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Among the original guests to pop in at Dr. Thomas Bond’s 1769 Georgian home on South Second Street was none other than Benjamin Franklin. Together the duo chartered Pennsylvania Hospital, the first public hospital in America, and Bond was an influential figure in Philadelphia throughout the Revolutionary War into the first turbulent decades following the founding of the country. Today, the four-story red-brick home within Independence National Historical Park has been meticulously restored, offering history buffs a taste of Philadelphia at the dawn of America. Original architectural details restored to their full 18th-century splendor include the modillion cornice at the roofline, the parlor’s Rumford fireplace, and the grand staircase connecting the third and fourth floors that was subsequently copied in other prominent buildings around town, including the still-standing City Tavern.

Each guestroom has been furnished with Federalist-style reproductions, with a few antiques sprinkled around. Ten rooms offer queen beds, with the two original bedrooms nearest the first floor adding small sitting areas with working fireplaces.

This 12-cottage luxury hotel, 3,100 feet up in the Blue Mountains, is Jamaica without the beaches. It is the Jamaica of misty mornings, cool, cuddle-worthy evenings, and a musical heritage recognized worldwide. First as a private estate belonging to music producer Chris Blackwell and then as part of his Island Outpost collection of hotels, Strawberry Hill has been a creative refuge for performers including Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones, and Willy Nelson. After Hurricane Gilbert destroyed the estate’s great house in 1988, Blackwell commissioned Jamaican architect Ann Hodges, who specializes in historic reconstructions, to build the cottages, a restaurant, and a pool, which were opened in 1994. Yet despite the rock and roll history, and the hanging with like-minded souls up in the mountain mists, what guests seem to remember most is the far-below views of Kingston, especially at night, when the lights glow and sparkle from what must certainly be another world.

If it’s not wintertime or you can’t get tickets to see the Maple Leafs play, then the next best way to experience Canada‘s game is by visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame. Situated in downtown Toronto, the museum is located on the lower floor of the Brookfield Place shopping center. It’s a short walk from the CN Tower and other attractions. (If you’re driving, you’ll need to find either metered parking or a parking garage, as there is no designated parking lot for the museum itself.) The Hall of Fame itself contains displays about historic moments in the game’s history, iconic jerseys and memorabilia from players, interactive games for children, and a room where the entire family can get up close with the Stanley Cup trophy.

This reconstructed village is a glimpse into old oasis living. Heritage Village is a great place to see how the Emerati lived before skyscrapers. Scenes depict desert life in great detail and highlight their historic, nomadic lifestyle. Make sure you catch a performances that shows how different work was completed generations past. The Village is centrally located near Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi City.

During my last stay in Seoul, I spent most of my time in the historic heart of the city north of the Han river. I did take a Sunday afternoon, though, to walk around the Gangnam district—the chic high rise–dominated neighborhood south of the river. (As recently as a few decades ago, this area was still rice-paddies.) Just around the corner from Bong-eun-sa temple (which dates from the 8th century), this striking building caught my eye: the headquarters for the Hyundai Development Company. Designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, it’s known as “The Tangent.” In the architect’s words, “the Tangent is a project that is about the relationship between the ever-changing circle of nature and the straight line of technology.” (Those words could also succinctly describe the recent history of postwar Korea.) In my mind, though, because this structure reminds me of one of my favorite artists, this is the Kandinsky building in Seoul. And across the street, beneath the Korea World Trade Center tower, is the COEX mall, Asia’s largest underground shopping center. Grab a bite in the food court and get a feel for the youth pop-culture vibe; a K-pop dance competition just might be taking place on a nearby stage. To get here: Take Subway Line 2, exit Samseong (COEX) station.

Start your day at Deus Ex Machina, a motorcycle store in an alley full of them, whose café is the perfect spot for a cappuccino and soft scrambled eggs while you ogle the Ducatis.

While modern Halifax has grown beyond its nautical roots, the 109-room waterfront Muir—a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection of independent hotels and part of the city’s new $200 million Queen’s Marque district—offers a peek into its maritime past. In the lobby, walls of glass from an art installation glow like a lighthouse, and more works continue the theme throughout. Rooms are outfitted with midcentury modern–inspired furniture and custom-designed tartan blankets that nod to the province’s Scottish history. The restaurant serves Nova Scotia classics such as hodge podge, a hearty stew, and the hotel’s speakeasy BKS references the region’s rum-running past in cocktails like Her Majesty’s Displeasure.

In the mid-1800s, the Pioneer Mills family helped found San Antonio’s active flour milling industry. It’s fitting that their private residence, the Guenther House, is now home to a local history museum and a delicious restaurant that serves some of the best pancakes in San Antonio. The pioneer biscuits and waffles are also a favorite best enjoyed riverside. Come for the food, but linger for the history lesson.

St. Lucia’s iconic twin peaks—Gros Piton and Petit Piton—dominate the island’s scenery, soaring 2,500 feet from the sea on the island’s southwest Soufrière corner. Designated a World Heritage Site along with the surrounding Pitons Management Area, these volcanic spires take every first-time visitor’s breath away. There are various ways to experience the Pitons. The brave hike either peak—Petit Piton is more strenuous, and the trail isn’t marked; Gros Piton has marked trails and is a two- to three-hour hike from the village of Fond Gens Libre. Others opt to take it easy and sail past them on a catamaran cruise, or view them from land along the coast or from the terrace of La Haut’s restaurant. Sugar Beach, facing Gros Piton, offers a frontal view of the peaks as you swim.

Grab breakfast at the Sheraton Hotel, located at the south-eastern end of the corniche. This newly-refurbished hotel, also known as The Pyramid of the Gulf because it’s shaped like an Aztec pyramid, offers breathtaking views of the bay and the city. Plus what a better way to start your day than having a scrumptious breakfast at one of the oldest iconic landmarks of the city?

The Hermosa Inn, first opened in 1936, has the kind of history that a cowboy keeps under his hat. With 43 rooms and casitas spread across six acres of Arizona desert in the upscale Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, the inn was originally the home and studio of cowboy artist Lon Megargee. A $5.5 million renovation completed in March 2017 updated the hotel for the modern era. It still retains a historic feel, but without the possibility of escape it had when Megargee, a welcoming host clearly uninterested in background checks, built a tunnel from the main building to the stable in case a visit by the sheriff made it necessary for less law-abiding guests to execute a quick getaway. But then, with Camelback Mountain as a backdrop, few guests nowadays are in a hurry to leave.

A 10-minute walk from downtown Scottsdale, the Hotel Valley Ho, its name most likely inspired by the long-ago repurposed Westward Ho (once the area’s premier hotel), has the kind of riches-to-rags-to-riches story that makes the crowd hanging around the pool on weekends not just hip but part of history. Opened in 1956, it featured a futuristic design of red-tinted concrete, stone, and glass—and a well-connected owner—that quickly made it a magnet for movie stars like Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood, who held their wedding reception here. But as the Hollywood crowd knows best, fame wanes, and the hotel eventually reached such a low point that it was nearly torn down. It was saved due to its historic significance, and after a massive renovation that preserved many original elements, it re-emerged in 2006 not only with its trendy reputation revived, but also as one of the country’s best examples of mid-century hotel architecture. (The seven-story tower block was part of the original design but not built until the renovation.) Guest rooms are bright with colors that wouldn’t be out of place on South Beach. And the pool is still the place to be.

Set high above the St. Lawrence on Cap Diamant, overlooking Old Québec, this imposing yet inviting landmark is as much a lodging as it is a tourist attraction, borne out of its reputation as the most photographed hotel in the world. Opened in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway to drum up luxury riders for its trains, the castle-like Fairmont Le Château Frontenac feels every bit as grand today as it must have when Roosevelt and Churchill secretly hatched plans for the invasion of Normandy here in 1943—and it continues to be the hotel of choice for A-list celebrities and other notables. A $75 million renovation in 2014 updated the 611 rooms with a more contemporary feel, draping spaces in chic furnishings and soothing shades of gray and cream, plus butter-yellow or soft turquoise accents. The spa features seven treatment rooms adjacent to an indoor pool, whirlpool, steam rooms, and a gym, but the hotel has become a destination for its food: Champlain restaurant is helmed by acclaimed young chef Stéphane Modat and offers a modern take on Québécois cuisine alongside magnificent views, while 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar highlights local wines, cheeses, and charcuteries.

First opened in 1893 as Grunewald Hotel, this historic building stretches an entire city block and has a storied past that’s equally expansive. The Roosevelt has played host to presidents and senators, duchesses and dignitaries, actors and actresses. Huey Long kept a suite here in the 1930s and could often be found propped up at the Sazerac Bar (where his go-to cocktail was the Ramos Gin Fizz). Entertainers from Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to Tina Turner and Ray Charles have performed in the Blue Room.

A $145 million rehab, completed in 2009, restored the hotel to its former glory. Now part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection, the property combines the grandeur of yesteryear with all the trappings of a modern luxury hotel—including a lavish Waldorf Astoria Spa and a hip Italian eatery.

A breezy little beach hotel filled with rough wood, natural linen, and flea market finds, the Rose seems, to the uninitiated, like a pure product of quirky Venice’s hipsterfication. In fact, the historic, wood-and-stucco building was built by the beach town’s founder, Abbot Kinney, in the early days of the 20th century; rumor says it was his private brothel, frequented by such friends as Charlie Chaplin. By the 1970s, at the height of Venice’s drug culture, the building had become a flophouse of sorts, and neighbor Dennis Hopper was known to drop by. Before two British photographers discovered it, the house had turned into a mural-covered crash-pad for surfers, yogis, and beach bums of all kinds.

Looking at the low-key Rose now—the town’s first true boutique hotel, barely half a block from the beach—one would hardly know that the entire history of Venice had passed through it. The rooms are spare but stylish, with large windows, art photography, and vintage furniture. Some rooms are large enough to live in, whereas others share a hallway bathroom. Amenities are minimal—Stumptown coffee, bicycle rentals—but a relaxed beach house that attracts artists and creatives looking to delve into Venice’s eclectic, vibrant culture doesn’t need to try too hard to be cool.