Literary Pilgrimages in the U.S.A.

Being a certified book geek, my idea of the perfect vacation is a nice literary pilgrimage.  I may be a little loosy-goosy in my definition of what constitutes a literary pilgrimage - could be anything from a visit to an author's home to hoisting a pint in a pub that just happens to have been featured in a favorite novel - but I know 'em when I see 'em!

Following is a list of particularly well-know literary destinations in the U.S.  I freely admit that the list is skewed towards authors I like ... for instance, I can't imagine ever wanting to visit anything having to do with Stephanie Meyers, so you won't find any Twilight-related sites here.  But you will find options for paying homage to American favorites such as Harper Lee, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and a host of Transcendentalists.

(With thanks in advance to the authors of all the websites, books and blogs that I've looted for ideas!)

1. Alabama
1. Monroeville.  The birthplace of Harper Lee. Every May, Mockingbird enthusiasts descend upon the city for a staging to the play adaptation by the Monroe County Heritage Museum.
2. Montgomery.  Here you'll find the only museum - housed in a residence Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald once occupied - dedicated to the famous couple. 
2. California
1. Cannary Row.  No homage to Steinbeck is complete without a visit here.  Sadly, the Row has been all redeveloped so it doesn't much resemble the story any more, but if you travel a little farther, to Salinas, you can visit the Steinbeck Home & Museum.
2. Glen Ellen.  California's so proud of the fact that Jack London lived in their fair state, they've turned the whole area into Jack London State Historic Park!  You can tour the cottage where he wrote his books, and then enjoy the rest of the park, which includes a dam, a lake, and a bathhouse built by the author.
3. Connecticut
1. Hartford.  Though it's a long way from the Mississippi, Mark Twain build a gorgeous house here which is still available for touring.  And if that doesn't take the whole day, no worries: Harriet Beecher Stowe lived next door.  The site now houses the The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, devoted to exploring the contemporary face of race relations, class and gender issues, economic justice and education equality.
4. District of Columbia.  I'm sure many authors have lived here, but if you come, be sure to time your visit with the annual National Book Festival, hosted on the National Mall.  Tons of authors, readings, and events, making this a book geek must-do.  Or, make a weekend of it and include a trip to the National Archives and the Library of Congress.
5. Florida
1. Key West.  Hemingway spent many years here with second wife Pauline.  You can see the studio where he wrote, plus about 100 descendants of the cats he used to keep there - they are everywhere! (And don't forget to order a drink at Sloppy Joe's, one of Papa's favorite bars!)
2. Orlando. As long as you're in Florida, you probably ought to consider a visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a whole theme park devoted to the Harry Potter franchise.  I hear that the crowds are atrocious and everything's expensive, but where else in the world can you buy a wand and order a pint of butter beer?
6. Georgia
1. Atlanta.  Visit the Tudor revival apartment house where Margaret Mitchell penned her immortal tome of the Civil War, Gone With the Wind. 
2. Milledgeville.  Huh?  Turns out this oddly named town is host to Flannery O'Connor's farm, Andalusia.  She wrote some of her best works here, including Wise Blood, and died on the farm in 1964 at the age of just 39.
3. Savannah.  Come see the city that inspired Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and, while you're there, stop by Flannery O'Connor's childhood home.



Kinsella's Field of Dreams

7. Iowa.  Yes, there are literary things to see in Iowa!  Thanks pretty much exclusively to W. R. Kinsella, who set so many of his short stories in this state, to include Shoeless Joe.  In Dyersville you can visit the 'Field of Dreams' they reconstructed for the movie version of the short story; or, in Iowa City, visit the Black Angel statue that makes such a memorable appearance in The Iowa Baseball Confederacy.
8. Kansas.  Would you believe I can't find a single museum or locus for Frank Baum's Oz books in the whole state? So if you want to get your Oz on, I guess you'll just have to book a room and wait for tornado season.
9. Louisiana.  With respect to literature, this state is all about New Orleans: Vampires and zombies and voodoo ... oh my! Ann Rice lived here while penning her vampire stories (she's since moved). John Kennedy Toole set his Confederacy of Dunces here. (I hear they've even erected a statue of Ignatious T. Reilly somewhere in the city.)  And if that wasn't enough, it's the home of one of my favorite fictional characters, James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux.
10. Maryland.  Stop through Baltimore and visit Edgar Allen Poe's grave.  If you time your visit right you may even encounter the "Poe Toaster," a mysterious individual who, every year on the anniversary of Poe's death, leaves roses on his grave.
11. Massachusetts

1. Arrowhead. Cozily ensconced in the second-floor library of this historic farmhouse, Herman Melville wrote his most famous novel, Moby Dick.
2. Boston. Take a walking tour of the homes and haunts of Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Alcott, Longfellow, Henry James, Charles Dickens and more.
3. Cambridge.  Here you'll find the home of Henry Longfellow, one of my favorite American poets. The house also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston in 75-76. In addition to its rich history, the site offers unique opportunities to explore 19th century literature and arts.
4. Concord.  Talk about killing two birds with one stone!  Before The Wayside served as Nathaniel Hawthorne's lifelong home, it housed Louisa May Alcott and her sisters (who called it Hillside).
5. Concord.  Ralph Waldo Emerson was another notable Concord resident.  Emerson House is still furnished with the writer’s memorabilia and keepsakes. Here, Emerson lived most of his adult life, wrote his famous essays “The American Scholar” and “Self Reliance,” and died in 1882.
6. Concord.  Turns out almost as many writers died as lived in Concord, as a visit to Sleepy Hollow cemetery will attest. Visit the graves of Henry Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and other notable New England authors.
7. Cummington.  Here you'll find the summer home of poet William Cullen Bryant.  Editor of the Saturday Evening Post for 50 years, Bryant had an unparalleled impact on American thought and literature.
8. Harvard.  The ranks of authors who have attended Harvard include Henry James, John Updike, Norman Mailer, and poet e.e. cummings.  Plus, it's a lovely campus in its own right.
9. Lenox & Pittsfield.  Home to The Mount Estate, where Edith Wharton lived out much of her life. This gorgeous property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who, in addition to writing terrific books, also happened to be an authority on landscape design - who knew?
10. Sudbury.  Here you'll find Longfellow's Wayside Inn, the oldest operating inn in the country but, of course, most famous for being the eponymous location of Longfellow's Tales from a Wayside Inn.
11. Walden Pond.  Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau famously "roughed it" on the banks of this pond from 1845-47, commemorating the experience in a novel of the same name.  Thoreau may have been something of a wuss (I've heard he actually spent a lot of the time hanging out with friends/relatives, letting them feed him), but his pond is undeniably pretty.
12. West Hartford.  Visit Daniel Webster's house and take the tour - maybe you'll pick up some tips for your next game of Scrabble!
12. Minnesota
1. Walnut Grove.  There's a Little House on the Prairie Museum there that's supposed to be quite lovely.
13. Mississippi
1. Rowan Oak.  William Faulker's Mississippi home, a Greek Revival edifice that pre-dates (and survived) the Civil War, is visited by thousands each year.  I haven't been there, but am picturing sleepy lanes lined with ancient live oaks trailing draping tendrils of Spanish moss ...
14. Missouri
1. Hannibal.  A pilgrimage must for fans of Mark Twain and two of America's most famous fictional citizens, Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain.  I hear the town's somewhat cheesy, but who cares when you can tour Indian Joe's actual cave!
2. Springfield.  Fans of Little House on the Prairie won't want to miss the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home & Museum just outside of Springfield. 
15. Nevada.  There's Vegas, and then there's Hunter S. Thompson's Vegas. If you're visiting the latter, I suggest you bring an extra bottle of aspirin and drink lots of water.
16. New Mexico.  If you're travelling through Taos County, consider calling in at Kiowa Ranch, the only home ever owned by D.H. Lawrence.  Though he didn't live here long, he did write most of St Mawr here, and began The Plumed Serpent.  The site has been added to the Register of National Historic Places. 
17. New York
1. Amherst. Poet Emily Dickinson was born and lived most of her life at The Homestead, an estate here.  The museum offers guided tours of the house and grounds.  Maybe the gardens will inspire you to pen a few untitled poems of your own.
2. New York City is full of sites that have featured in literature - way too many to list here.  So I'll confine my recommendations to two locations, both hotels: 1), the Algonquin, where Dorothy Parker and the Vicious Circle once met; 2) the Chelsea, in honor of its long history as the haunt of drug addicts, alcoholics, writers, and sometimes all three, to include Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Tennessee Williams, Mark Twain, Allen Ginsberg, O. Henry, Jean-Paul Satre, and Jack Kerouac; and 3) Library Way, a stretch of sidewalk on East 41st Street between Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue that features famous quotes from 96 or so famous authors.
3. Tarrytown.  Here you'll find Washington Irving's Sunnyside nestled on the banks of the Hudson River.  After touring the museum, by all means stretch out on the grounds and take a nap - who knows what might happen!
4. Long Island.  Walt Whitman, the "Poet of Democracy," was born here in 1819. The farmhouse, West Hills, has since been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The museum houses tons of Whitman artifacts, which is appropriate for so complex a man.
18. Texas.  Baylor University in Waco hosts a Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning Museum.  Soooo romantic!  Or, just drive across the state taking in the ruggedly beautiful scenery and reliving in your mind every Louis L'Amour or Zane Gray book you ever read.
19. Virginia
1. Chincoteague Island. Yes, there really are wild horses there.  And one of them is bound to be named Misty.



Poe House/Museum in Richmond

2. Richmond.  Edgar Allen Poe definitely moved around!  But if you miss his house in Philadelphia, his dorm room at the University of Virginia, and/or his grave in Baltimore, there's always the house he lived in while residing in Richmond, now a museum.

25 Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Washington, D.C.

I'm not sure any city in the nation "does" the Christmas holiday like D.C.  The area combines national celebrations, historical celebrations, and local celebrations to create a calendar stuffed with enough events to fluster even Martha Stewart!

1. National Christmas Tree and Pageant of Peace. The National Christmas tree is an 80+ft monster sparkling with lights, flanked by 50 smaller trees representing each of the states.  Don't expect spectacular decoratinos - since the trees are outdoors, most of the ornaments are encased in clear glass balls - but the lights are pretty and there are other displays sure to delight the kids, including a pen of reindeer and a model train display.  If you're very lucky, you may be able to land tickets for the night of the actual lighting, a big shindig that features celebrities, political notables and performance and is nationally televised.
2. See the White House Decorated for the Holidays. Remains to be seen whether, given security concerns, they decide to open the White House to visitors this year, but if you have an opportunity to take the tour, don't turn it down!  The interior of 1600 Penn Avenue always looks as though it were professionally decorated by the Ghost of Christmas Past, featuring garlands of evergreen, extravagent bouquets, lights, wreaths, and ribbon ... and as if that wasn't enough, there are almost always performers in the main areas regaling visitors with live performances of holiday classics.  Really pretty spectacular.  
3. Ice Skating at the Sculpture Garden. Ice skating beneath the stars in the heart of historic D.C. - what could be more Christmasy? The rink draws semi-professional skaters showing off their moves as well as amateurs showing off their lack of expertise, and sales of hot chocolate are always brisk. 
4. A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater. Must be at least the 30th year for this holiday tradition. They tweek the production every year, but it's always top-notch.
5. The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center. Traditionally the Kirov Ballet has done - or is that performed? - the honors, but regardless of the company, the production is always top-notch.  Tickets sell fast, though ... you'll want to call the first day they go on sale to land yours.  If you don't land these coveted tickets, however, never fear: every dance company in the DC area does some version of this!  Just check the listings for community stages and theaters.
6. Handel's Messiah Sing-Along at Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts.  They also perform the Messiah at the National Cathedral, but I prefer the more plebian sing-along version at Wolftrap.  Every year this event reminds me how much talent we have in DC - the crowd may be plebian, but they sound amazing.  Warning: the performance is outdoors, so dress in lots of layers!
7. Celebration of Lights. You'll find events of this sort scattered all over the DC/MD/VA area, usually at large regional parks because it takes a lot of room to display the 100s of huge lighted shapes that families will pay $$ to gawk at from the comfort of their heated cars.  The ones I'm familiar with include the displays at Bull Run Battlefield Park (Centreville, VA), Watkins Regional Park (Prince Georges Co.), Seneca Creek State Park (Gaithersburg, MD), Brookside Garden (Wheaton, MD), Sandy Point State Park (Annapolis, MD), and at Merriweather Post Pavillion (Columbia, MD)
8. Zoolights at the National Zoo. The folks at the National Zoo do a lovely job of turning the park into a Christmas destination.  Kids will love the 100s of animated displays, ice sculptures, choruses, and other seasonal performers.  
9. Christmas at the U.S. Botanical Gardens. Lots of buildings in DC feature special holiday displays (especially the embassies), but I'm partial to the US Botanical Gardens spread, featuring models of DC landmarks flanked by gorgeous poinsettia displays, decorated trees, and a cool model train made of natural materials.  Makes a nice change of pace from the usual holiday decorations.
10. Holiday Boat Parades.  Alexandria, Annapolis and DC all host lighted boat parades on the Potomac. \ You can watch them from shoreline restaurants or any number of outdoor docks.
11. Christmas Eve/Morning Services at the National Cathedral. Masses simply don't get any more grand than this!
12. Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple. Over 450,000 lights and (not surprisingly) an outdoor nativity.
13. Recreations of Christmases Past.  Almost all the local historical houses - to include Mount Vernon, Sully Plantation, and Montpelier - feature candlelight tours of the estates decorated in period fashion for the holidays. 
14. Scottish Christmas Walk. This rather odd but endearing event features almost 100 Scottish clans marching to seasonal bagpipe music.  What's the connection between Scotland and Christmas?  I'm not sure - but I can tell you that tends of thousands of tourists from all over the world gather in Alexandria VA every year for this celebration.  (The Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade is that night - see above for more details.)
15. Holiday Parades.  A bunch of local communities sponsor holiday parades: Manassas, Middleburg, Leesburg, Reston, etc.
16. Winery Events. Virginia's wineries host a month of wonderfully diverse holiday events, from traditional Christmas dinners to concerts, performances, and mead tastings.
17. Craft Festivals & Markets. Stock up on gifts and decorations at any of the dozens of craft festivals and markets located in the D.C. area.  I love the outdoor street market that forms outside the National Portrait Gallery throughout the month of December, but you'll find others everywhere, especially at churches (a good place to find Scandanavian, Norwegian, and Czech-specific items), community centers (best for accessing local craftsmen), and event venues (best for accessing professional artisans - especially the Sugarloaf Craft Festival and the Washington Craft Show).
18. Holiday Shows. Venues like the GMU Patriot Center specialize in booking holidays shows such as the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the Disney on Ice Holiday Extravaganza.
19. Holiday Concerts. Just about every performing group in the area hosts a concert show!  So get your music on with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Chorale, Choral Arts Society of Reston, the military service bands, or take in the period festivities at the Folger Renaissance concert.
20. Live Nativities. Many local churches host "live nativities" - traditional nativity displays that feature live camels, cows, donkeys, etc. 
21. Enchant DC. This event may or may not transition into an annual event, which is why I haven't listed it until now.  Imagine an entire professional baseball stadium stuffed with walk-through lights and displays. Great for families with kids, and especially enjoyable with a cup of hot chocolate embraced in your gloved hand! 
22. Christmastown at Busch Gardens. This isn't strictly a D.C. activity, but Busch Gardens amusement park in Williamsburg draws a DC/MD/NOVA crowd so I'm grudgingly including it.  Every year, just after Thanksgiving, the park reopens as "Christmas Town," complete with decorations, entertainment, attractions, rides, shopping and more. 
23. ICE at the Gaylord Hotel. Every year this mega-hotel located at National Harbor hires 40+ ice-carvers to sculpt a huge village of ice in one of the main areas of the hotel.  The houses are big enough to walk through!  Last year's theme was "Whoville".  Very cool.  (Sorry - pun was irresistible.  Really.)
24. Model Train Exhibits. Don't know how or why models trains have become such a Christmas tradition, but they are one of my favorite things any time of the year!  And isn't it lucky that the D.C. area hosts half a dozen really terrific holiday train displays.  Check out the huge setup at Union Station, the outdoor setup at the National Christmas tree/Pageant of Peace, the all-natural train set at the U.S. Botanical Gardens, or one of the smaller but still spectacular train setups at Colvin Run Mill or the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum.
25. Christmas Revels. Approximately 10 cities in the U.S. have "Revels" groups, whose mission is to preserve holiday traditions from bygone ages.  Every year the Christmas Revel celebrations the traditions of a different country/era, but you can count on the revelry including music, singing, dancing, storytelling and skits.  By the way, it's an interactive activity, so wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to sing along.
26. Santarchy. Like many other major cities, DC plays host to an annual "Santarchy" event, in which hundreds of local rowdies dress like Santa and take over a section of the city for an afternoon (traditionally the section that features the most bars).  It's definitely not politically correct: this one is not for the kiddies!

So - what are your favorite D.C. holiday traditions?  What have I missed?