I’d like to share with you one of the resources my husband and I use to get to our favorite places. It is Reader’s Digest’s Off the Beaten Path – Newly Revised & Updated: A Travel Guide to More Than 1000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting.
This book is for the traveler who likes to see interesting and under-visited places around the U.S. There are over 1,000 destinations spread from Maine to Hawaii and Alaska to Florida. This handy guide is organized by state. Within each state you will find an updated map, a list of the unique sites and lots of colorful pictures. Plus, there is a good description of each place with all the necessary information.
We are preparing to hit the road this week, heading east from California. I’ve looked through each of the states we plan to visit and I’ve scouted out some great places along the way. To give you an idea of how unique this book is, I picked a state right in the middle: Missouri. There are 24 Off the Beaten Path places in the state. Here’s a sample:
- Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge – a bird lover’s paradise (warblers, avocets, snow geese, bald eagles)
- The YouZeum – interactive exhibits about your body and health
- Jefferson Farm and Gardens – showplace on the importance of farming and horticulture inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s garden at Monticello (67 acres)
- City Museum in St. Louis – This museum is devoted to the eccentric and surreal with exhibits both inside and outside
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I hope you get the idea with just a few examples. I didn’t even mention the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum or Mark Twain’s Historic site or the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library. Every state has its own unique set of places to visit. These are good vacation destinations or day trips if you live nearby. We have used this guide for years but now they have a new, up-dated Third Edition. Keeping this guide up-to-date is one of the things I like about it. Be prepared, it is a big book, over an inch thick, and heavy. We are selective on what comes along with us as we travel. This one makes the cut. On the Contents page is a quote of Mark Twain’s that I find so appropriate for Off-the-Beaten-Path Travelers. |
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. . . Explore. Dream. Discover.”
What are your favorite places that are off the beaten path?
This post was originally published on my blog, Joyfully Retired
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If your going to be financially secure enough to venture out and see whats available in the B & B field...take your time and check it out. If you have to jump into a job..just to have one..you will not be happy. Hope you get the time to find wh
Hi Margot
I love your blog and thank you for the information about “Off the Beaten Path”. I have travelled extensively in the USA and done both the south east and south west of Canada and I agree there are so many fabulous ‘off the beaten’ track places. I will link across to you from my new blog http://www.ourgenerationtravel.com
Best wishes
Anne