When I read Little Women many years ago, I fell in love with Louisa May Alcott and the lives she and her sisters led. Recently, I discovered Orchard House, the colonial era home in Concord, Massachusetts, where the Alcott family resided from 1858 to 1877. It was here, at a small desk that her father built for her, that Alcott wrote her beloved novel. As guided tours progress through the handsomely outfitted house, the story of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March comes alive.

Almost all of the furniture and household objects are original, and offer an exceptional image of how a modern Victorian family lived. See the dining room where the Alcott sisters staged plays for their guests, the parlor where Anna Alcott was married in 1860, and the kitchen where the ladies of the house did the laundry and the cooking. Bedrooms feature delightful wall paintings by May Alcott as well as dozens of portraits depicting the whole family. A quick drive from the invigorating Aloft Lexington, Orchard House is a wonderful place to visit on your New England adventure.