The INSIDER Summary:
- Many hotels in the US date back to the country's founding — and some are even older.
- The Seaside Inn in Kennebunk, Maine, for example, has been run by the same family for nine generations.
- Many flock to historic hotels in the hopes of spotting a ghost: The Gold Hill Hotel in Virginia City, Nevada, is allegedly haunted by former guests.
The US is filled with glamorous, modern hotels, but there is something special about staying in a history-filled establishment that helps tell the story of a destination's local culture.
From colonial bed and breakfasts in New England to stagecoach stops from the Old West, there are plenty of places to spend the night that history buffs will love.
With the help of Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, INSIDER has compiled a list of the oldest (or nearly the oldest) hotel in every state.
ALABAMA: The Battle House Hotel, Mobile
While it opened to guests in 1852, the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, Alabama, was built on the same spot as a military headquarters that Andrew Jackson set up during the War of 1812.
After a devastating fire in 1905 and falling into disrepair several times over the years, the Battle House Hotel re-opened for good in 2009.
ALASKA: The Historic Anchorage Hotel, Anchorage
After it first opened in 1916, the Anchorage Hotel quickly became an important fixture in the city.
Today, the hotel is said to be haunted by some of Anchorage's historical figures. For example, guests often report sightings of Anchorage’s first Chief of Police, Jack Sturgus, who died mysteriously near the hotel in 1921.
ARIZONA: Hotel San Carlos, Phoenix
The site where the historic Hotel San Carlos stands was once home to Phoenix's first school house and the city's fourth brick building.
The Italian Renaissance-style hotel was built in the 1920s. It became a hot spot for actors visiting from Los Angeles and prominent members of Phoenix society. The hotel underwent its last major renovation in 2003, but it has stayed true to its historic roots.
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