This is a list of ten great houses and landscapes that you can visit to enjoy the splendor of the autumn colors. This will give you a chance to enjoy the changing shades of the leaves and also to tour inside some of these great houses. The ten great homes and landscapes are described in an article by Becky Harris which I found on the Houzz website.
Looking to leaf-peep and visit some magnificent homes at the same time this autumn? Here are some noted residences that are open to the public and showcase exceptional fall color. This list mostly concentrates on the East Coast (one house is in the Midwest), and it runs more or less from north to south to match the schedule of the changing leaves.1. Naumkeag
Stockbridge, MassachusettsWhat: Naumkeag includes a beautiful home designed by McKim, Mead & White, as well as extensive garden rooms designed by noted landscape architect Fletcher Steele in collaboration with former owner Mabel Choate.
Fall sighting: The Art Deco Blue Steps are even more eye-catching in autumn, when the leaves on the paper birch trees have turned a spectacular golden yellow and their peeling white bark provides a stark contrast. It?s one of the best moments in landscape architecture in the U.S.2. The Mount
Lenox, MassachusettsWhat: Just a few miles from Naumkeag, this grand estate was writer Edith Wharton?s beloved home in the Berkshires. It?s a National Historic Landmark and cultural center that celebrates her intellectual, artistic and humanitarian legacy. She put her architectural principles into practice on the house with assistance from Ogden Codman Jr. and around the grounds with assistance from her niece, iconic landscape architect Beatrix Farrand.
Fall sighting: While there are always a lot of intellectual events happening at The Mount, there are also ghost tours! Gear up for Halloween by checking out the notoriously haunted parts of The Mount.
Also this fall, The Mount has teamed up with SculptureNow to display large-scale contemporary sculptures on the property through the end of October.3. Walden Pond State Reservation
Concord, MassachusettsWhat: This is place where Henry David Thoreau got really transcendental. This famous Thoreau quote from his book Walden Pond greets visitors on a sign:
?I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.?
Fall sighting: The reflection of the trees? riot of color on the pond will get you feeling downright transcendental yourself.
Although the little cabin near the parking lot at Walden Pond is just a replica of Thoreau?s original cabin, it gives you a good idea of the school of thought that was an early precursor to today?s tiny-house movement.
See more at Houzz
Feature photo: Falling Water