We knew we had booked the right girlfriends’ getaway as soon as we pulled into the driveway of Rowland House in Aurora, New York. At 10,000 square feet and with 10 rooms, the Queen Anne-style home felt both impressive and friendly. Cayuga Lake glistened in the background, and 120-year-old ginkgo trees crowned the lawn, their leaves the color of spun gold in the fall.
My friend, Barbara, and I felt we had dropped into a charmed storybook setting. Aurora, with a year-round population of fewer than 300, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On strolls through the village, we admired the grand 19th-century houses. Later on, we learned the remarkable story of the village’s picture-book prettiness.
