1. Juneau, Alaska
Alaska’s capital is distant and may’t be reached by automotive, except you place your automotive on a ferry. Sandwiched between the mountains and the ocean, Juneau is the nation’s most scenic capital and wealthy with historical past and Native heritage.
Because of its wild location, Juneau is a superb spot for wonderful leisure experiences—it’s simply 13 miles from Mendenhall Glacier, (pictured right here) a wildlife hotspot for seeing bears, bald eagles, and whales, plus loads of kayaking, rafting and mountain climbing alternatives.
2. Page, Arizona
Page was created as a housing web site within the Fifties for the employees who had been constructing the Glen Canyon Dam, which dams the Colorado River forming Lake Powell. The lake is a prime spot for water-based recreation and the area is wealthy with beautiful views and geologic wonders.
Page is an effective launching-off level for different websites similar to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley. Pictured is close by Horseshoe Bend, the place a .6-mile hike will reward you with this view.
3. Salem, Massachusetts
An historic maritime city north of Boston, Salem is finest identified for the witch trials that happened in 1692. But its seaside appeal and wonder lend itself to loads of different pleasures and historic pursuits.
Follow the Salem Heritage Trail by over 400 years of the city’s historical past. It will take you to the Salem Witch Museum and the House of the Seven Gables, finest identified in the present day because the setting of world-renowned American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel. The tour consists of Hawthorne’s birthplace, waterfront views, and a singular museum retailer.
If you go to the historic graveyard, don’t miss the understated Salem Witch Trials Memorial, pictured right here, a quiet and somber spot remembering the victims of hysteria who had been killed for being so-called witches.
4. Sonoma, California
Just subsequent door to Napa Valley, the city of Sonoma is the center of California’s different most well-known wine valley, and generally known as properly for its cheese, historic adobe mission, and the oldest vineyard in California. Pictured is the historic plaza, the place you may browse outlets, eat at effective eating places, see the mission, and style wines and cheeses.
Sonoma County boasts lovely parks inside minutes of the city sq., plus coastal and redwood parks farther afield with nice leisure alternatives.
5. Tierra Verde, Florida
This boating group close to St. Petersburg, Florida, is a gateway to Fort De Soto Park, which has among the finest nature and wildlife viewing within the area.
Tierra Verde has marinas, fishing spots, informal eating places, award-winning seashores, waterfront campgrounds, miles of pedestrian and kayak trails, and the ruins of an historic Spanish-American War-era fort manufactured from shell and stone, pictured right here.
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6. Philadelphia
Spend an extended weekend in one of many nation’s most historic cities the place you may take within the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the place the Constitution and Declaration of Independence had been signed.
Philadelphia is a famend culinary vacation spot, however you may as well take the chance to eat like an area with some consolation meals classics, together with smooth pretzels, hoagies, and cheesesteaks.
Each neighborhood has a unique fashion of meals, from Italian to Asian-fusion. Check out the Southeast Asian market in South Philadelphia, the place you may strive Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian cuisines.
7. San Juan Island, Washington
There are loads of islands within the Seattle-Vancouver space, however San Juan is among the largest and most populous with plenty of lodging, eating and tourism actions. You can fly there, take a ferry or water taxi.
San Juan Island is an effective spot to launch a whale-watching journey or go kayaking, biking or mountain climbing. The island has seashores and one of many nation’s largest lavender farms. Tripadvisor recommends the bustling Friday Harbor with loads of eating places and outlets, plus the 19-acre sculpture backyard at Westcott Bay Reserve.
8. Camden, Maine
If you are feeling such as you’ve seen this place earlier than, it’s as a result of its picture-perfect setting has made it a preferred location for a lot of motion pictures, together with “Thinner,” “Forrest Gump,” “Olive Kitteridge,” “Peyton Place” and “In the Bedroom.”
This lovely seaport city with a harbor filled with sail boats is made for ocean lovers and crusing fans, plus it has nice meals, buying and different out of doors journey alternatives. There are a number of historic lighthouses within the space, too.
9. Galena, Illinois
This picturesque city of simply 3,200 in northwestern Illinois is near the Mississippi River and the borders of each Iowa and Wisconsin. The six-block Main Street has outstanding examples of assorted architectural types, starting from French Colonial to Greek Revival, and 85% of the city is a nationwide historic district.
Galena has quite a few mattress and breakfasts, and is a superb spot for effective eating, {golfing} and antiquing. You also can go to the elegant mansion residence of Ulysses S. Grant.
>> Related: Hidden Gems: Most Underrated Tourist Attractions within the U.S.
10. Whitefish, Montana
A gateway city to Glacier National Park, Whitefish is a recreation haven with Rocky Mountain surroundings that can heal the sorest eyes. It’s nice for winter snowboarding in addition to biking, horseback using and whitewater rafting in summer time.
Give your self just a few days to see Glacier National Park, a wealthy tapestry of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes. Bring your kayak, your tent, your mountain climbing boots, your digital camera, your fishing pole, and your car reservation, which is required.
11. Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan is a well-liked cease for cruise ships, because it’s situated alongside the coastal route of Alaska’s panhandle.
Ketchikan is a gateway city to the attractive Misty Fjords National Monument, a part of the Tongass National Forest, the biggest, intact coastal rainforest in America. Misty Fjords is simply 22 miles from Ketchikan; you may take a flightseeing journey in a sea airplane or a day cruise to see the gorgeous surroundings.
12. Durango, Colorado
This former mining city in southwestern Colorado is a well-liked spot for out of doors recreation, because of its scenic magnificence.
Take a visit by the canyons of the San Juan National Forest on the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, or stroll across the historic downtown and revel in some effective eating and leisure.
From Durango you may try Mesa Verde National Park the place you may see among the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings within the nation. Other parks you may go to close by embody Chaco Canyon, Hovenweep, and Four Corners.
13. Saint Simons Island, Georgia
Saint Simons Island, a part of the Golden Isles chain close to Brunswick, is a virtually 18-square-mile island as soon as dominated by rice and cotton plantations. It’s identified for its salt marshes and sandy stretches of seaside. Pictured right here is the historic Christ Church which was rebuilt in 1884 after it was burned within the Civil War.
The charming St. Simons Island Lighthouse has a museum that traces its historical past; the lighthouse, additionally destroyed within the Civil War, was rebuilt in 1872. The island is a superb spot for birdwatching, whale watching, fishing and different recreation.
14. Ogunquit, Maine
A couple of miles north of Portsmouth on Maine’s southern coast, Ogunquit provides an extended sandy peninsula with grassy dunes and sheltered white sand seashores.
There’s a lighthouse in Ogunquit too, and a captivating working fishing cove the place you may wander by outlets and galleries and eat at quite a few eating places or catch a musical on the Ogunquit Playhouse in summer time. The Ogunquit Museum of American Art is understood for its waterside sculptures and works by Maine-related artists.
15. Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles is California’s quieter wine nation, 250 miles south of Napa and Sonoma Valleys, and 125 miles north of Santa Barbara, the wine area featured within the movie “Sideways.” Besides wine tasting, you may take a trip in a scorching air balloon and go to the historic Estrella Warbird Museum and Paso Robles Pioneer Museum.
Downtown Paso Robles could be very walkable, with good buying and eating, and extra wine tasting. It’s a straightforward drive to the faculty city of San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach, too.