10. Blantyre

Now a luxurious resort, hotel, and spa that hosts a plethora of events and weddings, the Blantyre resort (which is located next to Cranwell) dates back to the late 1890s, when Robert Paterson was introduced to the Lenox area by J.D. Sloan (of W & J Sloane). The 220 acres that Paterson acquired originally was originally called “Highlawn,” home to the Dorr family. Paterson demolished the modest estate to construct his mansion, which was to be nothing short of a castle of “feudal architectural features,” comprising towers, turrets, and gargoyles. The mansion, which was designed by the architect Robert Henderson Robertson, was modeled after Paterson’s mother’s ancestral home in Blantyre, Scotland–hence the name of the mansion.  Construction began in 1901, and the sumptuous mansion was furnished in the English style, with all the furniture coming from England.

Over the course of the next 15 to 20 years, Blantyre was used actively for garden parties and grand dinners, with musicians from New York City and lavish dishes–all befitting the Gilded Age. After the end of the Gilded Age with the introduction of the income tax, the golden age of the Blantyre mansion ended. Over the course of the next 60 years, the mansion changed many hands and deteriorated, until in 1980, Jack and Jane Fitzpatrick bought the estate for their daughter Ann Fitzpatrick Brown, who became the eighth owner.

Ann reopened Blantyre in 1981 as a elegant hotel and restaurant where visitors can peer in the past and experience snippets of life in a bygone era. As of 2005, Blantyre is operational year round.