Every now and again, I have a travel notice in my email that says, “fly to (insert destination) for just $89”. In an instant you are made to think that if you fly into New York City, for example, you should want to see the most recognizable landmarks such as The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building, Yankee Stadium, and Times Square. What no one tells you is where you can find the best cannoli, or where you might find a peaceful beach away from other tourists, or where you can find a small red lighthouse (make a stop under the George Washington Bridge).
It needs to be said that I’m not a travel expert and this is not an advertisement for any one particular destination. However, I have stepped foot in 44 of our beautiful United States and have been to some of the more isolated or unique places within each one. For those of you that know me, you’re aware of the fact that I am a history buff, I love lighthouses, and I have a way of finding the unusual in any trip that I take. Because of this level of nerd-dom, I also have a list of places in each state that I’m trying to cross off (I will get to you one day, Carhenge). When I get to cross something off, it means more because I’m not necessarily there just to visit that state, but to actually experience something different that made it a memorable place to visit.
Paradise.
Here are my tips for finding the unusual, beautiful and less-traveled places that this country has to offer.
1. Don’t always stick to the agenda…I frequently have an agenda. Typed. With directions. And maps. In an Excel spreadsheet, with colors, numbers, dates, times, etc. Don’t believe me? Ask my wife, my sister, or my brother. When I stay away from the agenda, that’s when I catch something I would’ve otherwise missed. While traveling around and through York, Maine with my brother, we took a turn on the edge of town and found a candy store with candy from floor-to-ceiling. Literally. I’ve never seen anything like it. If you couldn’t find your candy at this place, then you don’t eat candy. You can’t just get to a store like that and not buy anything, so we sampled. I’m glad that we did. In North Dakota, on the way to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a friend and I stopped at a town just across the border from South Dakota to find a small little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that makes the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had. Seriously. I couldn’t tell you the name of the place, and the name of the town has slipped me, but I could find it again if I had to. Outside of Miami into Key Biscayne you’ll find a white lighthouse facing the ocean sitting in and among palm trees and some of the whitest beaches I’ve ever seen. The best part? There were two people on the beach other than me, as far as the eye could see. If I had been looking for any one of these places intentionally, there wouldn’t have been an element of surprise to make it memorable.
2. Find a place you’ve heard about from someone else…and then keep going. When I was a kid, my father always told us the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. “Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!” How I remember the change in my father’s tone as he told that part of the story, and what a story it was! I, like my sister, always wanted to hear that story, day after day. I think it’s that story that turned up my sense of adventure. If the locals tell you to climb the beanstalk at the corner of town, don’t be so quick to say “no”. Walk to the corner of Plymouth, MA to find a monument located in a residential area…don’t go to see the rock…find that monument that no one knows about. I was there when no one else was and it was if the clouds were happy I was there.
3. Go, just because you can…There have been times that I’ve been in a hotel for work and I’ve got nothing to do for the evening and I will become aware of my surroundings. Have I been to the neighboring state to the east? Nope, and I’m only an hour away…time to go. There’s a historical site two hours away…when will I have a better time than now? What will happen if I don’t go? Nothing…and what fun is there in that? If I’m in a situation like this, I decide to step out because who knows if I’ll ever be “here” again. There are cities and states that I see each year that don’t require as much of the new exploration, but I tend to find something new anyway, without even trying. I’m being led that way, to see the beauty that this country has to offer and the more I see, the more that I love it.
When I was in Indianapolis I thought I would try to find Santa Claus, IN, not knowing it was 3 hours away. It was worth the trip. Even with the extra 6 hours in the car. North of San Luis Obispo, CA driving along the coastal road is a place called Piedras Blancas, or White Rocks. It’s a great place to stop off for the scenery alone, but I was surprised to see a couple hundred elephant seals hanging out for a few weeks only. Alabama, Montana, Utah were quick stops, states that have occupied a total of 25 minutes of my time. For all three. But, I was there and I have proof.
The point of all of this is to say that there is so much to see in this country outside of the landmarks and popular tourist traps. Take this as a challenge, like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, only, take the third ending that you write yourself. Find a place that no one knows about and make up your own story that you’ll never forget.
D
Here is the list of my top-10 destinations that I found without knowing I would stumble upon them. Each destination is listed in descending order from lowest rank to highest. For each number on the list, I’ve provided my destination and the sites that tourists normally visit in that area. Enjoy!
In descending order:
My Destination People normally visit
10. Santa Claus, IN Lincoln’s Birthplace; Louisville
9. Holy Trinity Church, Wilmington, DE Winterthur, DuPont’s estate
8. Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA Confederate Capital
7. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, NC OBX; Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
6. Goodale’s Cutoff, Oregon Trail, ID Craters of the Moon National Park
5. Johnson’s Island, OH Marblehead, Cedar Point
4. Badlands, ND Thdre. Roosevelt National Park
3. Virgin River Gorge, AZ Las Vegas, Utah parks
2. Point of Key Biscayne South Beach, Miami
1. Matanuska Glacier, Glenn Highway, AK Mount McKinley
Splintered Kernels 