Talk about an icon: Opened in 1875 and rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake (legendary opera singer Enrico Caruso was a guest that night), the Beaux Arts Palace Hotel has hosted its share of notables, including Mark Twain, American presidents, and European royalty. It certainly takes a special hotel to draw both titans of industry (John D. Rockefeller) and a Soviet prime minister (Nikita Khrushchev).
While an overnight stay is the best way to experience the landmark, you can also get a look inside on a free walking tour, with a chance to learn about historic features such as the Maxfield Parish Pied Piper mural in the restaurant bar. Or relive the city’s most elegant period while brunching beneath The Garden Court’s soaring stained-glass dome. Your eggs Benedict will probably get cold with all that looking up to take in this unparalleled ceiling in one of the prettiest hotel spaces in the state.