Tourist attractions are usually in themselves pretty wonderful to see. Mt. Rushmore, the Mona Lisa, the Statue of Liberty, all impressive sights, with impressive crowds. Tour buses flood in one after another, people push and pull to get to the very front of the pack, to stare at something through a camera lens. Over half of the tourists are wearing crocs and or fanny packs. Children on leashes wear visors and cargo shorts. As you can tell, I am not a huge fan of tourist attractions. So, here are some cool sites to visit in the US that aren’t heavily trafficked by tour buses.
1) Ohiopyle State Park
This adorable but giant state park in Pennsylvania is home to many hidden treasures. It’s a wonderful place for rafting, home to a natural waterslide, houses Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob. There’s plenty of hiking, a bike trail that goes all the way to DC, art and music festivals, and stunning fall foliage. It is one of my favorite places, ever.
2) The Ohio State Reformatory
The Shawshank Redemption, this reformatory is abandoned but open
for tours. Self-guided or guided, visitors can view filming locations of the
movie, explore the grounds, gawk at the architecture.
3) Grand Teton National Park
4) Kenai Fjords National Park
5) The Timberline Lodge
As you can tell, I love movie sites. Serving as the Overlook Hotel from The Shining, this Oregon lodge is a beautiful ski and snowboard location, perched below a beautiful mountain. It’s an awesome building with great scenery, and it comes with a skiing/snowboarding mountain. They even offer night skiing. Unfortunately, there is no room 237, so you can’t sleep there and wait for a naked and decayed old lady. Too bad.
