Underrated America: 25 overlooked destinations worth a visit

CNN
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Disney World, Times Square and Yellowstone National Park can be packed to the rafters with tourists. But there are plenty of other places across the United States that continue to fly beneath the travel radar.

While there are literally hundreds of locations that fit that description, here are 25 destinations – from cities and national parks to regions and even entire states – that remain refreshingly underrated despite the surge in travel this year.

They’re listed geographically from the Northeast to the Pacific:

Far western Massachusetts boasts the Berkshires while the state’s eastern end is anchored by Boston and Cape Cod. So what’s in the middle? A Pioneer Valley carved by the Connecticut River and several vintage mill cities that have reinvented themselves in modern times.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield is where the sport was born in 1891 as a rainy-day indoor activity, while the city’s Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum & Sculpture Garden celebrates the Springfield-born children’s author.

One-off shops, restaurants and the LGBTQ scene make Northampton worth a visit, or hop across the Connecticut River and hike a portion of the New England Trail through the north woods.

Unlike the other big isles off southern New England, this offshore slice of the Ocean State has gone the extra mile to preserve its natural environment. In fact, the Nature Conservancy declared the petite isle one of a dozen “Last Great Places” in the western hemisphere.

Wildlife refuges and other nature areas protect 40% of Block Island, and residents are renowned for their fierce opposition to anything that might imperil their pristine Atlantic home.

Beaches, biking and trekking 32 miles of coastal and inland trails are the main daytime activities. After dark, the island boasts a surprisingly good food scene and laid-back bars like Captain Nick’s, Yellow Kittens and the Poor People’s Pub.

Once a boomtown at the confluence of the Great Lakes and Erie Canal, Buffalo snoozed through much of the 20th century. As the Upstate New York metropolis slowly awakens again, people have come to realize that all that downtime helped preserve the city’s classic architecture.

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