Last fall, friends and I strolled the grounds of the magnificent French inspired Grey Towers in Pennsylvania, not too far from previously recommended Castle Antiques. The home will not be open for tours until the end of May, but the grounds, which is all we were able to see at the time, are alone worth the trip.
Here's the castle's story (from the official site):
“Grey Towers was the home of Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the US Forest Service and Pennsylvania Governor for two terms. Grey Towers was completed in 1886 by Gifford's father, James Pinchot, a wealthy wallpaper merchant. Civic minded and a supporter of the arts, James and his wife, Mary, connected themselves with many influential people, among them Richard Morris Hunt, a leading architect of the era. Hunt designed their summer home to utilize both local materials and reflect the French heritage of the Pinchot family, who first settled in Milford in 1818. For two decades the Pinchots and their children enjoyed numerous summers at Grey Towers, entertaining guests for afternoon teas and dinner parties. Here James, disturbed by destructive logging practices then prevalent in the country, encouraged his eldest son, Gifford Pinchot, to consider a career in forestry.”
As it gets cold, go south. Graceland is a great road trip destination, even if other parts of Memphis can be less appealing. Word of advice: if you're a young woman, don't go to the race track late at night, it's not as fun as you might think.