Want to time-travel on your next vacation? Staying at the oldest hotel in whichever state you’re visiting will do the trick, offering at least a glimpse of an earlier era. From colonial inns to grand railway hotels from the Gilded Age, the U.S. is home to many historic lodgings filled with character and with tales to tell. (For lodging history of a more recent sort, check these classic images of motels with a vintage vibe.)
24/7 Tempo has attempted to discover the oldest hotel in every state, using a variety of state and local tourism and historical websites, as well as those maintained by various hotels themselves.
It’s difficult to come up with a list that’s both definitive and authoritative. Many of the establishments that are now hotels began as private residences, taverns, even bordellos, and the exact year they were first built, or first welcomed overnight guests, is often vague or disputed.
In addition, these historic hotels have inevitably undergone numerous transformations throughout the years. Typically, their architecture and decor have been updated, they have changed ownership multiple times, some may have closed down completely for various periods, and a few have even been completely rebuilt. (These are the original locations of famous restaurants you can still go to.)
Click here to see the oldest hotel in every state
Nonetheless, the hotels mentioned here all have verifiable links back to their origins, however much they may have changed or evolved, and every one of them will offer a taste of the past.
Alabama
> Hotel: Redmont Hotel
> Location: Birmingham
> First opened in: 1925
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Alaska
> Hotel: Alaskan Hotel
> Location: Juneau
> First opened in: 1913
Arizona
> Hotel: The Grand Canyon Hotel
> Location: Williams
> First opened in: 1891
Arkansas
> Hotel: Capital Hotel
> Location: Little Rock
> First opened in: 1873
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California
> Hotel: The Groveland Hotel
> Location: Groveland
> First opened in: 1849
Colorado
> Hotel: Cliff House at Pikes Peak
> Location: Manitou
> First opened in: 1873
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Connecticut
> Hotel: 1754 House
> Location: Woodbury
> First opened in: 1754
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Delaware
> Hotel: The Inn at Montchanin Village & Spa
> Location: Wilmington
> First opened in: 1799
Florida
> Hotel: The Florida Inn
> Location: Fernandina Beach
> First opened in: 1857
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Georgia
> Hotel: River Street Inn
> Location: Savannah
> First opened in: 1817
Hawaii
> Hotel: Moana Hotel
> Location: Honolulu
> First opened in: 1901
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Idaho
> Hotel: Idaho Hotel
> Location: Silver City
> First opened in: 1863
Illinois
> Hotel: The Historic Rose Hotel
> Location: Elizabethtown
> First opened in: 1812
Indiana
> Hotel: French Lick Springs Hotel
> Location: French Lick
> First opened in: 1845
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Iowa
> Hotel: Hotel Julien Dubuque
> Location: Dubuque
> First opened in: 1839
Kansas
> Hotel: Elgin Hotel
> Location: Marion
> First opened in: 1886
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Kentucky
> Hotel: The Old Talbott Tavern
> Location: Bardstown
> First opened in: 1779
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Louisiana
> Hotel: Hotel Maison de Ville
> Location: New Orleans
> First opened in: 1788
Maine
> Hotel: Down Easter Inn (currently closed and for sale)
> Location: Damariscotta
> First opened in: Circa 1850
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Maryland
> Hotel: The Maryland Inn
> Location: Annapolis
> First opened in: 1772
Massachusetts
> Hotel: Wayside Inn
> Location: Sudbury
> First opened in: 1716
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Michigan
> Hotel: The National House Inn
> Location: Marshall
> First opened in: 1835
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Minnesota
> Hotel: Anderson House Hotel
> Location: Wabasha
> First opened in: 1856
Mississippi
> Hotel: Monmouth Historic Inn
> Location: Natchez
> First opened in: 1818
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Missouri
> Hotel: The Elms Hotel and Spa
> Location: Excelsior Springs
> First opened in: 1888
Montana
> Hotel: Grand Union Hotel
> Location: Fort Benton
> First opened in: 1882
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Nebraska
> Hotel: Historic Argo Hotel
> Location: Crofton
> First opened in: 1912
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Nevada
> Hotel: Gold Hill Hotel
> Location: Virginia City
> First opened in: 1861
New Hampshire
> Hotel: Hanover Inn
> Location: Dartmouth
> First opened in: 1901
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New Jersey
> Hotel: Congress Hall
> Location: Cape May
> First opened in: 1816
New Mexico
> Hotel: La Fonda on the Plaza
> Location: Santa Fe
> First opened in: 1922
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New York
> Hotel: Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn
> Location: Rhinebeck
> First opened in: 1766
North Carolina
> Hotel: Brookstown Inn
> Location: Winston-Salem
> First opened in: 1837
North Dakota
> Hotel: Rough Riders Hotel
> Location: Medora
> First opened in: 1884
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Ohio
> Hotel: Golden Lamb
> Location: Lebanon
> First opened in: 1803
Oklahoma
> Hotel: The Skirvin Hilton
> Location: Oklahoma City
> First opened in: 1911
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Oregon
> Hotel: Wolf Creek Inn
> Location: Wolf Creek
> First opened in: 1883
Pennsylvania
> Hotel: Gettysburg Hotel
> Location: Gettysburg
> First opened in: 1797
Rhode Island
> Hotel: Graduate Providence
> Location: Providence
> First opened in: 1922
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South Carolina
> Hotel: Rutledge House Inn
> Location: Charleston
> First opened in: 1763
South Dakota
> Hotel: Bullock Hotel
> Location: Deadwood
> First opened in: 1895
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Tennessee
> Hotel: Hale Springs Inn
> Location: Rogersville
> First opened in: 1824
Texas
> Hotel: Haunted Magnolia Hotel
> Location: Seguin
> First opened in: 1844
Utah
> Hotel: Moore’s Old Pine Inn
> Location: Marysvale
> First opened in: 1882
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Vermont
> Hotel: Woodstock Inn
> Location: Woodstock
> First opened in: 1793
Virginia
> Hotel: Williamsburg Lodge
> Location: Williamsburg
> First opened in: 1750
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Washington
> Hotel: Tokeland Hotel
> Location: Tokeland
> First opened in: 1885
West Virginia
> Hotel: The Greenbrier
> Location: White Sulphur Springs
> First opened in: 1778
Wisconsin
> Hotel: Maxwell Mansion
> Location: Lake Geneva
> First opened in: 1855
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Wyoming
> Hotel: Occidental Hotel
> Location: Buffalo
> First opened in: 1880
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