Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by Jana of That Artsy Reading Girl! This is a weekly fun discussion where we’re given a topic to discuss ten of whatever (usually) bookish things fits that list for that week.
Today’s topic is about bookish places we’ve been to before, whether that be bookstores, libraries, locations featured in books, author homes or places they’ve been to, etc.
Now I don’t know that I have a list of ten places that I can really share, necessarily, that I’ve been to in terms of this that are unique or anything, but when I was thinking about it, I have been to several locations over my lifetime due to going on field trips in school, or going on trips as an adult, so let’s talk about some of those locations!
I’ll also list some places that I want to visit in my perusal of the internet as I was trying to remember the places I went. There are a few places in my state alone that I want to check out, so here we go:
Louisa May Alcott’s House
As a Massachusetts resident, we have a lot of historical sites in the state that we visited as part of our educational learning when I was growing up (at least for my public school education, anyway). One of those places was Louisa May Alcott’s house in Concord, MA! Now I can’t remember exactly when I went here, but I vaguely remember thinking how small the house felt inside, even though it looked big from the outside. The area is lovely, by the way. One of my favorite things about living in Massachusetts is that we really keep a lot of our nature around, and Concord is no exception.
Click here to go to the house’s official website to learn more!
Walden Pond State Reservation
Henry David Thoreau also lived in Massachusetts, as Walden Pond is in Concord, as well. I believe we visited this site at the same time as the Orchard House when I was in school, but this reservation area is mostly home to a lot of hiking trails and walking paths and many scenic locations. There is, however, a small cabin in which you can find information about Thoreau and the work he did as an environmentalist and how much he loved the area. (Which is beautiful, btw.)
Check out the official website here!
Brookline Booksmith
Brookline Booksmith is an indie bookstore in Brookline, MA that I like to go to on occasion and support an indie bookstore. It’s a cute store that’s got a welcoming vibe and has two floors. The basement is for their used books that they sell, while the main floor is for newer releases, and is split level and has a mini cafe area, as well, and plenty of fun gift options for people. It’s a vibe, really, and if you’re in the area, feel free to check them out sometime! I’ve been there for several book signings over the years, including for Leigh Bardugo, Shannon Chakraborty, and Fonda Lee, so it’s a fun time!
Click here to check out their website! (And maybe order a book if you want! Not sponsored or affiliated!)
An Unlikely Story
This is another indie bookstore, but in Plainville, MA, and also where the author of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid works! I’ve been to a ton of author events here before, including for authors like Maggie Steifvater, Tracy Deonn, and Rebecca Thorne. It’s a multi-story building, though the store itself is really only one floor and pretty small. They also have a cafe inside, as well. The event space is pretty large, though, and they have extra space on the third floor if needed.
Click here to check out their website!
Emily Dickinson Museum
This is not a place I’ve been to, but one I want to go to! In my perusal, I discovered that Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, MA and lived there most of her life, and so they have museum dedicated to her! I’ll definitely have to take a trip out there and see what’s there!
Much like Alcott’s house, it seems it was Dickinson’s family home turned into a memorial site, which is pretty cool. The house looks lovely, like many homes from that time period. The teams that keep these homes looking so well in their restoration do such a good job of it.
Click here to check out the official website for the museum!
Edward Gorey House
Another place I haven’t been to but would like to visit is the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port, MA. Gorey was an illustration who published over 100 of his own works and illustrated numerous others besides, and commited a lot of his life to animal welfare. His illustrations are fantastic, and I’d love to be able to see the place he worked and got inspired in, you know?
Check out the official website!
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Another place I haven’t been to, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is in New Bedford, MA, and is home to one of the most prolific and wealthiest whaling ports when it was in operation, this port served as a setting for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The museum has a lot to offer other than just information about Melville and the book, so there’s at least a variety of reasons to go, but yeah!
Click here to check out the museum’s website!
Little Free Libraries
I discovered in my own small city that there are SO many Little Free Libraries around! I didn’t even realize that so many people knew what they were, to be quite honest lmao I’m actually really happy to know that so many communities are doing their best to let people search for books if they’re unable to make it to the local library (which has been under renovation and open at a new location, though just behind where the original building is), or some other circumstance. I still need to go put some books I no longer want into these little libraries myself.
There’s even one that’s shaped like the Doctor Who tardis on one of the streets! Like, full sized, eight feet tall (or however tall it is) police box tardis lol It’s really cool!
Check out the Little Free Libraries official site here to learn more!
Wow, there’s so many places in Massachusetts, and I didn’t even list all of them! I was going off of this list I found on the Visit Massachusetts website. It’s incredible how many places I’ve been before, just in my own home state. I love it here, truly. There’s a lot of rich history – good and bad – that can be learned here, and I’m so glad that I get to explore it all because I live here.
If you can, take a chance to explore your own state or area’s literary sites! You might be surprised what you find. Check out your libraries, indie bookstores, chain bookstores, used bookstores, little free libraries, and more! There’s so much nowadays to explore online to then go out and see in your local areas. Have fun exploring!
Is there a place in your state that you discovered that you want to visit that has literary significance? Let me know in the comments!
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