The more pleasantly surprising places you have visited...

[Joe Fields]

Okay, we've hard about some of the worst places you've been. What are some of the places that you never gave two thoughts about, until you either passed through, or stopped for a short stay, and turned out to be really cool experiences?

Some of mine? Mexican Hat, Utah, (one of the best Mexican restaurants we ever ate at, a little mom and pop type, plus we had the place all to ourselves, got great service, the people were very friendly, and the San Juan river ran right by it. Very pretty)

Seligman, Az. Very friendly town, and right on route66. I got to actually talk to some famous people there.

Orick, Ca. Unscheduled stop on a vacation. Ended up going horseback riding through the Redwoods country. Had an experience I'll never forget.

There are a lot of places that are too numerous to mention here, that I was very glad I got to see, that weren't on any map, or hadn't scheduled to see.

How about you?

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. Believe it or not...

Salt Lake City.

I went with my hackles up, expecting to hate it and the right-wing-ness and everything else about it.

The mountains were beautiful, the library helped me find some major genealogical gems, we found a few great bookstores and some great pubs (which we were NOT expecting!) and the breakfasts at the Marriott were great.

The weather, even at the end of January was pleasant. Not too cold, and no snow, except in the upper reaches of the mountains. No one gave us attitude or tried to convert us-- everyone was very pleasant.

I really enjoyed myself, and did not expect to at all.

[Joe Fields]

2. I've had both good and bad experiences there.

I lived in eastern Utah, for awhile, and it was either go to Denver, or Salt Lake City to do some serious shopping. Most of the time I went to SLC.

[Broken_Hero]

3. a few..

Lexington, KY...Johnson City, Tennessee...

[idgiehkt]

4. the inside of a cheap motel room in St. Augustine.

for the obvious reason. I'm not very well traveled, so this is the first thing that came to mind.

[skygazer]

5. I too had a nice experience in Seligman

Stayed at a small mom and pop type motel - cleanest room I've ever had, very comfortable with tasteful decor and a beautiful, deep bathtub. Reasonably priced, too.

[Joe Fields]

6. I had a great time there. There were some characters who ....

lived there, who had been written about in numerous books about Route 66. I was able to look them up and talk at length with them. It was really cool.

[Joe Fields]

7. I must add Durango, Co. to my list.

[QuestionAll...]

8. Belize.

about 12 years or so ago... (man time flies).

What a wonderful adventure. We packed in so much in 2 weeks, unbelievable, with an 8 year old in tow.
Mayan ruins, canoe trips up the Macall (or was it the Mopan?) sleeping in tree houses in the jungle and schwankie resort for a couple nights and little shacks on the beaches of Cay Caulker, sailboat rides in the deep gem navy colored ocean, snorkeling, and my goodness their rum was the best on earth (Durrley's if I recall). It was the year that Queen Elizabeth also decided to visit, and she kept on getting in the way of our travels. ;)

[auntAgonist]

9. A couple of places come to mind.

Quebec City, PQ. An amazing cultural experience. Great food, charming accomodations and very friendly service people. It didn't matter that we didn't speak French/Canadian.

Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia. Breathtakingly beautiful. I cried when it was time to leave. I really didn't want to go home, I felt I'd found my true self there. (sounds corny eh?) The Cabot Trail is amazing .. Nova Scotia is amazing. It reminde me of my home in Scotland. The greenest greens you'll see anywhere.


I love the Canadian Rockies too!

I have been very blessed to have been able to see most of Canada and most of the United States.

aA

[Skittles]

10. well, I didn't really visit

but I passed through Baton Rouge Louisiana on a bus from mitary basic in San Antonio to tech school in Biloxi Mississippi and I remember thinking Baton Rouge was very pretty

[cobalt1999]

11. Kennebunkport

I thought with the Bush family there'd be a bunch of tourist joints and no real local flavor. My wife and I decided to swing through on a drive up Maine, and I was really impressed with the area. Lots of small intimate shops (found a great old bookstore) and restaurants. The Bush compound was really beautiful. Everyone was very friendly, even to openly liberal folks. Surprised.