Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by renegade preacher Roger Williams, who was forced to flee Massachusetts because of religious persecution. Williams purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and started a new settlement with a policy of religious and political freedom. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers.

Providence is a city rich in unique architecture, beautiful streetscapes, and stimulating intellectual pursuits. One of America's older cities, Providence features many historic buildings like the Rhode Island State House and Trinity Repertory Theater. These locations, among others, exemplify some of the country's best 19th and 20th-century architecture. The RISD Museum and Roger Williams Park Zoo offer days of fun sightseeing for adults and children alike.

A great way to see the architectural history of Providence is by strolling the mile-long Benefit Street. It is set on a steep hillside that rises from the river to the Brown University campus. At one end are the restrained and elegant Federal period homes, beautifully restored with their doorways in a neat row close to the streeet, and as you walk farther, you'll see grand homes set back on their lawns, and later Victorian, even Arts and Crafts-style residences. Several of the city's tourist attractions are among them. The Governor Stephen Hopkins House with its terraced garden, the Athenaeum, and John Brown House. The Providence Preservation Society offers an excellent Benefit Street walking tour booklet that details the various buildings.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Settled in 1623, as Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a historic seaport that offers a fantastic mix of the old and the new. As one of the oldest cities in the U.S., it was founded just three years after the settlement at Plymouth, MA, the city was named in honor of New Hampshire's founded, John Mason. He had been captain of the port of Portsmouth, England, in the county of Hampshire, after which New Hampshire is named.

An entire neighborhood of homes and businesses has been preserved in Strawbery Banke Museum. The 10-acre Strawbery Banke Museum is named for the first settlement here on the bank of the Piscataqua River, at the mouth of Great Bay. From this 1623 foundation, Portsmouth grew into a major port, and the houses gathered here represent its four centuries of history. Adding to the historical variety, Strawberry Banke varies with some houses decorated according to their era, some concentrate on the families that lived there, and others are preserved to show how they were constructed.

To learn more about the history of this city, visit the Moffatt-Ladd House, built in 1763. This house still contains original furniture and retains many of its early interior details and decorative features. It is counted as one of America's finest Georgian mansions; two signers of the Declaration of Independence lived here. Another historic mansion, the Warner House, was built in 1716 and is best known to historians for the oldest painted murals in America that are still in their original place.

Another important historic landmark is the Black Heritage Trail. Slavery in Colonial America was not confined to the south, and Portsmouth was a landing point for slaves who became part of the household and merchant life of the port. Although they never had the importance here that they did in the southern plantations, a 1775 census shows 656 African slaves in New Hampshire. Most were in Portsmouth, and the Black Heritage Trail highlights the Black culture of the Colonial and Federal periods. It follows a route through the city's historic center, from wharves to the People's Baptist Church on Pearl Street, with signs identifying sites and telling the stories of people and places. Some other historic landmarks and buildings worth noting are the Rundlet-May house, John Paul Jones House, Governor John Langdon House, Portsmouth Athenaeum, Wentworth Coolidge Mansion, and the Fort Constitution and Portsmouth Harbor Light.

Portland, Maine

Portland, the large city and most important seaport of Maine, is located on a peninsula approximately 100 miles north of Boston, MA. It is a small seaside city with a high concentration of shops, restaurants, museums, galleries, tours, and many things to see and do. Portland was first settled in 1632, but suffered from Indian raids in 1675 and 1690. The white population was wiped out in the rain of 1690. Major Samuel Moody established a port in 1716 called Falmouth Neck, which thrived and grew. During the War of Independence, the British bombarded and burned Portland, but it was rebuilt in 1786. Maine gained independence from Massachusett in 1820 and Portland became Maine's capital.

Take a stroll through the nooks and crannies of Old Port, which offers a great introduction to Portland's history. This downtown neighborhood is considered the city's center and bustles with things to do, all while gracefully maintaining its historical facade. The area is lined with cobblestone streets and 19th-century warehouses, and the city's heydey as a world-renowned port town is easily felt.

Take a self-guided tour of the Portland Freed Trail that will walk you through 13 key sites of the city. The trail sites include the 19th-century Black Mainers who fought to end slavery. It spotlights places along the local Underground Railroad that used to secretly move formerly enslaved people into Maine and across the border to Canada. Included along the trail are other important historic abolitionist monuments, from the wharf, where many enslaved people stowed away on vessels to Maine, to churches-turned-meeting houses, private homes (with hidden passageways), and businesses that cleverly included anti-slavery pamphlets in their products.

Newport, Rhode Island

Nearly 400 years of history comprise this small but mighty Classic Coast of Newport, Rhode Island. The town is located on the seaside of Aquidneck island. Since 1639 when a group of English settlers separated from the settlement in Portsmouth and planted roots on the southern side of the island, dubbing it a haven of religious freedom and tolerance. Among the religious groups attracted to this haven in a world of threatening intolerance were Quakers and Jews. Along with their international trade connections, their presence helped transform the town from a small agricultural outpost to one of colonial America's five leading seaports.

During the late 19th century Gilded Age, elite families from South Carolina, the King and Griswold families of New York, and later the Vanderbilts built the mansions for which Newport has become famous. Several of these mansions have become major tourist attractions. After World War II, one of the most successful historic preservation movements in the country saved hundreds of structures throughout Newport County. The city has an irresistible old-world charm.

Newport is most well known for its architecture. The 19th-century summer "cottages" and the colonial-era buildings downtown create an irresistible old-world charm. Many mansions - such as The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House, and Rosecliff - are open to the public.

Plymouth, Massachusetts

Plymouth is a coastal town in Massachusetts and is an easy day trip from Boston. It is the site of the first Pilgrim settlement, founded in 1620. The town holds a place of great prominence in American history and is named after Plymouth, England where the Mayflower set sail for America. Plymouth is also known as the location of the first thanksgiving feast, in which the surviving Pilgrims celebrated their successful harvest along with the Wampanoag tribe.

Historic highlights include a visit to the Pilgrim Memorial State Park. This waterfront park is where you will find the Plymouth Rock historic site, and where the Mayflower is docked. The park also boasts excellent views of Plymouth harbor along with some monuments.

Another highlight of Plymouth is the Mayflower II. The Mayflower is a full-scale replica of the ship that carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic. The ship is anchored at the Pilgrim Memorial State Park. Just across the street from the Plymouth Rock is at the Cole Hill Burial ground, which is the first cemetery used by the Mayflower Pilgrims. A number of monuments and memorials are on the hill, which includes the statue of the Wampanoag sachem Massasoit. You will also find a granite sarcophagus that contains the remains of some of the Pilgrims which are believed to be those of Mayflower settlers buried here in the winter of 1620-1621.

Some other highlights include the Jabez Howland House, which is the only existing house in Plymouth where Pilgrims actually spent time. The Pilgrim Hall Museum is the oldest public museum in the U.S. in continuous operation. It has been in operation since 1824. One of the best places to visit and learn more about how the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe lived back then is the Plimoth Plantation. The plantation replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth colony. Lastly, the Plimoth Grist Mill is a corn grinding mill used by the Pilgrims in the Plymouth colony. It is a reproduction of the original mill used in 1636, many of the parts are from the early 1800s.

Chatham, Massachusetts

Chatham, Massachusetts, which is situated in the "elbow" of Cape Cod, is one of those rare small towns that pack in a ton of history. First, there's the postcard-perfect Chatham lighthouse, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was first lit to guide boats in 1897. The town's historic district has over 300 protected buildings. What's more is the town has the highest concentration of classic Cape-Cod-style houses (think: timer frames, Victorian details).

Stop in the Chatham Bars Inn, situated on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic. Built in 1914 as an elegant hunting lodge by Charles Hardy, a wealthy Boston stockbroker, it quickly became a summer retreat for wealthy vacationers escaping the heat of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and other large cities. Its fantastic seaside location winds across 25 acres of blooming gardens and cottages that encircle the stately Main Inn, a true Grand Dame. Today the Inn still exudes elegant charm and is a great place to stay while visiting Chatham.

Another excellent example of Victorian-era architecture is the Chatham Railroad Company Depot. The railroad depot was the stepping-on (and off) point for riders of the old Chatham Railroad, which served the town with a seven-mile strip of railway from 1887-1937. Today, the depot houses the Chatham Railroad Museum, including relics from the era, a 75-year-old caboose from the New York Central system, and a diorama of the Chatham train yards of 1915.

Some other highlights of Chatham include the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center, Chatham's Old Gristmill, Louis Brandeis House, Monomoy Point Lighthouse, Captain T. Bassett House, the Atwood Museum, the Caleb Nickerson House and William Nickerson Cabin Site, and the Main Street School, to name a few.