The Most Crowd-Free Spot In Your State

Taking a break, whether for the weekend, a week or a month, and going out of town is priceless. Don't flock to tourist traps like New York or Los Angeles. Think outside the box instead and visit places you may have never heard of before. Escape the madding crowds and check the following under-the-radar gems. They are not completely empty, but you are not going to wait for hours just to see them.

Have you heard of this (winter) wonderland? Nordic skiing is among the most exotic winter experiences you can have Alaska. Or maybe snowmobiling across the frozen river? Take your pick. Chase the Northern Lights, undisturbed by city lights. The city offers many zip-line tours in the winter. If you want spectacular pictures of frozen rivers and amazing nature, in general, go flightseeing above the Alaska Range.

This is where you go if you want to experience traditional music and see folkways preserved. The town is all about music. Once the weather gets warm, musicians join locals and play music late into the night hours outside around the town square, according to Arkansas The Natural State.

No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. But it's consistently among the least visited places in the U.S. Black Canyon has some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. There are no maintained or marked trails into the inner canyon.

This is a quiet little town on the Delmarva Peninsula. It's known for the Apple-Scrapple Festival held every October, the mission of which is to promote the agriculture industry.

This pure, uninhabited nature preserve is accessible only by boat, according to Visit Tybee. The wilderness gem is home to rich coastal salt marshes, pristine beaches, natural dunes and subtropical forests of live oak, pine and palm. Wildlife includes the egret, heron, white ibis and the endangered woodstork. Camping is allowed.

The rugged landscape remains remote and largely undeveloped. Craters of the Moon National Park features other-worldly volcanic formations and lava flows. Think of being on the moon but without the cool view of Earth. The monument contains three major lava fields covering almost half a million acres and a quarter million acres of sagebrush steppe grasslands.

This is one of the most beautiful places in the entire state. It's the only Nebraska garden listed in the "300 Best Gardens to Visit in the United States and Canada" by National Geographic Guide to Public Gardens. Visitors can tiptoe through the tulips, watch the thousands of annuals bloom, and enjoy various trees and shrubs.

This is a 116-acre nature preserve in Olathe that has many trails as well as an education center with animals, and exhibits. It offers many programs, making it ideal for a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. You'll see tall grass prairies, upland meadows, bottom land forest and a gorgeous stream.

Can you think of a better place to have a national park dedicated to jazz? Start with the New Orleans Jazz Museum. You can go on a self-guided audio tour, but certainly make time for exploring the neighborhoods "where it all began." The park historical is located in the Tremé neighborhood, near the French Quarter.

Berlin, one of the most underrated small towns in America, was named the country's coolest small town in 2014 by Budget Travel. Visiting is like traveling back in time. Stroll down Main Street to walk along the path taken by the Assateague and Pocomoke Indians well before the colonial period.

The 7.4 mile drive loops through the Beech-Maple forest and sand dunes and provides insight to the history of the area, a sampling of the vegetative communities within the park and remarkable overlooks of the Glen Lakes, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and, of course, Lake Michigan, according to NPS.

The river in southeastern Mississippi is about 80 miles long. Called the "singing river," it is the largest (by volume) undammed river in the contiguous 48 states, according to the Nature Conservancy. More than 35,000 acres of land along the Pascagoula has been preserved for the public.

Even in vast, wild Montana, the Bob Marshall Wilderness is vast and wild. Following the Continental Divide for 60 miles, "The Bob" has one million acres of rocky ridges, alpine meadows and dense forest populated by major North American megafauna, including wolves and grizzlies. Adding to its forbidding nature is a 22-mile, 1,000-foot-high escarpment called the Chinese Wall.

You're going to like it if you are into mountain biking. Enjoy dozens of miles of marked trails just 30 minutes from Las Vegas. Cottonwood Valley has routes to entertain any rider (with an emphasis on beginner and intermediate riding) and stunning views to match.

Explore antique cars and wild animals in one place. The 100 acre zoo and museum complex – there are nine museum buildings – is located in Wantage. You can also see old horse drawn carriages and sleighs, antique dolls, one the largest private antique firearms collections, old farm machinery, and Indian artifacts.

Not everyone can see the station – you have to pass a background check first. City Hall was the ceremonial terminal of the first subway project in New York, according to Columbia University. It has a sharply curved platform, a Guastavino tile arched ceiling, skylights (blackened in World War II), and plaques praising the work and those involved. It was in service from 1904 until 1945.

As is the case with almost anything that has to do with North Dakota, other than Fargo, the park is largely overlooked. Visit for a chance to see a combination of flamboyant badlands terrain, riparian habitat along the Little Missouri River, and wildlife both native and not (wild horses and longhorn cattle) without crowds.

This is the smallest town in the state with just two residents. In 2000 eleven people lived in Lotsee, which is in Tulsa County. The most the town has ever had was 16 full-time residents.

Located in Schnecksville, the zoo features Kangaroos, cockatoos, bobcats, bison, pony rides, a penguin pavilion and even a camp for kids. This is a wonderful place to go, even though it's shadowed by more famous and bigger neighbors such as the zoo in Philadelphia.

The wonderful beach lies just to the north of Pawleys Island. It is also the midpoint between the quiet, historic city of Georgetown and the very crowded fun-filled, entertainment destination of Myrtle Beach. The area was settled in the early 1700s and its name comes from Litchfield Plantation, a former rice plantation in the community, according to SCIWAY.

The town of about 500 people is a wonderful day-trip destination, especially from busy Nashville. What are 50 miles? Just don't go there in June when its annual RC-Moon Pie Festival take place. The downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Bell Buckle Historic District.

Leave the big city and its chaos behind and spend some time and recharge in Castle Valley. It's only 20 miles away from Moab. You'll find adventure and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the state. Castle Rock, or Castleton Tower as the locals call it, is the No. 1 attraction. The 400-ft sandstone tower which rests on a 1,000 feet cone of looser rock, rises high above Castle Valley.

You have most likely heard of Virginia Beach. Sandbridge Beach is a calmer, less crowded but just as amazing alternative, even though it's a smaller beach. But parking is plentiful. This is a cute and unspoiled beach that is really worth the drive from anywhere else if you want to get away from the noise of the boardwalk.

The gates are open for visitors every Friday and Saturday in October. The park was abandoned in 1996 after two young guests died accidentally. Many visitors say the girl who died on the swings still appears to them, according to Visit Southern West Virginia.

With national treasures such as Grand Tetons and Yellowstone national parks, Wyoming is all about wild nature. Go on a different hiking adventure minus the crowds in the Wind River Range, a huge backcountry area encompassed by the Shoshone and Bridger-Teton National Forests. This is among the most thrilling bucket list adventures in every state.