Offbeat towns offer kangaroos and panning for gold
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
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive