Historic Sites

Historic Sites

From ancient dwellings to restored buildings to re-creations of villages, historic sites help us make sense of the past through seeing a sliver of it firsthand.
09
Sep
People walking through a cave passage

The Indiana Cave Trail

Four show caves in Southern Indiana make up the Indiana Cave Trail, providing close encounters of the underground kind with unusual karst features
7 min read
17
Aug
Woman on bicycle heading down brick road towards classical archway

Taking the Waters at French Lick

One destination, two hotels with classic European spas: in Indiana! Since the 1840s, French Lick and West Baden Springs have welcomed guests taking the waters.
6 min read
05
Aug
Blarney Castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Home to the Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland, lets you experience the intersection of history and legend amid a spread of spectacular gardens.
6 min read
09
Jul
A man standing next to an interpretive sign in a forest

Tony, Cal, and John de la Howe

A passion for history led Anthony Warren to a lifetime hobby of research on Dr. John de la Howe, benefactor of the John de la Howe School in South Carolina and the subject of Warren's novel, Lethe.
5 min read
03
Jun
Standing stones at Stonehenge

In Awe of Stonehenge

An iconic Neolithic site known around the world, there is only one Stonehenge. As we discovered, it's worth the journey to stand on this windy hillside in England in order to understand its allure and power.
6 min read
27
May
Canvas tents crowded together on mud and grass

At home with Jefferson Davis

A visit to Jefferson Davis’ home, Beauvoir, in Biloxi, Mississippi, is enhanced by the annual muster of reenactors, both Confederate and Union, for the weekend.
3 min read
06
May
Moments on a grassy hill with interpretive sign below

The First Public Walk in Britain: Calton Hill

One of the seven volcanic hills within Edinburgh, Calton Hill is an ancient cinder cone atop which the first public footpath in Great Britain was established, in 1775.
2 min read
23
Apr
A spindly live oak with a massive trunk dwarfs people beneath its canopy

The Angel Oak

A stately ancient live oak thought to be more than 1,500 years old, the Angel Oak is on John's Island in the South Carolina Lowcountry near Charleston.
1 min read
20
Mar
Orienting yourself at the Astoria Column

Winging it at the Astoria Column

Perched high on a hill above Astoria, Oregon is a beautiful and intricate memorial built in 1925. You can launch a balsa wood airplane while taking in the view of the Columbia River as it meets the Pacific Ocean.
3 min read
24
Sep
Star Fort earthworks Ninety Six

Counting on Ninety Six

Established in the 1750s, Ninety Six, South Carolina grew around an important crossroads. Its important role in the American Revolution is now interpreted at this National Historic Site.
4 min read