Berkeley Plantation

Dating from 1726, this plantation on the James River was the birthplace and home of Benjamin Harrison V, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, and of his son William Henry Harrison, the ninth US president. It was also the site of the first official Thanksgiving (in 1619) and the first place where bourbon whiskey was distilled (1620). Lively guided tours of its brick Georgian-style house offer plenty of anecdotes.