From stately estates built in the 1700s to Gilded Age castles erected two centuries later, America’s past can be traced through its many homes.
We rounded up 50 stunning historic houses that you can visit right now – houses that have been preserved for their significant contributions to architecture, culture, history, and more.
If you’re taking a road trip soon, here are the ones that you won’t want to miss.
ALABAMA: Governor’s Mansion
Originally built in 1907, this mansion is home to Alabama’s current governor, Kay Ivey. The beautiful residence is known for its Neoclassical design and has a pool shaped like the state of Alabama.
Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History
ALASKA: Russian Bishop's House
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Imperial Russia played a pivotal role in the development of Alaska. Today, the Russian Bishop's House is one of the oldest surviving reminders of that time.
Source: National Park Service
ARIZONA: Taliesin West
Once the winter home of revered American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Taliesin West now serves as the main campus of The School of Architecture at Taliesin.
Source: Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
ARKANSAS: Quigley's Castle
Quigley's Castle was designed by a woman named Elise Fioravanti and built by her husband Albert Quigley in 1943. The building is known for its towering tropical plants that are now over 70 years old.
Source: Quigley's Castle
CALIFORNIA: Winchester Mystery Home
This giant mansion was built by Sarah Winchester after her husband, the creator of the Winchester rifle, died in 1881. Since then, many have claimed, including Sarah herself, that the building is haunted by the spirits of those killed with her husband's invention.
Source: Smithsonian.com
COLORADO: Molly Brown House
This gorgeous restored building was once home to American philanthropist and activist Margaret Brown. After surviving the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, Brown became an outspoken champion for workers' and women's rights.
Source: Mollybrown.org
CONNECTICUT: Philip Johnson Glass House
This modern structure was designed by American architect Philip Johnson and built in 1949. It's located on a historic site comprised of 49 acres, 13 other structures, and a permanent collection of 20th-century paintings and sculptures.
Source: National Trust for Historic Preservation
DELAWARE: Nemours Mansion and Gardens
With 105 rooms and five floors, this stunning, château-inspired mansion sits on a 300-acre estate with the largest French formal garden in North America.
Source: The Nemours Foundation
FLORIDA: Ca' d'Zan
Once home to American circus owner John Ringling and his wife Mable, this opulent waterfront mansion was built in the 1920s for $1.5 million.
Source: The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
GEORGIA: Swan House
Fans of "The Hunger Games" or "The Amazing Race" might recognize this regal mansion, which was built in 1928 at the end of the Jazz Age and is often used to film scenes for films and shows.
Source: Atlanta History Center
HAWAII: Shangri La
Built by heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke in the 1930s, this estate is an Islamic-style mansion. It is now a museum dedicated to teaching visitors about Islamic art and design.
Source: Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art
IDAHO: The Standrod Mansion
This mini-castle was built by Judge D.W. Standrod in 1902 for $12,000, the equivalent of roughly $330,000 today. Both of the Standrods' children died at a young age, and some believe the mansion is still haunted by their spirits.
Source: The Idaho Historic Preservation Council
ILLINOIS: Ben Rose House
Nestled in a suburb of Chicago, this modern building is surrounded by trees, overlooking a ravine. You might recognize it from the scene in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" when Cameron Frye crashes his dad's Ferrari.
Source: Curbed Chicago
INDIANA: Grouseland
This massive brick home was built for the ninth President of the US, William Henry Harrison, during his term as governor of what was then Indiana Territory. The house served as the center of the Indiana Territory's government and was a "fortress in times of unrest."
Source: Grouseland Foundation
IOWA: Dibble House
Pictured in the background of artist Grant Wood's iconic painting, "American Gothic," this quaint home was built in the late 1880s. Wood was inspired to paint "the kind of people [he] fancied should live in [the Dibble] house."
Source: Slate
KANSAS: Amelia Earhart Birthplace
The birthplace of American aviator Amelia Earhart sits on the west bank of the Missouri River and is open to the public as a museum.
Source: Victorian Preservation Association
KENTUCKY: Mayo Mansion
American entrepreneur John C. C. Mayo spent $250,000 (the equivalent of over $6 million in 2017) constructing this beautiful mansion in the early 1900s.
Source: National Park Service
LOUISIANA: Maison Olivier Creole Cottage
Part of the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, this unique home is known for its distinct Creole, Carribean, and French influences.
Source: Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism
MAINE: Castle Tucker
Home to a prominent shipping family in the 1800s and 1900s, this beautiful home sits on a hill overlooking the Sheepscot River.
Source: Historic New England
MARYLAND: Paca House and Garden
This Georgian mansion was home to William Paca, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence and the governor of Maryland for three terms.
Source: Historic Annapolis
MASSACHUSETTS: House of the Seven Gables
Built in 1667, this colonial mansion inspired American author Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his famous Gothic novel, "The House of the Seven Gables," over two centuries later.
Source: The House of the Seven Gables Settlement
MICHIGAN: Alden B. Dow Home and Studio
Widely considered the masterpiece of American architect Alden B. Dow, this modern structure seamlessly incorporates lush elements from nature in its design - the hallmark of Dow's "organic" style.
Source: Alden B. Dow Home and Studio
MINNESOTA: James J. Hill House
This sprawling mansion was home to American railroad magnate James J. Hill, the founder of the Great Northern Railway in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society
MISSISSIPPI: Rowan Oak
This building was once home to prolific American author William Faulkner. In 1972, Faulkner's daughter sold the house to the University of Mississippi.
Source: RowanOak.com
MISSOURI: Vaile Mansion
Now open to the public as a museum, this lavish mansion was built in 1881 for businessman Colonel Harvey Merrick Vaile and his wife Sophia.
Source: Vaile Victorian Society
MONTANA: Charles E. Conrad Mansion
Kirtland Cutter, one of the most influential architects in the Northwest during the Victorian era, designed this picturesque home for shipping magnate Charles E. Conrad.
Source: Conrad Mansion Museum
NEBRASKA: Scout's Rest Ranch
Built by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody - who is best known for creating the traveling vaudeville show "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" in 1882 - this ranch is open for guided tours by appointment.
Source: North Platte Nebraska
NEVADA: Bowers Mansion
The impressive Bowers Mansion was built in 1863 by millionaires Lemuel "Sandy" Bowers and his wife Eilley, who became extremely wealthy during the Comstock mining boom in the mid to late 1800s.
Source: Victorian Preservation Association
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Robert Frost Farm
This farm was home to acclaimed American poet Robert Frost and his family from 1900 to 1911. Visitors can expect tours, displays, a walking trail, and poetry readings.
Source: The Robert Frost Farm
NEW JERSEY: Albert Einstein House
Built in the late 1800s, this cottage-style home was bought by theoretical physicist Albert Einstein in 1935. Einstein lived there with his wife, Elsa, until his death in 1955.
Source: State Symbols USA
NEW MEXICO: Georgia O'Keeffe Home and Studio
Artist Georgia O'Keeffe, a pioneer of American modernism, customized this adobe-style home with her friend Maria Chabot from 1945 to 1949. Now, her former residence is considered one of the most important artistic sites in the southwestern US.
Source: Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
NEW YORK: Oheka Castle
The second largest private home in the US, the opulent Oheka Castle was built by investment banker Otto Hermann Kahn in the early 1900s. Now a historic hotel, the castle is often used to film TV shows and movies, host lavish weddings, and more.
Source: Oheka Castle Hotel & Estate
NORTH CAROLINA: Biltmore Estate
This stunning mansion, and largest private home in the US, sits on a massive 8,000-acre estate. Built by George Washington Vanderbilt II during the Gilded Age, and passed down to his descendants today, the home is open for tours and overnight stays.
Source: The Biltmore Company
NORTH DAKOTA: Carroll House Hotel
This quaint building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. One of the first businesses in the Fullerton community, it is also the "only extant and best-preserved example of a hotel and restaurant from the late 19th century."
Source: US Department of the Interior National Park Service
OHIO: Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
Built between 1912 and 1915 for the founder of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, F. A. Seiberling, this beautiful building is among the largest private homes in the US.
Source: Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
OKLAHOMA: The Marland Mansion
Designed as a showplace for fine art, this picturesque home is also known as the "Palace on the Prairie." It was built by oil baron Ernest Whitworth Marland as a display of his wealth during the 1920s oil boom.
Source: The Marland Estate
OREGON: Aubrey R. Watzek House
This unique home was once the residence of lumber baron Aubrey Watzek. Now part of the University of Oregon's John Yeon Center for Architecture and the Landscape, it's regarded as "an icon for bold, new regional interpretations of the Modernist movement."
Source: John Yeon Center for Architecture and the Landscape
PENNSYLVANIA: Fallingwater
Widely considered to be architect Frank Lloyd Wright's most beautiful project, this intricate structure was designed as a weekend home for Edgar Kaufmann, the owner of Kaufmann's department store.
Source: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
RHODE ISLAND: The Breakers
The second Vanderbilt property on this list, this regal mansion looks straight out of a postcard. The breathtaking estate served as a summer home for Cornelius Vanderbilt II in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Source: The Preservation Society of Newport County
SOUTH CAROLINA: Kaminski House
One of the wealthiest merchants in the South Carolina colony, Paul Trapier built this beautiful home and then gifted it to his daughter, Elizabeth, in 1769.
Source: The Friends of the Kaminski House
SOUTH DAKOTA: Adams Museum & House
Richard F. Pettigrew, the first full-term US senator in South Dakota, bought this Victorian home in 1911. The house is now filled with many of the artifacts that Pettigrew collected on his travels around the world.
Source: Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau
TENNESSEE: Graceland
Singer and cultural icon Elvis Presley bought this sprawling estate in 1957. Now, the mansion-turned-museum brings in over 700,000 visitors annually, making it the second most-visited private home in the US after the White House.
Source: Biography.com
TEXAS: Bishop's Palace
Also known as the Gresham's Castle, this building is one of the most significant Victorian structures in the US. Made completely of stone, it was sturdy enough to withstand the deadliest natural disaster in America's history, the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
Source: Galveston Historical Foundation
UTAH: Box Elder Stake Tabernacle
An example of 19th century Latter-day Saint architecture, this building was rebuilt by Mormon settlers in 1897.
Source: Utah Department of Heritage & Arts
VERMONT: Naulakha
English writer Rudyard Kipling designed and lived in this beautiful home in the 1890s. Kipling named his residence after the Naulakha Pavilion in Pakistan.
Source: The New York Times
VIRGINIA: Swannanoa Palace
Built in 1912 by millionaire James H. Dooley, this stunning mansion features an Italian Renaissance Revival design inspired by buildings in Rome's Villa Midici.
Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation
WASHINGTON: Manresa Castle
This beautiful home was completed in 1892 by businessman Charles Eisenbeis, who would go on to become the first mayor of Jefferson County.
Source: Manresa Castle Hotel
WEST VIRGINIA: Alexander Campbell Mansion
Built in four stages between 1795 and 1840, this historic site was a place of worship and community dining.
Source: Bethany College
WISCONSIN: Pabst Mansion
Once home to Captain Frederick Pabst, the founder of the Pabst Brewing Company, this stunning building is a testament to the wealth of some families during America's Gilded Age.
Source: Pabst Mansion
WYOMING: Trail End State Historic Site
This historic site is comprised of two parts: the Kendrick mansion, which was once home to the family of the politician John B. Kendrick, and the Carriage House Theater, which continues to host performances today. The mansion has been preserved as a historic home museum - and an example of life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries - since 1982.
Source: WyoHistory