America's "Royal" Residences - house tours - Brief Article

Travel America, Nov, 2000 by M. T. Schwartzman

America doesn't have any royalty, but it has plenty of palatial homes. Many are open to the public, usually for a fee. Here's a peek inside a few of the most popular abodes. Among them are the residences of two former presidents, a "king," and a publishing baron who built himself a castle.

* THE WHITE HOUSE. America's first residence draws about a million people a year. Most of the rooms included on the self-guided tour are used for ceremonial purposes--you won't get to see the Oval Office. Included are the Library, the State Dining Room, and several reception rooms. The house is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 to noon. However, depending on affairs of state, this schedule can vary. In peak season (mid-March through the Saturday before Labor Day), tickets are required from the White House Visitors Center, which also presents interpretive displays. Tickets are limited, so it's a good idea to arrive before the center opens at 7:30 a.m. Arrive later, and you run the risk of being turned away. The center is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Ave., about a block from the White House. Call (202) 208-1631 or log on to www.nps.gov/whho.> * GRACELAND. A survey once named Graceland "the most recognizable home in America after the White House." Every year, more than 600,000 people make a pilgrimage to this mansion in Memphis, which was the home of Elvis Presley, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll," from 1957 until his death in 1977. The house remains mostly unchanged since Elvis last walked through its doors and is like a time capsule spanning three decades of decor. The self-guided tour includes the music room, where Elvis and friends would gather around a black baby grand piano; the "jungle room," which Elvis used as a makeshift recording studio; and the trophy building, which displays Elvis' gold and platinum records. Call Graceland at (800) 238-2000 or visit the King online at www.elvispresley.com.

* MOUNT VERNON. George Washington never lived in the White House, but he did live in nearby Virginia at his Mount Vernon Estate. More than a million people each year visit the house, located 16 miles south of the nation's capital. Included in the tour is the large dining room, where Washington got word of his election to the presidency. The estate is noteworthy not just for its interior, which represents early American living at its finest, but for its setting--perched above the Potomac. Besides the house and gardens, the site has a colonial farm, where they use Washington's farming techniques. Call Mount Vernon at (703) 780-2000 or log on to www.mountvemon.org.

* MONTICELLO. Thomas Jefferson also lived in Virginia. He personally designed Monticello, which he proudly described as his "essay in architecture." It's the only house in America on the United Nations' World Heritage List of international treasures. Even some of the furniture in the Charlottesville house was designed by Jefferson and built by cabinetmakers at Monticello. More than half a million people visit Monticello every year, taking guided tours of the home and plantation grounds. Jefferson was especially interested in gardening, and he surrounded the main house with a vegetable garden, flower gardens, orchards, vineyards, and groves--now restored to appear as they did in Jefferson's time. Call Monticello at (804) 984-9822 or visit online at www.monticello.org.

* HEARST CASTLE. William Randolph Hearst's "Castle" at San Simeon has long been considered a must-see for visitors traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles. As a newspaper publisher, Hearst became one of America's first media moguls. His estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean took 28 years to build, until eventually it included 165 rooms set on 127 acres. Styles evident in the house and its furnishings include Greco-Roman, Mediterranean, and Gothic. Today, more than 800,000 people visit each year; the grounds are so expansive that four different tours are offered. Call (800) 444-4445 or log on to www.hearstcastle.org.