You can define local however you like, 3 minutes travel or three hours if that seems right to you.

Where would you take a friend or extended family member who had never visited your location?

29 comments

  1. We’d simply hit one of the amazing beaches on Lake Huron, go boating on one of the inland lakes, paddle a kayak or canoe on the nearby National Wild and Scenic river, and get ice cream from one of the family owned spots. It’s a quiet lovely life around here.

  2. In my area, we have Lake Arthur, McConnell’s Mill state park, and the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter.

  3. To go with your expanded definition of local, I can drive to the historic district of Savannah in a few hours. That’s always a fun place to visit.

  5. Downtown Chicago from the Gold Coast down to the Museum Campus.

    The Chicago Botanic Garden and North Shore suburbs.

    Springfield, Illinois. I’m a Lincoln fan and enjoyed my visits. Alternatively, there are lots of nice places to visit for a weekend or a week in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. But I’ll go with Springfield.

  7. Most of the New England beaches are run by the state. Sandy Point, Wells, Popham are some of my faves. If you want more wild boardwalk atmosphere then Old Orchard.

    Friend or family member would definitely be Popham Beach and Fort Popham.

  10. Niagara Falls is always a crowd pleaser! While the American side is nice, the Canadian side gives you better views.

  13. The [Alpine Loop](https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS1025US1025&hl=en-US&sxsrf=ALiCzsbzzwtt_207suavDiMPzRLmM4J7vA:1671055980067&q=alpine+loop+colorado&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjquN3QkPr7AhXLHTQIHewNByoQ0pQJegQIERAB&biw=1024&bih=653&dpr=2) is a fun way to spend a day or two if you have a vehicle with high clearance. It’s a series of dirt roads that go between Silverton, Ouray and Lake City that’s mostly above 11,000ft. It passes a lot of old mines and ghost towns.

  16. Jersey shore, including the Boardwalk. Personally, I like Ocean City, parts of Wildwood, and Pt Pleasant the best.

    I’ve taken many guests there, and we’ve always had a great time.

  18. I encourage you all to visit Plymouth Rock, it’s incredibly rewarding and totally worth it. /s

    That said, near Boston here’s what I like:

    – Blue Hills Reservation – the only hiking with any real elevation gain anywhere near Boston

    – That’s literally all I can think of, eastern MA isn’t great on nature.

    Back in California:

    – Mission Peak – it’s the cliche obligatory Bay Area hike for a reason. Great views of the entire area.

    – Angel Island – get ratio’d, Alcatraz. Angel Island is both a more interesting historical site and a much more enjoyable place to be. Great hiking and a very unique place to go camping.

    – Little Yosemite – best-kept secret in the Bay. You can even do a multi night backpacking trip in the Sunol and Ohlone wildernesses.

    – Mount Diablo – On a clear day, you can see all the way to Yosemite from the top. Honestly, name a location in Norcal that isn’t behind a different mountain, and you can probably see it from Diablo.

  19. Within 100 miles of me there’s Eureka Springs, Arkansas, The Cave bar in Lanagan, Missouri, Big Brutus museum in West Mineral, Kansas, and The Coleman Theater in my own town of Miami, Oklahoma.

  20. Bowers museum, the Laguna Beach coastline, Whiting Ranch rocks, and just about any tamale you can buy in a parking lot are all great things to do in Orange County, CA.

  21. When you say “excluding national parks”, should we also exclude all the variations under NPS, such as the National Historic Parks and National Monuments? Because the [Boston National Historic Park](https://www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm) isn’t what people think of for national parks, but it’s certainly a tourist site I’ve frequented.

  22. So it’s actually a big local in-joke but in Omaha go to the zoo (the joke being that everyone says and does this). Omaha’s zoo is the best in the country. That’s not an exaggeration either. It’s a really great zoo.

    After that Durham Museum. Union Pacific is headquartered here in Omaha and Durham is in the old Union Station built in the 1920s to be UP’s showpiece. It is a STUNNING Art Deco building from top to bottom. There’s exhibits, train cars, and the original soda fountain where you can buy refreshments.

  24. I can’t think of one tbh, I think most of my state is boring asf. I enjoyed the car ride to Gettysburg, but more the scenery I saw getting there rather than the actual destination. (Can’t remember what some of the places we drove by were called, but we stopped at a diner restaurant on the way there and I thought the hill it was on looked pretty) I felt disappointed and underwhelmed by the actual Gettysburg site, I was just bored with the fact that all it was was an open field with cannons. I expected there to be bigger monuments. Not to mention it felt like it took forever to get there, so I was in a bad mood that day by the time we arrived. Which might’ve contributed to ruining the attraction for me. (This was back in around 2018-2019)

    Edit~ I forgot, I did enjoy fort mchenry in Baltimore Maryland. Way better than Gettysburg for me, it felt like a maze and was prettier. You could go and see inside the houses/buildings. I also thought DC was really nice when I went, as well as the aquarium. (Visited all these in the same day) I know it’s not my state, but I’m still considering it local because Maryland is only 2 hours away from me. And there’s barely anything in my state I’ve enjoyed.

  25. Illinois Beach State Park. Then a jaunt up to Kenosha to visit the Civil War Museum, walk along the pier, lunch at Tenuta’s Italian Deli (grill is open in the summer only), and Scoops for ice cream.

  26. Coastal Maine Botanical gardens are really cool. Probably my number one tourist destination in Maine.

    Second after that would be the Orono Bog Boardwalk. A mile of boardwalks out over a huge bog. Cooler than it sounds. Great views.

    If you’re a Stephen King fan then honorable mention goes to Mount Hope cemetery in Bangor. Parts of Pet Sematary were shot there and it’s also a really old (1834) really big cemetery, which is fascinating to look around.

  27. In the summertime I take them to the Nolichucky River Gorge. We camp and swim along the river. Its completely isolated nature and is a beautiful place.

    In other seasons Dollywood and the surrounding area is a good time if you know what you’re getting into.

  29. The Niagara Gorge is extremely underrated.

    It’s just North of Niagara Falls and features several state parks with trails that descend the gorge.

    Absolutely stunning and not nearly as many tourists. Got class 7 rapids, caves, lava tubes and even a giant ass whirlpool.

    Closer to home, I really enjoy Bird Island Pier in Buffalo. It’s just over 1 mile long separating the Black Rock Canal from the Niagara River with some great views of the Peace Bridge, Lake Erie and downtown Buffalo.

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