OffbeatTravel.com named its top five unusual places to visit for 2008, which included:
—Dahlonega, Georgia. An historic gold rush town with a “charming downtown,” great range of lodging, an excellent community theater, and family friendly activities from panning for gold and gold mine tours to kangaroo visits.
—Fort Collins, Colorado. A town with five breweries including the award-winning New Belgium Brewery, situated in the foothills of the Rockies. “Beer, folk art, and natural beauty make this town a winning combination,” said the site.
—Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii. In addition to the friendly, hippie feel of this north coast Kauai town, there is the beauty of Hanalei Bay. “Add to this luxury accommodations, fun shopping, and soft adventure activities. It’s off the beaten path… for now. We expect this to change,” the site says.
—Moline, Illinois. The city of Moline is John Deere central – complete with Deere family homes, the world headquarters for Deere & Company, John Deere Pavilion, and the Collectors Center, even the John Deere Plaza in the center of town. “Unexpectedly good fun,” according to Offbeat.
—Taos, New Mexico. Much more than high-priced ski resorts. This is a small walkable town with some of the most innovative art in New Mexico and some of the spiciest history. The Taos pueblo is one of the oldest and is open to public for visits.
Offbeat has been identifying unappreciated tourist areas since 2000.
“This is our inaugural offering of the top five offbeat places to visit over the next 12 months,” said Neala Schwartzberg, publisher.
“We thought it was time – we had all these interesting, unusual, quirky towns and wanted to let travelers know about them” she said. “We like the small gems, the places fewer people have experienced, but many would enjoy.”
Report by David Wilkening
