Westover Plantation

Widely regarded as the finest Georgian house in America, built around 1750 for William Byrd II — the planter, diarist and founder of Richmond. Steep hipped roof, tall chimneys, elaborate doorways, and a row of tulip poplars over a century old running down to the James.

The house is privately owned and lived in, so interiors are by appointment only. What you get on a normal day is the grounds: formal gardens, Byrd's tomb and its famously self-satisfied epitaph, the ornamental wrought-iron gates, and a wide sweep of river. Quiet to the point of being deserted, which is much of the charm.

Practical: a small honour-system fee at the gate, limited parking, no visitor facilities. Directly adjacent to Berkeley, so the two pair naturally — though expect a garden walk here rather than a museum visit.