Historic Hotels
As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this July 4, travelers may be looking to
stay in hotels where America’s history runs deep.
Situated along Boston’s Freedom Trail, Omni Parker House is the nation’s longest continuously operating hotel, and the birthplace of the Boston Cream Pie. It has welcomed U.S. presidents, literary legends, and generations of other visitors since 1855. Guests of the 551-room downtown hotel can walk five minutes to the Old South Meeting House, where colonists planned the Boston Tea Party, and a few steps farther to Faneuil Hall, long nicknamed the “Cradle of Liberty.”
Farther south, in the rolling hills of Delaware’s Brandywine Valley, the Inn at Montchanin Village has a quieter but no less evocative connection to early America. The inn is actually a restored village that has been converted into 28 guest rooms across 11 historic buildings, some dating to 1799. Wandering its tree-lined paths to a former blacksmith shop, schoolhouse, and bank feels like stepping into the early republic itself, an experience fitting for a year devoted to reflecting on the nation’s beginnings.
On the opposite coast, the Julia Morgan-designed Fairmont San Francisco, which opened in 1907, offers 606 guest rooms and suites along with a trove of historic diplomatic and pop-culture mementos. Its Venetian Room has featured musical legends, including Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, and Tony Bennett, who performed “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” here in 1961. The hotel also hosted the United Nations Conference on International Organization, where representatives from 50 nations drafted the charter establishing the U.N. Nearly every U.S. president since Taft has stayed here, earning it the nickname “White House of the West.”
Patch Perfect
July and August also happen to be peak season for two persistent vacation spoilers: mosquitoes and sunburn. Enter three dads who, in 2020, created NATPAT, travel-smart stick-on patches that use natural, plant-based, DEET-free essential oils to keep sun and mosquitoes at bay. Kids love the cute, colorful patterns, while Mother Nature appreciates AromaWeave, the company’s pioneering, biodegradable bamboo-based fiber. Here are a few easy-to-pack ways to put the fun in summer fundamentals.
BuzzPatch: A DEET-free, essential oil-based insect repellent sticker that helps keep mosquitos at bay.
SunnyPatch: A UV-detection sticker that changes color when it’s time to reapply SPF.
MagicPatch: A patch with “Grid-Relief” technology that lifts the skin around a bug bite, helping to reduce itching and swelling without chemicals or drugs.
Alegría del Eclipse
If you’re headed to Europe for the August 12 solar eclipse, Spain is a prime viewing spot, including Bilbao, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands. Iberia Eclipse is hosting a 5-day music and art party to celebrate the celestial event.
This article is featured in the July/August 2026 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
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