If you've visited England's heritage cities before, your tour may have concentrated on just the traditional cultural treasures of Stratford, Bath and Oxford. But if you dare to be a Brit different, these cities' less-traveled delights merit a curtain call.

MORPH IN STRATFORD ( www.butterflyfarm.co.uk)

"Is this butterfly dead?" a little girl asked, pointing to a large blue and black specimen on the path.

"No," a staff member answered. "It's mud pudding, drinking plant water runoff that's filled with minerals. For the same reason, butterflies in the wild drink animal urine."

Kids will soak up fascinating facts like this while visiting the butterfly farm across from the Royal Shakespeare Heritage Theatre. Opened in 1985, it's a conservation habitat for tropical species from 19 different countries. Your entrance fee supports worldwide rain forest conservation; as a deterrent to deforestation, the farm buys chrysalis from remote villages, giving them an alternative income stream. Stay for the 38-minute educational video, and go home a true lepidopterist.

TALK THE TALK TRIPPINGLY ON THE TONGUE ( www.stratford.co.uk)

Do you know the origin of the expression "left on the shelf?" A visit to the house of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, will help you understand how idioms, phrases that can have a totally different meaning depending on context, enter the language. In Shakespeare's time, the "shelf" referred to the sleeping accommodations for unmarried women. Young girls slept on a rush mat on the floor, but if they remained spinsters, they graduated to a large shelf affixed to the wall. Hence the expression "left on the shelf."

PEEK INTO BATH'S REGENCY POLITE SOCIETY ( www.fashionmuseum.com.uk)

Regency "polite" society had a naughty little secret - a gambling addiction, and Bath was where the action was. According to 18th century historian William Lecky, "Physicians even recommended it as a form of distraction. ... Among fashionable ladies the passion was quite as strong as among men." At first, they indulged their passion in private homes, then later in the New Assembly Rooms, opened in 1771.

In the basement of these sumptuous rooms is the very fine Fashion Museum. With more than 60,000 items spanning 400 years of fashion, it's one of the world's largest collections of historic and contemporary dress. The charm is in its personal and often playful perspective of how we define our own style. A collection of shirts straight out of the closet of Sir Roy Strong, who served as director of the Victoria and Albert museum from 1974 to 1987, offers a personal footnote on the evolution of men's fashion. One family's matrimonial history is used to illustrate the sartorial development of the wedding dress. Displayed below each gown is a picture of the bride on her wedding day.

TEA TO BE SEEN ( www.romanbaths.co.uk)

The Pump Room in the Roman Baths has been the social heart of Bath since the dawn of the 19th century. With a pianist, soaring ceilings, stunning chandeliers, sumptuousness food and slick service, it was easy to shut our eyes and imagine being Jane Austen, who lived in the city twice, but hated the snobbery.

We took afternoon tea, a gastronomic delight of delicate sandwiches, freshly baked scones with local dairy cream, cakes and teas followed by a glass of spa water drawn from a spring fountain right in the room. Unlike other spas, the water was very pleasant, although the health benefits were, sadly, not immediately apparent. To hedge our bets, we downed a glass of cider made from locally grown apples. Slightly alcoholic, it put a definite glow on the rest of the day.

THE ANGLO-AMERICAN CONNECTION ( www.americanmuseum.org)

The last attraction you'd expect to find in Bath is a museum highlighting the design connections between the U.S. and the U.K. In 1961, two collectors, the American psychiatrist Dallas Pratt and John Judkyn, an English antiques dealer, transformed a 30-room mansion into a nonprofit museum of decorative arts to demonstrate the powerful connection between the two cultures. Every detail in each of the 15 period rooms is authentic. From floorboards to furnishings, all were imported from the States to reflect the development of American interior design as the country became more affluent and taste more sophisticated.

Pratt and Judkyn wanted the Brits to understand America by getting beyond Hollywood's cowboy stereotypes, a tall order for a museum of furniture and porcelain. The Wild West and the iconic American cowboy were really just a historical flash in the pan. The era was over in less than two decades, and the cowpoke himself history after a life expectancy of just 24 years. Nor was the Civil War originally about slavery. Abraham Lincoln is famous for taking the moral high ground, but the real fighting issue was over curtailing the economic advantage slavery gave to the South.

Each year the museum mounts a special exhibition. Dollar Princesses, its 2007 exhibit, followed the dazzling lives of wealthy American heiresses who traveled to the U.K. to secure an aristocratic husband and a title. This year, it's the Titanic, where, sadly, many of them concluded their grand adventure.

IN CLINK ( www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk)

If you were poor, a pickpocket, prostitute, petty criminal or worse in 18th century England, you were relatively lucky to escape hanging, the official punishment for more than 200 offenses. But if you were spared the gallows, you were likely to perish from disease. Beginning in 1216, Oxford Castle served as a prison for a variety of villains, from unruly university students to prisoners of war, debtors, drunks and murderers, closing in 1996. On May 5, 2006, it opened as a tourist attraction, appropriately named Oxford Castle Unlocked.

Here is a rare opportunity to learn about prison life through the centuries and the reformers who tried to make it more humane. Prisoners sentenced to hard labor turned a mechanical crank handle thousands of times a day under the watchful eyes of prison wardens (called "screws") who could make the chore more difficult by tightening a screw on the crank. Segregation of the sexes wasn't introduced until 1848, when a separate women's prison was built. There was no sanitation; not until 1994 were inmates given keys to use "the facilities."

IF YOU GO

Where to Stay:

Stratford - The Mercure Shakespeare Hotel, www.mercure.com/mercure/fichehotel/gb/mer/6630/fiche_hotel.shtml.

This four-star hotel circa 1637 is a living museum. We loved its cozy authenticity and were surprised it was being refurbished. We saw little to improve, apart perhaps from raising the ceilings, as guests are a good deal taller today than in the 17th century. Food and beverage is managed by a French staff who deserve all their culinary and hospitality awards. The house dinner menu consists of exceptionally well-prepared, predominantly English cuisine at surprisingly modest prices. Newly opened in an annex of the hotel is Othello's, a bar brasserie where you can taste lighter fare like exotic tapas or indulge your taste for steak. We can only echo the recommendation of R.B. Wheeler, author of a 1795 hotel guide: "Domestic comforts of a congenial manner."

Bath - Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/bathspa.

It's high living at this five-star, 170-year-old estate, where you can have your luggage unpacked and bath drawn by your very own English butler. "Sumptuous" is the only word to describe the interior design of both reception and guest suites, the result of an 18-month rejuvenation. It was hard to pull myself out of the swimming pool and the thermal suite, a ritzy cluster of steam rooms with a rock sauna, infrared cabin, salt infusion, aroma steam room and themed showers, fabulous for detoxing. In the interest of journalism, I even braved the invigorating ice room, slathering my arms with crushed ice that looked like snow.

Oxford - Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel, www.four-pillars.co.uk.

Set back from the road on 20 acres of expansive grounds overlooking a horse sanctuary, this four-star hotel epitomizes a favorite British expression, "value for money." An easy 15-minute walk into the heart of Oxford, a modestly priced stay at this property even includes free admission to its Willows Leisure Club. What you'll remember most about your stay is the hospitality of its staff. Because it's located in a university town in one of Europe's most famous cities, some of the staff are students in tourism and hospitality and their enthusiasm is contagious.

For more information on heritage cities, visit www.heritagecities.com.

Sheila Sobell and Richard N. Every are professional travel writers and photographers. Visit www.writersobell.com.

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