Penning The Perfect Getaway: 6 New England Literary Travel Destinations for Writers

Whether you’re diving into November’s National Novel Writing challenge or seeking inspiration for your next creative endeavor, consider New England a one-stop shop for wordsmiths. Follow your muse to one (or all) of these literary travel destinations to see where some of the greats crafted their best creations.

6 Literary Travel Destinations for Writers

Mark Twain House and Museum — Hartford, Connecticut

Mark Twain’s whimsical Hartford, Conn. home looks the part of an adventure through an imagination playground — and it shows, as this was his residence while crafting classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The house itself is still open for tours to give visitors a peek into his personal life, while the on-site museum boasts an impressive 45,000-square-feet of additional display space that pays tribute to Twain’s works and life.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center — Hartford, Connecticut

Although she didn’t pen Uncle Tom’s Cabin under this particular roof, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is the last place the author lived and is just as jam-packed with literary history and inspiration as her former abode. The property is home to three different 19th-century buildings: Stowe’s home, the Katharine Seymour Day House (former home of her grandniece and current home of the Stowe Center Research Library), and the 1873 Visitor Center which once served as the Seymour Day House’s carriage house. Aside from what the museum holds, writers should factor in time to journal in the Historic Gardens, grown and preserved in Stowe’s memory.

Two birds, one trip: The Stowe Center is a mere three-minute walk from Twain’s — perfect for squeezing as much out of your literary travel tour of Hartford as possible.

Herman Melville’s Arrowhead — Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Herman Melville wrote his most noteworthy novel within the walls of his home, Arrowhead, in the Massachusetts Berkshires. Supposedly, the inspiration for the big white whale came to him through the clear view of Mt. Greylock from his study. Today you can take a walk of your own through his farmhouse or set out to stop at all the significant spots along The Melville Trail — who knows, you may stumble upon sudden story inspiration of your own.

The Homes of Emerson, Thoreau, and Alcott — Concord, Massachusetts

Concord, Mass. was such a hotspot for literary hotshots that it’s the location of not one, but three of the famous literary travel destinations on this list. Ralph Waldo Emerson moved into his Concord home, now a tourable house museum, in 1835. When he wasn’t preoccupied creating groundbreaking works, like his 1836 Nature essay, he spent a significant amount of time entertaining his frequent (and soon-to-be-famous) visitors. One visitor, Henry David Thoreau, even settled his famous cozy cabin on Emerson’s property — though today you can visit its replica right on the site of Walden Pond. Yet another noteworthy visitor-turned-neighbor was Bronson Alcott whose daughter, Louisa May Alcott, went on to author Little Women. You can find and tour the Alcott family house after a quick and easy 10-minute walk from Emerson’s front door.

As lucky as we are to have these famous faces call New England home, these page-turning literary travel spots are just the preface to the area's history with the written word. Whether you set out today to visit your favorite one or hit them all on a reader’s road trip, peruse our New England properties first to find a library’s worth of perfect places to stay.