Destinations for Traveling Smartly and on a Budget

When planning ahead for a future trip, it’s always beneficial for your itinerary to be safe, organized, and frugal- whenever possible, and with this curated list from Travel + Leisure, a trip’s excitement and fun does not have to break the bank.

It should be noted that traveling in general is complicated right now, so the following list should be taken into account in accordance with local government safety measures, restrictions and individual travelers’ personal health conditions prior to departure. That being said, many have been taking advantage of this frugal brand of trip-planning, known as “budget travel” in light of many being short on discretionary funds as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though for many, it’s not seen as a deterrent, as much as it is a reason to travel as smartly as possible–by staying domestic and stretching your dollar as far as it’ll go.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Known today by its nickname, the ”Modern Frontier,” this city combines Western cowboy culture, active stockyards, oil sites, and urban attractions to give a modern-industrial vibe to Oklahoma’s capital city. Tourists and locals alike regularly take a stroll around Scissortail Park or one of the city’s various museums, such as the Oklahoma Museum of Art, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Additionally, this city is known internationally as the Horse Show Capital of the Word with many of the metro-area’s horse shows being free or low-priced. If in the area, be sure to also visit the city’s Bricktown entertainment district, an old warehouse district that’s been transformed into an entertainment hotspot with an aesthetically-scenic cana winding through its streets and in the background of your photographs.

Omaha, Nebraska

Another modernly underrated spectacle of middle America is Nebraska’s Omaha, a big-city hub with charming, small-town appeal. Appearing as an official stop on Lewis and Clark’s National Historic Trail, this city is located on the Missouri River near the Iowa border, and it’s brimming with history as well as attractions. Once unforgettable sight field with educational riches is Pioneer Courage Park, an urban park filled with exhibits of public art with over 100 monumentally-sized bronze sculptures depicting the tale of westward pioneers along 6 blocks of downtown Omaha. Other favorite spots are Kenefick Park, the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, and Durham Museum. Though, no trip to Omaha is complete without a visit to Bob, the city’s unofficial mascot, which is a 3,000 foot pedestrian bridge with both personality and a blue troll named Omar to take pictures with.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

While Philadelphia often gets Pennsylvania’s acclaim and is mistaken for the state’s capital, it’s Harrisburg that actually bears the title alongside a wide assortment of interesting sights and opportunities. One such event is a Willy Wonka-esque trip to Hersheypark, the 1906-founded, chocolate-themed amusement park. Additional offerings of Harrisburg include outdoor events that can take place on or off the Susquehanna River, the cultural enrichment gained by visiting the National Civil War Museum, and the artistic revelry of the Susquehanna Art Museum, which is now housed in a former bank. Though, no trip to Harrisberrg would be complete without a hunt for bargain books at the substantial Midtown Scholar Bookstore, encased in the walls of a renovated 1920’s theatre for the added theatricality and spectacle one can expect from Pennsylvania.

The full list of Travel + Leisure’s cheapest, though most enjoyable, cities in the United States, found here, also has destinations sprawling along America’s three major coasts, and their curated list was created by cross-referencing the most affordable average day rates at hotels in cities cited on Priceline’s list of the Top U.S. Destinations.

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Roadside Attractions For Your Next Road Trip

The final destination of a road trip gets a lot of (well-deserved) credit, but it’s often the memories made along the way that stick with you for a lifetime, and a recent collection of the “weirdest” roadside attractions from Thrillist helps you find that “world’s largest insert-object-here” to be found when you’re enroute and looking for a pitstop, distraction, or excuse to simply rest your legs.

While it may seem like the continental United States is randomly “littered” with random madness, know that there’s a method to it all; these oversized cooking utensils and trippy theme parks are situated to lure travelers to roadside attractions off the beaten path, so here’s a suggested list of locations that are considered worth the trip.

Rainbow Rock Shop, Arizona

While Route 66 isn’t quite what it was in the past, there’s still the roadside town of Holbrook to maintain the interstate magic with an unexpectedly dense collection of roadside attractions, cement dinosaurs. These statues, some up to over 25 tall, were constructed personally by the shop’s owner and costs only a few cents to pose with. It’s worth it for the photo evidence alone as you try to convince people that there really is a secret dinosaur haven in the middle of Arizona.

Bishop Castle, Colorado

This roadside attraction is a 160-foot tall stone and steel structure includes two catwalks, a ballroom, four towers and a vast collection of iron railings and flourishes that will make you think you’re in a literal story book. The drawbridge and fire-breathing dragon were built by Jim Bishop, who invites others to walk between the tower’s bridges (at your own risk) or simply admire the impressive decor, ranging from hand-painted signs to a literal axe sticking out of the floor in the castle’s main hall.

Monkey Island, Florida

Located on Florida’s western coast on the Homosassa River is Monkey Island with a name that begs you to see what all the fuss is about.  This island is accurately named, as it houses a family of spider monkeys who now live in a caged enclosure, as they used to live on the mainland, harassing tourists by engaging in unlawful activities such as biting, pickpocketing, and vandalism. Take a break, enjoy some food and drink as you watch the monkeys from a safe distance whenever near the Homosassa River.

Doll’s Head Trail, Georgia

Georgia’s Constitution Lakes Park has a special history with its many lakes having been created by rainwater from a halted construction project decades earlier. Because of this, the park is covered in lakes, and a walking trail is lined by a local carpenter’s collected doll parts. Over the years, Joel Slaton has been repurposing junk and abandoned scraps into a muddy, creepy perimeter to this can’t miss patch of Georgian woods.

Leaning Tower of Niles, Illinois

Though it’s only half the size of its famed Italian counterpart, this Midwestern version was built in 1934 and allows many tourists to pose for pictures in which they are “pushing” the leaning tower over without having to cross an ocean.

The Paper House, Massachusetts

Ellis Stenman in 1922 had an idea to insulate his summer home in newspaper, and this experiment grew tenfold into an outright obsession that consisted of 100,000 newspapers assembled into an actual house. Rest easy when you visit, as the home’s roof, floors, and frame aren’t made of paper, but the furniture, walls, amongst all else is made of paper, impressing many New England travelers.

Da Yoopers Tourist Trap, Michigan

We end our suggested list poetically, and rightfully with the “World’s Largest Working Chainsaw.” The term “yooper” is sling for a person living in the state’s Upper Peninsula, and this tourist trap is aptly named as it offers travelers with folk art, a tableau of deer drinking beverages, lots of outhouses, a gift shop, and of-course an oversize, but fully functional chainsaw.

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