The National Trust Opens More Doors to Historic Mansions for You!

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

Before getting into the substance of this post, let me remind you of my teaching plans for this month in the Boston area:

In Brookline, Massachusetts (617-730-2700)

Course V267: Raising Capital for Your New Business on September 20 and 27 (this is the expanded version of my popular course on starting a small business and can save you a fortune in capital costs!)

Course V268: Franchising Opportunities to Start a New Business on September 21 and 28 (this is a new course to help you find the right franchise operation for you) -- This course is almost sold out!

In Newton, Massachusetts (617-559-6999)

B 2172: The 2,000 Percent Solution (creating ways to accomplish 20 times as much with the same time and resources: It's like cloning yourself 20 times! -- see www.2000percentsolution.com for background)

I also offer individual tutorials and seminars on these subjects year around.

Introduction

As our beautiful weather continues unabated in Boston, I find myself thinking about traveling to other parts of the country to visit historic mansions and estates.

To my knowledge, there's no one resource that catalogues the best places to visit.

As a result, I look for lists that provide helpful ideas.

The ambitious Partner Places Program at The National Trust (see www.nationaltrust.org) has recently made dozens of new sites available for free or with a reduced admission. As I've told you before, if you like mansions, you must join the National Trust! An individual can join for $20 a year while a whole family is only $30. It's a better bargain than you will find at Wal-mart!

Recommendations

The Partner Places Program doesn't only include mansions and estates, it also has many wonderful theaters and other public places you'll love.

But for today, I want to introduce a Baker's Dozen from the list to start your thinking:

1. Ashton Villa, Galveston, Texas -- This is a Victorian mansion that was once the finest in Texas (see http://www.galvestonhistory.org/plc-ashtonvilla.htm)

2. Bellamy Mansion, Wilmington, North Carolina -- This is a spectacular Antebellum home built just before the Civil War (see http://www.bellamymansion.org/)

3. Belle Meade Plantation, Nashville, Tennessee -- This is an impressive Antebellum manor (see http://www.bellemeadeplantation.com/)

4. Belmont, near Fredericksburg, Virginia -- This Georgian-style manor is the home of artist Gari Melchers (see http://www.umw.edu/belmont/index.html)

5. Billings Farm, Woodstock, Vermont -- This working farm features an impressive farm house used to run the farm operations (see http://www.billingsfarm.org/farmhouse.html)

6. The Bonnet House, Fort Lauderdale, Florida -- The services at this plantation-style home and grounds have been affected recently by hurricane damage. The house is okay, but repairs are being made. So check before planning a visit (see http://www.bonnethouse.org/main.html).

7. Casa del Herrero, Santa Barbara,California -- This is a Spanish Colonial Revival home with gorgeous gardens (see http://www.casadelherrero.com/alt/index.html)

8. Cranbrook House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan -- This is the oldest surviving mansion home in the Detroit area and includes 40 acres of gardens (see http://www.cranbrook.edu/housgard/H_G-home.html)

9. George Eastman House, Rochester, New York -- This Colonial Revival is surrounded by gardens and houses the International Museum of Photography and Film (see http://www.eastmanhouse.org/inc/the_museum/history.asp)

10-11. Edison and Ford winter homes, Ft. Myers, Florida -- Edison and Ford used to like to exchange ideas away from the winter snows in these Florida-style homes (see http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/rm_restoration_homes_areas/article/0,1797,HGTV_3787_3203767,00.html)

12. Frelinghuysen Morris House, Lenox, Massachusetts -- This is the artist's contemporary-style home and studio located near Tanglewood and Edith Wharton's The Mount (see http://www.frelinghuysen.org/)

13. Glensheen, Duluth, Minnesota -- One of America's finest castles done in English country home style (see http://www.d.umn.edu/glen/glenda.htm)

If a lot of people check out this post today, I'll add some more brilliant choices for you to visit tomorrow.

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

If you are new to this blog, be sure to check out the updated table of contents entry that I posted on September 7. It will help you find earlier entries that may be of interest. I'll update this table of contents every week or so for your convenience.

August 31 was the most frequently read blog entry to date. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many tens of thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

If you like this blog, please let others know who might also enjoy it. E-mailing your favorite post to them is a great idea. My post on saving money on heating costs this winter is a good choice. You can find it at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005_08_30_livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars_archive.html/.

Thank you to my many friends, students, clients and blog readers who are spreading the good word about this blog.

If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

Remember to check out

Live Spiritually Better than a Billionaire at http://livespirituallybetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Be More Successful than a Billionaire at http://bemoresuccessfulthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Mansions Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoymansionsbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Football Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoyfootballbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/ and

Be a World Hero Better than a Billionaire at http://beaworldherobetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell