Best Hidden Gem Vacation Spots in the US

July 17, 2015 9:28 AM

I'm taking a trip with my family and mid-August and I'm looking for some great but lesser know vacation spots stateside, preferably close to a large body of water (lake, ocean, etc). More details inside.

I'll be taking a vacation with my parents and two younger siblings in Mid-August and have designated the official trip planner. would like a place that both fun and relaxing. About us: My parents are in their forties and and youngest sibling is 17, so we all have ability to some adventurous activities, however we'd like to chill be a beach or lake in-between.

Also, we want to stay away from typically crowded destination areas like Miami, Myrtle Beach and Atlantic City. I've looked at places like Makinac Island and Cumberland Island,Ga. Both seem quite nice. Does anyone know of any other similar places to these, that are reasonably priced in Mid-August? We live on the East Coast but we're not against flying cross country for a great destination.

posted by CosmicSeeker42 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (12 answers total)

Not sure how cheap this is, but when I lived in North Carolina, I really liked vacationing at Sunset Beach. Yes, it is very close to Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Emerald Isle, etc, but it is its own island with very little non-local traffic. Even in the high season, it is less crowded and frenzied than most other beach towns because it used to have a boat-based bridge, like a barge drove into place to complete the road, so the road closed whenever commercial boat traffic came through. There is now a permanent bridge, but the island is still nice and quiet, with a less crowded beach. I loved it there.
posted by rachelpapers at 9:38 AM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Mackinac Island is an excellent choice, but by day 3 you will have done everything. I suggest pairing it with a trip through the Upper Peninsula -- see Tahquamenon Falls, Pictured Rocks, etc. There are nice beaches (surprisingly) along Lake Superior, but the water is quite cold (not surprisingly). Or you could stay in the Lower Peninsula and hit Traverse City and points along Lake Michigan. Lots of great beach towns to explore.
posted by dzot at 9:52 AM on July 17, 2015

Yes, the beaches of the Great Lakes and the lovely little towns along the lake shore are often revelations to people from either coast.

They're not secret from the residents of Chicago and Detroit, though, so they're hardly undiscovered but they can still be new to you.
posted by Nerd of the North at 10:30 AM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yeah, and Mackinac Island is not exactly un-crowded during the summer. It's no Miami, but it's not a "hidden gem."

If you are open to smaller lakes, there are literally thousands of cabins, condos, houses, etc., listed on VRBO on the shores of small lakes in northern Wisconsin and the UP. Or, if you do want to stick with a major body of water like Lake Michigan, again I'll recommend VRBO, but zero in on places that are 10+ miles from the core tourist centers. Instead of right in Traverse City, go up along the coast of the Grand Traverse Bay. Instead of Holland, MI (great airport access BTW), go up or down the coast of Lake Michigan.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 10:35 AM on July 17, 2015 [3 favorites]

Astoria to Coos Bay, Oregon.

Avoid Seaside, however -- the central part of that city is a crappy tourist trap. But everything else? Amazing. Astoria, Cannon Beach, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:02 AM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Perhaps Lake Tahoe? Fly into Reno, rent a car. There's a big lake. Cabins or camping if you want that. Fancy hotels if you want. Tourist traps, gambling (on the NV side of the lake), hiking, swimming, other water stuff. Desolation Wilderness on the CA side of the lake is awesome for day hikes.
posted by elmay at 11:14 AM on July 17, 2015

Seconding Lake Tahoe. Most of the lake is completely uncrowded in summer. And the weather is usually beautiful. Sactown Magazine put together a great list of things to do in Tahoe.
posted by cnc at 11:29 AM on July 17, 2015

If you're outdoorsy at all, consider Damascus, VA. It's a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it's crisscrossed with bicycle trails and has easy access to the Virginia Creeper Trail . The Appalachian Trail runs right through town. Laurel Creek is accessible from most anywhere in Damascus, but if you want Big Water, South Holston Lake is a few miles to the west. Damascus has a slightly hippy flavor, with a microbrewery and bicycle rental shops and a super-laid-back atmosphere. Every time I go there, I want to spend more time there.
posted by workerant at 12:24 PM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Have you been to Ocracoke Island, NC? Separated by ferry from Cape Hatteras and mainland NC, 14 miles of federally owned, undeveloped beach that you can drive around on and look for a secluded spot if you have a 4-wheel drive and buy a permit. You stay in the quaint (though mostly tourist-oriented) village at the south end of the island where many people get around on bikes or golf carts. A shark attack earlier this month at the one portion of the beach with lifeguards on duty may make it less crowded than usual.
posted by hhc5 at 1:21 PM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Door County, Wisconsin is incredibly lovely in August. Both the Keweenaw Peninsula (which juts from Michigan's UP (see dzot's comment) into Lake Superior) and Door Country (which juts into Lake Michigan are cooled by the surrounding waters so you can get active (hiking about and so forth) without getting too uncomfortable. Rent a cabin near Fish Creek and enjoy sailing and fishing in the chillest climes around (the MI equivalent might be Copper Harbor).

New York State has Lake George which doesn't suck.
posted by cleroy at 3:53 PM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Silver Falls State Park in Oregon is stunningly beautiful, and generally not very crowded (though it isn't unknown either, so if you're looking for complete isolation, look elsewhere). However, there's not much to do here beyond hiking, seeing the sites, and camping (and maybe swimming if it's either very hot or you like frigid mountain streams), so I would pair this up with the Oregon Coast suggestion that Cool Papa Bell offered.
posted by Aleyn at 11:50 PM on July 17, 2015

I lived in Charleston, SC for a few years and while it's not exactly an uncrowded and tourist free gem it is incomparably better than Myrtle Beach. Charleston has none of the tourist trap nonsense, instead it has a rich historical sites. Take a carriage tour of downtown. See the H. L. Hunley, first submarine to sink an enemy vessel. Visit Kiawah Island, which has the best beach I've ever been to and is 90% private except for the little-known public park on the south end that provides beach access. Eat lots of delicious seafood on Shem Creek and shop the open-air stalls of Market Street. You can even see the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point if that's your thing.

Damn, talking it up really makes me want to go back. Good thing my wife's family lives there.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 8:52 PM on July 18, 2015