(MONEY Magazine) – For a complete experience, build a whole trip around our founding documents. Within blocks of Philadelphia's National Constitution Center is the Thomas Bond House (129 S. Second St.; 800-845-2663;winston-salem-inn.com/philadelphia), a carefully restored 1769 home that's now an elegant, 12-room B&B complete with Chippendale period furnishings and hot tubs in some rooms. Rates range from $95 to $175 a night. Children under 11 aren't encouraged. If you have young kids, try the nearby Shippen Way Inn (416-418 Bainbridge St.; 800-245-4873; come.to/shippenwayinn), another restored 18th-century home turned inn. Its nine rooms run $95 to $120. And find time for a meal at the storied City Tavern (138 S. Second St.; 215-413-1443; citytavern.com). Rebuilt with attention to historic detail in the 1970s, the original served as a social hub for members of the Constitutional Convention and was called by John Adams "the most genteel tavern in America." Waitstaff wear period costumes, but this isn't a schlocky theme restaurant. The menu features authentic and meticulously prepared colonial-era fare, like West Indies pepper pot soup and "Martha Washington-style" turkey potpie.

Nothing in D.C. is as old as the Constitution, but the stately Hotel Monaco (700 F St., NW; 800-649-1202; monaco-dc.com) is within walking distance of major attractions, including the National Archives, and occupies an imposing 1839 marble structure that looks like a museum. It was, in fact, designed by architects of the Washington Monument and the Capitol. A winter weekend special through February will get you a room for $170 a night, about $180 off the regular rack rate.

The venerable Old Ebbitt Grill (675 15th St., NW; 202-347-4801; ebbitt.com) isn't colonial era either, but it's stuffed with history, including some of Teddy Roosevelt's safari trophies. A solid menu features burgers, crab cakes and oysters. --CAROLYN BIGDA