National Trust Great Places Tours

by Kelly Amabile on

Although the primary mission of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is to save historic places and revitalize America’s communities, their program offerings go beyond the 50 states. National Trust Tours have been operating for 35 years, focusing on destinations that explore the traditions and cultures of the world, with a special emphasis on the effect that art and architecture has had on them. And now, their more moderately priced Great Places tour offerings has expanded.

These more affordable tour options are characterized by shorter stays, free time within the course of the tour (with staff suggestions on how to spend your time) and guided touring with their experts. Destinations scheduled for 2008 include: Australia and New Zealand, Ireland, Austin, Poland and a river cruise through Belgium and Holland aboard the M.V. Heidelberg. Although these tours may still be too steep for some budgets, others may find these tighter packaged itineraries to be just right.

Historic hotels offer haunted hospitality

by Kelly Amabile on

Several of the National Trust’s historic hotels are famous for more than just their unique interiors and architecture. The Night Shift Nurse haunts the halls of Baltimore’s Admiral Fell Inn and the ghost of a young woman who never checked out of the Hotel del Coronado lingers at the San Diego landmark. In fact, the Trust has compiled a rather lengthy list of ghostly tales from haunted hotels across the US. There are stories of unrequited love, culinary capers, holy spirits, past life experiences and other unexplainable mysteries of the paranormal.

You could spend every Halloween from here on out visiting these possessed places! And if you’re really eager to get in on the action soon, several of the hotels are offering spooky deals beyond next Wednesday’s holiday. The Hotel Bethlehem in PA embraces its “permanent guest” with a Rooms with a Boo weekend, November 2- 4; The Hotel Galvez in Galveston will offer its phantom package through December, and the Windsor Hotel in Americus, GA will keep guests guessing during two Murder Mystery weekends in January and February 2008. More info on all historic hotel packages can be found here.