Travel Off the Beaten Path for a Great American Adventure

When it comes to travel, most people opt for the vacation standards: a cruise, a Disney vacation, or booking a hotel in New York or another major city. Yet there are many American vacation destinations that are often overlooked - cities that offer wonderful sights and sounds, and even better value. When you book travel to one of these destinations, you're sure to be delighted and surprised - and all the more appreciative of what our great country has to offer.

Think about it. When was the last time you visited Cleveland? Unless you're from the Midwest, chances are you've never been there. That's means that you've never experienced the gorgeous architecture of I.M. Pei's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, nor have you seen Jimi Hendrix's handwritten lyrics to "Purple Haze." While you're in Cleveland, you can catch a Cleveland Indians baseball game, attend a performance of the Cleveland Orchestra, and visit the Cleveland Museum of Art. If you're into thrills and chills, you can rent a car and drive about an hour and a half to go to the "Rollercoaster Capital of the World" in Sandusky, Ohio.

If you've never been to the American Southwest, you're missing both rich history and fantastic fun. A vacation to Austin, Texas, gives you the best of both worlds: the features of a big city with the atmosphere of a small town. Home to the University of Texas and, of course, the Texas State Capitol building, Austin is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World." If an evening listening to music isn't your thing, perhaps hanging out with one and a half million bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge will do the trick. During the day, you can visit the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library or visit one of the city's 20 museums.

If you love outdoor adventures, Bangor, Maine, should definitely be on your travel itinerary. Home to author Stephen King, Bangor is the perfect place from which to explore the Maine Highlands, Acadia National Park, and quaint fishing villages. With nearby mountains, coastlines, lakes, rivers, and some of the best fall foliage to be found, Bangor is the perfect travel destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

In case you haven't heard, there's more to Florida than a Disney vacation. Sarasota, Fla., located on the state's Gulf Coast, offers spectacular white sand beaches and numerous small islands. It was also the resting spot for the Ringling Brothers, so when you're not clowning around, you can visit the Ringling Estate, two Circus museums, and an art museum.

One of the best things about vacation destinations that are a bit off the beaten path is that it's often a bargain to travel there and to stay there. Online travel packages often include both airline and hotel accommodations at steeply discounted rates. The best online travel companies allow you to choose, for example, the hotel room and type as well as flight options. So, the next time you think about packing your bags, consider travel to one of America's overlooked vacation destinations.