Captain Cook's Cottage

Historians aren’t sure whether Captain James Cook actually lived here himself while growing up in Yorkshire, but his parents’ 18th-century cottage certainly scores high on the cuteness scale, with a colorful garden bursting with blooms and vegetables, and even an ancient postbox from which you can mail a uniquely franked postcard. 

The house was sold by the Dixon brothers, who had originally placed Cooks’ Cottage under strict conditions that any buyer could not remove the building from England, although this was later waived at the auction. 

Disassembled into 253 cases and dozens of barrels, the house was shipped over from Hull on the Port Dunedin and donated to the people of Victoria, Australia, in 1934 by its new owner, the chemist, botanist, and philanthropist, Sir Russell Grimwade, for £800.

The ivy that grows all over the house came from original cuttings too, and the friendly costumed guides inside the cottage make this little oddity from the other side of the world worth a visit.

The smaller back building is a mini-museum of Cook’s adventures, featuring pictures, maps, videos, and other ephemera, while the 18th-century style is reflected in antiques, furniture, and the décor of the small rooms. The date, 1755, is gouged out of the brick above the door, spelling out when the home was built.