Historic home estate and walking tours

September is one of the best times of the year to travel. The days are cooler and the autumn foliage breathtaking. And with the kids in school, you’ll share the sites, hotels, and restaurants with fewer tourists.

When you’re out and about this fall, home tours are a great way to enjoy the opulent décor, rare art, and lavish gardens of some of the country’s wealthiest home estates.

Step into another era at one of the top five on Fodor’s Best Home Estate Tours in the U.S.

The Mount. Writer Edith Wharton’s 42-room grand mansion in Lenox, MA.

The Biltmore Estate. The 8,000-acre grand estate of George Vanderbilt, built at the height of the Gilded Age, in Asheville, NC.

Kykuit. The six-story, 40-room Rockefeller Estate overlooking the Hudson River in Sleepy Hollow, NY.

Sunnylands. Publisher, businessman, and philanthropist Walter Annenberg and his wife’s estate in Rancho Mirage, CA, with a distinctly modern home and flagship golf course.

Chalk Hill Estate. The vineyard and residence of wine connoisseur Fred Furth, located at the base of the Mayacama Mountains in Healdsburg, CA.

Dream cities for historic home tours

A walking tour through a historic neighborhood in a city you love can be great fun. You’ll pick up an appreciation for architecture and ideas for exterior colors, landscaping, and gardens.

The TBG dream list of American cities with the best historic neighborhoods includes Savannah, Charleston, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and New Orleans.

Not traveling this fall?

Not a problem. Denver is home to several walking home tours. Stroll through LoDo, Capitol Hill, or Larimer Square. Hire a docent from a home tour operator and prepare to be inspired.