By Joe Yogerst | CNN
Disneyland, Times Square and Yosemite National Park can be packed to the rafters with tourists. But there are plenty of other places across the United States that continue to fly beneath the travel radar.
While there are literally hundreds of locations that fit that description, here are 25 destinations – from cities and national parks to regions and even entire states – that remain refreshingly underrated despite the surge
They’re listed geographically from the Northeast to the Pacific:
Far western Massachusetts boasts the Berkshires, while the state’s eastern end is anchored by Boston and Cape Cod. So what’s in the middle? Pioneer Valley, an area carved by the Connecticut River where several vintage mill cities have reinvented themselves in modern times.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield is where the sport was born in 1891 as a rainy-day indoor activity, while the city’s Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum & Sculpture Garden celebrates the Springfield-born children’s author.
One-off shops, restaurants and the LGBTQ scene make Northampton worth a visit, or hop across the Connecticut River and hike a portion of the New England Trail through the north woods.
Block Island, Rhode Island
Block Island boasts more than 30 miles of coastal and inland trails.(Maria Hoffman/Adobe Stock via CNN Newsource)
Unlike the other big isles off southern New England, this offshore slice of the Ocean State has gone the extra mile to preserve its natural environment. In fact, the Nature Conservancy declared the petite isle one of a dozen “Last Great Places” in the western hemisphere.
Wildlife refuges and other nature areas protect 40% of Block Island, and residents are renowned for their fierce opposition to anything that might imperil their pristine Atlantic home.
Beaches, biking and trekking 32 miles of coastal and inland trails are the main daytime activities. After dark, the island boasts a surprisingly good food scene and laid-back bars like Captain Nick’s and the Poor People’s Pub.
Buffalo, New York
Once a boomtown at the confluence of the Great Lakes and Erie Canal, Buffalo snoozed through much of the 20th century. As the Upstate New York metropolis slowly awakens again, people have come to realize that all that downtime helped preserve the city’s classic architecture.
Among Buffalo’s stylish structures are the Art Deco City Hall, Greek Revival Buffalo History Museum, Victorian glass houses at the botanical gardens, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s streamlined Martin House.
A renaissance of the city’s once derelict waterfront includes the Canalside shopping and entertainment district, lakeside hiking and biking trails, a naval maritime museum, and Silo City with its iconic grain elevators. Meanwhile, Niagara Falls is just up the road.
Pennsylvania Wilds
Bridge ruins are part of Pennsylvania’s Kinzua Bridge State Park.(Karlsson Photo/Adobe Stock via CNN Newsource)
From abundant wildlife and untamed mountain streams to the old growth trees of the Forest Cathedral and Pine Creek’s gaping Mid-Atlantic version of the grand canyon, there’s still plenty of wild in north-central Pennsylvania.
One of the least populated places east of the Mississippi River, the Wilds sprawl across a vast expanse of the rugged Allegheny Plateau. In addition to Allegheny National Forest, the …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
