Meet Some of the Oldest, Most Historic Inns and Resorts in the American Northeast

Many Americans will time travel to 1776 throughout the country this summer – especially in the Northeast where most of the 13 original colonies were settled, where so much of history happened, where old is the new black.

These 17 historic properties have stories to be told. Not all date back to the Revolutionary War period, although some do, while others have been around for a century or two and are old souls with tales that need to be told as the country reflects upon 250 years. And then, there are a few spots that are even older than our country. All these properties tug on nostalgic hearts for travelers craving a special, unique historic visit this summer to celebrate the country’s 250^th birthday.

The Griswold Inn

The “Gris” in Essex, Connecticut, shares a 250th birthday with the USA. As one of the country’s oldest continuously operating inns, the Gris pulls out all the stops this summer with Founding Father reenactors, fife and drum performances and candlelit dining. The inn is timeless in many ways–guestrooms flaunt Leonard’s beds (found in the White House through the years), there are fireplaces and, the best part, no televisions in guestrooms. Who needs TV when live sea shanty singalongs are happening in the inn’s historic Tap Room which hails to 1735?

The Red Lion Inn (Cohasset)

This historic inn in Cohasset, Massachusetts dates to 1704, and has been the heartbeat of this beach town 25 miles southeast of Boston ever since. This is the real deal: Some of the 15 guestrooms feature original low ceilings with 300-year-old beams, original brick fireplaces and post beds. There are also modernized guestrooms with high ceilings, Jacuzzis and French doors that lead to balconies. An executive chef hails from top restaurants in New York City, including Gramercy Tavern, and makes magic with locally-sourced goods. The inn is also a popular wedding and event venue.

The Red Lion Inn (Stockbridge)

This inn in Massachusetts’ Berkshire Mountains presides over Stockbridge village (think Norman Rockwell) and predates the country, having celebrated its own 250th in 2023. The inn features 125 guest rooms spread across the property and four dining venues, including Widow Bingham’s Tavern and the Lion’s Den (with live music), a year-round heated pool, and hot tub. There’s also a second-floor art gallery, The Fitz Gallery. But the raison d’etre this summer is the porch! It’s the coveted spot in the Berkshires to grab a rocker, order a couple of sips, and meet friends you haven’t met yet.

Fairmont Copley Plaza

This Grande Dame Four-Diamond jewel has been turning heads in Boston’s Back Bay since 1912. It’s home to the historic Oak Long Bar + Kitchen (there are preserved remnants of the merry-go-round that debuted when Prohibition was repealed) and the stunning ballroom had a cameo in the Little Women film adaptation. The 383 guestrooms, suites, and lobby have been modernized but still evoke the hotel’s great bone structure with chiseled furnishings and decor; the Fairmont Gold Lounge is a hotel within a hotel for breakfast and evening sips and snacks. The dog days of August are significant here thanks to the hotel’s sweet Canine Ambassador, Cori Copley, who hangs in the lobby. This summer, celebrate the Boston Tea Party with a package that runs through the end of the year and includes tickets to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum for two adults, welcome cocktail and tea-themed dessert amenity.

The Liberty Hotel

Talk about a Boston summer escape: This iconic hotel in Boston, Massachusetts was once the Charles Street Jail dating to 1851 and is now a Luxury Collection Hotel steps from Beacon Hill’s historic Charles Street. The jail existed until 1990; the 90-foot central atrium was preserved, as well as catwalks and exposed brick interior walls. Also evident are preserved jail cells in the Clink restaurant. The hotel is home to Boston’s sought-out Italian-inspired Scampo restaurant. The former exercise yard is now a courtyard, and one of Beacon Hill’s secret gardens and the Charles River is visible from many of the 298 handsome guestrooms.

The Sail Away Stay package celebrates Sail Boston 2026 during the arrival of Tall Ships Boston from July 11 to 16. The package includes accommodations for two, a welcome champagne toast, noon check-out, access to kayaking on the Charles River through a partnership with Boston Community Boating, and the Captain’s Selection – a voucher redeemable at the hotel’s Clink or Liberty bars, with one dozen Wellfleet oysters and a bottle of Decoy Brut.

The Independence Park Hotel

This 41-room Best Western Premier property has a Philadelphia story with several chapters beginning in 1856. Once upon a time it was a local brewery, a doll manufacturing plant, and Mr. Elliot’s Dry Goods Store (the name is still visible on the building’s exterior roofline). The historic boutique property has a plum location in Philly’s desirable Old City neighborhood, across the street from The Museum of the American Revolution and steps from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the hotel is also deemed a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior.

The hotel is running several packages this summer including the 18.56-percent-off overnight deal package. Complimentary breakfast, too, including Liberty Bell-shaped waffles.

The Lenox

This landmark 125-year-old hotel in Boston’s Back Bay is a sprint from the Boston Marathon finish line and steps from the Boston Public Library, the nation’s first large free municipal library. The Gilded Age hotel had a refresh in time for the USA’s 250; thankfully there are still wood burning fireplaces in some guestrooms, which are to find these days. And there is also the Judy Garland Suite named for the singer who lived here for three months in 1965. Owned by the Saunders family since the early 1960s, a suite named for Jeffrey Saunders, longtime owner, just debuted as part of the refresh. There’s also a trio of reimagined dining outlets, including Sweeney’s Irish Pub with outdoor seating on Boylston Street. This summer, the hotel’s Lobster Boat experience is quintessential Boston. Guests climb aboard a working lobster boat for a tour of Boston Harbor, learn about the history of lobstering and sustainability efforts, watch traps pulled from the water, and that night dig into a five-course lobster tasting menu, with their catch, prepared by Executive Chef Daniel Kenney at the hotel’s Willow & Ivy. The package runs through September.

Basin Harbor Resort & Club

This 146-room, 700-acre Lake Champlain resort in Vergeness, Vermont, has been owned by the same Beach family since 1886 and celebrates its 140th birthday this year. Once a working farm and summer retreat, today the 700-acre property is dotted with cottages that were built in the 1920s and 1930s. The Red Mill restaurant is housed in a renovated sawmill with rough-hewn beams and 100-plus years of memorabilia. There’s also an 18-hole golf club that started in 1916 with a few holes, as well as a boat club.

To celebrate the USA’s 250th, during the week of June 27 to July 4 there are packages that include fireworks over the lake, a bike and golf cart parade and Independence Day sing-along brunch.

The Omni Parker House

The oldest continuously operating hotel in the U.S. dating to 1855 is where Boston Cream Pie and Parker House rolls were born at Parker’s restaurant—and it is still here. The 551-room hotel has hosted every U.S. president since Ulysses S. Grant, and Charles Dickens first read his “A Christmas Carol” to literary friends/members of the legendary Saturday Club who would meet here. A recent guestroom renovation modernized the hotel, but the historic architecture still reveals itself and memorabilia of its rich historic past are on display with artifacts in a mini-museum, including a photo of the 17-chair barber shop that was once in the belly of the hotel. Boston’s illustrious past can be explored just outside the hotel’s doors – it’s located right across from the Freedom Trail. This summer, Omni Hotels is offering its America is Calling package which includes 15 percent off two nights, 20 percent off for three-plus nights, and kids eat free.

Hotel Fauchère

Tale of two cities: Tucked into the Poconos mountain town of Milford, Pennsylvania, is this Gilded Age hotel dating to 1852 with an interesting connection to Manhattan, about 90 minutes to the north. Founded by Swiss-born chef Louis Fauchère, the hotel is an extension of Delmonico’s, the iconic restaurant in lower Manhattan where American dining was first plated, Baked Alaska was born, women were first allowed to dine without men present, and where Fauchère was a master chef. Fauchère eventually opened the Milford Inn, which became the Hotel Fauchère as a summer retreat for wealthy New Yorkers to escape summer heat. The inn was restored and reopened 20 years ago, including a new Delmonico Room to honor its roots, and in 2024 the hotel was awarded its first Michelin Key. There are 16 elegant guestrooms, some featuring balconies with gas-lit firepits and garden views. Rates include complimentary breakfast, and the hotel is pet friendly. Dine al fresco this summer on the front porch which overlooks Broad Street and watch the town’s July Fourth festivities unfold.

Chatham Wayside Inn

This inn in Chatham, Massachusetts, debuted as a modest frame house in 1860 owned by the Nickerson family, descendants of Chatham’s first European settlers. It went on to have several lives before it was named Wayside Inn by owner Marjorie Haven in 1938 to accommodate WWII armed forces for a little R&R. In the 1970s, the inn was sold again and home to a spirited tavern where Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill and friends played cards. Today it is owned by TPG Hotels, Resorts & Marinas with 56 guest rooms, a popular restaurant and a prime location in one of the Cape’s most popular seaside towns. Chatham is also known for its homespun patriotic Fourth of July parade down Main Street and this year will be star spangled; the inn sits right on Main Street.

Woolverton Inn

Dating to the late 1700s, this Stockton, New Jersey inn’s original owner John Prall, Jr. served in the Revolutionary War and fought in several battles including the Battle of Germantown. Today there are 14 guestrooms, many with fireplaces, in the Manor House and cottages, and the inn is a member of Historic Hotels of America and Select Registry. It is an especially popular spot for guests looking for a literary escape; the Newell’s Library guest room features shelves of books. Stays include a three-course country breakfast and afternoon cookies and locally sourced fruit. Sheep graze in 10 acres of gardens (the inn is a former working sheep farm) and the 1830s stone barn is now a restaurant. Guests can take history and garden tours this summer.

Poland Spring Resort

The resort in Poland, Maine sprung on the scene before George Washington was president, hosting guests since 1794. The sprawling property covers 500 acres including a preserve, with accommodations in three inns and 12 cottages; the original Ricker House cottage was built for the resort owners and is one of the resort’s most historic buildings. There are also two restaurants, pubs, and an 18-hole championship golf course, pickleball courts, grass tennis courts, a swimming pool, mini golf, and a driving range. The resort’s library is stocked with 10,000 volumes, there are three museums on site, including a Poland Springs Bottling Museum & Spring House. And, of course, a proper porch and rockers. Over the July 4th weekend, a package includes a full breakfast buffet, dinner buffet, and fireworks on July 5.

The Abbey Inn & Spa

New York’s Hudson River and Hudson Valley played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, and this property stands tall on top of Fort Hill in Peekskill, about an hour north of New York City. Once a convent, dating to 1902, the boutique hotel has been reimagined with its Gothic Revival legacy preserved. There are river views from its 42 rooms and suites as well as the Michelin Guide awarded Apropos Restaurant & Bar that shines the summer spotlight on local Hudson Valley produce and ingredients. There is also a spa as well as a ballroom in the restored chapel.

The Inn at Hastings Park

The “shot heard around the world’ that started the American Revolution was fired from Lexington, Massachusetts, home to this 22-room Relais & Chateaux inn that dates to 1888. There are several celebratory packages, including The America 250 Package available throughout 2026; it includes a $100 food and bev credit at Town Meeting Bistro and the Route to Liberty Tour, a private tour with a local guide. There are other curated packages throughout the year for the big birthday, including the One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Three if by Air helicopter tour package that mimics Paul Revere’s iconic Midnight Ride from Boston to Lexington; in fact, his ride galloped right past where the inn stands today.

The Knickerbocker Hotel

Toast Uncle Sam at this 330-room Times Square hotel’s St. Cloud Rooftop while watching the legendary Times Square Ball drop on July 3 as a countdown to Independence Day. This marks the only time in history that the ball will drop other than New Year’s Eve. Sip the hotel’s signature martini (the martini was invented here) and nostalgic Americana nibbles as part of a celebratory event that guests can book. Celebrating its 120th year, the beaux-arts beauty was built in 1906 by John Jacob Astor IV and is also where, in 1919, Red Sox owner/hotel guest Harry Frazee met with the team’s manager to tell him that Red Sox legend Babe Ruth was being traded to the New York Yankees. The rest is history…

Wentworth by the Sea

This historic resort in New Castle, New Hampshire, debuted in 1874 in the state where the first state constitution was adopted in January 1776 and has hosted many presidents since. The cobblestoned seaside town of Portsmouth, incorporated in 1653, is a 10-minute drive, and there is complimentary transportation from the resort. The Gilded Age gem is New Hampshire’s oldest seaside hotel and today is part of the Opal Collection. In summer, it is home to Latitudes restaurant, known for its lobster rolls and water views. There is a pool, tennis courts, and a spa, too. Plus, discover lots of easter eggs throughout the property that reveal the story of the resort’s past, like the 8-foot-tall grandfather clock, the antique wooden boat on the veranda, and the domed ornate mural ceiling in Salt Kitchen + Bar.