a bonus, there’s a beautiful garden surrounding the home and there was even a cat outside who I attempted to befriend. There is also a museum dedicated to Jane’s time in Bath that I would love to visit someday.
Library of Congress — The most recent bookish place I’ve visited was the Library of Congress in Washington DC. While I know the Capitol or the Air and Space Museums rank higher on most visitor’s to-do lists, the LoC was my top priority when visiting. President John Adams approved an act of Congress providing $5,000 for books for the use of Congress (thus beginning the library) in 1800. Obviously the iconic main reading room, pictured below, and the Gutenberg Bible are highlights, but the building as a whole is a beautiful piece of architecture and currently there’s a really cool exhibit of some of the Library of Congress’s treasures like James Madison’s crystal flute.
The Globe — I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Globe both on a tour, in 2019, and for a performance of Macbeth in 2023. A reconstruction of the original Globe from 1599, for which Shakespeare wrote his plays, it opened in 1997. While I recommend the tour if you’re interested in learning about the building as a whole, really nothing compares to seeing a play performed here. It is open-air, same as the original, and has standing room seats (though I splurged for the more expensive bench seats, both because I’m on the short side and can’t stand in one spot for long periods of time).
my bookish bucket list
Prince Edward Island — I have dreamt about going to Prince Edward Island in Canada since I first read Anne of Green Gables (another gift from my grandmother around the same time as Little Women). Unfortunately it’s an over 10 hour drive, through Maine and New Brunswick, from my home in Massachusetts to get there, which is why it hasn’t happened yet.
The Bronte Parsonage — I had to choose between visiting Jane’s home or the Brontes’ on our UK honeymoon in 2019. While I have no regrets about choosing Jane, I do still very much want to visit the Parsonage where Charlotte, Emily, Anne, their brother Branwell, and their Reverend father lived. It is a bit tougher logistically to get to than Jane’s home, since the Brontes famously lived out on the wild moors, but I am willing to make that pilgrimage.
Hobbiton — Perhaps this is a bit of a cheat, since it’s more linked to the films, but I dream of one day going to the Shire set in New Zealand. I think it counts because I have read the books (and especially recommend the audiobooks narrated by Andy Serkis), but I would also love to go to Oxford in England to walk the same steps Tolkien himself did when he was a professor there.
Stratford Upon Avon — Shakespeare’s hometown and home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is probably the only place in the world with better productions than the Globe itself.
The Lake District — I do very much wish to visit the lakes where all the poets went to die (iykyk), but more importantly for my childhood, Beatrix Potter’s home is located here which is a must visit in my book.
Obviously there are numerous other literary places to visit, such as Hemingway’s home in the Florida Keys with the colony of polydactyl cats. Have you visited any literary places or author’s homes? I’d love to chat about it in the comments.
