The Most Underrated Vacation Spot In Each State

Thom02099 wrote:
As stated above, "Underrated" versus "Unknown"...big difference.

This list crops up every so often, and one wonders who makes such a list. Were the locations actually visited? What's the criteria for making the list?

Some would point out that quite a few on the list, by some other standards, would be overrated. Case in point: Estes Park, CO. Now, I love the Estes Park area and am up there frequently from my home base about 45 minutes away. But at the height of the tourist season, it's a zoo up there. Too many people, with RMNP being loved to death. Traffic frequently bumper-to-bumper, and not just in town. Downtown sometimes looking like mid-town or lower Manhattan, what with all the pedestrians. There are certainly other contenders in Colorado. But any list such as this is always subjective.

I'm sure others would point out glaring errors in other states. Branson, MO underrated? Reno, NV underrated? Detroit, MI underrated? For the folks who frequent forums such as this, I think there are likely other suggestions in those (and other) states.

Good points. Branson certainly doesn't seem underrated. And I think there must be better underrated places in Michigan than Detroit. Maybe I will start a thread for this forum to build our own list. And a list like this bothers me because some states might have 10 great underrated sites, and others might have 0. It should just be a list of the best underrated sites to visit on vacation.

When is a good time to visit Estes Park or Colorado in general?

azdryheat wrote:
Frankly, I'd rather not tell the world so as to keep the masses from descending on these favorite places and ruining them.

Too Late!

As stated above, "Underrated" versus "Unknown"...big difference.

This list crops up every so often, and one wonders who makes such a list. Were the locations actually visited? What's the criteria for making the list?

Some would point out that quite a few on the list, by some other standards, would be overrated. Case in point: Estes Park, CO. Now, I love the Estes Park area and am up there frequently from my home base about 45 minutes away. But at the height of the tourist season, it's a zoo up there. Too many people, with RMNP being loved to death. Traffic frequently bumper-to-bumper, and not just in town. Downtown sometimes looking like mid-town or lower Manhattan, what with all the pedestrians. There are certainly other contenders in Colorado. But any list such as this is always subjective.

I'm sure others would point out glaring errors in other states. Branson, MO underrated? Reno, NV underrated? Detroit, MI underrated? For the folks who frequent forums such as this, I think there are likely other suggestions in those (and other) states.

DutchmenSport wrote:
I flipped through to Indiana. Here's what it said. Yes, I agree with their conclusion on this town, but it's not as unknown as they suggested. We've been to Nashville, Indiana several times and it's got a lot of activity going on. Not as much as say, the Indianapolis 500 for sure, but it's not as "unknown" as suggested. In my opinion, there are dozens and dozens of little "unknown" towns and bergs in Indiana that are interesting, have lots of character and charm. Pendleton, Indiana (right near where I live is one of those spots.) Really nice city park with swimming pool (nice big one), walking trails, a small river/creek that runs through it, lots of little quaint shops down town. But there's no campgrounds in Pendleton, except a paid fishing hole that has cabins you can rent out a day at a time and do some tent camping on.

From the article though. Granted, Nashville, Indiana is a pretty nice little town though:

Indiana: Nashville
The town’s beauty and art are the primary bases for tourism in Nashville, Indiana. Nashville has all of three traffic lights and a population of 803, with most of its residents working as artists. Beyond the Brown County State Park, Nashville has wonderful bed and breakfasts, cottages, restaurants, art galleries, shops, music venues, and antiques dealers.

Dutchmen

The didn't say "unknown" - they said "underrated". And picking Nashville, Indiana as an example of a "known" place seems like a stretch to me. Someone living in Indiana would probably recognize the name, but I'd never heard of Nashville, Indiana. It has a population of about 1,000. That's pretty small and that would generally make it obscure. Anyway, it looks like a nice place I might want to visit.

Steve

Trekkar wrote:

jplante4 wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Frankly, I'd rather not tell the world so as to keep the masses from descending on these favorite places and ruining them.

It's ok, no one reads MSN anyway.

According to usage ranking, (similarweb) MSN is currently the top-rated media publication today.

Only because it's the default home page on Microsoft browsers.

I flipped through to Florida and was surprised to see that it was St Augustine. They show a picture of the main drag St. George street - empty. If you see this city during the height of the tourist season as I do every summer, it's mobbed. You can't park, you can't eat without waiting long for a table, and people literally bump into you walking down the narrow streets - especially St. George street.

If you want to go, park on the outskirts and take the trolley.

jplante4 wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Frankly, I'd rather not tell the world so as to keep the masses from descending on these favorite places and ruining them.

It's ok, no one reads MSN anyway.

According to usage ranking, (similarweb) MSN is currently the top-rated media publication today.

azdryheat wrote:
Frankly, I'd rather not tell the world so as to keep the masses from descending on these favorite places and ruining them.

It's ok, no one reads MSN anyway.

That should have simply been titled: Places to visit in each state.

For Connecticut, they listed Mystic.... which just so happens to be Connecticut's top tourist destination. It is far from unknown.

For Pennsylvania, they list Hershey? (!) Again, one of the state's top tourist attractions.

Interesting list, but far from "underrated" or "unknown" tourist destinations.

I'm sure that natives of each state could suggest alternatives, but I enjoyed flipping through the slides to see how many we've visited (23). Not even halfway yet.

Tom