THE MOST AWE-INSPIRING GHOST TOWN IN MISSOURI isn’t a ghost town at all. It checks most of the boxes, sure. It’s barely inhabited, positioned along Route 66, and contains its own cemetery—a rural fossil of another era—but it was never exactly abandoned. In fact, it’s still peaking.
Red Oak II sits northeast of Carthage, and describing it accurately requires effort. It’s an old-fashioned country settlement, an art installation, and a roadside attraction. It could be succinctly called an outdoor ghost town museum. Don’t worry, this will all make sense in a moment.
In 1974, artist Lowell Davis left his big-city job in Dallas to return to the bucolic southwestern Missouri landscape where he was raised. He and his first wife bought a rundown farm near Carthage for $18,000 with no expectation of what would happen next.
Davis was raised in the small community of Red Oak, about 20 miles east of the new farm. When he stopped by his childhood township to reminisce, he found it deserted, a victim of widespread 20th-century migrations to larger cities. And Red Oak wasn’t the only ghost town he came across. Many settlements along Route 66 had been abandoned while he was away, their buildings withering and stories fading into the countryside.
Unwilling to let history die, Davis began moving some of these marooned structures to his farm and restoring them—some from Red Oak, some from nearby. Using his cornfield as an unlikely canvas, Davis grew his collection. Soon, he realized he was onto something incredible.
Lowell Davis’ early restorations included (from left to right) the Red Oak General Store, Phillips 66 Gas Station, Salem Church, Belle Starr House, and Grandpa Weber’s Blacksmith Shop. | PHOTO COURTESY OF RED OAK II
Davis’ farm slowly became its own miniature city, which he dubbed Red Oak II. Here, fragments of nearby ghost towns would be immortalized together in an ever-evolving collection.
“I don’t believe that an artist should be restricted to use only paint or clay. It can be anything including junk, wood, even an old building,” Davis wrote on the attraction’s website. “To me, Red Oak II is a combination of a painting and a sculpture, and it is just made from things that someone else threw away.”
Among the early additions to Red Oak II were particularly sentimental pieces of Davis’ youth: the Red Oak General Store—formerly run by his father, and where the young Davis learned to sculpt and paint—and Grandpa Weber’s Blacksmith Shop, where his own great-grandfather worked.
Today, Red Oak II is a full-blown faux town owned and operated by Davis, his wife, Rose, and a few neighbors. Encompassing 11 acres of land, the town itself has a population of 12.
A building trucked over from the original Red Oak became a town hall for Red Oak II. | NICK FOX/SHUTTERSTOCK
One of the current part-owners is Larry Sernyk, who bought a stake in the project in 2004 after finding Davis through his art. Now a good friend of the Davises with a seasoned understanding of the founder’s philosophy, Sernyk has plans to keep growing Red Oak II—and a whole pasture to develop on should they ever run out of space.
Despite housing private residences, the Red Oak II grounds are open to the public from dawn till dusk. Some structures—like the General Store, Fort Hooker, and a cabin on the lake—can be toured inside and out, while others are admired solely from the outside. Once Sernyk, who currently lives out of state, retires at Red Oak II, he plans to furnish the train station as well.
Even buildings that are closed to the public are worth passing through to see. While Davis’ primary goal was to maintain the buildings’ integrity, he’s taken a few creative liberties.
“Red Oak II is trying to preserve the past, so [Davis] always tried to keep the character of the building as true as possible,” says Sernyk.
But Davis—who could not speak to Thrillist due to health reasons—believes that art happens when you break straight lines. Imperfections are welcome. So too are color changes, resulting in a bright landscape that’s equal parts rustic and refined.
“Those might not be the original colors, but they do add some character,” says Sernyk. “They make it into Lowell’s art.”
Davis’ other art, which includes handmade sculptures and smaller structures like a windmill and water tower, can be seen by touring the grounds on foot. In the next couple of years, one of the property owners plans to add a rideable train to the development so visitors can ride around the property via locomotive. He already acquired a railroad track from an amusement park.
“There’s places where they have living history, where people [re-enact] things from the era. We don’t really do that part,” Sernyk says. Red Oak II doesn’t need costumes or shows to paint a vivid picture of days gone by. Its history is its present. “I look at it as going back to the past.”
NYC is gorgeous. Period. Its skyscrapers, bridges, islands, and rivers are in leagues of their own, and for a so-called concrete jungle, there’s a shocking amount of green space where you can take it all in. Central Park and Prospect Park are the most obvious options for an outdoor day, but nothing beats a park along the water, where cool breezes and skyline views complete the experience.
With 520 miles of shore, the city has seemingly endless waterfronts to explore in every borough, yet people still fall back on spots like Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO, and Riverside Park in the UWS, and Domino Park in Williamsburg — and don’t even get us started on the chaos that is Pier 45 in the West Village.
Luckily there are plenty of lesser-known NYC waterfront areas worthy of your attention. If you’re not adding these underappreciated — and, frankly, under-respected — waterfront parks to your destination rotation, it’s time to diversify your outdoor routine. And that’s the tea.
Governors Island The artificial hills on this artificial chunk of island are genuinely amazing. Spanning only 10 acres, the expertly engineered outdoor space makes for a remarkable day trip. Roam Discovery Hill, a 40-foot-tall mound with trees, shrubs, and a permanent art installation; climb Outlook Hill, a 70-foot-tall lookout spot with unbridled views of Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and the Verrazzano Bridge; and ride NYC’s longest slide (57 feet long and three stories high!) on Slide Hill. When you’re ready to get off your feet, lie out on Grassy Hill, a slightly smaller hump with an equally breathtaking vantage point.
Astoria Rotating art installations transform this ordinary neighborhood park into an alluring spectacle in Queens by the East River and near the north end of Roosevelt Island. Even without the sculptures, though, the one-block-long landfill-turned-green space is worthy of a visit. There’s a grove of trees, pockets of plants, and open lawn space that make circling the perimeter of the park a pleasant experience. Plus, it sits between a Costco and a miniature beach. Talk about range.
Hell Gate Wildflower Meadow | COURTESY OF THE RANDALL’S ISLAND PARK ALLIANCE
Randall’s Island You probably associate Randall’s and Wards Islands with athletic fields and music festivals, but you don’t need an event to make visiting worth your while. The island’s gardens dress up an already scenic chunk of land, and one of its best is the 14,000-square-foot meadow beside the Hell Gate Bridge that’s known for its several species of native Northeast plants. Look out at Astoria beyond the East River as you breathe in fresh oxygen, and think about all the sorry New Yorkers who will never experience such serenity.
Greenpoint North Brooklyn knows it well, but to people who don’t frequent the area, the former radio transmitter site makes a stellar first impression as an urban oasis tucked behind an unsuspecting fence at the end of Greenpoint Avenue. Walk out on the dock to look out at Manhattan, claim a bench to read on, take a picture in front of the mural, or pop a squat on the ground along the East River shore. The space isn’t huge, but it’s big enough, and it fosters a neighborly feel that’ll make every fellow park-goer seem like an old friend.
Long Island City Easily one of NYC’s best waterfronts, Gantry Plaza (and it’s neighbor, Hunter’s Point South) boasts unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline — and plenty of spots to enjoy them, including benches of every shape and size, built-in lounge chairs that double as a lovers’ lane at dusk, and picnic tables beside the park restaurant. The famed Pepsi-Cola sign and restored gantries that read “Long Island” tastefully nod to the neighborhood’s industrial past. It’s a beautiful reading place, a romantic date spot, a calming breakup spot, and the perfect area for a grassy picnic, whether that’s in the mid-afternoon or after dark.
Washington Heights The fun doesn’t stop where Riverside Park ends; just north is a whole new territory to explore. Of course, there are the usual sports fields typical of most hotspots along the Hudson River Greenway, but there are also some unique sights that only Fort Washington Park can offer. Beneath the George Washington Bridge rests Manhattan’s only surviving lighthouse, and the fan-favorite Sisyphus Stones by artist Uliks Gryka provide peaceful environs to meditate and look out at the scenic bluffs of the Palisades.
North Shore Esplanade | MACIEJ BLEDOWSKI/SHUTTERSTOCK
St. George You should know by now that Staten Island has beautiful beaches, but if you don’t want to venture too far down the island, there’s a plaza near the ferry with stellar views of the New York Harbor and One World Trade. The best lookout point is at the Staten Island 9/11 Memorial (aka “Postcards”), which was intentionally positioned to frame the piece of NYC’s skyline where the Twin Towers once stood. The North Shore Esplanade is a little more gray and a little less green than some other local waterfronts, but it’s no less serene.
Astoria This enormous waterfront area isn’t exactly Queens’ best-kept secret, but it is a place that other boroughs foolishly overlook. Astoria Park has everything you’d hope for in an NYC gathering place: wide-open lawns, skyline views, a track and field, fourteen tennis courts, bocce courts, basketball courts, a skatepark, a mixed-use path, the city’s largest swimming pool, public restrooms, and not one but two photogenic bridges — the Triborough and the Hell Gate. It spans nearly 60 acres along the East River in northern Astoria, leaving plenty of space for visitors to sprawl.
Four Freedoms Park | SBWORLDPHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK
Roosevelt Island Remember Roosevelt Island? You know, that mysterious sliver of land between Manhattan and Queens that you visited for like three minutes when you first moved to NYC because your coworker lied and told you that riding the aerial tram is a rite of passage? Well this state park, located at the base of Roosevelt Island, gives you a good reason to return. Honoring Franklin D. Roosevelt, the tree-lined lawn points to a granite memorial, and the often-photographed staircase at the park’s entrance doubles as a canvas for periodic political exhibits.
East Bronx You thought Central Park was massive? Pelham Bay Park comes in at over three times the size of its Manhattan equivalent, making it NYC’s largest park. Its nearly 2,800 acres include just about everything you can imagine: hiking trails, barbecue areas, playgrounds, every type of athletic field/court/course/track, a historic mansion, a dog run, and 13 miles of shoreline primarily along the Eastchester and Pelham bays. Orchard Beach is the most notable waterfront area — and for good reason — but you don’t need sand to enjoy the area’s many waterways. Just about any of the park’s edges will tickle your fancy, but Hunter Island (which is actually a peninsula) steals the show.
Contrasted with the ancient ruins in Mexico and lost-and-found civilizations across Europe and Asia, the abandoned ore mines, mill towns, and Wild West outposts of the US look downright modern. As a young country, the abandoned settlements of the US reflect a history only a few generations removed from today. They’re endlessly fascinating. And often really, really creepy.
Amid the crumbling walls of America’s coolest ghost towns, you’ll find glimpses into each state’s history. They tell stories of tremendous booms and unfathomable busts. They’re victims of time, yes, but also of greed, changing roadways, and old-fashioned karmic retribution. Among them are restored villages humming with tourists and Colonial-era structures seemingly swallowed by nature. Some have rich histories of fleeting prosperity. Others take the designation of “ghost town” literally, with restless spirits rumored to relive past tragedies and atrocities nightly. Whether they’re roadside stop-offs of full-fledged attractions, each offers a side trip through time along America’s roadways. These are our favorites.
Spectre is perhaps the newest ghost town in America, and one of the weirder entries on this list. Director Tim Burton spent six months on Jackson Lake Island building the fictional, idyllic town of Spectre for his 2003 movie Big Fish. Afterward, landowners declined to tear it down and now charge $3 to tour what is essentially a ghost town. Only here, rather than a dusty old stretch of saloons, it’s a lush movie set, albeit in a state of decay: Much of it’s a facade and falling apart, but the designs are rich in detail with a full main street and surrounding “Enchanted Forest.” Don’t be surprised to see a herd of goats roaming the streets. Don’t worry. They’re locals. — Rob Kachelriess
Kennecott Mine Town near McCarthy, Alaska | INTENTIONALTRAVELER/SHUTTERSTOCK
Copper lured brave miners to this remote Alaskan outpost after two prospectors stumbled upon $200 million worth of the metal while resting their horses in the early 1900s. At its peak, one of Kennecott’s five mines contained the world’s richest copper concentration, aptly named “Bonanza.” By 1938, however, the copper supply was running low enough that the mines shuttered and the boomtown went bust. Today, it’s a National Historic Landmark in the heart of the massive Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Its iconic red mill on the hill spans 14 stories above a glacier and can be explored by visitors who take the official Kennecott Mill Town Tour. — Kyler Alvord
This once mineral-rich town near the southern border — where prospectors flocked for zinc, copper, silver, lead, and gold — was named after the wife of general store owner Julius Andrew. But if you think that it’s all wholesome namesakes and mining, well, perhaps reading the book Ruby, Arizona: Mining, Mayhem & Murder will give you a better idea of what life was like in this busy town before water issues pushed most of its inhabitants out in the ‘40s. The Ruby Mercantile — site of the grisly crimes that give the book its name — still stands, along with a restored school, warehouse, and courthouse. — Andy Kryza
Arkansas: Rush
Rush was founded in the late 1800s as a mining community along the banks of what is now the Buffalo National River in the Ozark Mountains. Zinc ore was in high demand with production peaking during World War I. However, by the ‘60s, its residents were long gone, ending a pretty spectacular run for a boom town, which for the most part tend to live in cat years. The leftover homes and mining ruins, maintained by the National Park Service, endure as a fascinating detour while camping in the park or floating the river. — RK
The largest unreconstructed ghost town in America has a story that reads like Boom Tow 101: Founded in 1859. Gold. Mines. Miners. Red Light district. Saloons. And by 1942, all 2,000 (!!) buildings in the town were empty. But thanks to its designation as a National Historic Site, an obscene number of those buildings remain in a state of “arrested decay”: they only receive necessary maintenance that prevents them from collapsing. That means the explorable city’s saloons still have balls on the pool table as if abandoned mid-game, and the grocery remains stocked with extremely perished canned goods. — KA
Founded in 1880, St. Elmo this highfalutin whistle-stop and mining town was home to 2,000 residents, 150 mines, and enough hotels, brothels, saloons, and dance halls to keep everybody in town entertained. When the Alpine Tunnel closed in 1910, however, the party ended, and the last train whistled out in ‘22. Yet despite decades of abandonment and numerous fire threats, St. Elmo remains one of America’s best-preserved ghost towns. Several original structures are still intact, providing an unfiltered glimpse into life during the mining boom. Present-day visitors can tour the old mining roads in ATVs, fish along Chalk Creek, stay in a historic cabin, and shop from a general store that’s open through the summer. — Kastalia Medrano
Connecticut: Gay City
Connecticut’s is home to the remarkably restored mill town Johnsonville and the seriously dilapidated 500-year-old Dudleytown, though both are on private property (plus, Dudleytown is apparently a dark Vortex completely overrun with demons, so there’s that). Gay City is neither immaculately restored nor teeming with Satan’s legion, but it is accessible as part of Gay City State Park. Here, stacked stone structures in the forest offer a look at a town, the chimneys and walls serving as skeletal remains of rotted-away buildings cloaked in moss. Oh, there’s also rumored to be ghosts. This is, after all, a town where the blacksmith was rumored to have a thing for decapitation. Connecticut, it appears, is not messing around in the nefarious spirits department. — AK
Delaware: Woodland Beach
The northeast is full of great Atlantic vacation towns, but Woodland Beach never quite took. The secluded beachfront once had a resort and roller coaster that stretched over the water, yet a lack of interest and severe weather put an end to the fun. Little remains today, although the beach is still revered by locals, especially those who like to fish from the pier. Look around and you may spot an abandoned lighthouse, small wooden shipwreck, and leftover ruins of an old dancehall. Fair warning: the muggy weather and view of a nuclear power plant in the distance can be a buzzkill… unless you’re a scouting agent working on an American remake of Netflix’s Dark. — RK
Florida: Fort Dade
Located on Egmont Key near St. Petersburg, Fort Dade was built on the heels of the Spanish-American War in 1858. At its peak, it included 300 residents with about 70 buildings, including a movie theater and bowling alley, not to mention electricity and telephones — fancy stuff for the era. Fort Dade was deactivated in 1923 and although the lighthouse is still in operation, the rest of the town is in ruins, with deteriorating brick roads and staircases leading to military batteries that no longer protect Tampa Bay. To visit, catch a ferry from Fort DeSoto Park. — RK
Georgia: Scull Shoals
With a name tailor-made for a creepy abandoned place, buried in Oconee National Forest near the Tennessee border is the remnants of a ghost town that was once home to Georgia’s first paper mill, before flooding and soil erosion made everybody realize it was a pretty shitty place to live. You can still see the mill building and assorted chimneys that heat nothing through a fence, but stay on all the marked trails if you’re gonna hang around this abandoned village: there’s still hunting allowed in the area. — Mike Jordan
This remote community started as a leper colony in 1866, housing some 8,000 in quarantine until 1969, when — two decades after Hansen’s disease was cured — the state gave residents the option to live out their lives in Kalaupapa or reintegrate with society. Decades later, the peninsula is now a national historic park, one that requires advance planning to visit. It rests at the base of some of the world’s highest sea cliffs; there are no hospitals, stores, or overnight accommodations; and the dwindling community can only be reached by small aircrafts, authorized boats, or on a strenuous hike by foot or on muleback. The few who have visited encounter breathtaking views, plus a number of churches, more than 15 cemeteries, homes, and a post office that somehow hasn’t closed yet. — KA
Idaho: Bayhorse
A mountain town then overflowing with silver, lead, and copper, this Salmon River city became a hot spot in 1864, housing a blacksmith, general store, school, and church. There was even a three-story stamp mill and a Wells Fargo outpost to help everybody manage their riches. However, freight costs were high, and the ride was over by 1879. Nowadays, you can safely see it from the sidewalk, which is tested for safety, but visitors aren’t allowed inside the buildings due to contamination from the arsenic and mercury used to separate the metals. Smaller ghost towns Bonanza and Custer in the neighboring Salmon-Challis National Forest are about an hour drive from Bayhorse, in case you want to play ghost town bingo. — RK
No, it’s not a city. But it might as well be: There are 20 buildings within these forbidden walls just outside of Chicago, giving it a sinister, castle-like aurora. Built by convict labor with limestone quarried on site, the Joliet Correctional Center (as it’s officially named) operated from 1858 to 2002. There were a few fires over the year, including at least one arson, and some areas were eventually deemed unsafe for prisoners. The prison was abandoned after closing, but reopened for tours in 2018. Notorious murder clown John Wayne Gacy was probably the most notorious resident, but the facility raised its profile even higher as a Blues Brothers filming location. — RK
Indiana: Sloan
Indiana is apparently home to more than 50 ghost towns, though most of them are so ghostly that there are no structures remaining, only the wayward cemetery or traces of foundation buried in the ground. But Dunn — a tiny and extinct town in the northwestern corner of Hoosier Country that sported a post office and two general stores during its 6-year lifespan (1907-1913) — stands simply due to the fact that the only thing creepier than a cluster of century-old abandoned grain silos is those same silos casting a shadow over abandoned train tracks. — AK
Iowa: Gitchie Manitou State Preserve
Tucked tightly in the far northwest corner of Iowa, the Gitchie Manitou State Preserve is closer to Sioux Falls, South Dakota than any major Iowa city. The 91-acre park is beautiful but eerie, with woodlands, wetlands, and a prairie dotted with bright pink Sioux quartzite and at least 17 Native American burial mounds. The ruins of a brick post office, now covered with an overwhelming amount of graffiti, was part of Gibraltar, an old settlement by the Big Sioux River crossing. The park’s haunted reputation dates back to 1973, when three brothers killed four teenagers before being sentenced to life in prison. Unrelated, there are ample campsites available to visitors! — RK
Elk Falls, Kansas | PATRICK JENNINGS/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kansas: Elk Falls
Elk Falls embraces its unremarkable loneliness, billing itself as the “largest living ghost town in America.” More serene than spooky, a historic iron-truss bridge spans the Elk River near the town’s namesake falls. There’s also an old one-room schoolhouse, cemetery, and pottery shop renovated from an abandoned farmstead formerly called the Rock Garden. However, the southeast Kansas settlement is most famous (or infamous) for its annual Outhouse Tour, a two-day mini-festival with decorated outhouses on display throughout the extremely tiny community. — RK
Kentucky: Blue Heron
Blue Heron was a coal town near the Big South Fork National River that operated from 1937 to 1962. It was abandoned for years and rebuilt in the 1980s to preserve its history. The “ghost structures” include a coal tipper, train depot, and school. Exploring the old mines and creaky buildings with flashlights is fun, but the best way to visit is by taking the annual Ghost Tour Train, which happens just once a year every autumn. — RK
Despite having a rich history, Louisiana is surprisingly low on ghost towns that haven’t been completely lost to the elements. An exception is Longleaf, an old sawmill town that helped the south rebuild its economy following the Civil War. By 1969, business stalled and workers were fired without warning (on Valentine’s Day, no less). The population dwindled and the 50-acre site fell into disrepair for decades. The leftover buildings are now enjoying a new life as the Southern Forest Heritage Museum, with the old mill used for weddings and other events. A trio of steam-powered locomotives no longer work, but you can ride two miles of track on a small railbus. — RK
Swan Island is the main feature of Perkins Township, a ghost town in the Kennebec River that’s only accessible by kayak, canoe, or a five-minute ferry ride. Once inhabited by Native Americans, later used by explorers for farming and ice harvesting, and eventually popularized as a summer getaway (even visited by Aaron Burr and Benedict Arnold), Perkins underwent several phases before the 20th century. In the early 1900s, the town was disincorporated, and following the Great Depression and increased pollution in the Kennebec River its usefulness vanished, leaving the nature-rich island practically vacant by the 1940s. Nearly a century later, visitors can camp, hike, hunt, fish, see structures from the 1700s, and look out for native wildlife like bald eagles and white-tailed deer. There’s also an old cemetery, if you’d like to pay respects to the people left behind. — KA
Maryland: Daniels
Originally founded in the 1830s, the town was renamed after the C.R. Daniels company, which bought the land and took over the textile mill. Instead of bringing the facility up to code in the 1960s, the company evicted Daniels’ tenants and the mill closure effectively demolished the town. Karma played out a few years later, when Tropical Storm Agnes wiped out most of what was left. Although the mill is now out of sight on private property, you can still explore much of the land as part of Patapsco Valley State Park. The gothic Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, struck by lightning in 1927, is down to just a couple walls of stone, and a cemetery. You’ll also spot a couple railroad bridges, scattered foundations, and staircases that go nowhere. There’s even a car left behind by flooding. Still, a dam for the mill remains in place and the river is popular for canoeing and kayaking. — RK
Massachusetts: Dogtown
Massachusetts is full of old abandoned places, but there’s just something cool and creepy about Dogtown. At first glance, there’s not much to see — just a thicket of woods and walking trails in a Cape Ann park. Take your time and you’ll stumble across leftover stones and cellar holes from an old colonial-era town known for its population of witches, prostitutes, and other hoodlums. (In case you’re wondering, the name comes from the wild dogs that roamed the streets.) The reservoir view is a nice bonus. Large boulders with inscriptions like “If work stops, values decay” and “Help mother” were meant to be inspirational during the Great Depression, but come across as oddly Orewellian today. — RK
Fayette, Michigan | FLICKR/SCOTT SMITHSON
Michigan: Fayette
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a pretty isolated place — that’s how the Yoopers like it — but Fayette was an early settlement that actually beamed with life. Established in 1867, it was a hub of the iron rush along the limestone bluffs of the southern Garden Peninsula. Alas, like temperatures over 70 degrees, it didn’t last long. The ruins of Fayette now reside in a state park, with nearly 20 remarkably sturdy buildings still standing, including a hotel, opera house, and a definitely-not-creepy industrial furnace complex whose eerie, towering brick frontage serves as a brutal contrast to the deep-blues of the shore from which it rises. — AK
Minnesota: Forestville
Forestville was doing pretty good for a while in the mid-1800s. The southeastern town had hotels, shops, and a couple of mills. Then it all fell apart when a new railroad bypassed the town in 1868. As population centers developed elsewhere in Southeast Minnesota, businesses closed and the area descended into ghost town status. Fortunately, it’s been preserved and restored in Forestville State Park with a farm, bridge, and fully-stocked general store. Feel free to also tour the 13-mile Mystery Cave, the longest known cave in the state. — RK
Mississippi: Rodney
Built on the cotton trade and slave labor in nearby plantations, Rodney was a thriving port town on the Mississippi River in the mid-1800s and saw its share of Civil War gunfire. Before all that, it was actually three votes away from being named the state capital. Eventually, the river shifted course away from the town and the population dwindled. Prone to flooding, much of Rodney has been washed away over the years, leaving behind a haunting, historic ghost town. A few buildings remain, including the Zion Baptist Church and a dilapidated cemetery. The most notable structure is the two-story Presbyterian church, which still has much of its interior in place behind broken windows. — RK
Phillips 66 Gas Station at Red Oak II | NICK FOX/SHUTTERSTOCK
After World War II, Red Oak was left to wither, vacated by residents seeking bigger and brighter locales. When former resident Lowell Davis moved back to the area in the ’80s, he was sad to learn that the places from his youth were wasting away… so he bought the abandoned buildings and moved them to his property about 20 miles away. Davis restored all the notable structures from his childhood, including his grandpa’s blacksmith shop and his father’s general store. He dubbed the cornfield-turned-refurbished-ghost-town Red Oak II, and now it’s a full-blown attraction, boasting a town center, a schoolhouse, a diner, a jail, a Phillips 66 gas station, houses, artifacts from other abandoned towns, and original art pieces created by Lowell himself. Part ghost town, part art installation, and part outdoor museum, it’s a colorful look at rural life before desertion. — KA
Former home of the famous frontierswoman Calamity Jane, this old gold-mining town (est. 1863) was known as a hub of lawlessness. Still, it briefly served as the capital of the pre-statehood Montana Territory and grew to a population of around 10,000. When gold ran out, though, the city lost momentum and became the Victorian-era time capsule it still is today. Here, you’ll find nearly half of the original buildings restored, and its status as a tourist attraction means there’s still life in the place. Want ghost stories? You’ve got ‘em. Fascinated by trains? There’s a scenic railway. Like luxury? Ride in style to the most important historic spots. Prefer novelty? Learn about the town on an old fire truck. It’s basically Westworld, minus the gross sex stuff and emo murder bots. — KM
Nebraska: St. Derion
The settlement of St. Derion ran a ferry service across the river separating Missouri from southeast Nebraska in the late 1800s. However, the economy turned south as more people turned to rail travel, and by 1911 a series of floods washed most of that good fortune away. Today, recreations of a log cabin, schoolhouse, and general store provide a glimpse of what life was like when settlers were exploring the Old West. St. Derion is popular with hikers passing through Indian Cave State Park and remains a source of folklore and spooky stories. The creepiness is elevated by the presence of two cemeteries. — RK
Rhyolite Mercantile in Rhyolite, Nevada | LAURENS HODDENBAGH/SHUTTERSTOCK
Nevada: Rhyolite
Founded in 1904, Rhyolite managed to become the third-largest city in Nevada, complete with hotels, a hospital, an opera house, a symphony, a red-light district, and its own stock exchange. But all good things must come to an end, and in Rhyolite’s case, the Panic of 1907 hammered the first nail in the coffin, causing banks to fail, mines to close, and newspapers to shutter. By 1916, it was deserted. Visitors will still see the skeletons of a three-story bank, part of the old jail, the general store, and the train station. Just outside of town lies another notable attraction: the free and open-to-the-public Goldwell Open Air Museum, perhaps the oddest roadside attraction in a state known for its off-highway weirdness. — KM
New Hampshire: Monson Center
As an early New England settlement in the 1700s, Monson Center was originally part of Massachusetts, but the land wasn’t suited to agriculture and was abandoned. The only home that remains, the Gould House, is now a small museum. Visitors can also explore old stone walls, cellar holes, and trails for hiking, biking, and dog walking in the surrounding park. Some ghost towns are spooky. This one is serene. — RK
Predating the American Revolution, Batsto Village is on two sides of a scenic lake deep in central Jersey’s Wharton State Forest. As far as ghost towns go, this one has been incredibly well-preserved, with rickety, wooden worker homes contrasting with a castle-like steepled mansion to highlight the differences between the haves and have-nots. The local economy was driven by an ironworks operation that made big bucks during the Revolution, but the 32-acre site also includes a dam, wheelwright shop, general store, and two mills. Sadly, we assume, the pre-colonial Dunkin’ has been lost to time. — RK
New Mexico: Dawson
After becoming a promising company town for Dawson Fuel Co. in 1901, Dawson was rocked by a series of explosions: Three lives were lost in 1903, over 250 perished in 1913, and 123 died in 1923. After that, the town’s population dwindled from 9,000 to zero. Today, this ghost town features more ghosts than town: The only notable landmark left is the Dawson Cemetery, where a sea of white crosses represents the nearly 400 people who died in the mine explosions. Visitors report seeing phantom mining-helmet lights and hearing moans, in addition to spotting specters among the graves. As such, it’s been declared one of the most haunted places in America. So, um, have fun with that! — KA
New York: Tahawus
Deep in the wilds of Upstate New York, you expect to encounter a lot of things, though typically the most jarring is a wayward Brooklynite shilling overpriced jams at a repurposed general store. But up near Newcomb, buried in the Adirondacks of Essex county, you’ll discover the lost town of Tahawus, which served as an ore-mining center in the early 1800s, but gradually fell to decay. The mining town’s verve is long extinguished, but you can still explore the remains of turn-of-the-century homes and the spooky shells of former blast furnaces, which definitely don’t come alive with the sounds of spectral pickaxes late at night. — AK
Brunswick Town in Winnabow, North Carolina | CHARLES CHADWICK TALTON/SHUTTERSTOCK
North Carolina: Brunswick Town
Lots to unpack here. Brunswick offers a unique glimpse into the history of both the American Revolution and the Civil War. After establishing itself as a Cape Fear River port town, the community was destroyed by the British in 1776. Left in ruins, it was turned into Anderson Fort as a stronghold for the confederate army in 1862. Between the foundations of colonial structures and what’s left of the fort, it’s a fascinating trip through time. The site was creepy enough to be used as a shooting location for the Sleepy Hollow TV show. — RK
North Dakota: Arena
South Dakota might have the more famous ghost towns, but the quieter Dakota brings some serious game in smaller doses, mostly harkening to the railway days. Many of these towns share the common feature of dilapidated schoolhouses, which somehow persevere after decades of being battered by the prairie winds and shows. Charbonneau has a particularly eerie one, but its real highlight is two wooden grain elevators rising from the chaff near the Montana border, twin monoliths from the town’s peak in the 1910s whose design makes them appear more like Colonial-era churches flanked by rolling plains. — AK
Ohio: Moonville
Nothing to see here: Just some crumbling foundations and an old cemetery tucked into the lush Zaleski State Forest. In fact, the most notable feature in this deserted southeastern outpost is a huge, dark, brooding train tunnel opening like a hellmouth into the forest of southeast Ohio. Oh, and inside there’s rumored to be an entire cadre of ghosts, among them dearly departed train workers, the mangled corpse of a bully who loves to give people bear hugs, and a woman in lavender with a habit of disappearing into thin air. Which is to say, if you’re looking to visit this ghost town, the cemetery is somehow the less terrifying option. — AK
Oklahoma: Shamrock
The Irish spirit remains strong in Shamrock, even if only a handful of people are still around to celebrate it. Old empty buildings line Tipperary Road, formerly a hub of activity and excitement during the rush for Oklahoma oil in the early 1900s. The last occupied building (half-painted green, of course) on the downtown strip is now a museum that glorifies the town’s history, both before and after the last proverbial milkshake was drunk. Don’t leave without a trip to the Blarney Stone, a large rock (also painted green) that serves as Shamrock’s unofficial selfie station. — RK
Antique fire truck in Shaniko, Oregon | IAN SANE/FLICKR
Oregon: Shaniko
Smack in the middle of Oregon, Shaniko was a shipping hub known as the Wool Capital of the World. That didn’t last. After 10 years as an incorporated town, Shaniko dried up in 1910, the victim of a new rail line and wildfires. A very small handful of people still occupy the, but it’s been officially called a ghost town since the ‘50s. The Shaniko Hotel was — and continues to be — the town’s main attraction. Other surviving buildings include the Sage Museum, Shaniko School, city hall, jail, post office, and a wool barn. Businesses along “Shaniko Row” open seasonally for summer visitors passing through, including decidedly non-frightening ice cream shop Goldies. — KA
Pennsylvania: Centralia
In the late 1800s, Centralia was a thriving coal-mining town with a population of around 2,700. Technically — technically — Centralia is not a ghost town, since as of 2017 “under five” people live there. However, it makes up for this in eeriness and potential for actual ghosts because Centralia is literally on fire… and has been for decades. See, an abandoned coal mine caught fire in 1962, and it’s been smoldering underground ever since. The coal seen fueling the fire beneath the heavily graffitied streets is expected to last another 250 years, and in the meantime there’s not a whole lot visitors can (or should) do there, given the presence of toxic chemicals.. — KA
Rhode Island: Hanton City
Even the smallest state in the nation has a ghost town, although just barely. The legend of Hanton City is far greater than its history. Some records don’t acknowledge its existence at all. Conversely, some maps include it. However, if you explore a trail off Decotis Farm Road in Smithfield, you may get lucky and stumble across a few remnants, including a well and crumbling stone walls. (Whether they really date back to colonial times, as rumored, is anyone’s guess.) The creepy cemetery on the other side of the road is a more compelling distraction. — RK
South Carolina: Dorchester
How far back do you wanna go? Dorchester was founded in 1696 and abandoned at the start of the Revolutionary War. Just 15 miles from Charleston along the Ashley River, it’s now part of a 325-acre park with a church bell tower and walls from an oyster-shell tabby fort providing a well-preserved look at life during the colonial south. Shipping wharves are often visible during low tide, too. — RK
McCahan Memorial Chapel in Mystic, South Dakota | R KULAWIAK/SHUTTERSTOCK
South Dakota: Mystic
The Black Hills pack enough ghost towns to populate an entire abandoned state, but Mystic (née Sitting Bull) takes the cake for managing to persevere, even in its abandonment. Founded in 1876, Mystic became known as an exporter of timber and gold. It endured destructive floods and fires and the Great Depression with panache. But once WWII ended and the trains stopped chugging past, it finally met its demise. What remains are a dozen buildings and a National Register of Historic Places, including the picturesque McCahan Chapel that’s still used for special events. — AK
Tennessee: Elkmont
When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created in 1934, residents were given two options: take a pay-off to move away or negotiate a long-term lease, the last of which expired in 1991. When it was all said and done, more than 70 structures were left over, creating a creepy ghost town of summer cabins and second homes. At least 19 were preserved for historical context near a large Smoky Mountain campground, including the Spence Cabin, which is rented out for weddings and other gatherings. Need a good excuse to visit that isn’t dependent on human love? Come during early summer when it’s mating season for a particular species of firefly that blinks in synchronicity. — RK
Texas: Terlingua
Texas has more ghost towns than any other state in union. If you only pick one, visit Terlingua, a few miles north of the Mexico border. Once the largest mercury mining operation in North America, the town fell into ruins, but was revived in the 1960s with the first-ever chili cook-off competition in the world. In recent years, the population has increased from 5 to 50, an old theater is now a restaurant, and the general store has become a gift shop. Overnight guests can stay at the historic Perry Mansion or casitas renovated from old miners’ homes (collectively the Big Bend Holiday Hotel). A Day of the Dead celebration takes place every November with candles honoring unmarked graves in the cemetery. And yes, the chili cook-off is still a thing. — RK
Utah: Grafton
Just south of Zion National Park, Grafton was settled in the 1880s by Mormon farmers who eventually abandoned the town due to unpredictable flooding from the Virgin River. The reddish-brown adobe clay used to build the two-story schoolhouse and church matches the road and contacts sharply with the colorful Southern Utah mountainscapes. Visitors can also see at least three homes and what’s left of a cemetery. Grafton has so much authentic scenery, it was used for filming in Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. — RK
Vermont: Glastenbury
Glastenbury is the center of the Bennington Triangle, a large area of Vermont wilderness where hikers mysteriously disappear. Let that be a warning. Glastenbury is far from tourist-friendly. The town was founded on logging and charcoal production, with the steepest train in the country required to reach its remote location. When the industry faltered, facilities were turned into a resort and casino with an electric trolley to bring in visitors. Yet the elements proved too harsh and the town was effectively abandoned and absorbed into what is now the Green Mountain National Forest. Ambitious hikers might come across some rail tracks, the ruins of charcoal kilns, and a few bricks left over from buildings decimated by mudslides. — RK
Mecklenburg, Union Level, Virginia | BECC KEEZEL/SHUTTERSTOCK
Virginia: Union Level
Travel the back roads of Southern Virginia and you’ll notice little of note among the stretches of farmland. Things take an ominous turn when passing through the old downtown neighborhood of Union Level. Formerly an active hub on the horse and carriage routes of the early 1800s, the area gradually faded over time, leaving behind a strip of unoccupied brick and wood businesses and abandoned homes. — RK
Washington: Bodie
Unlike its trendy ghost-town counterpart in California, this Bodie is falling apart, seemingly swallowed by the lush forests of northern Washington’s and slowly digested in plain sight since it was forced to close during WWII. The emphasis, though, is on “slowly.” Once a buzzing mining and mill town, there’s a remarkable number of buildings here just kind of slowly deteriorating, including bunk houses, log cabins, and the charred remains of the mill. Many are sunken into the ground. As this is private property, it’s advised that you glimpse this one from afar. Probably for the best. That earth looks hungry. — AK
West Virginia: Nuttallburg
Deep in the wilderness of New River Gorge is Nuttallburg, home to an elaborate coal-mining complex that’s been completely restored in recent years. The facility, dating back to 1870 and owned by Henry Ford at one point, includes a tipple and towering conveyor that dramatically crawls up the mountainside. Surrounding trails offer some of the most scenic hikes in West Virginia, passing by the ruins of an old church and schoolhouse. — RK
Wisconsin: Pendarvis
The southwest Wisconsin town of Pendarvis was founded by Cornish immigrants looking to cash in on lead and zinc mining in the mid-1800s. The homes, built of wood and limestone, held up long after the population dwindled in search of greater prosperity. Fully restored cabins and cottages are now a museum and preserved historical site. Cross the street and talk a walking tour of the Merry Christmas Mines that once fueled the local economy, if only briefly. — RK
South Pass City was founded on the Gold Rush and played a pivotal role as a stop on the Oregon Trail that crossed the Continental Divide. The town thrived in the mid-to-late 1800s before drying up due to the expense of mining and selling gold. Currently, the state preserves and maintains the community as an authentic tourist-friendly slice of the Old West. Visitors can explore what’s left of Main Street, where hotels, restaurants, saloons, and even a bowling alley once operated. The most imposing structure, the Carissa mine and mill, is just north of town. If you want to make a ghost town “crawl” out of it, visit Miners Delight and Atlantic City: All three towns, collectively the Sweetwater Mining District, are within 10 miles of each other. — RK
“I’LL GET A NUMBER FOUR WITH A SIDE OF BARBECUE SAUCE AND A CHOCOLATE SHAKE.” Take any highway exit, pull into the nearest diner, say these magic words, and you’ll get some recognizable combination of sandwiched meat and fried potatoes.
Consider it American dialect, a customary language taught to children from the front seat of a car on family road trips. In the Land of Opportunity, roadside dining is all but defined by simplicity and familiarity. And that familiarity, like all things Americana, is completely manufactured.
Before Golden Arches and Double-Doubles, America’s appetite for burgers and fries was whetted by diners. And while diners were birthed in New England and popularized in Jersey, the forgotten hero of our nation’s culinary backstory is Wichita, Kansas — a burger-loving town that helped every corner of the nation get a taste. If the iconic diner experience feels codified and eerily similar — like you’re walking into the same building every time you stop off for a greasy-spoon breakfast — well, you might not be too far off. And you can probably thank Wichita for that, too.
Suzie Q Cafe is housed in an authentic Valentine building. | Larry Sallee
By the late 1930s, Wichita’s White Castle had made a dent in Midwest culture. Founded in 1921, it was the earliest known assembly-line fast-food chain where the experience was the same at each location. That included the look: White Castle locations were manufactured as ready-made buildings that were dropped off at new branches. Still, their reach had limits.
Enter Arthur Valentine, a local entrepreneur who specialized in prefabricated lunchrooms. Rather than feeding into the fast-food craze, Valentine focused on designing affordable diner buildings — fittingly called “Valentine diners” — that could be shipped anywhere and turned into small businesses. World War II delayed his growth, but by 1947, he had vertically integrated and was ready to soar.
“It didn’t really take a lot of money to get a diner started.”
Valentine wasn’t the first person to market mail-order diners, but at the time all of the prominent manufacturers were based on the East Coast and crafted large structures to serve dense populations. Valentine went smaller and wider with models like the eight-stool Aristocrat, nine-stool Nifty-Nine, 10-stool Master, and window-service-only Burger Bar, all of which appealed to any-sized populations.
Valentine’s business largely catered to rural startups in budding towns west of the Mississippi that didn’t need a fancy setup, and his business was devoted to helping others achieve their own American Dream.
“He always wanted to be his own businessman, his own boss, and that was the selling point for these diners,” says Blair Tarr, museum curator at the Kansas Historical Society.
The smaller models could be operated with only one or two employees, and Valentine would even extend credit to buyers to get them on their feet. “This was one of the things that made it popular during the Depression years and after World War II: that it didn’t really take a lot of money to get a diner started.”
The Broadway Diner is still a popular meeting place in Columbia, Missouri. | Flickr/Heath Cajandig
It helped that Valentine hit his stride as the Great American Road Trip was being born. The growing US highway system welcomed the Automobile Age as people hit the pavement to escape the Dust Bowl and explore new areas because, well, that’s a thing they could suddenly do. Motorists quickly learned that long-distance travel requires some stops, and along middle-of-nowhere routes there wasn’t much to choose from.
Small Valentine diner models were perfect candidates to fill the void, with diners popping up in the ’40s and ’50s along stretches of highway. It’s an idyllic scene — a barren desert road made colorful by a series of identical diners spaced along the route — that made Route 66 hot enough to sing about and build an entire movie franchise around.
Valentines emerged as road trip cornerstones, but travelers weren’t their only clientele and empty desert towns weren’t their only locales. “A small diner became a meeting place for the community,” Tarr explains, noting that some were the only restaurants in their towns. “You could usually count in the morning the locals coming in and, if nothing else, having coffee and maybe some small breakfast and chewing the fat with the other locals.”
As with many of the era’s nostalgic touchstones, though, the diner found itself eclipsed. Interstates meant cars zipping past small towns without stopping. Booming fast-food chains became the go-to pit stop. And while Valentine introduced a dozen different diner models, they couldn’t keep up with the changing times.
“They make a go of it for a while, but at that time, the idea of having a 12-seat diner becomes unworkable,” Tarr says. “They keep trying to make adjustments for a larger market, but by 1974, the business is essentially over.”
The Suzie Q Cafe seats a maximum of 10 customers at once. | Courtesy of Suzie Q Cafe
In the decades that followed, Valentine diners began to vanish. But they’re not completely gone.
Suzie Q Cafe in Mason City, Iowa, belongs to a diminishing club of authentic Valentines. It’s a Little Chef, one of the smallest and most recognizable models that Valentine manufactured. This particular diner arrived in Mason City in the late ’40s; a few generations and several owners later, it’s a community staple known for its retro design and juicy Spic-N-Span pork tenderloin.
Tahmyrah Lytle and her business partner bought and remodeled Suzie Q last year. They were only open for three weeks before COVID-19 restrictions forced them to temporarily close, but Lytle is unwilling to let her diner meet the same fate of so many other Valentines.
“Being the steward of this piece of history, this living piece of history, and knowing that this is an artifact of the Great Depression [is so special],” says Lytle. “It’s like the manifestation of a dream from oh so long ago and I think that’s so romantic. ‘Valentine’ is very befitting.”
That heart-shaped dream lives on in a smattering of tight-knit communities beyond Mason City. Finding an authentic Valentine requires some sleuthing after many were replicated, abandoned, repurposed, or lost completely, but a handful are going strong, from Sugar Shack Diner in Rudyard, Montana, to The Lucky Dog Diner in Venice, Florida, and Dave’s Diner in Gardiner, Maine.
Dot’s Diner, another Little Chef model, now rests at The Shady Dell, a vintage trailer park and retro vacation spot in Bisbee, Arizona. The Broadway Diner, a Double Deluxe model in Columbia, Missouri, is a reminder of the college town’s history and home of the famous “Stretch,” a messy plate of hash browns layered with eggs, cheese, chili, green peppers, and onions. In Enid, Oklahoma, Lenox Drive In satisfies locals with classic burgers and cherry limeades from the window of a Burger Bar building. The model of Cindy’s Diner in Fort Wayne, Indiana, hasn’t been verified — perhaps it’s one of Valentine’s custom-built structures — but regardless, they proudly “serve the whole world, 15 at a time.” And Stacy’s Restaurant and Brint’s Diner carry on the history in Valentine’s home state, posted up in Junction City and Wichita, respectively.
These torchbearers — along with the countless retrofuturistic New American restaurants that emulate their kitsch — are a testament to Valentine’s legacy, one as important to roadside Americana as horn-rimmed glasses on a salty waitress. Arthur Valentine created a universal venue that helped burgers, fries, and shakes become mandatory road trip fare nationwide; now, his surviving diners are tasty time capsules of America’s post-war boom. And when you see one, it’s best you stop.
After all, any restaurant can pull inspiration from Valentines, but there’s just nothing like the real thing.
Everyone’s chasing riches in the Land of Opportunity. But when the riches run out, people move on to something newer, shinier, and untapped. It happened to countless boom towns after Gold Rush miners depleted all the gold, and when Gilded Age industrial sites collapsed — and it’s a big reason why the United States was left with so many abandoned towns in the 19th and 20th centuries.
From coast to coast, America’s ghost towns carry the most peculiar backstories. Some began as lucrative mining communities that cleared out almost overnight, and some are casualties of new railways and interstates. Others were once capital cities ravaged by nature and fate. These skeletons of the past could be sets for the next Coen Brothers Western, and at least one has already inspired a chilling horror flick. Hell, some ghost towns are reported to have literal ghosts roaming through the wreckage.
Once bustling with bars, brothels, and bandits, these 14 hamlets are now eerily desolate. You can visit most of them today, but be careful what you touch. Many are so perfectly preserved — furniture, dishes, even beer exactly where it was left — that they feel like dusty time capsules from a century ago.
All that glitters may not be gold, but it can still make you a fortune. Copper lured brave miners to this remote Alaskan spot in the early 1900s after two prospectors stumbled upon what turned out to be $200 million worth of the metal while resting their horses.
They formed what was then called the Utah Copper Company in 1903. Within a few years, and with the help of J.P. Morgan and the Guggenheims, they turned the place into a “self-contained company town,” complete with a tennis court and skating rink. One of Kennecott’s five mines contained the world’s richest copper concentration — they named the claim “Bonanza.” By 1938, however, the copper supply was running low enough that the mines shuttered.
Today, it’s a National Historic Landmark — and one of Alaska’s most popular points of interest — in the heart of the massive Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, which doesn’t charge an entrance fee. The iconic red mill on the hill spans 14 stories above a glacier and can be explored by visitors who take the official Kennecott Mill Town Tour.
There’s still plenty to see in St. Elmo. | FLICKR/TERRA TREKKING
Founded in 1880, St. Elmo was once a highfalutin gold mining town and popular whistle-stop on the Pacific Railroad. It boasted almost 2,000 residents and more than 150 mines — plus enough hotels, brothels, saloons, and dance halls to keep everybody in town happily cutting a rug. When the Alpine Tunnel closed in 1910, however, the music stopped. With the price of silver already down, the last remaining rail service stopped in 1922. The dedicated few that stuck around suffered another loss 30 years later when the postmaster died and postal service was discontinued, further sequestering them from civilization.
Despite numerous fires charring the canyon over the years, St. Elmo remains one of America’s best-preserved ghost towns. Several original structures are still intact, providing an unfiltered glimpse into life during the mining boom (one big exception is the town hall, which had to be rebuilt in 2008 following a particularly destructive blaze). Present-day visitors can tour the old mining roads in ATVs, fish along Chalk Creek, stay in a historic cabin, and shop from a general store that’s open through the summer. Most tourists stop in during warmer months when St. Elmo comes to life, but some prefer to visit in the wintertime when roads and trails are truly abandoned.
Just like the rest of us, Bodie is in a state of arrested decay. | ZACH FRANK/SHUTTERSTOCK
Like a straight-up Western movie set, Bodie is one of the most famous (and the largest unreconstructed) ghost towns in America. Established in 1859 when William S. Bodey discovered gold in the area, the original camp of around 20 miners mushroomed to some 10,000 during the California Gold Rush — roughly the same population as Los Angeles. By 1880, the town consisted of 2,000 buildings, including roughly 200 restaurants, 70 saloons, and a red-light district. As the gold vanished, though, so did the townsfolk. By 1942, the last mine had shut down.
Today the town is a National Historic Site protected by the California parks system. Buildings are in a state of “arrested decay,” meaning they will only receive necessary maintenance that prevents them from deteriorating and collapsing. Saloons still contain pool tables complete with balls and cues, plus assorted chairs and cutlery, resting exactly where they were left more than half a century ago, and some store shelves remain stocked with goods (no, they’re not for sale). Visitors should be sure to arrive during regular park hours with admission cash in hand; during the summer, guests can take guided tours through the Standard Mill for an inside look at the gold-extraction process.
This Civil War boomtown is flooding with history. | FLICKR/PAT HENSON
Cahawba has an illustrious history for a ghost town: From 1820 to 1825, it served as Alabama’s state capital before flooding so many times that most of the residents fled for drier pastures (and took the title of capital with them). It remained for years a hub of cotton distribution. During the Civil War, it was home of the Confederate Castle Morgan prison, where thousands of Union soldiers were kept between 1863 and 1865 — when another massive flood started driving people out for good. By the early 1900s, most buildings had been demolished, too.
Still, there’s enough left for history buffs today to enjoy. The welcome center, built in the image of a notable general’s cottage, includes a small museum of artifacts and photos from Cahawba’s peak. Guests can take self-guided tours of the major Civil War sites, the cemetery, and a woodsy nature trail; and no visitor should leave without seeing the Crocheron Columns, the only remaining parts of the Crocheron Mansion where important negotiations were made during the Battle of Selma.
Slinging guns and grabbing cash? It’s all part of the Wild West, baby! | MAGMARCZ/SHUTTERSTOCK
Former home of the famous frontierswoman Calamity Jane, this old gold-mining town (est. 1863) was known for its rough-and-tumble ways. The remote spot didn’t have enough law enforcement or a justice system. As a result, robberies and murders were the norm, and gangs of outlaws known as road agents killed 100 people between 1863 and 1864 alone. Still, Virginia City briefly served as the capital of the Montana Territory (before it was a state), and grew to a population of around 10,000. When gold ran out, though, the city lost momentum and became the Victorian-era time capsule it still is today.
While nearly half of the city’s buildings are originals, they’ve been restored, and the town — which now rocks live music and cabaret shows — is a lively tourist destination. A number of tours provide visitors with whatever experience suits their interests best: Want ghost stories? You’ve got ‘em. Fascinated by trains? There’s a scenic railway for you. Like luxury? Ride in style to the most important historic spots. Prefer novelty? Learn about the town on an old fire truck.
Nobody’s getting their kicks on this stretch of Route 66. | SUE SMITH/SHUTTERSTOCK
Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico
A relic of the legendary Route 66, Glenrio straddles the Texas-New Mexico border, so it’s officially part of both states. This apparently had several benefits: The town’s gas stations were built on the Texas side, where the gas tax was lower, and its bars were wisely built on the New Mexico side, since alcohol sales at the time were illegal in Deaf Smith County, Texas.
The town’s life cycle could’ve been longer. Founded in 1903, it became a popular way station for travelers. When I-40 was built in the early ‘70s and motorists stopped coming through, it withered. This is also the plot of the movie, and fittingly, the town motel makes an (animated) cameo in the movie as a racing museum.
Glenrio has no use now other than to provide passersby with a kick of Route 66 nostalgia. The boarded-up Little Juarez Cafe harks back to the time of Valentine Diners (even though it’s not actually one), and the First in Texas/Last in Texas Motel and Cafe is a fan favorite.
Once upon a time Rhyolite was hot hot hot. | LAURENS HODDENBAGH/SHUTTERSTOCK
Live fast, die young: This Gold Rush town did just that, founded in 1904 and deserted by 1916, despite being the third-largest city in Nevada for a time.
Sitting on the edge of Death Valley, Rhyolite offered residents hotels, a hospital, an opera house and symphony, and even its own stock exchange. Its red-light district was infamous, employing ladies from cosmopolitan locales like San Francisco. But all good things must come to an end, and in Rhyolite’s case, the Panic of 1907 hammered the first nail in the coffin, causing banks to fail, mines to close, and newspapers to shutter. The famed Montgomery Shoshone mine ceased operations in 2011, and any straggling Rhyolites were gone within a few years.
Though it’s been abandoned for almost a century, you can see Rhyolite in a number of old Westerns, including The Air Mail. The town is still known for its many bottle houses, and visitors will still see the skeletons of a three-story bank, part of the old jail, the general store, as well as Rhyolite’s train station. Just outside of town lies another notable attraction: the free and open-to-the-public Goldwell Open Air Museum, perhaps the oddest roadside attraction in a state known for its off-highway weirdness.
Wait till you see the house Wharton lived in. | FLICKR/CHRIS M MORRIS
With a name derived from the Swedish word batstu (meaning sauna), this Jersey town was once a bustling ironworks that supplied the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
Founded in 1766, it was essentially a “company town” owned/run for 92 years by William Richards before its iron and charcoal production were replaced by a mine in Pennsylvania. Industrialist Joseph Wharton (yep, that Wharton) stepped in and bought the town in 1876, experimenting with agriculture and manufacturing before also throwing in the (terrible?) towel to presumably start his little business school in Philadelphia.
Over 40 of the original structures remain today, including Batsto Mansion, a sawmill, a blacksmith, ice and milk houses, a carriage house and stable, and a general store. You can even mail letters at the still-operational post office. The buildings have been fully restored and are maintained as a historical site, with a museum and visitors center.
Dawson puts the “ghost” in “ghost town.” | EDUCATION IMAGES/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTY IMAGES
Every abandoned town has an air of sadness, but none compare to the tragic past of Dawson, New Mexico. What sprouted as a promising company town for Dawson Fuel Co. in 1901 soon became home to a series of devastating decennial explosions in the coal mines: Three lives were lost in 1903, over 250 perished in 1913, and 123 died in 1923. At its peak, Dawson’s population reached numbers around 9,000, mostly recent immigrants from Europe and Mexico; when the 1913 explosion shattered the community, people started moving on.
In the decades that followed these disasters, the demand for coal slowly declined until finally the last mine closed in 1950. The area was sold, most of the structures were demolished, and the few remains of Dawson were left to decay.
Today, this ghost town features more ghosts than town. The only notable landmark left is the Dawson Cemetery, where a sea of white crosses represents the nearly 400 people who died in the mine explosions. Mass casualty sites breed paranormal activity, explaining how the desolate land that once held up Dawson is now one of the most haunted places in America. Visitors have reported seeing lights like those on a mining helmet dancing around, hearing untraceable moans and voices, and coming across ghostly figures that vanish if you get too close. Explore at your own risk.
Minus the fire damage, Garnet’s actually kind of dreamy? | NAGEL PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK
Named for the semi-precious red gems prospectors discovered there along with gold, Garnet was inhabited from the 1860s through about 1912, when a fire razed half the town. Since the gold had pretty much run out anyway, there wasn’t much point in rebuilding it. Garnet lasted as long as the mines did; which is to say, not that long. In its heyday, though, the isolated town maintained 13 saloons, four hotels, two barbershops, a doctor’s office, and a school, as well as a daily stagecoach route to nearby towns.
Now, more than 30 historic buildings — a dozen cabins, a store, a saloon, and part of the J.K. Wells Hotel — remain, their interiors practically untouched and still full of dishes, furniture, and clothes. Every June, the town hosts Garnet Day, an afternoon of activities put on for the public, and in the wintertime, there are two rentable cabins on offer. The mountain town was known for its beauty, and its kept-up nature trails continue to impress anyone on the hunt for serenity. More active visitors also enjoy nearby hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, off-roading, and camping.
Without the Graffiti Highway, Centralia’s grimmer than ever. | DON EMMERT/GETTY IMAGES
Centralia, Pennsylvania
In the late 1800s, Centralia was a thriving coal-mining town with a population of around 2,700. Technically — technically — Centralia is not a ghost town, since as of 2017 “under five” people live there. However, it makes up for this in eeriness and potential for actual ghosts because Centralia is literally on fire… and has been for decades.
An abandoned coal mine caught fire in 1962, and it’s been smoldering underground ever since. Residents understandably evacuated and the town never recovered. Over time, the population dropped to the handful who remain today. When they die, the state will take their property through eminent domain.
Currently, the town doesn’t even have a zip code, and up until the 2006 horror movieSilent Hillcited Centralia as an inspiration, few people knew the place existed. The coal seen fueling the fire is expected to last another 250 years, and in the meantime there’s not a whole lot visitors can (or should) do there, given the presence of toxic chemicals. People long enjoyed driving four-wheelers down the buckled Graffiti Highway, but property owners covered the landmark with dirt in April 2020 after trespassers flocked to Centralia for joy rides amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For now, Centralia is more of an interesting story than a destination, but there’s truly no telling how the future of this mostly abandoned town will unfold.
Ashcroft just didn’t have the range. | JANIS MALECKIS/SHUTTERSTOCK
Upon discovering silver in 1880, two prospectors eager to make a quick buck created a Miner’s Protective Association, and immediately the site attracted 23 other miners. Within two weeks, they’d built streets and a courthouse. Within five years, Ashcroft was home to 20 saloons and more than 3,500 residents. But like most mining towns, at some point they ran out of stuff to mine, and by the end of 1885 only 100 residents remained.
By the 1930s, the Winter Olympics brought a new wave of attention to the area, including, at one point, plans to construct a huge ski resort. Billy Fiske, captain of the American bobsled team (and the newly minted youngest gold medalist in any Winter Olympic sport), and his business partner Ted Ryan built the Highland-Bavarian Lodge. Then when Fiske was killed in WWII, the momentum fizzled. Ashcroft has remained a ghost town since 1939. Plans for the ski resort, though, moved about 10 miles north — to a little up-and-coming town named Aspen.
Even the toughest nuts eventually crack. | RAND KAY/SHUTTERSTOCK
Mystic, South Dakota
The Black Hills are sprinkled with ghost towns, dozens of relics of a bygone gold boom. Mystic (née Sitting Bull) started as a small creekside camp in 1876, and it survived, honestly, a lot longer than it should have.
By 1885, Mystic had a post office; by 1889, it had a rail line; by 1906, it had a second rail line; and shortly after, Mystic was responsible for importing coal into the Black Hills and exporting timber and gold out of them. For a while, Mystic’s managed to deflect numerous potential death blows with panache. Floods destroyed bridges and rail lines, the town’s sawmill burned down, and the Great Depression put the place in dire straits, but the town just kept rebuilding and recovering. It wasn’t until the end of WWII that things spiraled downward, when limited resources made operating the mill too difficult.
Soon enough, passenger trains stopped going to Mystic, and the once-thriving train hub was chugging to a halt. In 1952, the sawmill ceased to exist, followed by the post office, the parlors, and the population. Over a dozen buildings left behind were added to the National Register of Historic Places, including the picturesque McCahan Chapel that’s still used occasionally for special events. If visitors are willing to venture down a 12-mile gravel road, they can see the remnants for themselves and get a feel for the area by trekking the Mickelson Rail Trail.
Not an abandoned Portland food truck. | FLICKR/IAN SANE
The history of Central Oregon’s Shaniko looks a little different than most of America’s ghost towns: It wasn’t a mining boom town, but rather a haven for ranchers and an unusually large shipping hub for somewhere so far inland. Once deemed the “Wool Capital of the World,” Shaniko rose and fell incredibly fast.
In 1900, the Columbia Southern Railway was extended to the area, connecting it to other parts of Oregon and surrounding states. Shaniko was officially incorporated in 1901, and that same year the town produced 2,000 tons of wool to service communities along the rail line. Business was steady — one year, wool sales totaled $5 million — until the decade’s end, when a new, more appealing railroad cut Shaniko out of the equation. Around the same time, two fires in the business district destroyed any remaining hype, sending Shaniko on the path toward abandonment only 10 years after its founding.
A very small handful of people still occupy Shaniko, but it’s been officially called a ghost town since the ‘50s. The Shaniko Hotel was — and continues to be — the town’s main attraction. Finished in 1902, it was initially a jack-of-all-trades gathering place, with guest rooms, a saloon, a bank, and a dance hall. Other surviving buildings include the Sage Museum, Shaniko School, city hall, jail, post office, and a wool barn. Businesses along “Shaniko Row” open seasonally for summer visitors passing through, including beloved ice cream shop Goldies.
Sophie-Claire Hoeller and Kastalia Medrano also contributed to this story.
In New York City, people live by a few unique truths: Subways are necessary, walking shoes are mandatory, and crowds are avoidable.
Home to more than 8 million people spread across five boroughs, the city has plenty beyond flashing lights and celebrity sightings. It’s a vast cultural hub where rising chefs bring innovation to the table and talented artists dissect their crafts. Here, historic buildings live in harmony with modern architecture, and both demand appreciation.
To take it all in, you’ll have to move around a bit; the real New York can’t be found in Times Square. So lace up your sneakers and fill a MetroCard—you’ve got a busy day ahead.
Start the morning a few blocks shy of the Flatiron Building with light treats from Devoción, a new Colombian wake-up spot that looks as if it were lifted from a page in a design magazine. You can’t go wrong with the guava Gruyere croissant, best enjoyed beneath the shop’s ceiling-strung garden or up the street at Madison Square Park.
Head toward Grand Central to the American Kennel Club’s easily overlooked and highly underrated Museum of the Dog. Explore two recently opened floors of paintings, artifacts, and interactive digital displays, all centered around one of the nation’s favorite household animals.
Ride the train directly to Rubirosa for an Italian-American lunch with locals’ stamp of approval. Situated just north of Little Italy, the mislocated pizza and pasta spot holds its own, with seating options and portion sizes suited for large groups and notable pies that put a classy twist on the “New York slice.”
1:30 PM
Dumbo
Dip into Dumbo, an industrial riverside neighborhood in Brooklyn. For photo ops below the Manhattan Bridge, walk down Washington Street; for shopping, roam the historic warehouse-turned-marketplace, Empire Stores; for skyline views and vitamin D, claim a plot of grass at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
3 PM
Dumbo/Financial District
Take the scenic route back to Manhattan—above ground and by foot. The Brooklyn Bridge spans 1.1 miles over the East River, connecting Brooklyn to the main island. Hit the walking path and enjoy the view as you cross to the other side.
Give your feet a rest and rehydrate at one of Chinatown’s many bubble tea shops. If you’re indecisive, Ten Ren’s Tea Time and Möge Tee are among the best with seating.
5 PM
Greenwich Village
Hop back in time to one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and admire quaint homes at Grove Court, Minetta Street, and MacDougal Alley. End the self-guided Village tour under the grandiose marble arch at Washington Square Park.
Find Bengal Tiger perched atop a staircase in an unassuming building on the outskirts of Times Square. The small Indian nook dishes delicious flavors at shockingly reasonable prices.
Made famous by You’ve Got Mail, Cafe Lalo captures the old-school charm of the Upper West Side. It’s far from NYC’s premier dessert destination but offers the perfect haven to linger for a while and debrief the day over a shared wedge of cheesecake.
Kyler graduated from WWU with a bachelor’s degree in communication in 2018. He currently lives in New York City and writes for digital media brand Thrillist.
WHY DO WE TRAVEL? As travel editors we are constantly asking ourselves this question. Sometimes you travel simply because you must; pure obligation lands you at a hotel conference, or a bachelorette party you can’t really afford. You travel to spend time with family, or to escape, often with the explicit purpose of doing nothing at all (they call this “vacation”). And sometimes, if you’re very lucky, you travel for no reason other than your own boundless curiosity. It’s not so much the why — but the things you see, eat, drink, and do while you’re there — that matters.
In that spirit, we scoured the country for the latest and greatest attractions we’re most curious about: the restaurants, hotels, parks, museums, and entertainment we’d hop on a plane to check out this summer. We weren’t so much interested in headline-grabbing, multi-million dollar developments (although there are certainly some of those) as we were in new spaces that are driving real conversation in their communities, and places we think will change the American travel map in the decades to come.
Some are about to open their doors for the first time ever; some are familiar landmarks fresh off a full-scale renovation. Others have been quietly gaining steam over the past year, turning into that new, cool thing to check out next time you’re in the neighborhood. Each of them is changing the landscape, both literally and figuratively, of cities across the United States.
Tulsa, Oklahoma Opened September 2018 A mid-size city in Oklahoma is not where you’d expect to find a $465 million park, but here it is. Gathering Place is putting Tulsa on the map, drawing visitors from as far away as Austin and Little Rock. Star landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh helmed the park’s design. The Roots performed at the opening last September.
Why all the fuss? Gathering Place is far more than its simple name implies. Like most parks, there is much green to behold: 1.2 million plants, 16 acres of gardens, a vast trail system, a pond for boating, and two great lawns offering views of the Arkansas River. There’s also a mammoth adventure park for all ages, with seven unique realms for play and one truly epic treehouse. You’ll find sculptures and murals by local artists throughout, plus a cutting-edge BMX skate park, sports courts, a lodge, and a boathouse. And all this is just phase one: By late next summer, the park’s 70-acre footprint will expand with an interactive children’s museum.
The fairy godmother in this story is billionaire George F. Kaiser, a Tulsa-born banking tycoon and philanthropist who donated $200 million to the park, plus an additional $100 million endowment to help maintain it for the next 99 years. Admission is totally free. There is no gift shop peddling obscenely priced souvenirs. Gathering Place measures success not by the number of tickets sold, but by the amount of diversity in the park’s attendees.
“I’ve never seen a project like this that did not have an aggressive return on investment plan,” says Tony Moore, Gathering Place’s Executive Director. “The primary ROI here is a social one that unites. It’s an economic changer, social changer, green space, and democratic space where all people can come together.” Sometimes a name says it all. — Becki Iverson
TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, New York, New York | COURTESY OF TWA HOTEL
Queens, New York Opened May 2019 The legendary TWA terminal at JFK opened in 1962 and shuttered in 2001 when Trans World Airlines went bankrupt. Nearly two decades after it was abandoned, the iconic New York City landmark has been reincarnated as a retro-chic 1960s-style hotel, complete with shops, bars, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a rooftop pool and observation deck looking out over an active runway. In addition to a restaurant helmed by world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, there’s a cocktail lounge inside a decommissioned Air Force One jet — one of just four such models left in existence (she goes by the name “Connie”). The room decor is authentic to the early ’60s — think rewired, fully functional vintage rotary phones.
Airports are often the worst part of traveling. And they know it, which is why they’re increasingly trying to rebrand and become destinations in and of themselves. The TWA Hotel pays homage to the Golden Age of air travel when flying still felt like a glamorous enterprise. More than 2,000 artifacts from the Mad Men-era will be displayed: matchbooks, playing cards, posters, vintage furniture, model planes, and other exhibits related to TWA’s history.
But the hotel is also firmly rooted in the present, with an LEED-certified rooftop power plant, the absolute best soundproofing that money can buy, and a convenient 24/7 airtrain that runs every few minutes to the rest of the airport and to public transportation. Rooms start at $249 per night, though it remains to be seen whether TWA will become a true overnight destination, or just an intriguing place to hang out during your layover. Either way, it’s one-of-a-kind, and the coolest airport amenity we’ve seen in a minute. — Kastalia Medrano
Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, Denver, Colorado | MEOW WOLF
Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, Denver, Colorado Opened April 2019 Inside Elitch Gardens (think Six Flags on a budget, and cuter) is a new amusement park ride that’s unique for what it isn’t. It’s not a roller coaster ride with a billion G-forces. It’s not a multi-sensory Star Wars ride that’s going to turn you into a Skywalker. And yet, it’s the most fun you’ll have on a themed ride in 2019. Kaleidoscape is created by the folks behind Meow Wolf, the art collective that’s been blowing minds in Santa Fe since 2016, and will soon open a massive, interactive art installation in Denver in 2020. Consider this an amuse-bouche.
It’s easy to describe this ride as psychedelic and trippy, but that sells it short. It’s giddy, absurdist fun that gets you high without the assistance of Denver’s favorite plant. Dip into the gift shop across from the ride and buy the 3D glasses for $1. It’ll enhance the experience significantly, turning the neon-drenched artscape into one that’s infinitely more textured. Each seat comes with a laser gun — sorry, a “Conglomotron” — that you can point at tiny targets throughout the ride.
And it’s quite a journey. Just when you think you’re looking at a life-sized man made of flowers (?), or a rejected animatronic creature from Pan’s Labyrinth (??), or a cheery anthropomorphic fried egg (???), you’ve already passed it. Don’t even bother trying to take photos. The important thing is that about five minutes later you’ll leave with a smile on your face. What a short, strange trip it’s been. — Lee Breslouer
Lady Gaga performs “Shallow” with Bradley Cooper at Park MGM | DENISE TRUSCELLO/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES
Las Vegas, Nevada Completed December 2018 The musty old Monte Carlo Resort has been completely transformed and rebranded into one of the most exciting areas on the Las Vegas Strip. There’s The Park, a walkable outdoor dining and entertainment district anchored by the $375 million T-Mobile Arena (add “seeing a Golden Knights game at T-Mobile” to your Vegas bucket list). Across the promenade is the more intimate Park Theater, currently home to Lady Gaga, the biggest Vegas residency to date (residencies are cool now — thanks Britney).
Then there’s the hotel itself. There hasn’t been a resort (re)opening in Vegas this exciting since The Cosmopolitan in 2010, and the Park MGM has been well worth the wait (and the $650 mil). While the Strip is full of overpriced, overhyped celebrity chef restaurants, here you will find the truly memorable Best Friend, the first Vegas outpost of Chef Roy Choi. It’s an immersive, neon-soaked experience (the lobby looks like an LA bodega with booze slushie machines) featuring Choi’s signature East-meets-West LA cuisine. There’s also a small(er)-scale version of the Italian food theme park that is Eataly; Bavette’s, a brilliantly-conceived old-school steakhouse; and Daniel Humm’s highly anticipated NoMad Restaurant, which none of us can afford so just get dressed up and have a drink at the NoMad Bar.
For nightlife, there’s On the Record, a nightclub that embraces a speakeasy-meets-record store vibe, with walls covered in old eight-track tapes, cassettes, and concert posters. Be sure to sniff out the “secret” cocktail bar hidden in the cassette-lined hallway for a rotating roster of startenders from around the world. — Nicole Rupersburg
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Montgomery, Alabama | COURTESY OF LEGACY MUSEUM
Montgomery, Alabama Opened April 2018 Montgomery has lived many lives. Its first inhabitants, the Creek people, were forced westward by white colonists. Not long after, it went on to become Alabama’s capital of the domestic slave trade, and subsequently the capital of the Confederacy. In the 1950s and ’60s, it was a battleground in the nation’s civil rights movement.
This Deep South city does not hide from its history, even its opposing narratives. Case in point, a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis still adorns the lawn of the Alabama State Capitol while down the block, the Civil Rights Memorial Center honors the memory of those who gave their lives in the fight for equality. It is here that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, and where Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor.
Now, Montgomery is home to two groundbreaking projects opened last year by the Equal Justice Initiative. The Legacy Museum (housed on a former warehouse site where enslaved African and African-American people were caged, tortured, and sold) takes visitors on a gut-wrenching tour linking slavery to today’s US incarceration system, the largest in the world, which disproportionately condemns people of color and the poor. Down the road, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice solemnly pays tribute to the 4,400 victims of lynching by white mobs that occurred between 1877-1950, primarily in the Southern states and with complete impunity. Both invite visitors to examine how the racial injustices of the past are still prevalent today.
These days, a brighter future for Alabama can be seen in places where entertainment and cuisine are well-represented: Common Bond Brewers, a welcoming tap room, and Prevail Union, a bright coffee house, don’t just boast clever names. Montgomery is a city in conversation with itself, positioned as it is on the front line of the never-ending fight for justice in the United States. — Megan Frye
Rendering of J. Rieger and Co., Kansas City, Missouri | GASTINGERWALKER
Kansas City, Missouri Opens July 2019 If Kansas City isn’t at the top of your travel list this summer, you might want reconsider — if not for the fantastic BBQ and nightlife, then for this ambitious new distillery experience from J. Rieger & Co., complete with three bars, a museum, and a 40-foot slide to carry you between floors (seriously).
Located in the former tri-level Heim Brewing Company Bottling Plant — where the original Rieger whiskey was bottled in the 1920s — J. Rieger & Co.’s founders aim to spur a revitalization of not just the 60,000-square-foot space, but also the historic East Bottoms neighborhood. They’ve enlisted some of the region’s top talent, including beverage director Andrew Olsen (formerly of James Beard Foundation-recognized bars Bluestem and Rye), who’s spearheading the draft cocktail program and overseeing an in-house ice cutting room.
On the ground level, tour where the whiskey, vodka, gin, and Caffè Amaro are made; sample the wares at the Tasting Room bar; sip your way through a local history exhibit; and blend your own bottle of keepsake whiskey. Upstairs, kick back with a classic cocktail — like the regionally famous Horsefeather, which is something of a mule, made with whiskey, ginger beer, lemon, and bitters — at The Monogram Lounge, a 200-seat area that will also feature full coffee service and plenty of sustenance throughout the day. If you’re looking for a cozier vibe and an elevated menu, check out The Hey Hey Club in the basement, which pays homage to Kansas City jazz culture and the 1930s venue for which its named. — Anna Archibald
The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill, Milwaukee, Wisconsin | MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Opened Summer 2018 Development moves slowly in Milwaukee, but this has been a banner year for cool new projects. The Bucks — who just had one of their best seasons in well over a decade — got a brand new home in Fiserv Forum back in August. The stadium has been lauded for its open concourse design, stunning atrium, nods to Milwaukee’s history, yadda yadda yadda — but the surrounding area is where you most want to be. Simply dubbed “Deer District,” it’s a prime example of downtown revitalization done right.
There’s a massive sports bar complex called The MECCA, plus loads of other new bars and restaurants nearby, including Good City Brewing. The kitschy Drink Wisconsinbly Pub has a lot of local flavor concentrated in one place: think cheese curds and brandy Old Fashioneds for days. Deer District is also home to a giant plaza, beer garden, and outdoor screening area, which is obviously jumping when the Bucks are on, but will host free public movie showings and fitness classes as well.
Also in the vicinity, prodigal son Pabst Blue Ribbon returned to Milwaukee with the revitalized Pabst Brewing Complex and taproom on the historic site of its original brewery. You’ll also find the newly opened brewing facility/restaurant/beer hall MKE Brewing, their second location and one of the best brewery experiences in Milwaukee. Throw Good City in the mix, and the spirit of brewing is still very much alive downtown. This being the City of Festivals, Deer District will act as an epicenter for tourists and the hometown crowd alike to drink and gather before enjoying the multitude of outdoor events that define Milwaukee summers. — Erik Helin
Otherworld, East Columbus, Ohio | COURTESY OF OTHERWORLD
Columbus, Ohio Opened May 2019 Big city East and West-Coasters may have raised an eyebrow when The New York Times named Columbus one of 52 places to visit this year. But among the new restaurants, museums, businesses, and revitalized riverfront park that are brewing up buzz for Ohio’s growing capital comes another kind of attraction: Otherworld, an immersive art installation in East Columbus. The 32,000-square-foot space is comprised of 47 explorable rooms, or “scenes,” created through the collaboration of more than 40 local and national artists.
Visitors enter Otherworld not so much as viewers, but as characters in a surreal choose-your-own-adventure story. A loose thematic narrative centers around Otherworld Industries, a shadowy tech entity that discovers an alternate dream realm. As you progress through the rooms, corporate offices and labs gradually give way to some wonderfully weird adventures — you might find yourself crawling inside of a giant, fuzzy creature; touring a Dada-esque seascape; or hacking into the fictional corporation’s computers to piece together what went wrong with their experiments.
Founder Jordan Renda undoubtedly drew inspiration from Santa Fe’s Meow Wolf; what sets Otherworld apart, he feels, is the combination of art, sculpture, and tech elements “in a way that hasn’t been done anywhere else.” Every aspect of Otherworld — the tactile floors and walls, the sound, the rave-meets-Kusama lighting — are designed for total immersion. “You’re forced into the moment,” Renda told Thrillist. “There’s not any room to be distracted by your phone.” — Billy Hallal
Los Angeles, California Established in 2017 with ongoing openings Downtown Los Angeles is somewhere between a resurgence and a renaissance. If recent pushes in development give visitors a distinct “city within a city” vibe depending on the neighborhood they’re in, then ROW DTLA has been upping the ante. Technically opened in 2017, ROW — a 100-year-old site that formerly housed the LA Terminal Market — has become the de facto commercial centerpiece of the East Side, with new projects and cool businesses moving in seemingly daily (like beauty bar Things We Do, coffee roaster Paramount Coffee Project, and Karaage sandwich shop Pikunico, to name a few.)
Besides revitalizing historic structures straddling the Arts and Industrial districts of downtown LA, ROW exhibits some welcoming, if un-Angeleno, characteristics: an abundance of green space, plentiful and cheap parking, and people walking (gasp) and exploring the massive 32-acre complex on any given weekend. Perhaps most importantly, and why we believe it deserves a place on this list, ROW has spent the past year evolving into a sort of a culinary Valhalla. In case you haven’t heard, LA is arguably the country’s most exciting food city at the moment, and ROW delivers on that promise.
Already the longtime home of Smorgasburg’s West Coast location, ROW welcomed The Manufactory earlier this year, an impressive (and massive, at 40,000 square feet) restaurant/bakery/pizzeria/supper club/coffee roaster hybrid. Not quite a food hall — though it flips the notion on its head — Manufactory is the brainchild of the team behind San Francisco’s world-renowned Tartine and Phoenix’s Chris Bianco, who many consider the country’s greatest pizzaiolo. Whether stopping by for a life-changing sourdough loaf, or noshing on Bianco’s flatbreads, your Manufactory experience is a choose-your-own-adventure of the carb-laden variety — also very un-Angeleno, last we checked. — Sean Cooley
The Runner statue in Kiener Plaza, St. Louis, Missouri | GATEWAY ARCH/FLICKR
St. Louis, Missouri Reopened July 2018 Though locals and tourists have long visited the majestic St. Louis Arch, dubbed the “Gateway to the West,” the same can’t be said for its surroundings, which included an ugly garage and the muddy Mississippi River. A symbol of western expansion in the 19th century, the Arch was its own draw, but not much else.
Last year, the eyesore park received a massive $380 million makeover by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and the National Park Services. The financial influx revamped the Gateway Arch and its surroundings into a national park, renovating 100 acres of park land and adding 46,000 square feet of museum space.
The grounds now stretch over three blocks and include The Old Courthouse (where Dred Scott sued for his freedom during the historic Dred Scott v. Sandford case) and Luther Ely Smith Square, too. The renovation of the Arch — designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen (who was also behind the TWA terminal, another landmark on this list) — took five years to complete, further connecting the iconic monument with downtown St. Louis via a sprawling land bridge where once, only concrete walkways spanned a busy highway. The change is as symbolic as it is physical: The Gateway Arch is now more than a gateway to the West, but to St. Louis itself.
While taking a tram ride to the top of the Arch to see awe-inspiring panoramic views is a given, a museum and visitor center in the shadow of the monument round out what was once a single-note visit. Seamlessly designed to blend into the new landscape, the space features six new exhibits tracing 200 years of history of the area’s indigenous people, pioneers, and explorers like Lewis and Clark. Riverboat cruises, meanwhile, embark down the mighty Mississippi, where you’ll learn how this river helped to shape the history of America. — Yolanda Evans
Inside Millennium Falcon, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Anaheim, California | COURTESY DISNEY
Anaheim, California, and Lake Buena Vista, Florida Opened May 2019 If you haven’t heard of Batuu, you will. It’s a planet at the edge of the galaxy — not our own, but one far, far away. You know, the one with Kylo Ren, porgs, and lightsabers. When Galaxy’s Edge finally opens in May (California) and August (Florida), the identical parks will allow you to live out your geektastic Star Wars fantasies to the fullest.
Why is the Force so strong with these parks? For starters, Disney reportedly dropped a cool billion dollars on each location, and in the process, raised the bar for theme park storytelling and attraction technology to stratospheric levels. Disneyland is even requiring reservations to enter Galaxy’s Edge between May 31 and June 23 — demand is so rabid, all of the reservations were scooped up less than two hours after they were made available. It’s no wonder.
Like rival Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, something of a blueprint for how transportive a theme park can be, Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge is a wholly immersive experience. Pilot the Millennium Falcon and jump it to hyperspace in what promises to be an utterly realistic, next-gen ride, or build your own lightsaber, which will activate holocrons throughout the park, inviting you deeper into Star Wars lore. Gone are the herky-jerky Disney animatronics of yesteryear — looking at you, Pirates of the Caribbean — as the parks’ new A1000 series features advanced robotics with 50 points of articulation. Translation: wildly realistic, lifelike movements from characters like space pirate Hondo Ohnaka, who recruits you for the Falcon mission.
Even now, more rides and experiences are in the works, like one that places you in the middle of a skirmish between the First Order and the Resistance, where you’ll board a massive Star Destroyer and come into contact with full-scale X-wing and A-wing starfighters, and, yes, enormous AT-AT walkers. Take that, boy wizard. — Arthur Levine
Shinola Living Room, Detroit, Michigan | NICOLE FRANZEN
Detroit, Michigan Opened January 2019 In Detroit, the old and new brush against each other continuously. The Shinola Hotel occupies a grand old skyscraper downtown — with every conceivable grace note and luxurious touch imaginable — filling a space that lay vacant for nearly 40 years. The choice 1400 Woodward Ave. spot, once home to the historic T.B. Rayl Co. hardware store (and a jewelry store and a furrier), now teems with fresh new business.
At the Shinola, common areas delight with vibrant art and a warm, expansive openness — the seating area near the main lobby features an enclosed glass space and an artfully arranged collection of elegant mid century-inspired couches and tables, while in rooms and suites, you’ll find fireplaces, marble soaking tubs, and — of course — Shinola-branded turntables and speakers.
In a city that’s been rewriting its narrative on its own terms, what does the Shinola Hotel mean for Detroit? Despite the buzz around the hotel and its restaurants (San Morello, the flagship Italian restaurant helmed by James Beard Award-winning Andrew Carmellini, and the more casual Brakeman), not everyone is sold. Initially a watch- and luxury-goods manufacturer, Shinola has been knocked by many for its inauthenticity (the company’s “Built in Detroit” narrative was stone-walled by the FTC because, well, it’s not quite true). But it’s hard denying the possibilities for the hotel to do good — many argue that bringing glorious old buildings out of decrepit retirement and making them centers of jobs, commerce, hospitality, and fine dining improves a city. Time will tell — if the company proves long-term devotion, things may change in Shinola’s favor. In Detroit, sticking around matters, too. — Rebecca Golden
Museum of the Dog, New York, New York | COLE SALADINO/THRILLIST
New York, New York Opened February 2019 It isn’t the most headline-grabbing new attraction in NYC, and it’s a baby among giants in Manhattan’s already saturated museum scene. Helixed staircases may rake in more Instagram likes, but you’d be remiss to pass through town without a visit to one of the world’s largest, and most eccentric, collections of dog paraphernalia.
The two-floor space is subtly high-tech, with interactive digital displays sprinkled between more traditional museum fare. Let a selfie kiosk determine your canine dopplegänger, then peer upon dog fossils and take in regal pupper portraits. Get the scoop about all your favorite breeds at one of the museum’s interactive Meet the Breeds tables, or learn the old-fashioned way with a book from the upstairs library. While you’re on the top floor, teach a virtual dog new tricks and make sure to salute Sergeant Stubby, a WWI hero now memorialized in bronze. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure experience — one that can fill anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours — but if guiding yourself is too much pressure, the mobile app will lead you on a scavenger hunt tour instead.
In a city as flashy as New York, the Museum of the Dog easily flies under the radar. But behind its corporate Midtown exterior lies a people-watcher’s paradise: Watch in disbelief as old-money Upper East Siders buy gaudy $200 clutches with dog faces on them from the gift shop, eavesdrop on self-proclaimed terrier experts debating whether the animal in the painting is an Airedale or a Wheaten, and try to keep count of the absurd number of dog figurines as you meander through the galleries. The Museum of the Dog fully satisfies — even if you’re a cat person. — Kyler Alvord
EDITORIAL
Editors: Keller Powell, Joseph Hernandez Writers: Keller Powell, Kyler Alvord, Rebecca Golden, Arthur Levine, Yolanda Evans, Sean Cooley, Billy Hallal, Erik Helin, Anna Archibald, Megan Frye, Nicole Rupersburg, Lee Breslouer, Kastalia Medrano, Becki Iverson Production: Pete Dombrosky, Ruby Anderson, Kyler Alvord, Paul Pierre-Louis
The process of choosing just 19 places to visit in 2019 was long, arduous, fraught with infighting — nah, just kidding, we had a great time. But by necessity, a list so limited overlooks some truly remarkable corners of this big ‘ole world of ours. As we Sophie’s Choice’d one destination after another, we kept coming across cities in our own backyard that made surprisingly compelling cases for a visit.
Sure, they lack the daydreamy wanderlust of brand names like New Zealand and Morocco, but a handful of American cities have been quietly upping their games, making 2019 the year to visit. Think new entertainment districts and thriving old neighborhoods, renewed support for the arts and more beds for travelers. Yes, food scenes will flourish and breweries will boom, but it’s all the more impressive when a city manages to stick to its roots and dig its heels ever-deeper into whatever it does best — be it bourbon or cattle or fresh veggies or just general weirdness. So by all means, head to Uzbekistan if the spirit moves you. If not, here are eight American destinations proving you don’t have to stray far to find the next cool thing.
Oklahoma City | BRICKTOWN WATER TAXI
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Modern neighborhoods tap into OKC’s former glory Settled by robbers and outlaws in the late 1800s, it’s easy to think of Oklahoma as the Australia of America, but it’s time to stop calling it “flyover country.” Having weathered the largest homegrown terrorist attack in U.S. history, enormous economic fluctuation, and of course the infamous tornadoes that sweep through the state in the summertime, Oklahoma City carries chutzpah that is not to be underestimated.
The fast-developing neighborhoods smartly take advantage of their historical roots, like Film Row, which celebrates a direct connection to Hollywood’s golden age of Hollywood. In the Deep Deuce District, the city’s 1920s and ‘30s African American jazz district, new housing and attractions like a whiskey bar and gourmet hot dog eatery are reviving the area. Be sure to swing through Automobile Alley, formerly the center of a thriving automobile manufacturing industry and the district credited with jumpstarting Oklahoma City’s revitalization. The stylish Sidecar Bar features a menu of bar bites, with a wide range of craft cocktails, all at $11 or less. At Water’s Edge Winery, you can find traditional varietals like chardonnay and pinot grigio, or fruit wines made with peach, apple and berries.
And no visit to OKC is complete without a stop at the magnificent Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. The first half of the museum focuses on the Oklahoma City bombing, while the second half takes attendees through a CSI-level hunt for the bombers and details the way DNA was used for the first time ever to track them down. How’s that for wild? — Becki Iverson
Baltimore | AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM
Baltimore, Maryland
With grace and grit in the face of adversity, Baltimore is a city on the rise Baltimore has always had somewhat of an image issue. Serial didn’t help things, as the city is beleaguered by negative headlines that far too often conjure images of a crime-infested netherworld. And while there’s no denying Baltimore has its social and economic challenges, a creative renaissance invites opportunities for artists and entrepreneurs to flourish and create new buzz.
While new hotels like the recently opened Hotel Revival in Mount Vernon and Sagamore Pendry in Fells Point offer respite to visitors, for local flavor, you have to dig deeper and be willing to get a little weird. This is the home of John Waters, after all. Walk in the steps of the pop culture icon while visiting some of the city’s historic theaters, like The Senator, which boasts a restored 40-foot silver screen, and screens revivals of Waters’ work throughout the year. (Cry Baby is playing in February.) For the more traditional, the Baltimore Museum of Art features the world’s largest collection of Henri Matisse paintings. Don’t miss one of the world’s largest free arts festivals, Artscape, which sees more than 350,000 attendees over three days in July.
For every establishment like the BMA, there are just as many counter-culture equivalents. The American Visionary Art Museum is lauded as one of the world’s most cutting edge sanctuaries for self-taught artists, as is Creative Labs. Taking up a warehouse in North Baltimore’s trendy-ish Hampden neighborhood, this consortium of creatives supports emerging artists with its huge performance space, a woodworking shop, private arts studios and more.
Of course, you can’t leave without eating the city’s famous Maryland blue crabs. There’s no shortage of options, from Mount Vernon’s The Elephant to modern soul food at Ida B’s Table to R. House, a chef-driven food hall in a former mechanic’s garage in Remington. The city doesn’t get nearly enough love for its phenomenal beer and cocktail scene, either. The Elk Room serves up some of the city’s swankiest, ever-changing speakeasy-style libations, as does The Blue Bird Cocktail Room back over in Hampden. For something truly no-frills, W.C. Harlan is heralded a hometown hero, as is sister property Clavel, beloved for its wide array of mezcals and Mexican inspired bites. — Michelle Gross
Falls Park, Downtown Greenville | KEVIN RUCK/SHUTTERSTOCK
Greenville, South Carolina
Great weather, a business-friendly environment, and exciting events are putting Greenville on the map It doesn’t have the hipster buzz of nearby-ish towns like Asheville and Charleston, but Greenville, South Carolina is on the up-and-up. To make it “the most liveable and beautiful city in America,” Greenville’s multi-term mayor has pushed through incredible civic initiatives, creating low-rent artist studios along the Reedy River and trading a highway in favor of a pedestrian bridge overlooking Falls Park. Miles and miles of hiking and biking trails call for exploration, and 300 days of great weather invite exciting food and music festivals to take over the city. Signature fests include euphoria, a four-day food-and-wine fest in September, and Artisphere, a mid-May blowout when dozens of art and food vendors descend on the main drag.
Not only is there an outpost of Sean Brock’s highly acclaimed Husk (minus the reservation insanity of the Charleston original), Greenville chefs are getting in on the farm-fresh game. Case in point, Jonathan Willis started Farm Fresh Fast as a CSA-style delivery service, but now runs a full-service, locally-sourced restaurant with everything from burgers to CBD-laced jambalaya. Got kids? Don’t miss Seedlings, his farm-to-table restaurant located within the Children’s Musuem of the Upstate.
Meanwhile, two dozen new restaurant concepts are opening this year in the city. Take Gather, a food hall composed of 13 shipping-containers housing all-new local restaurants, including smash burgers from KO burgers and Roman-style pizza from Al Taglio. Another food hall, created by Feed and Seeds’ forthcoming The Commons, is slated to open later this year, too.
More of a booze tourist? Greenville has one of the fastest-growing craft scenes in the country, with over a dozen homegrown breweries (and at least three more coming this year), including World Beer Cup gold medalist Craft Brewing. Don’t just sit down with a cold one — get out and hit up ax-throwing bar Craft Axe-Throwing. — Jeff Miller
Wide Open Walls, Sacramento | MIKE STALTER
Sacramento, California
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, this state capital is a rising agricultural jackpot Sacramento sticks out like a sore thumb among California’s big cities, and that’s its superpower. Sure, it’s got the Golden State triumvirate of sun, heat, and highways, but it’s also got more personality and a tree-filled skyline. After its initial Gold Rush-era boom, Sactown’s popularity gave way to glitzier metropolises like SF and LA. Now, the fastest-growing city in California — and the most hipster — is ready to steal back the spotlight.
Major revitalization projects have completely changed the landscape. The newly finished Downtown Commons, or DOCO, brought life to Sacramento’s historic streets. Its main feature is the Golden 1 Center, a state-of-the-art arena that houses the Kings and has quickly become a stop on mainstream performers’ tours. New attractions, combined with exposure from Lady Bird’s early 2018 success, have opened more eyes to Sacramento’s value. While the city has something for everyone — history buffs, sports fanatics, and nature enthusiasts alike — it’s the rising food and arts scene that’s best positioned the city to reenter the national radar this year.
Boasting 1.5 million acres of active farmland, the region has prime access to fresh ingredients, and artful chefs have started taking notice. Between meals, locals turn to top-shelf breweries and craft coffee roasters, like rising star Urban Roots Brewing and established Temple Coffee.
There’s more to the city than food and drink, of course. In fact, Harvard researchers once named Sacramento the most diverse city in America, and years later, creatives are finding more opportunity for expression. Perhaps the most visible example is Wide Open Walls, an outdoor mural festival that’s preparing for a third year of bringing color to storefronts, building facades, and unused walls around town. There’s no time like the present to check it out. — Kyler Alvord
Fort Worth | TRINITY METRO
Fort Worth, Texas
New entertainment offerings are finally freeing Cow Town from Dallas’s shadow As far as next door neighbors go, Dallas is formidable — the flashiest, most sprawling house on the block. But Fort Worth has set out to disprove the old Texas axiom that bigger is better, and secure its rep as a destination in its own right.
It’s cattle legacy (the city’s nickname is literally Cow Town) is alive and well thanks to a daily cattle drive of longhorns stomping through the Historic Stockyards District, which is also where you can still get a feel for Texas’ famous cowboy culture — honky-tonks, boots, and all. While these might sound like kitschy novelties, there is plenty going on that proves Fort Worth is looking towards its future, too. In fact, the Stockyards is in the middle of a massive makeover as approximately $175 million has been poured into transforming an underused portion into a major entertainment hub with live-music venues, hotels, shops, and restaurants (including the city’s first Shake Shack).
Music lovers should pay close attention to the Fortress Festival, a two-year-old two-day bonanza that’s just hitting its stride. The 2019 edition (scheduled for April 27 and 28) features an enviable lineup of both homegrown names, including Grammy-nominated R&B singer Leon Bridges, and national acts like Chvrches and Tinashe. And in November, the 14,000-capacity Dickies Arena, the new home of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, is set to become a regional touchpoint for big-name concerts and sports competitions. Lastly, TEXRail, a 27-mile commuter rail line that extends from downtown all the way to the DFW airport, has just opened a few days ago. Skipping Dallas for Fort Worth is easier than ever. — Chadner Navarro
Reno | NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART
Reno, Nevada
The “Biggest Little City in the World” is more than just a Burning Man stopover Sure, you’ll find Burners stocking up on supplies or throwing away incredibly dusty trash on the way home, but Reno’s raison d’être is its eclecticism. While not as flashy as Las Vegas — and proud of it — it has its fair share of casinos, nightclubs, and headliner shows.
But beyond the glitz, Reno has its own relaxed vibe — you can even go lazy tubing down the Truckee River, right in the city center. And while the city’s Old West heritage is still alive and still wild — 2019 marks the 100th year of the annual Reno Rodeo — Silicon Valley has gotten wind of Reno’s charm, and an influx of tech companies have expanded the local economy and population.
As a result, native Renoites who skipped town are heading back home as chefs, brewers, and mixologists to meet growing demand. Lorenzo DeVincenzi took his experience living and working in Napa, opening tiki-inspired RumSugar Lime bar. Then there are the transplants who enjoy Reno’s vibes, like chef Mark Estee, who stayed and opened the Liberty Food & Wine Exchange, serving creative American gourmet fare like a shellfish-studded black spaghetti and duck confit polenta.
As you zig-zag Reno’s streets, don’t miss the area’s lively street art scene, with 80 murals dotted through the area. Also, check out the renowned Nevada Museum of Art, featuring sculptures once found in Burning Man’s Black Rock City — proving that there is certainly a collective creative spirit in town, even when the traveling Burners have gone home. — Erik Trinidad
Grand Rapids | FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS & SCULPTURE PARK
Grand Rapids, Michigan
A robust beer scene and dynamic investment are putting Grand Rapids squarely in the spotlight When it comes to buzz, it’s no Detroit, but Michigan’s second most populous city is also one of the fastest growing in the country. Historically, Grand Rapids was known for furniture manufacturing (Herman Miller and Steelcase are homegrown brands) but the last few decades have kindled some, uh, more dynamic points of interest. First came the beer scene — there are about 40 breweries and brewpubs scattered around town, and that number doubles if you wander outwards a bit.
The food’s nothing to sneer at, either. Michigan is second only to California when it comes to agricultural diversity in the US, and Western Michigan (where Grand Rapids is) produces a third of the state’s output. That means the city’s restaurants are perfectly positioned to feed your farm-to-table fantasies. There’s also a pretty robust art scene thanks to the likes of Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts and the Grand Rapids Art Museum, plus the annual competition from ArtPrize, which attracts approximately 1,500 submissions that are installed all over the city.
But to really speed things up, a development investment of $1 billion will see the opening of new residential towers, entertainment venues, and hotels in Grand Rapids. The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Michigan’s second most popular tourist attraction, is undergoing an expansion, and there are also plans to restore the rapids from which the city got its name. If you’re not familiar with what the city looked like before, all these upcoming projects are primed to beautify Grand Rapids, because after all, what’s a vacation without some good-looking things to Instagram. — Chadner Navarro
Louisville | MICHTER’S DISTILLERY
Louisville, Kentucky
Revitalized neighborhoods are attracting younger crowds with plenty of whiskey and artsy music fests Would you go to Louisville to drink bourbon, eat beignets, and play bocce ball inside a Methodist church-turned-Cajun restaurant? Go ahead and nod emphatically. ChurchKey is just one of many surprises Derby City has in store this year. Credit Louisville’s rise to the ongoing revitalization of old neighborhoods that fell through the cracks of suburbanization: Butchertown and Germantown are attracting millennials like flies with craftsman shotgun homes, ample backyards, and taverns on every corner. On the east end of Market Street, “NuLu” (because every city needs a SoHo, right?) is now the hot ‘hood for its proximity to Downtown, home to a fully revamped Whiskey Row. A fire in 2015 delayed the restoration of a key stretch of Main Street, but Louisville has enough moxie and cast iron bracing to persevere. Today, you’ll find a stretch of eight distilleries on the strip that are easily crawlable — or trolly-able, should you inevitably go overboard “sampling” craft bourbon.
The latest season of Top Chef is set in Louisville and feasting on a riverboat on Lake Cumberland looks like a thin slice of heaven. The city’s restaurant diversity extends well beyond the hot brown nowadays, with new additions like gothic Italian castle Grassa Gramma and zen vegetarian-friendly outpost Naive. And speaking of Top Chef, former contestant Ed Lee’s latest concept Whiskey Dry has opened as an approachable landing spot for his signature burgers with a progressive assortment of 200+ whiskeys.
In case you’re already penciling Derby 2019 to make your vacation plans, think hard about whether you’d rather save the $1,000 hotel fares and, instead, hit Churchill Downs. September is sure to be prime visiting time with consecutive music festival weekends — Louder than Life (Metal), Hometown Rising (Country), and Bourbon & Beyond (everything else) — and it just-sohappens to be National Bourbon Heritage Month. — Sean Cooley
