WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#gardening—Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for promoting and celebrating authentic historic hotels, is delighted to announce The 2023 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Magnificent Gardens list. From lush New England to sunny Arizona, the destinations of Historic Hotels of America offer travelers a chance to wander through some of the most magnificent and beautiful storybook gardens. Many of the hotels feature extensive grounds designed by renowned landscape architects, such as Beatrix Farrand, and Frederick Law Olmsted and his son, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. Several historic hotels on this list employ beekeepers to ensure their gardens remain pollinated and thriving, and even cultivate honey from their own apiaries to make house meads and keep their restaurants supplied with sweet, fragrant garnishes. More than a few hotels recognized here adhere to a “seed to table” or “field to table” philosophy, growing their own vegetables and herbs next door to their signature restaurants. Numerous life-long memories of special occasions celebrated in the gardens of historic hotels include romantic getaways, romantic proposals, honeymoons, anniversaries, and family reunions. Whether you are sharing a meal, a vow, or a stroll, these magnificent gardens of Historic Hotels of America will make your next tranquil getaway one you will never forget.
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Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection, and Colonial Houses (1750) & Williamsburg Inn (1937) Williamsburg, Virginia
Located mere blocks away from the historic Williamsburg Inn and Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection is the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area, a 301-acre living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia, where visitors can discover more than 30 meticulously researched and maintained gardens. From flowering backyard pleasure gardens and vegetable plots to the grand Governor’s Palace Gardens and Grounds, these gardens offer visitors and scholars insights into 18th-century life. The historic Williamsburg Inn and Williamsburg Lodge, and the Historic District gardens, date to the time of the Historic Area’s restoration in the 1930s. Most of the Colonial Houses in the Historic District are from its period of significance, the most historic of which dates to 1750. The restoration’s planners designed the Historic Area so that trees and shrubs would act as a screen for modern intrusions inconsistent with the world of 1770s Virginia. They also restricted plantings in the Historic Area to native species or those imported before 1800. Many of those plants are uncommon today and cultivated for their preservation, as well as visitors’ enjoyment. The Historic Area garden designs are also drawn from historical research and archaeological findings. Colonial Williamsburg’s Living Collections provide a historic and educational resource for visitors who wish to study, investigate, educate, and enjoy horticultural displays. While meandering through the quaint, historical village and its many nature paths, visitors can access the extensive research on the plantings at Colonial Williamsburg by capturing the QR codes found on labels. For those who want to learn more, Colonial Williamsburg offers a Garden Workshop for Floral Centerpieces, as well as a guided walk down Bassett Hall Trace nature path and a “Meet the Gardener” tour. The Williamsburg Inn was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1994 and the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection, and Colonial Houses were inducted in 2000.
The Inn at Montchanin Village (1799) Montchanin, Delaware
The Inn at Montchanin Village was established at historic properties in Montchanin, Delaware, that have had decorative European-style and kitchen gardens for over 200 years. The Inn has a full-time horticulturist and its own off-site greenhouses, which provide exquisite colorful landscaping on the grounds. The gardens at the Inn today were designed by Anthony Matolla, who was invited by the Inn’s owners in the 1970s to redesign the historical gardens. According to Matolla, “The 5-acre hamlet, formerly used for the workers of the DuPont company, was my canvas. . . The spirit of design was considered with everything we did.” Tulips, dahlias, perennials, and locally prevalent trees help define spaces and create private garden nooks for guests to enjoy. The restaurant at the Inn, Krazy Kat’s, offers dishes with herbs and vegetables grown in the gardens of this historic hotel. Guests can access the historic buildings via a maze of ornate gardens featuring beautiful flowers and fragrant herbs. The gardens today are enjoyed by guests walking to their rooms and suites, as well as for outdoor weddings and private gatherings. The Inn at Montchanin Village and its gardens are associated with the nearby historical Longwood Gardens and the Winterthur Gardens & Museum.
Inn at Perry Cabin (1816) St. Michaels, Maryland
On the Chesapeake Bay, the Inn at Perry Cabin boasts 26-acres of beautiful orchards, colorful wildflowers, and manicured gardens. The grounds of this historic resort, which dates to 1816 and was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2018, are guided by design from renowned architects of OEHME, VAN SWEDEN and lovingly tended to year-round by a team of expert garden staff. Upon arrival, guests are greeted by the iconic allée known as Linden Lane, which displays rows of linden trees, pines, crepe myrtles, boxwoods, and roses along the long brick entryway. Starting in spring, a melody of colors display themselves as the temperature warms, delivering delicate daffodils, tulips, and pansies followed by flourishing perennial amsonia, coral bells, and hundreds of annuals once summer begins. Not to be missed in winter, the trees of Linden Lane shine with brilliant lights in celebration of the holidays. The bounty from the resort’s orchards, cutting gardens, and onsite apiary are incorporated daily in STARS restaurant, Purser’s Pub, and in numerous botanical treatments at Spa at Perry Cabin. Guests can join the Inn’s horticulturist for a closer look during the many walking tours or venture independently through the gardens. Winding along the picturesque waterfront are meticulously landscaped paths leading to unique and secluded areas, while strolling along the shoreline offers swings and benches to sit and admire all Mother Nature offers. From hydrangeas exploding with magnificent color against the white façade of the historic manor home, to gazing at the vibrant wildflowers that serve as a stunning backdrop to the Bocce and Croquet Court; every garden path leads to a new discovery and is worth exploring.
Antrim 1844 (1844) Taneytown, Maryland
The stunning Formal English Tea Rose Garden at Antrim 1844 is located just beyond the historic mansion’s grand front porch, greeting guests first with over fifty varieties of English Tea Roses and spritzing bronze fountains. The gardens continue throughout the 24-acre estate and boast a wide variety of boughs and blooms. The mansion – today the main house of the hotel estate – was constructed in 1844 by Major Andrew G. Ege, who inherited the 420-acre farm in Taneytown, Maryland, from his wife’s family. At the time, Major Ege oversaw the landscaping of a spectacular garden complex, which was laid out into an intricate series of geometric shapes. In the early 1990s, long after the estate was whittled down in size and the Ege family’s grand neoclassical mansion converted into a hotel, the grounds were redesigned by hoteliers Richard and Dorothy Mollett. Traditional 19th-century plantings that remain today include fragrant boxwood, peonies, holly trees, azalea, silver maple trees, jonquils, tulips, and cannas. Each year, over 5,000 annuals and 2,000 perennials bloom at Antrim 1844. As the sun sets over the Catoctin Mountains, guests should find their way to the garden to experience it in the “golden hour,” perhaps while enjoying a cocktail or hors d’oeuvres prior to dinner service. A part of lasting memories, Antrim 1844’s historic gardens have hosted countless romantic wedding ceremonies and fundraising events.
French Lick Springs Hotel (1845) & West Baden Springs Hotel (1902) French Lick, Indiana
The sprawling estate of the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana, is comprised of two distinct historic hotels and their gardens: French Lick Springs Hotel, dating to 1845, and West Baden Springs Hotel, dating to 1902 and designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Between both hotels, there are over 40 different varieties of flowering perennials, and 17 different varieties of summer annuals each year. Roughly 11,000 summer annuals are planted throughout many flowerbeds, hanging baskets, and planters. Trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals can be seen in bloom from April-November throughout the resort. Summer annuals are installed by mid-May. Guests can learn more during events hosted at West Baden Springs Hotel, including “West Baden Gardening Guidance” and “Fall into Garden.” Both are small group experiences led by the Head Gardener for the resort.
Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama
The Grand Hotel’s gardens include 550 pristine acres featuring a stunning selection of color. The expanded estate garden offers beautiful flowers and fresh ingredients for use by the Grand Hotel’s chefs. Stunning azaleas, ornamental grasses, camellias, ferns, four varieties of bottlebrush plants, plum and Japanese yew, succulents, tea olives, banana shrubs, hydrangeas, hawthorns, palms, canna lily, ivy, and fragrant jasmine add color and life to the resort grounds. Many of the blooms appeal to Monarch butterflies, which stop at the Grand Hotel on their way to Mexico each fall. The Grand Oaks, dripping with Spanish moss, and fresh mint for cocktails are the most beloved garden elements by guests and add to the resort’s Southern charm. Mixologists from the 1847 bar visit the resort’s own mixology garden each day to create their handcrafted cocktail of the day. The resort’s culinary team uses an adjacent Grand Garden, with over 70 varieties of edible plants for their delicious seasonal cuisine. Along with magnificent flower, herb, and vegetable gardens, over 150 stunning live oak trees dripping in Spanish moss are a highlight of the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa’s lush historic landscape. Each historic oak tree is numbered and receives monthly care for future generations to enjoy. Guests will relax and wander throughout the resort looking at the vegetation, reading the names, and asking the grounds’ team questions. A grounds tour can be pre-arranged for groups of 20 or more at various times throughout the year.
Island House Hotel (1852) Mackinac Island, Michigan
Open May through October, Island House Hotel on Mackinac Island provides cozy historic charm, gorgeous waterfront views, and the ideal location from which to walk or bike downtown. This historic estate has greeted guests from the mainland since 1852. The gardens of the Island House are open for all visitors to enjoy, whether to immerse themselves in the beauty from an Adirondack chair or to stop and smell the flowers while passing by on the sidewalk. Since rescuing the estate from pending demolition in 1969, the Callewaert-Ryba family has made the impressive garden a must-see for island visitors. Hotel staff report that guests often approach them to ask, “how do you get these to bloom so big? I’ve never seen a flower like this, what is it?” While the garden’s styles and selections have changed some over the years, the Victorian aesthetic remains constant. An array of colorful annuals and perennials bloom in spring, summer, and fall. The hotel will plant approximately 3,700 annuals this season on its three acres of grounds. Great, big dahlias were selected for the 2023 spring season to make the garden “pop,” and colorful New Guinea impatiens, SunPatiens®, and snapdragons will be plentiful as well. Guests in the garden will also notice the wildlife, because Mackinac Island is on the migration trail that Monarch butterflies follow between Canada and Mexico. Butterflies and birds tend to congregate by a splashing fountain located close to the hotel’s porch.
Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York
The ornamental gardens of Mohonk Mountain House were designed by the Smiley hotelier family – who were enthusiastic about landscape architecture – to delight and inspire their guests at the New Paltz, New York, resort. Designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1991, the resort hotel was founded in 1869 and the large formal gardens were established in 1888. That year, a stable was demolished to make room for a garden. Wagon loads of fertile soil were added to expand and enrich the chosen garden grounds. The Smiley family designed the formal gardens using the picturesque, or romantic, style of landscape gardening. As opposed to the French-style gardens that are geometric and impeccably trimmed, this style is irregular in form, with variety and boldness of composition. One of the outstanding features of the gardens is the combination of sweeping lawns and open vistas with stately trees as focal points, surrounded by spectacular rocky cliffs. Various paths invite guests to wander beyond the formal area and into the rose, herb, and cutting gardens. The gardens were designed under the supervision of the Smiley family, who worked directly with the head gardener to select the plant varieties and plan the garden layout. Overnight guests and day visitors are encouraged to explore the grounds. The resort’s beautiful greenhouse, near the gardens, sells plants and gifts for purchase. Guided tours through the garden are offered at special events throughout the year.
La Posada de Santa Fe (1882) Santa Fe, New Mexico
Set on six beautifully landscaped acres in Santa Fe’s downtown, La Posada de Santa Fe was originally constructed as a mansion known as The Staab House. La Posada has been a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2019 and is among the most exclusive destinations in New Mexico. La Posada’s history harkens back to a German émigré named Abraham Staab and his wife, Julia. Abraham had specifically arrived in Santa Fe in the mid-1850s, after taking the arduous journey along the Santa Fe Trail with his family. The gardens at La Posada de Santa Fe trace their history back to Julia Staab and the garden she planted in the late 1800s. Today, there are many walkways for guests to explore a variety of fruit trees, walnut trees, hickory trees, elm trees, aspen trees, and cherry blossom trees. Some of these historical trees are over 130 years in age. Guests can view the beauty of natural grasses with a variety of roses, all shades of lilacs, butterfly bushes, and daffodils. The best time to see the most vibrant blooms is from May to September.
Jekyll Island Club Resort (1886) Jekyll Island, Georgia
No matter the season, the Sunken Garden at the Jekyll Island Club Resort on Jekyll Island, Georgia, is sure to charm guests. The Sunken Garden is one of the most notable stops on the resort grounds, with its lush trellises making the garden stand out even in the dead of winter. A favorite of both locals and visiting guests alike, this timeless garden holds countless wedding ceremonies and receptions a year and is the most romantic garden at the resort for a proposal. Through the years, some changes have been made to the garden, but it was always part of the resort’s design. The historic Jekyll Island Club dates to 1886 and the garden is part of the resort’s Crane Cottage, established in 1917. The Jekyll Island Club was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1994 and was honored as a winner of the Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence in 2014 and 2020. The original garden was anchored by two orange trees, and two more orange trees were added in recent decades at the front entrance to the cottage. There are nine varieties of plants and flowers in the Sunken Garden, including wisteria, box hedges, daylilies, and the iconic orange trees, as well as a rotating seasonal variety of potted flowers. Because the land is part of Georgia’s state parks system, the island is open to all to explore, and the Sunken Garden is open to the public anytime except during a private wedding.
Basin Harbor (1886) Vergennes, Vermont
Basin Harbor’s historic 700-acre resort sits on the shores of Lake Champlain and features over 15,000 square feet of gardens on-site. A member of Historic Hotels of America since 1999, the resort at Basin Harbor dates to 1886 and its original gardens date back to 1911, when Allen Penfield Beach, 2nd-generation host, completed his senior thesis at the University of Vermont on “How to Landscape a Resort.” He saw his thesis come to life, laying out the blueprint for the gardens and overseeing the landscape design. Today, as they did 100 years ago, guests can enjoy the beautiful gardens from many of the cottages on the grounds, an Adirondack chair, or with 4th-generation host Pennie Beach. An avid green thumb and beekeeper, Beach leads guided tours of the resort’s many flower gardens and the apiary. More than 12,000 annuals are planted each spring, making a lovely backdrop for weddings, family portraits or morning tea.
Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
Any tour of the extensive gardens at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, should always begin with the flower beds of the world-famous front porch. Measuring 660 feet long, it is the world’s longest front porch, and it is lined from one end to the other with signature Americana Red Geraniums: 1,375 geraniums in 147 planting boxes and 12 yards of planting soil. Grand Hotel uses more than 2,500 geraniums in all its flower beds. Designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in 1972, Grand Hotel’s grounds feature over 25 gardens that account for more than one and a half acres of maintained garden beds. Other gardens that can be seen from the front porch include the Tea Garden right below the hotel. The Tea Garden is home to the beautiful historic English stone fountain, horse and carriage topiary and a historic meandering stone wall lined with cedars and gardens. The Wedding Garden is adjacent to the Tea Garden, and roses line the west path to the pool and wooded areas. The Triangle Gardens are viewed walking up the hotel and are the most photographed of all the gardens. Guests should walk and view the East and West Garden Beds, The Labyrinth, which is hidden adjacent to the pool, and the Pool Gardens. Margaret’s Garden serves as the hotel’s flower shop and provides fresh flowers throughout the hotel and for special occasions daily. The majority of the gardens and surrounding areas have matured over the 136 years Grand Hotel has been established as “America’s Summer Place.”
Airlie (1899) Warrenton, Virginia
At the Airlie hotel and countryside retreat, established in 1899 in Warrenton, Virginia, the formal gardens are over 120 years in age and have remained unchanged since their initial plantings. Inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2015, Airlie was the recipient of the Historic Hotels of America Sustainability Champion at the 2021 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence. This award is presented to a hotel that best implements and practices innovative green initiatives and programs. In addition to rows of luscious boxwood hedges, original fixtures at the hotel include an Italian bird basin, birdhouse, and sundial. Located in a secluded corner of Airlie’s front lawn is the Peterson Butterfly Garden, featuring 46 varieties of butterfly-attracting plants native to the region. It also serves as a base for the annual Airlie Butterfly Count, a conservation program of The Clifton Institute in association with the North American Butterfly Association. In addition to these two gardens is the organic garden which has been producing vegetables, flowers, and herbs in a four-acre organic plot for 22 years. The organic garden with its rows of fragrant herbs provided the best possible ingredients for the hotel’s kitchens long before the phrase “farm-to-table” became popular.
The Saint Paul Hotel (1910) Saint Paul, Minnesota
The Saint Paul Hotel’s English Garden is an oasis of year-round natural beauty. Established in 1910 and inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1991, the hotel and its garden are landmarks in downtown St. Paul’s cultural corridor. Diners in the St. Paul Grill enjoy panoramic views of the English-inspired garden, complete with vines that drape the walls of the building. The garden is sustainable thanks to the irrigation system (EPA “Water Sense” certified). It uses a smart controller that regulates water usage based on both current and forecasted climates. With the local ecosystem and environment in mind, the hotel incorporates more pollinator-friendly native flowers and limits the use of chemicals. The hotel opts for natural or organic products and encourages natural predators to control unwanted bugs. The garden is primarily split into three areas – the “Welcome” garden, a small circular garden near its valet drop-off, the “Perennial” garden, and the “Grill” Garden. There is also a Moon Garden, Spring Garden, and a Sunken Garden. More than 250 perennials and 60 shrub roses are planted annually. One of the most unique times of the year in the garden is during the holidays, with twinkling Christmas lights strung throughout the landscape. The hotel’s gardens live most of the year in a frigid climate and hold their beauty on even the coldest of days. In warmer months, The Saint Paul Hotel garden also plays an important role as a destination for weddings, engagements, and photo shoots.
Chatham Bars Inn (1914) Chatham, Massachusetts
The historic Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has long been well-known for its ever-expanding acres of hydrangea gardens, bursting with color and adding fragrance to the sea air. The Inn, which is located next to a nature preserve, was founded in 1914 and inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2021. Its whimsical, colorful hydrangeas welcome guests each summer to revel in their beauty. The Inn has over 4,000 hydrangea bushes representing over a dozen different varieties including Endless Summer, Limelight, Glowing Ember, and Blushing Bride. The hydrangeas line brick walkways throughout the oceanfront Inn’s 25 acres and spill down the grand staircase at the entrance to the Inn’s main building. Vibrant fuchsia, periwinkle, dark and light pink, and purple pastels, as well as stunning white and “lace” varieties of hydrangeas cover over 75 percent of the Inn’s grounds. The blooms’ bright colors reflect the soil types and nutrients in which they were planted, and the type of care given to them. Guests can enjoy them on walks through the resort as they go about their activities, and the Inn invites the local community to visit and enjoy the magnificent, magical blooms.
The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
The Gardens of Kohler were planted in 1913 after Walter J. Kohler, Sr. travelled to Europe to study garden cities. He worked with the Olmsted Brothers, whose landscape firm had designed Central Park in New York City to plan the green spaces that beautify the Village of Kohler and Kohler Co. campus—including a comprehensive 50-year landscape primary plan. A second 50-year plan of growth, under guidelines established by The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, was completed in 1977.
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