How to Visit Literary Sites in New England

There's no need to travel to England to visit historic literary sites, as New England is home to many homes, museums and parks connected to literary greats. From distinguished private libraries to the home of noted authors, you can follow the trail of literature, the arts and culture throughout the old towns of New England. Here's how to visit literary sites in New England.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Visiting Literary Sites in new England

1. Acquire a map of New England, especially the greater Boston area. Use this map as you plan your trip, marking the loactions of historic literary sites you wish to visit.

2. Create an itinerary as you plan your trip, choosing several nearby sites for one day to save travel time. Contact the museums and visitors centers to confirm visiting hours as you plan the dates and times of your visits.

3. Make it a point to visit the Boston Athenæum on Beacon Street in Boston. This combination library and art gallery is one of the oldest and finest private libraries in the country, with a collection of over a half million works housed within its walls. Founded in the early 1800s, the library was a center of intellectual life in Boston in the 19th century.

4. Schedule a trip to the Frost Trail, showcasing the homes and roads of Robert Frost, to follow the path of this famous New England poet's steps through the woods where he was known to walk. You likely won't have time to walk the whole trail, as it is 47-mile-long adventure tucked away in Massachusetts.

5. Check out the Old Corner Bookstore in Boston, which has been preserved as a historic site and museum. During the 19th century, this book shop became the literary center of Boston, hosting literary greats including Henry David Thoreau, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

6. Add Longfellow National Historic Site to your itinerary. In 1837, as a junior Harvard professor, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow rented space in the house. Later, when he was married, he and his wife received the house as a wedding gift. Together, they hosted literary friends and intellectuals from all over.

7. See Sunrise at Walden Pond, the inspiration for the famous poem by Henry David Thoreau. It was on these banks that he built his own simple cabin to retreat in order to think, write and escape the world.

8. William Hickling Prescott

Tips & Warnings

• Ask tour guides and museum curators for recommendations for other sites to visit on your trip.

Resources

• Literary Trail of Greater Boston

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on 7/20/2008 Depending on how much time you have, visit the Sarah Orne Jewett house in South Berwick, Maine.