The Car & Travel staff set out with a mission to uncover fascinating history in our region of the country. With each mile chalked up, we found the dramatic, the monumental, the consequential, the inspirational and the whimsical (a favorite theme here), to provide our members with ideas for drives that showcase the marvelous historical patchwork that is accessible in the Northeast. Start your engines.

National Civil War Museum
Harrisburg, Pa.
Take a step back in time to the years 1850 to 1876 at the National Civil War Museum (nationalcivilwarmuseum.org) in Harrisburg, Pa., and learn about what led to the war, what life was like for the soldiers who served and how the fighting ended. Visitors to the hilltop museum can enjoy a beautiful view of the Blue Mountains before taking the self-guided tour ($9; ask for the AAA discount) that examines the tragedy of slavery, the hardships of camp life and battle and President Lincoln’s determination to maintain a united country.

Through its exhibits, artifacts and video presentations, this excellent museum takes a hard look at the Civil War (1861-1865) and its lasting impact. The museum also regularly hosts living history encampments, as well as book signings, hands-on activities, family entertainment and community events. Car & Travel especially enjoyed the demonstration on how soldiers loaded and fired their guns.

For more Civil War history, head 40 miles southwest to Gettysburg, Pa., for a visit to Gettysburg National Military Park (nps.gov/gett) to see the site of the bloodiest battle of the war and the location of President Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. Also visit the nearby David Wills House where Lincoln stayed the night before delivering this address (davidwillshouse.org).

Sagamore Hill
Oyster Bay, NY
The crown jewel of Long Island’s opulent Gold Coast is Sagamore Hill (nps.gov/sahi), the home of our nation’s 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt. In the Village of Cove Neck, within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, the property gives visitors access to over 80 acres of parkland, wildlife preserve and historic buildings.

A guided tour of the house ($5; free for those 15 years of age and younger), which remains greatly unchanged from the early 1900s, begins on the hour (during the weekend and the summer, tours fill up quickly, so be sure to arrive early). From the tremendous “north room,” which captures the essence of Teddy’s spirit, to the upstairs “gun room,” it’s clear that the Roosevelts didn’t just come here, they lived here.

The Old Orchard House, built by Roosevelt’s son in 1938, now houses a museum featuring regalia spanning from Teddy’s Rough Rider days to his death, but the true gem of the house is its “backyard.” Car & Travel walked the half-mile nature trail behind the house with oak trees shading our journey and ospreys diving into the nearby water. The walk includes a seemingly endless (and rickety) wooden boardwalk over Eel Creek Salt Marsh and down to the natural beach on Cold Spring Harbor. It’s a perfect spot to escape the worries of the day and to imagine the Roosevelts taking a quick dip.

“I wonder if you will ever know how I love Sagamore Hill,” Roosevelt stated to his wife Edith on his deathbed. One visit and you’ll understand why a love affair between land and man can last a lifetime.

The Witch House
Salem, Mass.
The Witch House (salemweb.com/witchhouse) was home to Judge Jonathan Corwin, who served on the court that presided over the Salem witchcraft trials in 1692. Nineteen men and women were hanged at the gallows after being convicted of witchcraft, and one was pressed to death for refusing to submit to a trial—all 20 maintained their innocence throughout the ordeal.

Also known as Corwin House, this is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the witch trials. It’s open for guided and self-guided tours from May through early November (ask for the AAA discount), with extended hours in October. Corwin bought the house in 1675 and lived here with his family for approximately 40 years. Car & Travel took the fascinating tour, which is a blend of information about 17th-century colonial life and insight into the tragic events of 1692.

Although best known for the witch trials, Salem has another claim to historic fame. Nineteenth-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born and raised here and found inspiration for his novels, including The House of the Seven Gables, which is based on a seaside home on Derby Street. The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association (7gables.org) now owns the historic property and offers guided tours almost daily (ask for your AAA discount).

Weir Farm
Branchville, Conn.
Open year-round, this bucolic spot is a free, little-visited gem five miles northwest of Wilton, a little more east of the New York border. American impressionist Julian Alden Weir bought Weir Farm (nps.gov/wefa) in 1882 and painted it for almost 40 years. His daughter, Dorothy, also a painter, and her husband, sculptor Mahonri Young, lived there after Weir’s death, and in 1990, it became part of the National Park System.

If looking for quiet inspiration, this is the ideal spot for a lazy summer day. The road here, Nod Hill Road, sort of says it all: it’s narrow, small and tranquil. The main farmhouse shares this sizeable site with smaller studios (painters still come), a sunken garden, landscaped lawns and numerous bird boxes—Car & Travel saw three Eastern bluebirds.

A trail to one side leads around a pond, while one on the other side goes through a grassy meadow of gobbling turkeys and hovering dragonflies to the independent Weir Preserve woodland. Don’t be surprised if you are the only person on the ranger-led tour. The perfect day here: Put your cycle on the train to Branchville, pedal up the occasionally steep hill to the farm and sit in the shade of a tree with a book and some lunch.

For those driving, stop off at Wilton’s Cannondale district, a collection of old homes and shops by a river that features a respected restaurant, The Schoolhouse, two old gas pumps and a store selling British merchandise called Penny Ha’Penny.

The Elephant Hotel
Somers, NY
A visit to the Elephant Hotel (somershistoricalsoc.org) of this Westchester County town needs to be planned with care: That is, you need to go on Thursdays between 2 and 4 p.m. (no charge; appointments can be made for other days). Hachaliah Bailey, who founded one of the country’s first circuses and was related to founders of the famous Barnum & Bailey Circus, built the hotel in the early 1820s. Today, it is the town hall, but there is a statue of an elephant on a tall post right outside, while inside on the third floor is the Museum of the Early American Circus, which opens for those precious two hours per week.

The fascinating museum features a costume worn by Tom Thumb, a huge model of a circus that took some 30 years to make (Car & Travel particularly liked the man on stilts) and posters advertising The Greatest Show on Earth (spot the one with the tiger-tamer’s head stuck inside the cat’s mouth).

Somers calls itself the Cradle of the American Circus, and it was to here that H. Bailey brought what is thought to be the second elephant ever to step on U.S. soil. The idea for Old Bet was that it would earn its keep on Bailey’s farm, but Bailey quickly realized he could make a dollar or two by taking it on tour. This was successful until a farmer in Alfred, Me.—out of irritation, fear or spite, no one remembers—shot the pachyderm in 1816. Thus, the “hotel,” built at least fours years later, also can be seen as a memorial.