The Most Underrated Vacation Spot In Each State

Arizona's most underrated is Tucson??? It's one of the places in AZ most try to avoid!! Article mentions wineries and other things in the area. Well true, but thats not Tucson. Lots to do 30-60 miles outside of Tucson but not Tucson proper. It's an avoid if at all possible city!!

I see Mystic as CT's ONLY vacation spot, not much here. Maybe a short vacation vote for Lake Compounce & Bear Creek Campground if your a coaster fan.

Mike

I’m surprised that I’ve visited at least 15 and spend most winters in one.

Tal/IL wrote:
it's just click bait to collect data about you without you realizing it that can be analyzed to push ads to your browser.

Yea, just like basically everything on the internet. But it is fun (and sometimes interesting) to complain about such lists.

2012Coleman wrote:
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.

Agree 100%.
I quickly scrolled to FL to see what the genius writer was going to suggest...then I shook my head. Sure, if your baseline of rating FL tourist destinations is Disney, then everything else will pale in comparison. We spend tons of time in St. Augustine at all times of the year, and there's never a moment when George St. isn't crowded and parking isn't full.

And Cumberland Island in GA??? Come on, everyone knows about that place. The ONLY reason why it isn't absolutely mobbed with people too is because National Park Service limits the number of visitors AND access is by boat only.

Like most so-called "journalists" these days, this one too just picked the low hanging fruit to make some click-bait.

Living in Idaho, I would have to disagree with this article's Idaho spot. There are other less visited areas worth mentioning.

it's just click bait to collect data about you without you realizing it that can be analyzed to push ads to your browser.

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.

100% agree. We love Nat'l Parks and normally head there but there are locations within parks and some other areas that we love.

DallasSteve wrote:

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.

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

For Estes Park, the height of the season runs from Memorial Day through October. Their season goes beyond Labour Day due to the elk bugling/mating in Sept/Oct. And it starts Memorial Day weekend, the traditional opening of Trail Ridge Rd in RMNP. But I've been up there in April and camped inside the park at Moraine Park in April. Cool? Yes it can be. but if you want to see the stark beauty of the park as it transitions from winter to spring, this is a good time to visit EP. Still a lot of snow up high, as well as in the good hiking areas, but there's things to see/do at lower elevations. And in town is easier to get around, many of the shops and restaurants are open.

For the rest of Colorado, depends on the area you want to visit. Camping/RV season varies depending on elevation. The higher you go, the shorter the season, generally speaking. If you're into USFS camping, it can be a south to north thing...locations south may open sooner than locations north. In my area of northern Colorado, USFS season runs from late May to late September or sometimes early October. Fortunately, many of the Colorado State Parks stay open year round, albeit with limited facilities. Golden Gate Canyon, between Golden and Black Hawk, for example, has a loop that's open all year and becomes first come/first served.

For others, any time is a good time to see Colorado, and there are a lot of UNDERRATED places to visit any time of year. I would submit that Denver and Colorado Springs are both underrated places to visit for many of the folks who frequent this forum, simply because they are urban. But they have a lot to offer. Colorado is not just mountains.

OK, my bad.... yes, unknown and underrated are a different matter. Nashville, Indiana is a nice place, but only if you spend a couple or three hours there. Then you've see it all and ready to get back to Brown County State Park, or better yet, drive through Gnawbone, Indiana on your way back. It's actually a pretty interesting little "burg" on the map: Click here