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For a closer look at where the greats found inspiration, visit the homes of some of your favorite authors.

1. Rowan Oak
Oxford, Mississippi

William Faulkner lived on this Southern estate from the time he purchased the property in 1930 until his death in 1962. The author of "The Sound and the Fury" and "As I Lay Dying" exercised his writing muscles in his first floor office and put his storytelling talents to use on the second floor where he liked to entertain his children and visitors with ghost stories. The property recently went through an extensive restoration at the hands of the University of Mississippi and is open for tours Tuesday through Sunday.

2. Mark Twain House
Hartford, Connecticut

Mark Twain and his wife Livy purchased their rather unique mansion in Connecticut during a prosperous time in Twain's writing career. A mix of styles and elements, the home where Twain and his family lived from 1874 to 1891 remains much as it was when Twain called it home. Here, Twain penned the tales of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. A less prosperous time in 1891 led the family to leave the house and move to Europe, but the Connecticut home remained a favorite of Twain's for years to come.

3. Margaret Mitchell House
Atlanta, Georgia

Margaret Mitchell wrote "Gone With the Wind" while she and her husband John lived in Apartment #1 of the Crescent Apartments in Atlanta. Today, while the building itself no longer holds tenants, Mitchell's apartment has been re-furbished to appear as it would have when Mitchell was toiling away on her epic novel of the South.

4. Tao House
Danville, California

The man whose work captured the modern, middle class sense of unrest and unease naturally suffered from some restlessness of his own. Eugene O'Neill, famed American playwright, didn't often stay in one place for long, which is why his seven year tenure at the Tao House in California with is wife, Carlotta Monterey, is so exceptional. At the property, where west meets east in terms of décor and style, O'Neill wrote some of his greatest works – "The Iceman Cometh" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night."

5. 481 Laurel Avenue
St. Paul, Minnnesota

In 1896, 481 Laurel Avenue was called the San Mateo Flats. There, in a second floor apartment, famed American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald was born. The future author of "The Great Gatsby" lived in the apartment for some of his youth before the family moved to other St. Paul quarters. Today, the address on Laurel Avenue is considered a National Literary Landmark.

6. O. Henry Home
Austin, Texas

William Sydney Porter, known to the literary world as O. Henry, master of the short story and author of "The Gift of the Magi," spent many of his years in Austin, Texas. It was his tenure at the First National Bank of Austin that led to accusations of embezzlement for Porter. (He eventually fled the country rather than face a trial.) Prison record and later unpleasantness aside, a trip to Austin allows you to tour the former home of the writer, which is now a museum.

7. Ernest Hemingway Home/Robert Frost Cottage
Key West, Florida

A trip to Key West, Florida is full of literary heritage. "A Farewell to Arms" author Ernest Hemingway thought of the warm beaches as a retreat. On a tour of his former home, be sure to look out for the famed cats that live there, too. You'll also want to visit the Robert Frost Cottage, where the poet who wrote "The Road Not Taken," "Mending Wall" and "Birches" spent his winters.