Travel Tuesday question of the week – what is your favorite local destination?
So much of travel involves airplanes, trains, automobiles, planning, and far away destinations. However, some of the best places to visit can be close to home. Do we tend to take for granted the places that are close to where we live? What’s your favorite destination where you live?
For me, I have two. One is Apple Hill which is 45 minutes from where I live towards Tahoe. I make sure I visit every year in the Fall so I can enjoy the orchards and farms, kids activities, and food. It’s just a great getaway for Fall in northern California (check out some other great Fall getaways).
My other favorite is Lake Tahoe where I can relax in the peace and quiet of nature. I enjoy the cool evenings, the solitude (although there is not as much of that with two little kids), and the beauty that surrounds me. Tahoe is one of the main reasons why I love the mountains (and why #mountainmonday was created). Spend any time in a cabin in Tahoe during the Fall and you will understand why I enjoy it so much.
So whether you are traveling around the world or staying close to home for a while, each of us has a special place that we enjoy to get away for a bit or that has great memories for us. So what is your favorite destination near home?
I live in the Bay Area and feel so lucky to have so many great things to do nearby. For day or preferably weekend trips, I like to travel south to Santa Cruz County (Capitola and Santa Cruz) and to Monterey County (Carmel – the village and the valley, Monterey and Big Sur).
I’ve spent a lot of time in Capitola and Santa Cruz. If I lived closer, those are definitely areas I would spend more time. I’ve only been to Monterey and Carmel a couple of times but they are absolutely beautiful! Great choices!
Mine is a place called Lake Bafa, about half an hours away. It is quiet and the restaurants surrounding the lake serve traditional cuisine. Height of summer, everyone goes there but if you go out of the tourist season, it really is magical.
Thanks for sharing Natalie! Do you have a picture of this place? I would love to see it.
The Methow Valley in Washington State. From here you can visit the gorgeous Okanogon National Forest, enjoy the adorable towns of Wisp and Winthrop or drive north along the 20 – one of the most beautiful drives in the country (if not the world).
In the winter, you can stay at the Freestone in and enjoy some of the world’s best cross country skiing.
This place is really a gem and it is just a few hours from Seattle.
Of course, there is always Vancouver, BC (which is also pretty hard to beat).
I’ve never been to that part of Washington before. The only place I have visited is Seattle (which is beautiful as well). The Methow Valley and Okanogon National Forest sounds like a beautiful place that I would love to visit. I love the mountains, streams, lakes, and the peace and quiet of nature so this sounds lovely!
As for Vancouver, I will get to check that out at TBEX next year!
Woods Canyon Lake (Arizona) is just a few miles down the highway from where I’m living at the moment and it’s a beautiful place to spend a day. The quiet in the middle of the winter, when the lake is frozen, is incredibly peaceful and the crispness of the air in the fall is perfect for the 5-mile hike around the lake. This summer, we were lucky enough to have a bald eagle’s nest with two eaglets in it right on the edge of the lake, so it was really neat to watch them grow and start to fly.
I just moved to AZ after seven years in Washington, DC this May, so I’ll list a favorite there as well: the Mt. Vernon Trail on the Virginia side of the Potomac river. It runs from near Theodore Roosevelt Island and the Key Bridge all the way down to Mt. Vernon and is a great place to walk, run or ride a bike. It has beautiful views of the river, great local birds and other wildlife (there’s a bullfrog chorus just north of Alexandria in the spring, summer and early fall!) and is an amazingly peaceful place to shake off city stress without really leaving the city.
I’ve never heard of Woods Lake Canyon. The only places I have been in Arizona are Phoenix, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon. The peace, quiet, and hiking that you describe sounds like my kind of place!
Thanks for sharing your favorite spots in Arizona and Virginina Jessalyn!
One of my favorite places to visit year-round is Sonoma County – Sonoma Vally, Alexander Vally, Dry Creek Valley and even the city of Santa Rosa (about 1-1/2 from my home). I’ve loved that area since I was very young and first visiting there from the midwest. I also enjoy Lake Tahoe (about 3 hours drive from here) for skiing in winter.
I know all about Lake Tahoe!
However, it’s a place I enjoy in the Fall and Summer but not the Winter (I’m not big on winter sports and snow). I’ve not spent much time in Sonoma County but there are some beautiful areas over there. The closest I have come to spending any time in that area is in Calistoga.
Thanks for sharing Cathy! Hopefully more people, including myself, will check out that area!
I live in Chicago and I love going to my favorite jazz club (Green Mill) or cozy coffee shops tucked in various neighborhoods. Sometimes simply choosing a neighborhood to walk in and explore can do the trick. As for sights, early mornings in Millennium Park or walks along the lakefront – gorgeous and yes, locals do go there.
Thanks Pola! I have only been to Chicago once but I can imagine there are some great neighborhoods to explore! I like parks in big cities and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing your city secrets and favorite local destinations!
If you’re ever back in Chicago, I’d be happy to share insider tips. One neighborhood that’s still up-and-coming, but already very artsy and a foody’s paradise is Logan Square. Remember than one because it will only get bigger
Golden Gate Park in SF is fabulous! I had such a great time there last year.
I live in Seattle, which I’m convinced is the best place on Earth. But, occasionally I do need to escape the tall buildings and crowds. When I do, it’s usually to the Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula. Not a lot of people outside of Washington know about it, not a lot of people IN Washington want people to know about it. (Although a little town called Forks is in the vicinity which you may have heard of.) Anyways, it is a beautiful wild amazing place. It also has one of the best beaches in the US.
But don’t tell anyone, ok?
Thanks Shannon! These sound like an awesome places to visit. I like the outdoors and the quiet, peaceful moments away from the city. It’s why I love living where I do. I have been to Seattle but no other places outside of that. If I ever make it back, these are places I will be interested in checking out. I promise not to tell anyone though!