What do you think?
Rate this book
Off the Beaten Path
A richly illustrated travel guide highlights more than one thousand of America's frequently overlooked destinations, in a vacation planner organized in a state-by-state, A-to-Z format that captures some of the country's undiscovered gems in more than three hundred full-color photographs, detailed maps, and up-to-date tourist information. 25,000 first printing.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 1987
16 people are currently reading
393 people want to read
About the author
Reader's Digest Association
4,441 books488 followersThe Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global media and direct marketing company based in Chappaqua, New York, best known for its flagship publication founded in 1922, Reader's Digest. The company's headquarters are in New York City, where it moved from Pleasantville, New York.
The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 2, 2019
Great resource for travelling. This book shows you all the best attractions and even gives you contact information for the places you want to visit. The only problem is that this is a little outdated so it may not be as trustworthy and useful as it looks. What I do like about this book is that it makes you want to go visit more of the USA and motivates to go visit these places. It's easy to read and has lots of pictures. Enjoy!!!!
May 30, 2016
Thinking of road trip in states? Please get this book. We discovered so many hidden places to travel using this book in our road trip. Some places like national bison range, 1800 preserved cities in montana like Nevada city and Virginia city. Very useful if you have the adventure gene.
February 17, 2010
Off the Beaten Path – Newly Revised & Updated: A Travel Guide to More Than 1000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting ( ISBN: 978-0762107940, Reader’s Digest) by the Editors of Reader’s Digest is a visual vacation all by itself. This gorgeous illustrated guide to some of the most photogenic and breathtakingly beautiful well kept secrets in the United States deserves to ride up front. For any vacationer taking a well earned break from the rat race, Off The Beaten Path could be your best road trip companion.
This travel guide is big, and I mean big. Weighing in over 4 pounds and with dimensions of 10.5 x 10 x 1.4 inches, Off The Beaten Path isn’t something you could stick in your back pocket. It’s well worth making space for in your backpack though and could easily become indispensable when you’re planning or preparing for a trip. Off the Beaten Path is designed for those who want to look beyond the usual tourist traps and find places that are rich in historic and/or scenic value, yet relatively undiscovered by the masses.
If you’re not interested in being amongst crowds and want to discover the real beauty of the US and its roots, look no farther than within Off The Beaten Path. This is the definitive guide that you’ve always wanted. Even just browsing the stunning photography gives you itchy feet.
The 384 page volume is packed solid with useful information. All states are listed in alphabetical order, each with their own chapter and color coded for easy reference. Within those state listings are these hidden gems’ details.
Let’s look at Arkansas for example. Want to visit a historic Southern cotton plantation? Lakeport Plantation, lovingly restored and now a museum and educational center, “once covered more than 4,000 acres”, we are told. “The house, built in the late 1850s, is the only remaining Mississippi River plantation home in Arkansas”. The book contains a beautiful picture of that home.
Would you prefer something more hands-on? Then you will love digging for real diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, south of Murfreesboro. As Off the Beaten Path explains “Here’s a unique chance to combine fun and profit by prospecting in the only significant diamond deposit in North America. Plus, you get to keep any stones you find.” I don’t know about you, but I’d love to do that!
The description goes on to tantalizingly tell us that “many of the diamonds are industrial quality, but every year visitors turn up hundreds of gems of significant quality and value, and some lucky prospectors carry away diamonds ranging from 2 to 5 carats. ”
A colorful Did You Know? also caught my eye. These little boxes are scattered along the way, serving up a snippet of trivia about an attraction on the page. This one announces that “The largest diamond ever found at the Crater of Diamonds site was 40.23 carats and as named the Uncle Sam.” Wow! I’m packed and in the car already.
It’s abundantly clear from the first few pages that this is not a book for fans of open-around-the-clock malls and theme parks. The places are perfect for campers, hikers, adventurers and road trip fans. Reader’s Digest has been considerate enough to include an icon guide at the bottom of each description shaped with these groups, amongst others, in mind.
These 16 icons provide the reader with at-a-glance key information on what that particular spot offers. Categories include Accessible Features, Pet Friendly, Camping/Tenting, Camping/RV Camping, Picnicking, plus all kinds of activities such as Fishing or Sight-Seeing/Bird-Watching. Even Wi-fi Access is conveniently listed for those who can’t stray too far without their laptop coming along for the ride.
Each detailed description begins with the full address, has the descriptive element in the middle and closes with the location’s opening hours, their website address where available, and a contact telephone number. All the information you could possibly need on the venue is in one compact, informative and orderly place.
This weighty volume also contains up-to-date state maps highlighting each location. As if the full color photos aren’t enough to entice you to pack a suitcase, the chapters also each have their own State Seasonal Events calendar. This tells you when and where local festivals are being held and shares a brief description of what’s on offer at them.
Overflowing with the superior quality, precision and minute attention to detail we’ve come to expect from Reader’s Digest publications, Off the Beaten Path covers over 1000 destinations including state parks, wildlife centers, historic towns, scenic rivers, lighthouses, museums and much more.
If this large volume doesn’t bring out the wanderlust in you, I don’t know what will. It’s absolutely beautiful, with over 400 photographs to guide you on your travels and help you select your next destination. Nature and history lovers especially will adore where Off The Beaten Path takes them. Don’t hit the road without it.
(Disclosure: I received this book for free for review purposes from the book's publicists. This arrangement doesn't influence my reviews.)
This travel guide is big, and I mean big. Weighing in over 4 pounds and with dimensions of 10.5 x 10 x 1.4 inches, Off The Beaten Path isn’t something you could stick in your back pocket. It’s well worth making space for in your backpack though and could easily become indispensable when you’re planning or preparing for a trip. Off the Beaten Path is designed for those who want to look beyond the usual tourist traps and find places that are rich in historic and/or scenic value, yet relatively undiscovered by the masses.
If you’re not interested in being amongst crowds and want to discover the real beauty of the US and its roots, look no farther than within Off The Beaten Path. This is the definitive guide that you’ve always wanted. Even just browsing the stunning photography gives you itchy feet.
The 384 page volume is packed solid with useful information. All states are listed in alphabetical order, each with their own chapter and color coded for easy reference. Within those state listings are these hidden gems’ details.
Let’s look at Arkansas for example. Want to visit a historic Southern cotton plantation? Lakeport Plantation, lovingly restored and now a museum and educational center, “once covered more than 4,000 acres”, we are told. “The house, built in the late 1850s, is the only remaining Mississippi River plantation home in Arkansas”. The book contains a beautiful picture of that home.
Would you prefer something more hands-on? Then you will love digging for real diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, south of Murfreesboro. As Off the Beaten Path explains “Here’s a unique chance to combine fun and profit by prospecting in the only significant diamond deposit in North America. Plus, you get to keep any stones you find.” I don’t know about you, but I’d love to do that!
The description goes on to tantalizingly tell us that “many of the diamonds are industrial quality, but every year visitors turn up hundreds of gems of significant quality and value, and some lucky prospectors carry away diamonds ranging from 2 to 5 carats. ”
A colorful Did You Know? also caught my eye. These little boxes are scattered along the way, serving up a snippet of trivia about an attraction on the page. This one announces that “The largest diamond ever found at the Crater of Diamonds site was 40.23 carats and as named the Uncle Sam.” Wow! I’m packed and in the car already.
It’s abundantly clear from the first few pages that this is not a book for fans of open-around-the-clock malls and theme parks. The places are perfect for campers, hikers, adventurers and road trip fans. Reader’s Digest has been considerate enough to include an icon guide at the bottom of each description shaped with these groups, amongst others, in mind.
These 16 icons provide the reader with at-a-glance key information on what that particular spot offers. Categories include Accessible Features, Pet Friendly, Camping/Tenting, Camping/RV Camping, Picnicking, plus all kinds of activities such as Fishing or Sight-Seeing/Bird-Watching. Even Wi-fi Access is conveniently listed for those who can’t stray too far without their laptop coming along for the ride.
Each detailed description begins with the full address, has the descriptive element in the middle and closes with the location’s opening hours, their website address where available, and a contact telephone number. All the information you could possibly need on the venue is in one compact, informative and orderly place.
This weighty volume also contains up-to-date state maps highlighting each location. As if the full color photos aren’t enough to entice you to pack a suitcase, the chapters also each have their own State Seasonal Events calendar. This tells you when and where local festivals are being held and shares a brief description of what’s on offer at them.
Overflowing with the superior quality, precision and minute attention to detail we’ve come to expect from Reader’s Digest publications, Off the Beaten Path covers over 1000 destinations including state parks, wildlife centers, historic towns, scenic rivers, lighthouses, museums and much more.
If this large volume doesn’t bring out the wanderlust in you, I don’t know what will. It’s absolutely beautiful, with over 400 photographs to guide you on your travels and help you select your next destination. Nature and history lovers especially will adore where Off The Beaten Path takes them. Don’t hit the road without it.
(Disclosure: I received this book for free for review purposes from the book's publicists. This arrangement doesn't influence my reviews.)
April 22, 2015
If you can find it, and if you're planning a long road trip into unknown territory, this could be a great aid to planning your route. It's full of interesting and relatively unknown locations worth visiting (The National Bison Range in Montana, for example.)I know I'll be using this to plan my next road trip to the east coast.
May 20, 2009
I really enjoyed this book and will find it an invaluable resource as I plan both extended family vacations and budget friendly family day trips. This summer we plan on using Off The Beaten Path as a guidebook for our ongoing Explore Minnesota family vacation; we're going to explore those off beat places that are close to home but we've missed or never knew existed.
May 4, 2020
A regularly-updated guide that is a great addition for road-trips! We have used it a couple times to make last-minute little visits on our vacations when we notice that a sight of interest is off the highway we're on
April 27, 2021
This was originally published in 1987 & I had that book. I upgraded in 2009, which is the last time this book was updated.
Basically, a group of editors takes each state & lists destinations that aren't necessarily popular, but are interesting. Of course, the smaller states have less places, the larger have up to 27 sites. Museums, battlefields, state parks, national parks, ect.
Most inspiring is the Mark Twain quote in the beginning of the book : " Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. so throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.....Explore. Dream. Discover."
Basically, a group of editors takes each state & lists destinations that aren't necessarily popular, but are interesting. Of course, the smaller states have less places, the larger have up to 27 sites. Museums, battlefields, state parks, national parks, ect.
Most inspiring is the Mark Twain quote in the beginning of the book : " Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. so throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.....Explore. Dream. Discover."
April 24, 2018
What a great book, knew roughly where we were going. So, got together a bunch of 5x8 index
cards. One each for us to cover each state we would traverse within the States. Yes I wrote on the
book, then went back prioritizing each area we might cover... This way we created a guide to
follow, not religiously, but it was a good pointer to where we could and did often go.
Still have it and use it, recommending you try it out. Regards southwest jim
cards. One each for us to cover each state we would traverse within the States. Yes I wrote on the
book, then went back prioritizing each area we might cover... This way we created a guide to
follow, not religiously, but it was a good pointer to where we could and did often go.
Still have it and use it, recommending you try it out. Regards southwest jim
January 30, 2017
MN:
Jay Cook SP
IA:
Backbone SP (Dundee)
IL:
Apple River Canyon SP
Mississippi Palisades SP
Jay Cook SP
IA:
Backbone SP (Dundee)
IL:
Apple River Canyon SP
Mississippi Palisades SP
November 11, 2017
Always another place
900-999-geography-history
January 6, 2020917.30
January 29, 2020
Awesome! Recommended. The "updated" version i read was published 2009 but i thought it was brand new. Stands the test of time lol
January 20, 2021
Great ideas for vacations... Will return to this book upon planning other vacations.
March 8, 2017
A huge, coffee table book with beautiful photos. Is alphabetical and covers each state. Is heavy laden with outdoor places to visit- hence the "uncrowded" part.
June 16, 2009
When I was a kid, every summer my folks would load all five of us kids up in the station wagon and we'd head from Mississippi to Wisconsin for two weeks at my grandparents' house where we would visit with relatives of all sorts and ages. It was a long two day drive and it didn't allow time for sightseeing. A couple of times, they made the decision to take three days to make the trip, so we could stop and see something other than interstate highways and corn fields, but stopping was the exception, not the rule. We'd travel down the interstate and while I wanted to stop and see the big stuff--the Arch in St. Louis comes to mind--I also wanted to stop and see the little stuff--the caves, canyons, museums, shrines and other small things advertised on those roadside signs.
As a young single adult one year I took a trip where I drove from Louisiana up into Arkansas. I stopped where I wanted to stop, saw what I wanted to see and loved every minute of it. Last year I went to Wisconsin for a family reunion. I rented a car in Minneapolis and drove to Durand WI, but instead of getting on I-94 and getting there quickly, I wandered through cornfields and small towns. I stopped at the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Pepin, admired Lake Pepin, and enjoyed a Minnesota state park that was right outside the airport. A few years ago my family drove from New Orleans to Lafayette LA taking the old road rather than I-10. We stopped at an aviation museum in the middle of a sugar cane field and saw the house of a former Supreme Court justice.
Our country is huge and there is a lot to see, and not all of it makes the front pages of travel books. Off the Beaten Path covers those smaller attractions, though many of them are not unknown. Here in New Orleans, they mention the WWII Museum (which is certainly not a minor attraction IMO) and the Audubon Insectarium, which is run by the same folks who run our world-class zoo and aquarium. Wildlife reserves get mentioned in several states and even some of the lesser known national parks are listed. There is a teapot museum, a cotton museum, a museum of Tibetan art, and enough forts to start an army.
Each state has a listing of fifteen to twenty attractions. The symbols for such things as handicapped, picnicking, hiking, camping etc. are after each attraction. There is a map showing the major roads in the state and a listing of seasonal events. Did you know that Jamestown North Dakota had a Kite Festival in June? Now you do.
The book itself is hard covered with glossy thick paper. It is illustrated with photographs of some of the attractions and colored ink is used to mark the states. Besides being a handy reference for trip planning, this is an attractive coffee table type book.
Thanks to FSB for providing a review copy. Lots of books come into my house. Only a few take up permanent residence; this will be one of the few.
As a young single adult one year I took a trip where I drove from Louisiana up into Arkansas. I stopped where I wanted to stop, saw what I wanted to see and loved every minute of it. Last year I went to Wisconsin for a family reunion. I rented a car in Minneapolis and drove to Durand WI, but instead of getting on I-94 and getting there quickly, I wandered through cornfields and small towns. I stopped at the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Pepin, admired Lake Pepin, and enjoyed a Minnesota state park that was right outside the airport. A few years ago my family drove from New Orleans to Lafayette LA taking the old road rather than I-10. We stopped at an aviation museum in the middle of a sugar cane field and saw the house of a former Supreme Court justice.
Our country is huge and there is a lot to see, and not all of it makes the front pages of travel books. Off the Beaten Path covers those smaller attractions, though many of them are not unknown. Here in New Orleans, they mention the WWII Museum (which is certainly not a minor attraction IMO) and the Audubon Insectarium, which is run by the same folks who run our world-class zoo and aquarium. Wildlife reserves get mentioned in several states and even some of the lesser known national parks are listed. There is a teapot museum, a cotton museum, a museum of Tibetan art, and enough forts to start an army.
Each state has a listing of fifteen to twenty attractions. The symbols for such things as handicapped, picnicking, hiking, camping etc. are after each attraction. There is a map showing the major roads in the state and a listing of seasonal events. Did you know that Jamestown North Dakota had a Kite Festival in June? Now you do.
The book itself is hard covered with glossy thick paper. It is illustrated with photographs of some of the attractions and colored ink is used to mark the states. Besides being a handy reference for trip planning, this is an attractive coffee table type book.
Thanks to FSB for providing a review copy. Lots of books come into my house. Only a few take up permanent residence; this will be one of the few.
September 7, 2016
In preparation for an upcoming cross-country road trip, I've been looking at many travel books. This one stands out. Like the title suggests, the books tells you about more obscure attractions, thus avoiding the usual tourist traps. A good resource to find out where you can visit to avoid crowds. For popular places, I've realized that it's best to avoid the peak seasons. A smaller crowd makes the driving easier and finding lodging more easily, especially the cheaper accommodations. And allows you to enjoy the scenery in peace. The layout of the book is pleasant, with clear map references of the attractions. And there are nice pictures too.
The only downside is that it is a big and heavy coffee table book, but that shouldn't be a problem if you're traveling in a car.
Highly recommended.
The only downside is that it is a big and heavy coffee table book, but that shouldn't be a problem if you're traveling in a car.
Highly recommended.
May 5, 2014
A spectacular look at interesting places around the country that are "off the beaten path".
This book is arranged alphabetically by state. There is a detailed state map (including a legend) that shows numbers in red. The numbers correspond with descriptions of places to see in the state. Each description provides a brief location along with a website and phone number to contact for more information.
At the end of each state is a column providing a listing of random seasonal events for the state.
This book also has lots of colorful photographs!
This book is arranged alphabetically by state. There is a detailed state map (including a legend) that shows numbers in red. The numbers correspond with descriptions of places to see in the state. Each description provides a brief location along with a website and phone number to contact for more information.
At the end of each state is a column providing a listing of random seasonal events for the state.
This book also has lots of colorful photographs!
February 10, 2010
I consult this book very often since I first purchased it, because the USA is my yearly vacation destination.
January 30, 2011
Fun places across the U.S. We've been to most of the Caifornia sites, but will use this book to plan future road trips.
January 29, 2011
Beautiful coffee table book full of pictures & detailed information on places to visit in each state. Even includes icons for information such as "pet friendly", "wi-fi Access", "fishing" etc.
August 30, 2011
I read the North Carolina version and it was great finding places in the Outer Banks to go our third week. I'd read it again ...
Read
August 8, 2014917.304 O321 2009
October 30, 2014
I'd like to visit every place listed in this book. Great reference book for the retired who wants to travel and see the sites.
July 22, 2016
Sometimes you just want a big book to lay in your lap. This one had a lot of interesting places to visit with pictures.
October 13, 2012
Great book if you want to do more than just the popular vacations or sight seeing.
June 13, 2017
it's amazing book for finding out trip
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews