Bookish Travel Destinations

As holiday travel season approaches, I always like to check out what literary inspiring locations may be close by where I’m headed. For instance, a few years ago, our family headed to Williamsburg, Virginia, for a vacation. We made a stop by the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond on the way home – he’s one of my favorite poets. If you’re hitting the road for the holidays, here’s a few locations from my bucket list (and a few I’ve been to) that you should check out if you’re close:

In the South

Starting in my own neck of the woods, there are really so many locations around Georgia to see – we are actually quite ripe with writers’ birthplaces. Not to mention the setting of several amazing novels. These are on my must see every time I travel around the area:

Savannah, Georgia

One of my all-time favorite books was set in Savannah – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Brendt. True crime and actually nonfiction, something most don’t realize, the book lists off real places you can visit, or at least drive by, if you’re in the city.

• The Mercer-Williams House – now a museum, this gorgeous antebellum house belonged to the great-grandfather of legendary songwriter Johnny Mercer. Fun fact – the house was sold shortly after construction and none of the Mercer clan ever spent a night there. The museum is open for guided tours 7 days a week.
• Forsyth Park – when you think of Savannah’s squares and parks, you probably think of the fountains in Forsyth Park. They are some of the most photographed landmarks in the city. At 30 acres, this open space is a treasure where houses are built so close together. Many of the trees are well over 100 years old and the walking paths have not been changed since the early 1900’s. I love to bring a blanket and read under the trees here.
• Clary’s Cafe – Clary’s is one of the few places to appear in the movie as itself. For me, it’s where I first experienced a malted milkshake (for breakfast no less) and it’s a must stop every time I go back now.
• Bird Girl statue – this status originally resided in Bonaventure Cemetery – an adventure all in itself if you have the time, but not in the book. Made famous by its feature on the cover of the novel, the statue had to be relocated in 1997 due to the attention it was receiving. It currently sits at the Telfair Academy.

Key West, Florida

Key West has been on my bucket list for a very long time. I made it as far as Marathon on a work trip a few years ago and can’t wait to go back. One of the most well known landmarks in Key West is probably the Hemingway House and Museum. While many creatives have lived on the island, no one shaped the island quite like he did. You can visit the museum to see his home where he wrote many of his works in the 30’s and early 40’s before moving to Cuba. You can also see the descendants of his 6-toed cats (this may be my main motivation for adding this to my bucket list!). The museum grounds are open daily and they also offer a writing experience for the literary creators among us.

While you’re in Key West, check out Books & Books @ The Studios. An offshoot of one of my all time favorite bookstores in Coral Gables, FL, this is a cute corner bookstore…and owned by JUDY BLUME!

The Midwest

I have friends headed to Minnesota and Chicago for the holidays which had me wondering what great bookish locations were nearby their destinations. I was surprised to find so many!

Chicago

The American Writers Museum is located in downtown Chicago near several other attractions. Open Thursday to Monday, this is a great option for a weekend stop if you’re in town. The museum also hosts a podcast and a blog online if you aren’t able to make it in person.

Minnesota

There are so many writers who hail from this state, and so many great literary destinations, but these are 3 of my favorites:

• Saint Paul: There is a walking tour that will take you through locations in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s early life and that made it into some of his works!
• Walnut Grove: The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum includes some historic buildings and memorabilia from the TV show as well. I always love walking where historic figures once walked and this will take you back to Plum Creek and Walnut Grove quickly!
• Sauk Centre: The Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home and Carriage House is currently under renovations but open to visitation. His gravesite is not too far away from the museum in Greenwood Cemetery and the local library is named after him with a statue of him out front. His hometown is proud of their legacy and will gladly share it with you!

On the West Coast

I haven’t spent much time on the West Coast, so these are all bucket list locations for me. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve been to any of these?

Portland, Oregon

I keep hearing about Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon. And oh my, those pictures are amazing! I could spend an entire day and never get bored! Their website says they span an entire city block and are FOUR floors of books! If I visit Portland, I think I’ll have to take an empty suitcase just to take home all my new books!

Portland’s Grant Park is also home to the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden with representations of some of her most famous characters. The park is open daily from 5AM to midnight.

Monterey, California

Two great authors are tied to Monterey – Robert Louis Stevenson and John Steinbeck. Both wrote novels inspired by locations here.

• Stevenson: The Stevenson House is maintained by the Monterey State Historic Park and available for guided tours. He wrote several works here and gained inspiration for Treasure Island here.
• Steinbeck: The Steinbeck House is now a restaurant and bookstore with a very eclectic menu that varies weekly. It was originally the birthplace of the author and is open Tuesday through Saturday. You can also visit the nearby National Steinbeck Center or the real Cannery Row!

Trails

The west coast is also home to the Pacific Coast Trail made infamous by Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and The Stampede Trail from Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Both nonfiction books are about the transformation someone can experience on the trail, but with very different outcomes – Strayed came out with a new purpose, but Christopher McCandless lost his life. Both of these trails have become deadly and authorities have limited access over the past decade.

In the North East

When I think of literary destinations in the North East, I think of two places – the libraries of New York City and the historic cities of Massachusetts where so many authors resided. There is so much history in this region – it is a gold mine for bibliophiles like me, and I’m only scratching the surface with my list here:

New York City

I don’t really know where to start with this city. Home to so many literary greats like Jack Kerouak, Herman Melville, Truman Capote, Walt Whitman, and Tennessee Williams, and the setting for some outstanding works like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Great Gatsby, or Catcher in the Rye, there really is no shortage of great places to include on a list like this. If I had one day in the city, here’s where I’d go:

• The Strand Bookstore – their logo says it all…18 miles of books! Located on Broadway, they are open 7 days a week and have nearly a century of experience in those walls. When I visited NYC years ago, it was the only place I requested my friends take me, and it will always be on my list!
• The New York Public Library (aka: Stephen A Schwarzman Building): while I do one day hope to make it to England and the universities there, I would settle for the General Research Division on the 3rd floor of this building. And don’t get me started on the Rare Book Division! When I think of how libraries should look – this is it!
• The Morgan Library & Museum – if you read The Personal Librarian, this is a must stop for you. The Morgan now has a page dedicated to Belle da Costa Greene which includes a call out to the book! Advanced tickets are required, so plan ahead for this one.

Massachusetts

You really can’t stop in this state without ending up near a literary destination. Salem, Nantucket, Lenox, Amherst, and Concord are some of the better know cities with ties to authors you may know and love. Consider Nantucket for it’s setting – from Moby Dick to many of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels. Consider Amherst for the College where Robert Frost taught and Emily Dickinson studied – you can still visit the Frost Library and the Dickinson Museum. And you can’t stop in Concord without thinking of Walden Pond or writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne who all lived there!

Middlebury, Vermont

Robert Frost spent a good deal of time in Middlebury and was inspired by the Green Mountain National Forest for many of his poems. Middlebury College also houses three fantastic libraries. But if it’s books to take home with you, check out Monroe Street Books – Vermont’s largest collection of rare and out of print books for sale! They do offer a search online, but their stock changes frequently and visiting may be best – you never know what you’ll find!

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: The Storm, Rachel Hawkins
• Current audio book: Scrimmage for War, Bill McWilliams
• Book I’m most looking forward to: Cold Zero, Brad Thor