Portland, Maine
A beautiful coastal town in Maine. It’s all about the outdoors and the beautiful scenery. A great place to travel, but still keep your distance.
Kathy Ritacco, Apple Valley
Florida Keys
Subtropical island oasis in the U.S., incredible drive over clear blue waters.
Alex Eriksen, Danbury, Conn.
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
The intersection of natural beauty and history make a person feel very insignificant and full of curiosity, while the Appalachian Trail just meanders right through the middle.
Clara Presser, Minneapolis
Acadia National Park, Maine
This park has mountains, forests, the ocean and great hiking (you can be the first to see the sun rise in the continental United States) and also is very accessible by car.
Britta Dornfeld, Minneapolis
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah has it all: architecture, Revolutionary War and Civil War history, ocean 20 minutes away, art town, great for foodies, tons of green spaces, and you can walk around the historical district with an adult beverage.
Deneen Rowe, Minneapolis
Hoosier National Forest, Indiana
This southern Indiana gem gets passed by the major interstate highways going to Louisville or Cincinnati. Take a detour and discover why Larry Bird [Hall-of-Fame basketball player] didn’t want to leave French Lick.
Jeremy Kasperson, Plymouth
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota
A holiday back in time. No phone, just nature.
Dusty Hughes, Sydney, Australia
Nauvoo, Illinois
Such a beautiful little river town along the Mississippi, full of water lilies, apple trees, old houses and a lot of history. I discovered it some years ago meandering home up the river from a trip to St Louis.
Baya Clare, St. Paul
New Orleans
New Orleans offers such a diverse vacation. There is food, music, architecture, history, festivals and so much more. Something for everyone and totally unique.
Kathleen Karsko, Minneapolis
Ouray, Colorado
You really have to go here. It is an old mining town and off the beaten track.
Johnny P., Prescott, Ariz.
Pacific Coast Highway, California
The drive from San Simeon to Carmel is postcard-perfect and stunning. It’s a narrow, winding road that lifts you up into the sky. It feels disconnected from the rest of the country.
Will Chase, Richfield
Itasca State Park, Minnesota
Beautiful state park overlooking Lake Itasca with trails and lodging amenities. Headwaters of the Mississippi River.
Austin Gillmann, Blaine
Angle Inlet, Minnesota
Currently inaccessible to most Americans, and very few ever get a chance to see the most northerly point in the Lower 48. Comfortable remoteness. [The drive to Angle Inlet requires travel through Canada, which is currently restricting nonessential travel.]
Lee Parsons, Plymouth
Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Powell, Wyo.
About 60 miles from the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the site offers an incredible interpretive center that details a part of Asian American history that many people have never heard. The center offers many artifacts and first-person accounts of the confinement camps where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Their stories need to be heard.
Erica Try, Rochester
Zion National Park, Utah
Amazingly calm and beautiful nature, with loads of wildlife. Less busy than the more common national parks, like Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
Katie Prasek, Lakeville
Wind River Range, Wyoming
The Wind River Range has some of the tallest mountains in the Lower 48, and is not a very busy place. In the middle of nowhere, very rugged and wild. Lots of beauty to behold.
Tony Saunders, Minneapolis
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
White Sands is special because of the tranquillity of the dune field. Walking over the 30+-foot-tall dunes with no noise but the wind, and seeing your footsteps in the pure white sand behind you while you take in the distant mountains is a peaceful, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Max Moen, Minneapolis
North Cascades National Park, Washington
This is an American Swiss Alps type of place. There are rugged mountains, beautiful lakes and glaciers.
Grant Tiefenbruck, Cottage Grove
The Huntington Botanical Gardens, Pasadena, California
Stroll desert and Asian-inspired gardens, view art in a railroad tycoon’s mansion, and enjoy the ever-moderate weather of Southern California, all within view of 5,700-foot Mount Wilson and 30 minutes from downtown L.A. Or best, stay in old-town Pasadena and hike the mountains, too.
Philipp Muessig, Minneapolis
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
The lake itself is beautiful, as is the surrounding national park. The colors and fresh air are incredible.
Jonathan Kent, Minnetonka
The richest hue of the color blue that I’ve ever seen was Crater Lake in Oregon. It mesmerized me. Incredible.
Mark Senger, Brainerd Lakes Area
Marin Headlands, California
[Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.] On my wife’s and my first trip to San Francisco, friends took us out to look at the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove across to Marin County, parked and climbed a tall ridge and took in the sight, with the city arrayed behind it. We then climbed over the ridge to see the Pacific, and whammo! We were suddenly in the California wilderness! Walking in a field of lush poppies! As we stared transfixed at the ocean waves! As the perfume of poppies and sea salt filled our lungs! Wondrous!
Rohn Jay Miller, Minneapolis