Historic Inns and Hotels in the United States

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The Most Historic Hotels in the USA

20 - 11 | 10 - 1

Also see other historic places to stay across America by region:

New England | New York & The Mid Atlantic States | The Southern States
South Western USA | The West | The Mid West

Please note that this list is only the opinion of Nights In The Past. If you believe we have overlooked somewhere you consider worthy of inclusion, please let us know.

10. The Mayhurst Inn
Orange, Virginia

Built circa 1859, this Italianate mansion is rightly listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and considered a Virginia Historic Landmark.

Read independent reviews and learn more at TripAdvisor

Historic significance: The building is inextricably linked to the Civil War, with Generals Stonewall Jackson, Robert E Lee and Ambrose Powell Hill all staying here. The house served as the headquarters for the Army of Northern Virginia’s III Corps, and it is said that thousands of troops pitched their tents on what is now the front lawn during the winter of 1863-64.

9. Sohotel
New York, New York

Situated on Broome Street, Sohotel offers an economic choice for the visitor to the Big Apple. But how many of its transient guests know of its place in New York folklore? Tribeca, Chinatown and Greenwich Village are all on its doorstep.

Learn more through the hotel’s entry at Booking.com and TripAdvisor

Historic significance: Well over 200 years in existence, this is by far the oldest hotel in New York. From its origins as The Westchester, and further changes of name to The Occidental and The Pioneer, this downtown hotel has witnessed much of this great city’s history. Located on The Bowery (which is itself the oldest route on Manhattan), the building has played host to politicians and social icons alike, including Gentleman Jim Corbett and William Waldorf Astor. It was also the headquarters of the notorious “Big Tim” Sullivan (or “Dry Dollar”) during the late 1800s.

8. Omni-Parker House Hotel
Boston, Massachusetts

First welcoming guests in 1855, Omni-Parker House is said to be America’s longest continually operating luxury hotel. And with 551 rooms it’s a pretty grand one, too.

More information on Omni-Parker House can be found at the hotel’s entry at both Booking.com and TripAdvisor

Historic significance: The hotel is the first stop on the celebrated New England Literary Trail for good reason - it is, after all, where Charles Dickens gave his first reading of A Christmas Carol. More, it has also been patronised by such figures as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, all of whom took part in a literary round table.

7. Concord’s Colonial Inn
Concord, Massachusetts

Originally built in 1716 and added to over the past two centuries, this landmark building has been operating as an inn since 1889.

For reviews and practical information, try TripAdvisor and Booking.com, or discover more heritage accommodation in New England here

Historic significance: Henry David Thoreau lived here for two years between 1835 and 1837, while it was later visited by such figures as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and J. P. Morgan (and a whole host of celebrities over recent years). It is also worth noting that one of the original structures on the site was used to store arms and provisions prior to the War of Independence – when British troops attempted to seize the supplies stored therein they were met by Militiamen at nearby North Bridge. This event immediately followed the first battle of the American Revolution at Lexington Green.

6. The Old Talbott Tavern
Bardstown, Kentucky

Dating back to the late 1700‘s, this may be the oldest western stagecoach stop still in existence in the USA. Today it offers five guest rooms, all named after the notable figures to have stayed at the tavern.

Find out more with TripAdvisor

Historic significance: Among the famous guests who stayed here were young Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone, General George S. Patton, Washington Irving and exiled French King Louis Phillipe.

5. The St. James Hotel
Cimarron, New Mexico

Once known as Lambert’s Inn it is said to have witnessed more than twenty murders when the town of Cimarron was patronised by the real-life Good, Bad and Ugly. Of course, the atmosphere is far more serene these days – the hotel offers 14 rooms in the old building and ten in an adjacent two-storey annexe.

Learn more about The St. James with TripAdvisor

Historic significance: Lots. This hotel should be on the itinerary of every “Wild West” enthusiast. Built in 1872, the number of bullet holes in the ceiling of the main dining room proves that more than a few characters frequented the place in days gone by including. Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wyatt & Morgan Earp, Pat Garret, Billy The Kid, Kit Carson, Doc Holliday and Black Jack Ketchum. Can you beat that for frontier history? No. Of course not.

4. Hotel Colorado
Glenwood Springs, Colorado

A replica of the Villa de Medici, the construction of the Hotel Colorado began in 1891 and took two years to complete. Today, the hotel once dubbed “The Little White House of the West” remains faithful to its 19th Century Italian style inside and out.

For practical travel information and independent reviews, see the Hotel Colorado’s entry at TripAdvisor

Historic significance: Popular with the rich and powerful since day one, it is the hotel’s connection with the “teddy bear” for which it is most famous. Indeed, it is likely that it was here that the famous children’s toy was invented – President “Teddy” Roosevelt being presented with a stuffed toy bear by staff during a visit in 1905. Other notable visitors include William Howard Taft (1909), and the “unsinkable” Molly Brown.

3. The Fairmont Hotel
San Francisco, California

It would have opened earlier, but the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 meant that this landmark building wouldn’t welcome guests until the following year. Today it possesses 591 individually furnished guest rooms, health club & spa, and renowned restaurants.

Practical information is available via TripAdvisor

Historic significance: The Fairmont’s most important historic claim-to-fame is undoubtedly it being where delegates met during 1945 to draft the United Nations Charter. It is also said that every US President since William Howard Taft has stayed at the hotel, and, more recently, that it was where Tony Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”.

2. The Beekman Arms
Rhinebeck, New York

It may well have been completely refurbished in 1995, but the Beekman Arms remains one of the USA’s longest continually operating hotels. Ideal for those seeking to visit the Hudson Valley, the inn is today made up of several different buildings and provides around 60 guest rooms.

For idependent reviews and tariffs, visit the Beekman Arms’ entry at TripAdvisor

Historic significance: The Beekman Arms really does have a place in American history: dating back to 1766, the grounds were used by the Continental Army in 1775 prior to the American Revolution. It was also from the front porch that Franklin D. Roosevelt began every one of his campaigns for governor and president. It is said that George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Benedict Arnold stayed here, too.

1. John Rutledge House Inn
Charleston, South Carolina

This AAA Four-Diamond inn is undeniably one of the most historic buildings in the United States. It offers a total of 19 guest rooms split between the main house and two carriage houses.

Discover more about this extraordinary place at Booking.com and TripAdvisor

Historic significance: Of all the homes belonging to the fifty-five signatories of the U.S Constitution, only 15 survive. This is one of them – and the only one to offer overnight accommodation. Built by John Rutledge in 1763, it is known that George Washington visited in 1791. Unsurprisingly, therefore, it has been designated a National Landmark by the US Department of the Interior. Indeed, it is not only a piece of American heritage, but a truly international one.

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