Stratford on Avon - Shakespeare's Home Town

According to my British friends, the best place to find Americans in the UK is Stratford-upon-Avon. It's all right for them to be a bit ironic. They're completely immersed in Shakespeareana from a very early age -- even when they don't know it.

For the rest of us, visiting the birthplace of the man considered by many to be the greatest writer the English language has ever produced, is a terrific day out, about two and a half hours - by train or car - northwest of London. While there, you can take in:

• Anne Hathaway's Cottage, pictured here. The pre-marital home of Shakespeare's wife is actually about a mile outside of Stratford, in Shottery.
• Shakespeare's Birthplace, the most visited literary landmark in the UK. You can see the room the Bard was born in.
• The Nash House, site of Shakespeare's retirement home, now a garden and, in a neighboring house, an exhibition about Shakespeare's later years.
• The Mary Arden House, Shakespeare's mother's beautiful Tudor farmhouse.
• Hall's Croft, home of Shakespeare's eldest daughter, Susannah, and her rich and successful doctor husband.
• Holy Trinity Church, the site of Shakespeare's burial and a beautiful medieval church in its own right.

Of course, Shakespeare is not about bricks and mortar and no visit to Stratford would be complete without taking in a play or two at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Even if you've always wondered what all the fuss was about, the company's imaginative and sometimes irreverent style will open your eyes.