It's not just that the new "thrust" stage juts deep into the orchestra, bringing the actors into intimate contact with the audience. Or that the new smaller auditorium now has 1,040 seats, a quarter fewer than before, with the farthest twice as close to the stage. Or that innovative state-of-the-art technology can make lighting magic and move whole sets, such as the Forest of Arden, at the flick of a switch.

It's not just that playgoers can dine in the new Rooftop Restaurant overlooking the River Avon, snack at a riverside cafe and terrace, and stroll a river path between the theater and the Church of the Holy Trinity, where Shakespeare is buried.

The newly reconstructed Royal Shakespeare Theatre and its Tower are situated by the River Avon in Stratford, England. Photo courtesy of Peter Cook.

Essentially, it's that "The Transformation," as the Royal Shakespeare Company calls the project, is generating an excitement in Stratford that is spreading across the surrounding Warwickshire countryside.

Think of the new 118-foot-high Tower rising by the front entrance as a beacon. An elevator whisks visitors to the top viewing platform and 360-degree views of Stratford and key Shakespeare landmarks, among them the house where he was born and the church where he is buried. Beyond are the green rolling hills of England. Take it as an invitation to explore this inviting region around Stratford, sometimes called the Heart of England.

Some of it may be familiar — think Warwick Castle and the Broadway artists — but its charm also lies in less-famous castles and stately homes, where tales of great love stories and infamous plots flourish. Here are some hidden gems that bring more than six centuries of tumultuous British history to life.

Kenilworth Castle

Enchanting Tudor gardens, impressive Norman keep and John of Gaunt's Great Hall are mostly what's left of Kenilworth, now the largest castle ruin in England. First built 50 years after the Norman Conquest, it grew over 500 years in the hands of what sounds like a Shakespearean cast — Henry II, King John, Edward II and finally Henry V, who retired there in 1415 after defeating the French at the Battle of Agincourt.

In the mid-16th century, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, created formal gardens and a luxurious suite of Tudor apartments to entertain Queen Elizabeth I; Sir Walter Scott captured the pageants, fireworks and feasting of her lavish three-week visit in 1575 in his novel, "Kenilworth." That was the last of Kenilworth's glamour. It was partly destroyed during the British Civil War some 75 years later, fell into disrepair and was eventually salvaged as a haunting, romantic ruin.

Coughton Court

This 600-year-old Tudor estate is best known for what did not happen there: the Gunpowder Plot of Nov. 5, 1605, the failed attempt to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate King James I of England. The following day, the conspirators rode over the moat to the imposing gatehouse and Elizabethan half-timbered courtyard to seek refuge at Coughton Court, where the Throckmortons, fervent practicing Catholics, welcomed the then-illegal and beleaguered Catholic community.

The entrance to Coughton Court in the Heart of England is a handsome Tudor Gatehouse and half-timbered courtyard. Photo courtesy of Joan Scobey.

A rather scruffy Cavalier in Renaissance dress, playfully claiming to be a Throckmorton descendent, shows off the historic rooms, Mary Queen of Scots' execution shirt, family portraits and mementos of their Catholic history. He also recounts the story of the activist family who often hid priests in secret "priest holes" built into the tower walls and kept Catholicism alive throughout the Reformation. The family has owned the estate since 1409 and still lives there.

Ragley Hall

At Ragley Hall, turbulent English history, rival monarchs and plotting conspirators take a back seat to the glories of British home and landscape design in this elegant Palladian house, to which an impressive roster of notable British architects contributed. It was begun in 1680 by Robert Hooke, a contemporary of Christopher Wren, and completed in the middle of the 18th century by James Gibbs, who designed Ragley's glorious Great Hall, a monumental room 40 feet high and wide, and 70 feet long, with extravagant Baroque plasterwork in pink, gray and white. The Red Saloon is still exactly as it was decorated and furnished by James Wyatt. Delightfully, it is also a joyous family home for the ninth Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford and their children, who ride their bikes and play ball in the Great Hall.

The house itself sits in 400 acres of Capability Brown parkland, with 27 acres of formal gardens. Stables, a collection of carriages, a maze and woodland walks enchant visitors, especially children.

Compton Verney

The last stop in this Heart of England ramble is a lesson in how the Brits utilize their historic homes in new ways. Compton Verney was a once derelict 18th-century Georgian mansion with another glorious Capability Brown garden — the great landscape designer was everywhere. But now it has been impeccably restored and transformed into an art museum. Today visitors come to the tranquil lakeside gallery for its collection of British folk art, the largest in England. Colorful quilts and carved ducks, roosters and snorting pigs crowd the counters; fish cutouts, guns, even a fanciful winged goat hang from the ceiling. The permanent holdings also include Chinese bronzes, Neapolitan baroque art and other areas underrepresented in British museums. Compton Verney is just nine miles southeast of Stratford.

Compton Verney is a new museum with the largest collection of British folk art in England. Photo courtesy of Joan Scobey.

WHEN YOU GO

In Stratford, the Arden Hotel, a pleasant refurbished 45-room boutique hotel, is directly across the street from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre; double rooms start at about $310, including breakfast and VAT: www.theardenhotelstratford.com.

Mallory Court, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, is a Relais & Chateaux manor house with 30 rooms on 10 acres and a Michelin-star restaurant; double rooms from about $245, including breakfast and VAT: www.mallory.co.uk.

For information about Stratford and the Heart of England countryside, contact VisitEngland at www.visitengland.us. British Airways, www.ba.com, has frequent daily flights from many U.S. gateways to London, about 70 miles from Stratford.