Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WE'LL LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON
The National Trust for Historic Preservation keeps a list of more than 200 hotels
that have faithfully maintained their historic architecture and ambience. To be se-
lected for the Historic Hotels of America program, a hotel has to be at least 50 years
old, be listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and be re-
cognized locally as having historic significance. Here are just a couple on the list:
Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Florida. Not only does this historic resort have
the largest hotel swimming pool in the continental United States, but it's where Es-
ther Williams hosted her famous aqua shows in the 1930s. The Biltmore made its
debut in January 1926 with a newsmaking inaugural that lured Northerners down on
trains marked “Miami Biltmore Specials.” In its heyday, the Biltmore played host to
the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Al
Capone, and assorted Roosevelts and Vanderbilts.
During World War II, the Biltmore was converted to a hospital and even became
the University of Miami's first School of Medicine. It then served as a VA hospital
until 1968. Fast forward to 1992, when the city of Coral Gables reopened it as the
first-class hotel and resort it was and is again today. A historic Biltmore package,
which includes a copy of the Biltmore's 208-page illustrated history book, a free
hotel tour, and a carriage ride through historic Coral Gables, costs between $130
and $149 per person, depending on the time of year. Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia
Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134, 800-727-1926, www.biltmorehotel.com.
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado. When Stanley Kubrick filmed The
Shining with Jack Nicholson, he annoyed Stephen King, who wrote the novel, by
not using the hotel that inspired the topic. Maybe that's why Stephen King came
back to The Stanley, the historic hotel in Estes Park, to film the TV miniseries.
According to the haunted hotel tour that takes place daily (reservations re-
quired), King's fictitious caretaker is not the only one to have seen ghosts at The
Stanley. Three-quarters of the hotel staff report having seen or heard something oth-
erworldly: lights flickering on and off, doors opening and closing by themselves,
rooms getting tidied up by themselves, a big cache of items that were reported lost
turning up in Room 203, or strange “sit prints” on newly made beds. The entire
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