Name some surprisingly interesting places to visit.

[Darth_Kitten]

:evilgrin:

What interesting, under-appreciated places have you gone to that you would recommend others visiting? :shrug:

[rug]

1. Have you been to Meat Cove, NS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Cove,_Nova_Scotia

[applegrove]

5. Is that Cape Breton? I have not been to Cape Breton since I was a child. Love Nova Scotia though.

[rug]

7. Yes, it's at the very tip.

[Chan790]

2. Burlington, Connecticut.

I wasn't a visitor though: I was born there and spent my summers there from 11 to 19 on a goat-dairy, pissing on trees and thwarting deer poachers.

Untouched wilderness 5 minutes from the urban Hartford suburbs (if you're ever in Metro Hartford, it'll make sense. The larger "city" (comprised of 32 separate municipalities) is bigger than the City of Hartford (all 14.7 sq. mi.) about 20 times over.) of Bristol and Farmington. Swim in creeks and ponds, hike 20 miles without leaving town, watch the wildlife frolic and enjoy scenic valley views from some of the highest unobstructed views in southern New England...then get in the car and be seated at dinner at some of the fanciest restaurants in the world, inside the city, less than 30 minutes later.

I joked for years that someone should open a B&B. Apparently someone listened as 3 have opened in the past 2 years.

[Brother Buzz]

3. Glass beach in Fort Bragg, California

[flying rabbit]

4. Maryhill museum of art

Impressive and eclectic collection of art in the middle of nowhere. Bonus: in a beautiful mansion with a fantastic view. Check out the life size stonehenge war memorial just down the road.
http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/index.html

[Boojatta]

6. In Canada ...

Kirkland Lake.

Actually, I've never been there, but Google Books gave me the following snippet:

Trotsky in Kirkland Lake? Well, if John D. Rockefeller Jr. can come to Kirkland Lake, why not Trotsky?

From the book
Lily: a rhapsody in red
by Heather Robertson

[provis99]

8. Lexington, Kentucky.

beautiful antebellum homes I hadn't expected to see; very clean town, lots of academic types and liberals (also surprising in Kentucky). Beautiful horses in the countryside around it.

[csziggy]

11. The Horse Park is supposed to be interesting

I hope to visit someday.

[xmas74]

9. I posted the Glore Psychiatric Museum

in the KC thread yesterday and I stand by it today.
http://www.stjosephmuseum.org/glore.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eFMj2AdXtE

It's not for everyone but it's definitely unique.

[hibbing]

10. hmmm...Michigan?

Hi,
Not sure how under-appreciated it is, but what a beautiful state. I had the funnest trip to Michigan. Drove up north to Mackinaw City after flying into Detroit, then ferry to Mackinac Island, the drove down along the west coast to Charlevoix, if Jewlerettes (sp) is still there, stop for lunch, Petoskey, Traverse City, went to an old Coast Guard museum up north from Traverse City I think it was, Sleeping Bear Dunes Park, which was amazingly beautiful, down along the coast to Holland. Not that surprising to some I suppose, but what a wonderfully diverse state and we had a blast. One of the best vacations I have ever been on.

Great topic, I hope it stays so I can take notes on what other people post.

Peace

[csziggy]

13. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Bok Tower

Merritt Island is cool cause you can see Kennedy Space Center from the main road. And the bird watching is amazing. You drive across dikes for the holding ponds and can see birds without even getting out of the car. Best time to visit is in the winter. http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/

When there are launches, the Refuge will be closed as will Canaveral National Seashore which adjoins the Refuge.

Hands down, Merritt Island has the best variety of bird species I have ever seen anywhere.

Another place that used to be a major tourist attraction but is no longer is Bok Tower. It is at the highest point on peninsular Florida, in Lake Wales, and is a planted garden with a bell tower in the center. The habitat is very different than most Florida attractions and it is a wonderfully peaceful place to visit. Because of the unique habitat, the bird watching there is exceptional. The carillon is wonderful to hear and the tower it is housed in is a work of art in itself. They've added more land to the park and trails that show the native habitat of the Lake Wales Ridge. http://boktowergardens.org/

[JCMach1]

12. Armenia

Was actually way cool...

I would also add Luxembourg to that list...

[XemaSab]

14. Texas

:)

[HopeHoops]

15. The Old Man in the Mountain in New Hampshire - well, before his face fell off.

That was a really sad event.

HOWEVER, just south of the Old Man, there's a natural flume that I think they call "The Old Man's Feet" or something like that. It is a long winding raceway that's polished smooth and ends (well, mostly) at what they call "The Basin". The water dumps into this hole and sets up a whirlpool that has carved it out down to something like 20 feet deep. If I recall correctly, it is about 10' in diameter, maybe more. Striking.

[KamaAina]

16. Old Sacramento

a recreation of a gold rush-era town, complete with wodden sidewalks (they have concrete ramps at the corners for wheelchair access!)

It gave off a surprisingly middle-of-the-country vibe: people eating various finger foods, steam train whistles, even the PA from the minor-league ballpark across the river. :thumbsup:

[MorningGlow]

17. Watkins Glen (the gorge, not just the racetrack)

And it's "sister", Letchworth State Park.



And, come to think of it, just about all of my stomping grounds, western/central New York State--the Finger Lakes area. God's country. :) Wine country, too. Bonus. :9

[av8rdave]

19. I used to love goint to Letchworth as a kid!

I grew up in the western corner of the state (Jamestown). There is some beautiful country around there.

[Lars39]

18. I'd like to go back to Williamsburg and Macinac Island.

[av8rdave]

20. Stone Mountain, Ga

I am not from the south and have no interest in the world's largest second place trophy, but there is a pretty good civil war museum there. They have a lot of front pages from southern newspapers published during the war. It's interesting to see the way the war was reported from that vantage point.