For any self-respecting bookworm the ultimate vacation has to be a literary tour. Discovering where your fictional heroes “lived”, where authors put pen to paper and plots developed is a real thrill. Here are 9 of the best literary tours in the US:
San Francisco, California
Jack London lived his life fast and furious. The Jack London State Historic Park in San Francisco Bay Area includes not only London’s graveside but also a museum, his Wolf House and Cottage. If you’ve been asked to write an essay on London’s novels The Call of the Wild or White Fang, go to California. That’s a much better alternative to hiring writing services rated by sites like EssayWolves.com. There’s no better place to soak up the atmosphere and get inspired.
Salinas, California
Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner John Steinbeck, who wrote The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden and Of Mice and Men, originated from a humble background in Salinas. Time seems to stand still in this Californian city. Steinbeck’s boyhood home, now a restaurant, and the rest of town hark back to American heritage of Steinbeck’s days
Coronado Island, San Diego, California
Step into Dorothy’s red shoes, click your heels 3 times and travel to Coronado Island, San Diego, where The Wizard of Oz was conceived by author L. Frank Baum. His house and the evocative Hotel del Coronado, which is rumored to be the model for the Emerald City, are the highlights.
Hartford, Connecticut
The City of Hartford’s most famous resident was one Mark Twain, writer extraordinaire. Today visitors can see where the great man worked and came up with his fantastic plots at the Mark Twain House and Museum. Next door is the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center – she wrote the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was instrumental in changing people’s minds about slavery and eventually brought about abolition.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore can claim Edgar Allen Poe, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Upton Sinclair as former residents. Stroll through the Mount Vernon neighborhood and soak up the creative atmosphere to inspire your creativity. Best time to visit is end of September and start of October, when the Baltimore Book Festival and Literary Arts Week take place.
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord seems singularly blessed with writers of great repute. Stop by at Louisa May Alcott’s home and quote something from Little Women if you dare. At Sleepy Hollow Cemetery you can pay your respects to the last resting places of Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathanial Hawthorne.
Boston, Massachusetts
A walking tour around Boston, former home of Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens and Henry James, should lead your admirer’s feet to Beacon Hill’s Louisburg Square, where some of these literary greats had their homes in the 1800s.
Columbus, Mississippi
The Williams Welcome Centre was the erstwhile home of playwright Tennessee Williams. In the first week of September, the Mississippi University for Women pays tribute to the playwright, organizing a fantastic tour for visitors, including a visit to Williams’ childhood home.
Oxford, Mississippi
William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury used the Thompson-Chandler House in Oxford as background for one of the nation’s most beloved novels. Be sure to visit Faulkner’s former sanctuary and home Rowan Oak.