Travel + Leisure - India & South Asia
Touring Literary New England
Getting There
Qatar Airways (qatarairways.
com) flies from Delhi to Hartford with stops in Doha and Chicago.
See & Do Hartford, Connecticut
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center The writer’s residence is the ideal place to consider her complicated legacy. The centre’s engagement with issues of race and justice ensures the house is more than just a testament to the past. harrietbeecher stowecenter.org
Mark Twain House & Museum This stunning neo-Gothic mansion, where Twain lived for 17 years, offers a glimpse into his personal and public life. An adjacent museum gives visitors the opportunity to explore Twain’s writings. marktwainhouse.org
Delamar West Hartford
A short drive from the Twain and Stowe houses, this hotel, which opened in 2017, has 114 spare but tasteful rooms. Doubles from `20,030; delamar.com
Concord, Massachusetts
Orchard House
Of all the homes in which the Alcott family lived, Orchard House is where Louisa May and her sisters’ vibrant spirit is most acutely felt. The writer drew on it for the setting of Little Women. louisamayalcott.org
Concord’s Colonial Inn
The ideal Concord retreat: a colonial mansion steps away from the centre of town with a wonderful pub and restaurant. Doubles from `15,566; concords colonialinn.com
Barrow Bookstore
A book lover’s dream, with an excellent selection of titles from Concord’s golden age, including many rare and first editions. barrowbookstore.com
The Berkshires, Massachusetts
Arrowhead
This treasure, hidden in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in the town of Pittsfield, is where Melville wrote his greatest works. berkshirehistory.org
The Mount
Edith Wharton’s glorious Gilded Age estate in Lenox is as elegant as they come, with Wharton’s original library and a pair of European-inspired gardens to stroll through. edithwharton.org
Wyndhurst Manor & Club Located in the town of Lenox, this hotel occupies a beautifully restored Gothic mansion and is well situated for exploring the region. Doubles from `28,973; wyndhurstmanor andclub.com
Amherst, Massachusetts
Emily Dickinson Museum
The poet’s residence is home to arguably the single most important room in American literature: the bedroom where Dickinson wrote nearly all of her poems. The house is closed until March 2022, but is hosting a range of virtual events in 2021. emily dickinsonmuseum.org
Inn on Boltwood
This 49-room hotel, just a few paces from Amherst College and Dickinson’s home, combines classic New England charm with up-to-date amenities. Doubles from `17,060; innonboltwood.com
Osteria Vespa
Tucked away in a quiet corner of town, this restaurant features traditional Italian dishes like eggplant parmesan. Entrées `1,340–`2,309; osteriavespa.com