Fairmont Banff Springs
Banff, Alberta
In the midst of one of Canada’s most beautiful settings, the Fairmont Banff Springs is one of its most beautiful late-Victorian buildings.
“This place was built in 1888 to speak to the beauty of the Canadian Rockies,” said Angela Moore, the hotel’s regional director of public relations. “We’re located in a national park that is green and full of wildlife. Then you come up on this massive castle, and it’s really something to behold. It’s like the Titanic in the Rockies — an iconic, epic destination that people come from around the world to see.”
The overall architecture of the hotel reflects Medieval and Gothic style from around Europe, with touches that echo designs originating in France, Scotland and Spain. For overnight guests, the hotel offers tours that highlight its history and architecture.
“The hotel is broken up in different ways, so you’ll see different architectural styles as the tour goes along,” Moore said. “We’ve got the main castle and then as they built on things like Spanish style in the Alhambra room. We have turret bedrooms with unbelievable views. And we tell the famous ghost stories that everyone loves to hear.”
Many groups overnight at the hotel as part of a train trip through the Rockies aboard the Rocky Mountaineer. Travelers looking for a luxury retreat at any time of year can plan to spend several days at the resort where, in addition to the historic ambiance, they can enjoy golf, a spa and 12 on-site restaurants.
www.fairmont.com/banff-springs
Longwood Gardens
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
By the late 1800s, a large swath of land near Philadelphia had become one of the largest and most significant arboretums in the country, thanks to the efforts of early owners who planted it with trees from across the East Coast. When the land was slated to be sold to a lumber company, Pierre du Pont stepped in to purchase the property to save the trees and, eventually, turned the site into Longwood Gardens.
“From 1906 until his death in 1954, Mr. du Pont built the fountain gardens, our open-air theater and our 4-acre conservatory,” said Patricia Evans, communications manager at Longwood Gardens. “He was an early conservationist, Renaissance man and philanthropist.”
Du Pont’s work, along with the work of countless others who followed him, has made Longwood Gardens one of the most spectacular gardens in the country, bringing many of the most notable architectural and horticultural styles of the Victorian era into the modern day for visitors to explore. The site has 1,077 acres, 400 of which are open to the public, complete with 20 outdoor garden areas.
But the piece de resistance at Longwood Gardens is its marvelous conservatory, an achievement in both design and gardening.
“The conservatory is a highlight — it’s 4 acres under glass, with about 20 indoor gardens,” Evans said. “There are changing seasonal displays throughout the year. There’s not another garden in the country that has a conservatory as grand as Longwood’s.”
Other grand touches include three fountain gardens, which blend extraordinary water fixtures and classical garden motifs, and the Pierre du Pont House, where the garden’s founder lived on the property.
1886 Crescent Hotel
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Built on Crescent Mountain, a curved ridge overlooking the town of Eureka Springs, the 1886 Crescent Hotel is one of the foremost Victorian hotels in the American South.
“The hotel was originally built in 1886 during the Victorian era,” said director of sales Jodie English. “Not only the hotel but the entire community of Eureka Springs was built in the Victorian architecture of the day.”
The Crescent has lived through a variety of incarnations, housing a women’s college and an experimental cancer hospital at various times; but today, the stately building once again serves its original purpose. Many aspects of the hotel are remnants of its Victorian history.
“When you enter into the front of the Crescent, you see the original front desk, and the fireplace in the middle of the lobby is also original to the hotel,” English said. “The floors and ceilings in the Crystal Dining Room are original. We have lots of Victorian-era furnishings in the public spaces and the lobby, and many of the rooms have wonderful old Victorian beds.”
Groups and guests staying at the Crescent have a variety of ways of discovering the property’s history. The concierge offers a daily history tour, and ghost tours of the hotel are popular with visitors. Groups can also visit the open archives on the fourth floor, which feature photographs and documents from the Crescent’s past.
