Sleeping in History: Hawley's 1920s Inn, 1890s Glass Factory and Main Street Hotel

Most lake towns build new. Hawley kept its old buildings and put hotels in them — which means a night's stay here can also be a short history lesson.

Settlers Inn — 1927 Arts & Crafts lodge

Built as the lake's tourism boom took off in the 1920s, the Settlers Inn is a Historic Hotels of America member known today as much for its farm-to-table restaurant as its rooms. It sits on 6 acres along the Lackawaxen River, a short walk from downtown Hawley.

Ledges Hotel — an 1890s glass factory

Ledges Hotel occupies a five-story native bluestone building that was originally the J.S. O'Connor American Rich Cut Glass Factory, carved into the cliffs above Paupack High Falls. It's been a Historic Hotels of America member since 2013, and the gorge-and-waterfall views from its restaurant, Glass — wine.bar.kitchen, are hard to match anywhere else in town.

Hotel Belvidere — turn-of-the-century Main Avenue

Hotel Belvidere anchors 330 Main Avenue in downtown Hawley, with its own Italian restaurant, The Ridge, and a pub attached. It's the most walkable of the three — everything downtown Hawley has to offer is a few steps out the door.

One more: Silver Birches

Silver Birches, a lakefront resort with vintage cottages named after sailboat types, is a direct descendant of the 14-room inn the Singer family opened in 1926 — the same year the lake itself opened to the public. All four properties are run today under the Settlers Hospitality umbrella alongside The Dock on Wallenpaupack and the Boiler Room event space at the Hawley Silk Mill, a useful thing to know if you're trying to book dinner and a room from one phone call.