The grande dame of Southern hotels, the historic Peabody, is a treat for the senses; opulence abounds, a dynamite restaurant pleases the palate and the famed ducks entertain both adults and children at this hotel dating back to 1869 (it's been at its current location since 1925). The old time-y pool area is a throwback to the glamour days of indoor hotel pools.
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The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, a National Historic Landmark, started out modestly as a 12-room adobe boarding house in the late 1800s when wealthy East Coast residents and Europeans began moving to Riverside, Calif. for the warm weather and growing citrus industry. Today, the charming AAA Four Diamond hotel offers 238 guest rooms and some of the most stunning hotel architecture out there.
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Guests of the Historic Hotel Bethlehem can learn about the hotel’s storied history in the Lower Lobby. A hotel has occupied the site since 1741, though the structure was used as a convalescence home for World War I soldiers for a period. Today, guests enjoy modern amenities in this historic setting in the heart of Moravian Bethlehem.
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The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa on the Alabama coast first opened its doors in 1847 with 40 rooms. Since then, the hotel served as a hospital during the Civil War and a host for training operations during both World War I and II. The Grand honors this military history daily by firing its cannon at the edge of Mobile Bay.
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The historic Hermitage Hotel was constructed in 1908 as Nashville’s first million-dollar hotel. No expense was spared in adorning the Beaux-Arts building with a grand staircase, mahogany-paneled guest rooms, Italian marble columns, a painted glass skylight and Circassian walnut cabinetwork. Numerous presidents and dignitaries number among the guests of this Nashville icon.
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Guests at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island might find themselves on rocking chairs on the world's longest porch overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. This historic hotel opened in 1887 to cater to summer vacationers from Chicago Montreal and Detroit. In 1895, Mark Twain gave lectures in the Grand Hotel Casino for $1 a ticket.
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Established in 1845, French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind. has undergone extensive refurbishment and restoration to make it look much like it did during its original golden days. For some 200 years, travelers have been coming to the area for the medicinal Pluto Mineral Springs, which guests of the resort can still enjoy today, along with modern amenities like high speed internet, a 27,000-square-foot spa and an 18-hole Donald Ross golf course.
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The Jefferson Hotel has been welcoming guests to Richmond for more than a century. When the first guest checked in in 1895, the hotel already had modern conveniences, like elevators, hot and cold running water and electricity. Today, amenities include TVs in the bathroom vanity mirrors and Nespresso coffee makers in each room.
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Napa Valley’s newest luxury inn occupies a National Register of Historic Places-designated building in Calistoga. The former family home for merchant James H. Francis features authentic French Second Empire architecture, restored to its original splendor after spending 52 years uninhabited.
Photo courtesy of The Francis House

Located in charming Downtown Charleston, Wentworth Mansion offers 21 luxe rooms in one of the city's grandest estates. The hotel, built in 1886, had its start as the private mansion of a wealthy cotton merchant. Touches include Italian crystal chandeliers, marble fireplaces, gas fireplaces, day beds, over-sized whirlpool tubs and walk-in showers.
Photo courtesy of Historic Hotels Worldwide