Off the Beaten Path- Newly Revised & Updated: A Travel Guide to More Than 1000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting

Had already looked at this book in the library and wanted my own copy. Excellent list of locations to see. Book arrived promptly and is already in use.

It has happened many times - you're on a road trip for a special occasion like a wedding or a reunion and while you're out there, you want to grab the opportunity to check out what special sights the town, the city, or the state has to offer. That's when "Off the Beaten Path" would be your best friend. Reader's Digest has prepared a valuable book... no, an indispensable tool... that helps make U.S. trips and vacations an optimized, memorable, and awe-inspiring experience. "Off the Beaten Path" devotes comprehensive chapters to the states of the union from Alabama to Wyoming. Each chapter opens with an introduction about the essence of the state and lists an average of 20 visitor attractions that are mostly obscure but pristine and undoubtedly inviting. Each attraction's description is packed with information including address, website URL, phone number, and icons to indicate accessibility, picnic and camping grounds, fishing, hiking, cycling, pets, wifi, winter activities, bird-watching, and horseback riding. Even hours, days, and months of operation are indicated. Seasonal events are listed as marginal notes. Of course, each state has an up-to-date atlas-type map showing all the featured attractions. The crisp and colorful pictures are icing on the cake. "Off the Beaten Path" is for the traveler looking for interesting hidden wonders and scenery. No theme parks or party districts. This book focuses on natural wonders, state parks, museums, and historical attractions - places not too many people have seen but must be appreciated for their raw beauty and undying stories at least once in your lifetime. Whether you suddenly found yourself in the middle of a town with a name you can't even correctly pronounce, or your children want to drive out to see the green animals at the oldest topiary garden in the United States; whether you're just killing time, or meticulously planning a momentous cross-country tour, you'll be glad "Off the Beaten Path" has all the priceless nuggets of information you need. - Ruby Bayan, OurSimplejoys

Off the Beaten Path is a must have guide for any family. I live in NY and I found many great places I'd love to visit in the Tri-State area that I never heard of before. With the economy such as it is many families are going to have to look in their own "backyard" to find fun and entertaining things to do. Off the Beaten Path gives readers many interesting options to explore. The pictures are beautiful. I love the seasonal calendar guides as well as the maps. It's also helpful that each entry has a web site you can visit for more information. This is a FABULOUS book!

Beautiful, fascinating, informative. Visually stunning, intellectually stimulating. A true pleasure to peruse. Loaded with nuggets of information. Practical, yet destined to be a collector's item and tabletop treasure. Can I gush any more than that about this excellent work from Reader's Digest? Off the Beaten Path provides thumbnail descriptions of more than 1,000 interesting sites and destinations in the USA. All of these are places tourists don't normally flock to, but that are worth seeing. These include museums, historic inns, castles, rock formations, dinosaur trails, pontoon boating, parks, lakes, wildlife sanctuaries, and zoos. The book contains over 1,000 photographs of these sites. The book consists of 50 chapters, each devoted to one state. The tourist bureau in each state has verified that each site listed is, indeed, still not (yet) heavily visited. In each chapter is at least one "Did you know?" box that has an interesting fact. The end of each chapter also has a calendar of events (seasonal activities, such as Strawberry Day in Tennessee) for the state. Each chapter also has a detailed state road map, with the sites marked out. As you read about each site, you can refer back to the map to see where it is. For a given destination, you will find: * Title of site. * Street address (or nearest highway and city). * Well-written description that explains what the site has to offer. * Notes on availability, access, tours, and the like (including if an admission fee applies) * Hyperlink to Website. * Phone number of the relevant agency, foundation, operator, or owner. * Icons that show which of 16 different types of amenities are available. Three new ones (since previous edition): pet- friendly, handicap-accessible, and wi-fi compatible. For those who don't like to travel, this book allows the reader to make a virtual visit to the many wonders and interesting sites across the USA or in your own state. If you haven't taken an interesting trip lately, this book may be just the thing to help you plan one that you'll thoroughly enjoy. This book has been thoroughly copy-edited and painstakingly fact-checked. The editorial standards evident here are the highest I've seen. All of the other technical details are also high-caliber: layout, binding, artwork, and so forth. The careful attention to detail really shows. In addition, the book is nicely indexed. From looking in the acknowledgements and photo credits, I was struck by the sheer number of contributors to this work. Having worked on the editorial side of the desk, I'm impressed at how well all that input was handled. It's beautifully bound in hardback, with artwork on the actual hardback covers. The paper is very heavy stock, giving it a luxurious feel. The book jacket has the same artwork as the book itself. Use Off the Beaten Path as a vacation reference, day trip planner, coffee table decoration, or family heirloom. Buy it as a gift for young people just starting out and you can't

This book is an excellent source for out-of-the-way vacation spots. While most of the sites listed may not be the ultimate destination, these are gret sites to visit along the way. Each state has at least 8-10 places listed so the book gives many good day trip ideas as well. Besides being a travel guide, this book is fun reading. Descriptions of each spot and occasional pictures make this a good cure for cabin fever on a cold winter's night.