Touring historic homes lets you take a peek into the bygone lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Touring the Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, can give you an idea of the Vanderbilt family history.

But it also gives a glimpse into the life of the cooks, maids and waiters who served them.

Tour-goers even get to hear commentary by retired servants.

At the Biltmore estate, near Asheville, North Carolina, you can take a behind-the-scenes tour that leads you through areas that previously weren’t open to the public.

That includes the servants’ bedrooms, the maid’s quarters, the butler’s pantry, and the servant’s courtyard balcony.

Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home, Monticello, offers a Plantation Community Tour, where you can visit the cabins where dozens of slaves lived and worked.

And in Pasadena, California, the turn-of-the-century Fenyes Mansion, has docents who will show you the back stairway used by the servants and their small sleeping quarters.

And they may even introduce you to one of the former maids, who still works on the premises.

For more hints, check out our Cultural Travel section.

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