The Coolest House You Can Tour in Every State

Visit Them All!

Have you ever driven past a distinctive dwelling and wondered what—or who—is inside? While many fascinating abodes across the country are worth exploring, the majority are off limits to the public, which makes those that welcome visitors true treasures to behold. Scroll through for the most architecturally and historically significant homes in each state that open their doors to the public, and then schedule a tour of the one nearest you.

Alabama – Rosenbaum House

The only Frank Lloyd Wright building in Alabama, this futuristic home in Florence was built for Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum, a young couple who went on to raise four sons within its walls. Typical of the Usonian style, the home is L-shaped and incorporates native materials, in this instance cypress and brick. The strong horizontal lines of its cantilevered roofs visually anchor the structure to the site, and expanses of windows blur the distinction between indoors and out. Further uniting the home and its surroundings, most bedrooms include a door to the outside. Tour it yourself from Tuesday through Sunday for $10.

Alaska – Erskine House

For a glimpse into life in Kodiak when it was a Russian settlement, tour the Erskine House, the oldest Russian-built structure in the country. Erected circa 1810 as a storage facility, in 1911 it became the residence of businessman W.J. Erskine, who then lived there for 30 years. Clad in redwood siding and topped with a dramatic gabled roof, the building now hosts the Kodiak History Museum, rife with exhibits on the history of the Kodiak Archipelago and the Aleutian Islands. Adventurers can see it all on a house tour, from Tuesday through Saturday; $10 per adult.

Arizona – Taliesin West

Now the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the School of Architecture at Taliesin, this desert-inspired dwelling in Scottsdale was built in 1937 to serve as Wright’s winter home. Among its many impressive architectural elements, the hexagonal rock cabaret theater, light-filled garden room, and shimmering pool best exemplify Wright’s lifelong love of nature. You can see these sights and more on a selection of tours, with tickets ranging from $35 to $75, any day of the year except Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Arkansas – Peel Mansion

Like a time capsule from 1875, the year it was built by Colonel Samuel West Peel, the Peel Mansion captures a slice of life in the post-Civil War South. The Italianate mansion in Bentonville features a Victorian interior complete with period rugs, an imposing staircase with a graceful walnut balustrade, a rare Anglo-Japanese mantel in the library, and Greek Revival trim in the parlor. To make the surrounding heritage garden as period authentic as possible, descendants of the region’s early settlers were interviewed to find out what plants they remembered from the gardens of their youth. Visiting the mansion and grounds is like taking a trip back to the 19th century. Options include free guided or self-guided tours, or a group tour with lunch or breakfast ($20 per guest).

California – Winchester Mystery House

When a psychic informed Sarah Winchester that the untimely deaths of her daughter and her gun magnate husband were the work of ghosts, she took it to heart and moved from Connecticut to San Jose, where she built a quirky, palatial property packed with booby traps to thwart evil spirits. On a tour of the 160-room home, you’ll notice a freaky floor plan, sealed rooms, and doors that lead to several-foot drops. Construction began in 1884, and some say that it did not stop until Winchester’s death in 1922. This unfinished business is perhaps why her ghost is rumored to haunt the house to this day. See the eccentric estate up close daily (except for Christmas Day) on one of a selection of tours that range from $20 to $54.

Colorado – The Molly Brown House

Known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” for having survived the sinking of the Titanic, the energetic, ambitious Brown went on to live in a house with an enduring appeal every bit as notable as her own. Built in the 1880s, the Queen Anne-meets-Richardsonian Romanesque mansion had all the modern amenities of the day, including electricity, indoor plumbing, and the telephone. After Brown passed away in 1932, her Denver home was sold, later becoming a rooming house and then a home for poor and immigrant girls. Saved from demolition in the 1970s, the house is now a carefully restored museum, filled with exhibits recounting Brown’s long record of activism and philanthropy. Soak them all in Tuesday through Sunday for $13.

Connecticut – Gillette Castle

Twenty men toiled for five years, from 1914 to 1919, to build this 24-room medieval-style castle where William Gillette retreated upon his semi-retirement from directing, acting, and playwriting. The creative eccentricities of Gillette, who painstakingly oversaw the construction, suffuse every square inch of the fieldstone-and-steel castle, from the carved wood light switches to a table that moves on tracks. Now part of Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, the site is open for tours from mid-Spring through mid-October; general admission tickets are $6.

Delaware – Nemours Mansion and Gardens

If the Palace of Versailles is on your bucket list, but airfare to France isn’t in your budget, head instead to this chateau in Wilmington. The regal residence, a gift from industrialist Alfred I. du Pont to his second wife, boasts the largest French-style garden in North America, inspired by the gardens of Versailles. Indoors, visitors can admire notable artworks and opulent furnishings as well as a bowling alley, a billiards table, and the estate’s collection of vintage cars. Tours are offered Tuesday through Sunday for $18.

Florida – Audubon House

By the time American ornithologist and naturalist John J. Audubon had departed Key West in 1832, he had identified some 18 new birds. According to local folklore, many of his drawings of these winged beauties were thought to have been sketched on the Key West property where, in the 1840s, Captain John Huling Geiger later built the home that now bears Audubon’s name. The estate also displays 28 of the ornithologist’s first-edition works. Admire them up close daily for $14.

Georgia – Swan House

The next time you’re in Atlanta, relive movie history by strolling through this house museum that was used as a location for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” among other films. Although onscreen the Second Renaissance Revival mansion served as the villainous President Snow’s palace, its off-screen life has been more serene. Built in 1928 for cotton tycoons Edward and Emily Inman, the property features elaborate interiors, stately grounds, and a recurring swan motif with painted and sculptured swans indoors and out. Self-guided tours are included with general admission to Atlanta History Center ($21.50); a guided tour is an additional $10. Swan House also offers a “Behind the Scenes” tour, which visits rooms not on view in the regular tour, for $31.50 (this price includes History Center admission).

Hawaii – Liljestrand House

During a hike in 1946, Howard and Betty Liljestrand stumbled on a secluded spot on a hillside above downtown Honolulu and vowed to make it home. By 1952, a Hawaiian Modern-style house, designed by architect Vladimir Ossipoff, stood on the parcel of land. Sensitive to the demands of the site, the structure sits on two terraces, and the master bedroom is angled to preserve a stand of ancient eucalyptus trees. Request a tour, and you’ll be able to savor the dramatic views from every room of this meticulously crafted home.

Idaho – Parish House

What was known initially as Sacred Heart Mission was built between 1850 and 1853, at the direction of Jesuit missionaries and with the labor of Coeur d’Alene tribe members. The current parish house was built in 1887 after fires destroyed earlier buildings. In addition to the parish house, the site of the mission, which is now part of Old Mission State Park, comprises Sacred Heart Church (1853), two cemeteries, and a visitor’s center. The mission stands as a symbol of the clash and interplay of Native American and European religions and cultures in the 19th century. A $5 fee grants entrance to Old Mission State Park and the various buildings within. 

Illinois – Farnsworth House

Although architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a founding father of modernism, is perhaps best known today for towering glass-and-steel icons like the Seagram Building in New York City, this daring International Style house in Plano is perfection on a smaller scale. Built between 1945 and 1951 for nephrologist Edith Farnsworth, the one-room wonder with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and an open terrace doesn’t provide the occupant with much cover. But a screened porch and a tall black maple tree provide some privacy and shade—as you can see for yourself during a guided tour, available for $20.

Indiana – Samara

Named for the winged seeds in pine cones, this Usonian landmark in West Lafayette was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for John and Kay Christian, who both worked at nearby Purdue University. Designed toward the end of Wright’s career, Samara seemed destined for icon status from the outset. Today, the clerestory windows, the uncharacteristically saturated color palette of lime green and purple, and dining chairs emblazoned with chevron-shaped leaves wow even those unfamiliar with the famous architect. Schedule a tour of this Wright masterpiece from April through the end of November for $10.

Iowa – American Gothic House

Although a woman and a pitchfork-wielding man steal the scene in Grant Wood’s most famous painting, “American Gothic,” it’s the humble house in the background that truly captures the stolid spirit of 20th century rural America. That house, previously known as the Dibble House, was inspired by the residence of Charles and Catharine Dibble. Built around 1882, the Carpenter Gothic dwelling in Eldon totals a mere 504 square feet and features white board-and-batten siding and a prominent Gothic-style window. After viewing the house in 1930, Wood himself found it unremarkable but “very paintable.” Judge for yourself on a free tour, the second Saturday of every month, from April through October.

Kansas – Subterra Castle

A Cold War relic, this disused underground missile launch complex located outside Topeka was purchased for $40,000 in 1982 by Edward and Dianna Peden—a steal given the $4 million it cost the government to build. A lot of legwork went into turning it into a home: When Edward first opened the garage, it contained a 78-foot missile topped with an atom bomb! Since 1994, the Pedens have been living underground in the converted compound, offering tours and hosting educational events. If you find that the underground life appeals to you, the couple will help you buy and convert an atomic bunker of your own.

Kentucky – Loudoun House

The imposing tower topped with battlements and the narrow, diamond-paned windows are hallmarks of the Gothic Revival style, the inspiration for this hauntingly beautiful residence built by John McMurtry in 1850 and designed by Alexander Jackson Davis. The peculiar pad, which includes such features as a half-tunnel and a gymnasium, changed hands many times during its long history. It was built for Francis Key Hunt, then owned by Republican National Committee Chairman Colonel William Cassius Goodloe, and ended up with the city of Lexington. Today, the house is part of Castle Park and hosts the Lexington Art League. Tours are offered Tuesday through Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday during exhibitions.

Louisiana – Hermann-Grima House Museum

Kathy Bates’s terrifying turn as real-life serial murderess Delphine LaLaurie in Season 3 of “American Horror Story” gave the country the chills. Did you know that portions of that lurid story were filmed in this grand home in the French Quarter of New Orleans? The Federal-style home, built in 1831 for Samuel Hermann and later sold to Judge Felix Grima, features a courtyard garden, a stable, and a kitchen with an open hearth. Although this house was not the site of LaLaurie’s dastardly deeds (her actual home was burned by a mob after her departure and subsequently rebuilt), there are apparently enough ghosts still in residence for it to be a stop on one of many New Orleans ghost tours. For those not interested in the paranormal, a straightforward visit is $15.

Maine – Olson House