Fodor's Expert Review Museum Inn

It's worth seeking out this characterful "country pub with cottages and rooms," located 10 miles north of Wimborne Minster, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite a stylish makeover, the building retains many of its original 17th-century period features, such as the bar, flagstone floors, and inglenook fireplace. Bedrooms, some with four-posters, have a country-house feel. Tasty local and seasonal food, like pan-roasted lamb rump or a chicken, ham hock, and leek pie, is available daily in the bar or in the more formal Shed restaurant on weekends.