Morris House Hotel

When tourists come to Philadelphia, it's almost always for the history. Okay, sometimes it's for the Rocky Run, but mostly they want a window in the early history of this nation. And what better way to enhance a trip into the past than to stay in a hotel that was built during the height of Philadelphia’s Golden Age?

The Morris House Hotel was built in 1787 as a residence for the prominent Morris Family. Over the years, their neighbors included Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and some of Philadelphia’s great landmarks like Independence Hall and Betsy Ross’s house are a short distance away. Today, the house is one of the last great examples of the city’s red brick colonial architecture.

Each of the fifteen rooms has been decorated individually, with period-appropriate antiques. There’s also a private garden and a lovely restaurant. And the staff serves tea every afternoon in one of the two living rooms. If it’s cold outside, they light fires in the original fireplaces.