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Reading the classics can be a chore for many children—the characters often use archaic language and have experiences that may seem far removed from the daily life of Generation Xbox. But take your kid to an author’s home, and suddenly the words come alive. A trip to any of these four literary homesteads will let little ones see the real personalities behind even the dustiest works on their syllabus. (Who knew, for instance, that Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain were neighbors?)
Washington Irving’s best-known stories tell the tales of such fanciful personae as the Headless Horseman (“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”) and a slumbering Dutchman (“Rip Van Winkle”), so it’s appropriate that Sunnyside, his estate on the banks of the Hudson River, is straight out of a fairy tale. Just 37 minutes from Grand Central Terminal by express train, the romantic gardens and Gothic-style house will transport your family to another era. Tours of the house and grounds, led by a guide wearing mid-19th-century garb, leave every half hour. Ask to borrow a Traveling Tote, which includes scavenger-hunt instructions and retro dominos.
Where to eat There are numerous places to eat in the surrounding area, but none are easily accessible by foot. One staff suggestion is the informal Irish pub J.P. Doyle’s (48 Beekman Ave, Sleepy Hollow; 914-631-3015, jpdoyles.com), a ten-minute walk from the Tarrytown station.
89 West Sunnyside Ln, Tarrytown, NY (914-631-8200, hudsonvalley.org/sunnyside). Mon, Wed–Sun 10am–5pm. Travel: Metro-North to Tarrytown, then take a taxi to Sunnyside. Admission, including guided tour: $12, seniors $10, children ages 5 –17 $6, under 5 free. Last tour begins at 4pm. Grounds admission only: $5, children 5–17 $3, under 5 free.
Concord, Massachusetts, is as much a character in the allegorical classic Little Women as are Jo and her sisters. A trip to Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set her book, will immerse your children in the 1868 masterpiece about life in the North during the Civil War. Check out the half-moon shelf desk where Alcott penned her tome and the parlor where the fictional March girls received word of their father’s illness. Special “Welcome to Our Home” tours in April, in honor of the state holiday, Patriots’ Day, will incorporate anecdotes and excerpts from journals and Alcott family letters.
Where to eat Try a pie at family-owned New London Style Pizza (71 Thoreau St; 978-369-7053, newlondonstylepizza.com), about a mile from Orchard House.
399 Lexington Rd, Concord, MA (978-369-4118, louisamayalcott.org). Mon–Sat 10am–4:30pm (except for Mon Apr 16: noon–4:30pm), Sun 1–4:30pm. Travel: About four hours from Manhattan by car. $20 per family (two adults and up to four children ages 6–17); individual tickets $8, seniors and students $7, children ages 6 –17 $5, under 6 free. Admission is by guided tour only. Special rates apply for the Welcome to Our Home tour.
Hartford, Connecticut, offers literary one-stop shopping for older children, with the Mark Twain House and Museum and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center conveniently adjacent to each other in the historic Nook Farms neighborhood. Children who have been introduced to Twain’s Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer will appreciate this whimsical, three-story, gabled home. At the museum they can get a little hands-on with activities such as rubbings and passport stamps; on April 14, the Yo-Yo People (yoyoshow.com; 10:30am–noon, additional fee) ride unicycles and swing hula-hoops—all while spinning several yo-yos at once.
Across the lawn, a guided tour of Stowe’s historic home continues the dialogue on race and humanity that she began with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which helped pave the way for the abolition of slavery. At 2pm every Saturday and Sunday the center offers a children’s tour (ages 5 to 12), during which kids can choose an article of clothing to wear representing a different member of the household, such as the Stowe daughters’ nurse, Alice. Each costume comes with a souvenir biography to take home.
Where to eat The café on the Mark Twain grounds has a children’s menu and is open during museum hours. There are a number of other dining choices nearby, such as barbecue joint Black-eyed Sally’s (350 Asylum St; 860-278-7427, blackeyedsallys.com).
•Twain: 351 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT (860-247-0998, marktwainhouse.org). Mon–Sat 9:30am–5:30pm, Sun noon–5:30pm. Travel: about 2 1/2 hours from NYC by car. $13, seniors $11, children ages 6–16 $8, under 6 free. Admission is by guided tour only. •Stowe: 77 Forest St, Hartford, CT (860-522-9258, harrietbeecherstowecenter.org). Tue–Sat 9:30am–4:30pm, Sun noon–4:30pm. Travel: About 2 1/2 hours from NYC by car. Children’s tour (Sat, Sun at 2pm; daily during Connecticut school vacation weeks and by advance reservation): $4, children ages 5–12 $5, under 5 free. House tour: $8, seniors $7, children ages 5–12 $4, under 5 free.
