Book It! 6 Great Literary Travel Destinations
Discover vacation inspiration in your favorite reads
Where will your next read lead you?
Every good writer pulls inspiration from somewhere and, lucky for us, many stories have elements from places you can actually visit. From the Yellow Brick Road in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to a dinner table in Twilight, travel through the pages of your favorite book with six literary vacation destinations for every bookworm.
Hunt for hidden treasure like Tom Sawyer
Fire up your lantern and head to Hannibal, home of the Mark Twain Cave. This underground wonder in Missouri is known to have inspired the adventurous writings of one of America’s most well-known authors and is featured in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Avid Twain fans from all over the world visit this literary travel destination, just over 100 miles northwest of St. Louis, to explore what was written as McDougal’s cave, famed for the Treasure Room where Tom and Huckleberry Finn find $12,000 in gold.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Pay homage to the creator of Kansas girl Dorothy Gale, her three spirited companions (and her little dog, too) on this literary travel adventure as you follow the yellow bricks through the upstate New York town of Chittenango—the birthplace of writer L. Frank Baum. He was born in 1856 to a wealthy family and then raised in nearby Mattydale on an estate known as Rose Lawn. Each year, in honor of Baum, Chittenango (about two hours from Albany) holds a festival called Oz-Stravaganza, complete with costume and writing contests.
Do some spying in Carl Schurz Park
Pretend you’re Harriet the Spy in Carl Schurz Park.
To the natives in New York City, historic Carl Schurz Park is a nice, quiet place along the edge of the East River. But to Harriet M. Welsch, the titular character of Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy, the park holds a special significance. In the 1964 children’s classic, Harriet lived just down the street from the Upper East Side park and went to school around the corner. Turn the Big Apple into a literary travel destination as you follow in the footsteps of this beloved book character.
Relive Bella and Edward's first date
Port Angeles, about two and a half hours northwest of Seattle, is a now-famed waterfront town featured in Stephenie Meyer’s mega popular Twilight series. In the first book, Bella and Edward had their first date at Bella Italia, a real restaurant founded in 1996 by Neil Conklin, who gathered up some creative friends to craft a dining experience that reminded them of warm Italian hospitality. Wondering what to order if your literary travel takes you to Bella Italia? Opt for the dish Bella orders on her first date with her dreamy vampire—Bella’s Mushroom Ravioli.
Get inspired at the Margaret Mitchell House
It might not have looked like much at the time, but this apartment-turned-museum in Atlanta is where author Margaret Mitchell penned her Pulitzer Prize-winning Gone With the Wind. Go on a literary travel adventure inspired by one of the most-beloved epic works of fiction ever created. Grab an all-inclusive ticket for admission to both the Margaret Mitchell House and the Atlanta History Center, where award-winning exhibitions, gardens and other interactive activities offer context and a deeper understanding of the South and beyond.
Enjoy a Nicholas Sparks-style evening
When you visit the North Carolina coast, it’s easy to see why author Nicholas Sparks writes about its charming towns with romantic harbors and friendly, welcoming townspeople. Along the state’s famed Outer Banks, you can set out on a literary travel vacation and visit the namesake town of Rodanthe in Sparks’ novel-turned-popular-film, Nights in Rodanthe. Travel along Beacon Road to see the Inn at Rodanthe where the author’s characters, made famous by Diane Lane and Richard Gere in the film, first met.
Ready to travel? Find hotels near these literary landmarks.