One I’m not going to mention because I recently saw it on a list of “best beaches” and am very afraid my hidden gem is no longer going to be that hidden.
But a few years ago we stopped in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake for lunch between Niagara Falls and Toronto and I thought it was a really cute town. Probably helped that it was a gorgeous gorgeous day and we walked around enjoying being on vacation. Also anywhere on Prince Edward Island to continue the Canadian theme.
My family is from there! It is gorgeous.
The River Kwai Jungle Rafts. Thailand. No electricity, no tech, in the jungle. 20 minute boat ride from the launch, which was about three hours north of Bangkok. Loved it, but son, who was 17 at the time, did not. No phone for three days was torture, haha. https://www.riverkwaijunglerafts.com/
Fez, Morocco. Nothing else quite like it. Hidden for Americans, largely, but popular with Europeans. 10 Things To Do in Fez Morocco — Ultimate Morocco Travel Guide
The wildlife refuge at Cape Canaveral. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/merritt-island/about-us
We saw a lot of wildlife and it was so serene and magical. Hard to believe it coexists with NASA.
Mt. Koya, Japan. This place is known to the Japanese and backpackers. It’s a town of monasteries where you can rent a room and have a gourmet vegetarian meal, beautifully presented. (Not cheap, btw, but worth it.) There is a very famous cemetery. It’s so atmospheric and beautiful. The paths are lit at night. Magical place.
名所一覧 | 高野山真言宗 総本山金剛峯寺
The Umpqua River in Oregon. No river is as beautiful. Many state parks and waterfalls to explore as you make your way to Crater Lake. You can stay at this wonderful hotel on the way.
https://www.thesteamboatinn.com/
Hallstatt, Austria. Okay, not hidden, but dang, I never imagined I’d see such a place. There’s a lovely hiking trail outside the town. There’s a public park with a great big freezing lake to swim in, if you get a hot day. Which we did. So we swam and it was worth every second of iciness. And if you just go out of the main town square and start exploring, you will hardly see other tourists. There are all sorts of interesting things to see. You can also rent a boat to go out on the lake and it’s breathtaking. 10 Reasons To Visit Hallstatt, Austria | TravelAwaits
Walden Pond, Mass., in the winter when the lake is frozen over and everything is covered in snow. Perhaps not unknown, but my daughter and I stumbled across it when we left Boston on a freezing day in the Covid winter of 2021. It was sunny and tons of people were on the lake, fishing, playing ice hockey, and skating. We walked to Thoreau’s cabin on a one way only snowy trail. I guess it just felt like a bit of humanity in a dark time, but I really loved it and would like to visit in the summer. https://www.mass.gov/locations/walden-pond-state-reservation
The amazing Hanyanling Museum near Xi’an airport in China. Wow! Could have stayed all day and the kids loved it. Glass walkways take you over the excavations and everything about it is interesting and well laid out. The movie is also good and they provided English translation via earpiece, probably a more modern way to do it now. Actually thought it was better than the Terracotta Soldiers. https://www.chinadiscovery.com/shaanxi/xian/hanyangling-museum.html
Blue Spring State Park in Florida, about an hour from Orlando. Stopped there in winter on the way to Universal Studios when the kids were little and saw so many manatees. Really gorgeous place.
My husband’s sister’s family camps there every July for 2 weeks with a large group, our oldest used to fly out there and go with them.
Yes, loved that place! So pretty.
That is where I did my one an only zip lining. I cried all the way through the zip line; of course, my kids thought it was hilarious. Never again!
The Badlands in SD. We were on our way to Mt Rushmore when we saw them and went, “What are those???” We made an impromptu stop overnight, and then came back later on another western trip to explore more.
Like @Thumper we also didn’t realize there was so much to Yellowstone besides Old Faithful. We had to go back to that one after our first visit too. One can easily spend a lot of time at Yellowstone if you love nature.
And like @Bromfield2 we loved Death Valley discovering it on our way to Las Vegas. We spent a night at DV, but wished we had totally skipped three nights (or at least two of them) at Las Vegas to spend them at DV.
Our favorite “discovered” campground is Ft DeSoto’s in Pinellas County FL. We lived in St Pete for 5 years and never knew it was there. We only found it on return trips to visit. It’s our favorite campground and North Beach is one of our all time favorite beaches, esp since it’s relatively undeveloped.
The whole country of Jordan surprised me. Silly me knew about Petra and a few basics so we only allowed 10 days in the country. We had a blast seeing a lot of Biblical (and more) history - castles, etc, walking on sections of roads that have been around for 1000s of years, yes, Petra is amazing - there’s more there than just the Treasury or city too, and the desert was fun. We need to go back to see things we missed.
I’m sure there are tons more, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.
I love this thread and might find myself adding more into my Bucket for the future.
I loved Old Faithful, but our trip to Yellowstone was in the winter so there were no crowds watching the geyser erupt.
We really enjoyed Los Alamos National Lab and all of the WWII history.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a wonderful place that we have visited in both the fall and the winter.
Until COVID, I had been visiting in-laws in Kobe every summer and have had the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage walk, which seems to include Koyasan, as my bucket list item for a while. I am happy to hear you thought it was worthy. Hopefully, I’ll get back there in the next couple of years.
I went with my daughter, who speaks Japanese. It was well worth it. Loved staying in the monastery. The cemetery didn’t feel creepy in the slightest. Instead, it was peaceful. We took the back road into the town through the mountains. The wild cherry trees were flowering. Magical.