Everyone knows that you visit the Statue of Liberty when you go to NYC, you check out the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the leaning tower in Pisa, and so on.

 

So what are a few not-so-mainstream tourist stops (or not tourist stops) where you have visited or would like to visit?

Everyone knows that you visit the Statue of Liberty when you go to NYC, you check out the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the leaning tower in Pisa, and so on.

 

So what are a few not-so-mainstream tourist stops (or not tourist stops) where you have visited or would like to visit?

 

Neat place near Dawsonville GA. Highest waterfall east of Mississippi river. Beginning of Appalachian trail.

Went to Siesta Key a few years back and ventured to a FL state park called Myakka River State park. They have an airboat tour and a canopy walk that were pretty cool. Alligators were everywhere.

One of the best vacations we took back in the day was Canaan Valley State Resort Park in West Virginia.

Only tea plantation in the US is near Charleston, SC. Tour is cooler than I thought it would be.

We're always looking for little side trips when traveling. Went to a little place called Gatorland during one of our trips to Orlando and it was well worth the money. Used to go to Marineland when visiting my parents in St. Augustine, and Lion Country Safari when visiting relatives near West Palm beach.

And according to Clark Griswald, the Largest House of Mud in Liberal, Kansas is a must-see.

We're always looking for little side trips when traveling. Went to a little place called Gatorland during one of our trips to Orlando and it was well worth the money. Used to go to Marineland when visiting my parents in St. Augustine, and Lion Country Safari when visiting relatives near West Palm beach.

 

I went to Gatorland once probably 10 years ago and it was really cool but I had heard it burnt down and was closed. Do you know if it is still open?

Anytime you are in a President's home town, there is always a few things. I was in Greeneville, Tn, home of Andrew Johnson last week, it was pretty neat. Davy Crockett was born in Greene County (same county) and his home place is there, although you have to go to Morristown, one county (Hamblen) over to see where he grew up in his father's tavern. Greenville is about an hour from Knoxville and 45 minutes from Bristol, TN/VA

 

Also, I have never stopped, but I have business in Jamestown, Tn. and driving 127 home to NKY I pass Sgt Alvin York's Museum. Well I did stop once and it was closed. He was born there. I'd say it is about 20 miles south of Albany, Ky. It is way out of the way.

Neat place near Dawsonville GA. Highest waterfall east of Mississippi river. Beginning of Appalachian trail.

 

And home of a certain "Awesome Bill."

The grave of one of the men in the famous Iwo Jima flag-raising photograph is in Elizaville (Fleming County). He died the next month on Iwo Jima.

 

Franklin Sousley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anytime you are in a President's home town, there is always a few things. I was in Greeneville, Tn, home of Andrew Johnson last week, .

 

Did you see the cannonball lodged in the church?

It wasn't too terribly "off the beaten path", but on vacation down in Kiawah near Charleston, SC about a month ago, I took a detour to see the Angel Oak. It's a live oak tree (that's a "live oak" - a species of tree) believed to be somewhere around 600 years old, although depending on who you talk to, you could be told it's upwards of 1,500 years old. The tree is 66 feet tall, the trunk is 28 feet in circumference, and the canopy shades 17,200 square feet of forest floor. It has individual limbs that are 11 feet in circumference and upwards of 190 feet in length. Definitely something to behold.

 

^ Reminds me of the "Wye Oak" on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Blew over in a storm in 2002. We stopped a couple of times on the way to visit relatives.

 

Wye Oak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Speaking of off the beaten path, we stopped in southern Georgia several years ago on one of our many trips to/from Florida. A few miles off I-75 was a wide spot in the road called Juliette. We ate fried green tomatoes at the original Whistle Stop Cafe.