13 Famous Homes You Probably Have Never Been To (And Should)

So much of Upstate New York's glorious history can be told by visiting the famous homes in the region.

History is writ large across the Upstate New York region. And there is no better way to explore that history than to take a tour of a famous home, or one that is decidedly "off the grid."

Here is a list of 13 great homes, many of them perhaps you have never heard of or visited. They are great. Some are mansions, some are museums, one is attached to a lighthouse, one is a cabin on a mountaintop, and one is actually the oldest home in Upstate New York.

These houses cover the whole range of Upstate's area, from the Hudson Valley through Central New York, the Finger Lakes and on out to Buffalo. They all have great stories to tell.

21 Famous Upstate NY Homes You've Probably Never Heard Of

Here is an eclectic collection of 21 homes that have wonderful back stories to them. Several are grand mansions, several are museums, one is basically a cabin, and one is attached to a lighthouse. The homes have fantastic DNA to them. You may be surprised that a couple of these homes have very significant connections to famous authors. One is the home of a medical family who practiced there for 80 years (same family!). Take a look at these "unknown homes of Upstate New York." And the best thing is that...they are all open to the public for tours! I wrote a book about the famous homes of Upstate New York titled "Open House" (Syracuse University Press) and these are some of the best ones from that book!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

A Remarkable Look Inside 22 Of Upstate New York's Most Historic Churches!

There are just way too many beautiful churches in Upstate New York to even begin a comprehensive list of them all. So this gallery is a bit different. It is unique in that for each of the 22 historic places of worship we highlight, we also include a video tour of the interiors of the place (if available). If no video of the interior was possible, we inserted a video of the exterior, grounds, etc. So you can do your exploring from the comfort of your own laptop! You will enjoy seeing the splendor of these magnificent places in our gallery.

Here you will see majestic cathedrals, a Tibetan monastery, a church that ultimately found fame as a fort, a church that is world-renowned as a "temple to the art of Tiffany windows,: two important churches that were way stations along the Underground Railroad, plus the smallest church in the world!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Categories: Articles