Heritage Tourism is all about visiting sites of historical significance. People get excited about visiting these places. Then projects are funded to preserve these sites for future generations of visitors.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation classifies heritage tourism as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” They are leading the movement to save places where history happened.

Let’s visit some of these places together.

Gruene, Texas

Gruene (pronounced Green) is a historic town outside of San Antonio, Texas. It was home to the Gruene cotton gin, which processed the cotton from the fields of local farmers.

In 1922 the wooden parts of the gin burned to the ground. The three-story brick boiler room survived.

Since 1977 it has been home to the Gristmill River Restaurant. Explore the ruins of the cotton gin and see the waterwheel. All of this is located along the beautiful Guadalupe River.

San Antonio, Texas

The Menger Hotel is the longest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi River. The original building had two stories. Later three more stories were added.

The original two-story section of the hotel had many famous guests including Theodore Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Mae West, Ulysses S. Grant, and Gutzon Borglum. Gutzon Borglum is best known for his sculpture work on Mount Rushmore.

Atlanta, Georgia

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics took place in the city 27 years ago. The Centennial Olympic Park commemorates the games. The park is not only a way to remember the games held in Atlanta. It is also part of the downtown Atlanta tourist district with other great spots to visit. Many of these involve heritage tourism.

The downtown district includes the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Center for Civil & Human Rights, CNN Center, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, World of Coca-Cola, and Georgia Aquarium.

Enjoy the whole downtown Atlanta tourist district when you’re in town.

Manhattan, New York

Nothing screams heritage tourism like visiting the once tallest building in the world. The Chrysler Building was, for a short time in history, the tallest in the world. It stands at 1,046 feet (318.8 Meters). 

The building was designed by William Van Alen and built between 1928 and 1930. It is considered one of the greatest examples of the Art Deco architectural style.

The Chrysler Building is just one of the many historical buildings to add to your heritage tourism trip. Others include the Empire State Building and Grand Central Terminal.

New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut. The university was founded in 1701, making it one of the oldest universities in the United States. Its library, The Yale University Library, contains more than 15 million volumes, and is one of the largest in the United States.

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The Yale University Art Gallery was founded in 1832. It is the oldest University Art Museum in the Western Hemisphere. Steps from the university are historical townhouses and brownstones to complete your heritage tourism journey.

Now that we’ve explored a few heritage tourism spots together, it’s your turn to discover a few more. If you live within the U.S., or anywhere really, what popular historical destinations are located where you live? Let me know in the comments.