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But here’s the good news: With a little planning, prioritizing and some strategic destination savvy, you can enjoy rich experiences on a more moderate budget. Tailored to all types of travelers, the following four close-but-faraway-feeling towns welcome visitors with stunning settings, unique attractions, great energy and that delicious departure from the routine we’re all craving without breaking the bank. Oh, and some things at each of these places are actually free — if otherwise priceless.
As stocked with world-famous vacation destinations as California is — from Laguna Beach and Palm Springs to the Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe — “budget travel” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue at any of them. For a more moderate but still marvelous under-the-radar alternative, check out the historic neighboring towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley. Tucked in the western Sierra foothills about 50 miles (and a world apart) from the flats of the Sacramento Valley, the area beckons savvy NorCal explorers up into a time-warped landscape of lush hills, peerless state parks, and remote riverbanks where you can lay under the California sun on a hot rock with your fingers half-dipped in the cool current at zero cost.
Back when it was the heartland of 19th-century California gold fever, the area harvested nearly half a billion dollars of mineral wealth from its massive Empire Mine — before its deep shafts were shuttered and a 20th-century lull left these neighboring boomtowns all but busted for decades. Today, a pair of recently (and remarkably) restored boutique hotels dating back to that heyday are leading the revival in a historic Golden State hideaway that will enchant its finders.
In Grass Valley, the Holbrooke Hotel is a stunningly preserved yet reconceptualized version of its original two-story property, once frequented by scribes like Mark Twain and poetry-writing bandit Black Bart. The 28-room building’s re-exposed brick, wood, and stone bones are rife with gold rush era lore and re-appointed with 21st-century amenities — including the hotel’s Golden Gate Restaurant & Saloon, serving craft cocktails and inspired Cal-cuisine spilling onto a leafy back patio. Just up the road in Nevada City, the National Exchange Hotel is a true grand dame property dating back to 1856 that was recently saved from the wrecking ball. Restored to impeccable Victorian-style sophistication with a contemporary twist, “the Nash” is equipped with a fine French-inspired restaurant, Lola, and National Bar next door featuring live music and a good mix of locals and smart-feeling guests.
It’s no coincidence that Bentonville — the small northwestern Arkansas town from which the world’s largest retailer sprung — would evolve into a top getaway spot for savvy visitors seeking excellent value for their travel dollars in a lovely corner of Ozark country. The headquarters of Walmart has grown into a bona fide arts, culinary, and outdoor hub, with its James Beard-recognized High South culinary scene, charming shop-lined Main Street, Saturday Farmers Market on the Downtown Bentonville Square, and checklist-worthy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Walmart Museum — both of which offer free general admission.
The biggest draw for cyclists of all sizes and levels revolves around the town’s dedication to mountain biking. Spearheaded by brothers Tom and Steuart Walton (grandsons of company founder Sam Walton), Bentonville’s remarkable singletrack trail system originated through grants from the Walton Family Foundation. What started with Slaughter Pen, a short stretch of singletrack north of town, has since expanded into over 70 miles of stellar cycling trails, which can start with a wood-fired pizza at The Pedalers Pub and end with a post-ride paloma at The Hub Bike Lounge while getting your bike tuned at either spot. Tied into a 400-mile trail system rolling through the hardwood forests and dramatic bluffs of upper Arkansas, mountain bike mania continues 30 miles down the road in neighboring Fayetteville, home to the University of Arkansas and America’s first town to be a designated “Bike City.”
While coastal holiday hubs stretching from Hilton Head and Charleston to Myrtle Beach may still hog the bulk of tourist traffic in South Carolina, that just makes veering inland to Greenville — tucked at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains — an even sweeter find (including for your wallet). One of the top visitor destinations in the Palmetto State, the city oozes Southern charm with its tree-lined Main Street, Reed River Falls centerpiece, renowned concert venues like the Peace Center, free trolley service circling past numerous downtown attractions that also don’t cost a penny (including the fine Greenville County Museum of Art), and adventure-ready state parks and preserves, including Paris Mountain, Lake Conestee and the city’s 22-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail.
The best thing of all to bring to Greenville these days is your appetite. About 200 restaurants (at last count) grace its picturesque downtown, now a certified culinary destination with broad global influences and several James Beard nods while maintaining a casual vibe that veers more playful than precious. Top chophouse Urban Wren, for example, serves an exquisite steak while also providing fun options like a Korean take on fried chicken — plus, a fine happy hour out on the patio. The town also doesn’t shy away from dessert; a slice of Sweet Potato Cake at Brick Street Café, specifically, is a must. The year’s biggest culinary happening here is the Euphoria food and wine festival (Sept. 19-22, 2024), featuring nearly 70 tasteful events that will nurture your palate and soul.
When warmer days finally arrive in Vermont’s most festive summer town, Burlington becomes one of the most walkable, bikeable, hikeable, paddleboard-able, and lounge-able lakeside destinations in a corner of the country filled with folks who're just happy to get a break from winter—even with five of New England’s top ski resorts within an hour’s reach. In a recent USA Today ranking, Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, with its 100-plus shops and eateries, was tapped the No. 1 public square in America. We’re betting this assessment was made right when University of Vermont classes had ended, the town’s myriad breweries had opened their patios, ice cream lines started forming for real (in the birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s), and a collegiate crowd of street performers of all ages suddenly appeared in full force to provide open-air entertainment for the pure joy of it. Who wouldn’t want to be here at this time?
Famous for outdoor festivals and concerts during the warmer months, Burlington’s offerings range from its Summer Concert Series, featuring free music at City Hall Park, to the mélange of circus arts, comedy, and music that is the Festival of Fools (Aug. 2-4, 2024). Packed with architectural history, excellent dining, lovely boutique inns, and easy lakeside walking trails, Burlington inspires a moseying pace. But climbing, biking, and hiking trail seekers will be right at home here too, including at nearby Mount Philo State Park, where a $4 entrance fee quickly pays off with gorgeous vistas of Lake Champlain Valley and the Adirondacks looming across the water in neighboring New York.
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Valuable Lesson
What's the best advice that you ever received regarding your finances? For all of us, there's one piece of advice someone shared that stuck and we routinely follow without thinking about it. We asked representatives of American Airlines Federal Credit Union's senior management team to share the best financial advice they ever received.
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Budget for this stage in life
New job. New house. New addition to the family. Retirement. Each of these life stages can change how you look at your financial status. The good news, however, is that a creating and following a basic budget can help keep your financial goals on track — as long as you customize your spending plan so it meets your current demands.
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Niche Travel Towns
Here are four favorite U.S. destinations — tailored for four specific traveler types — to inspire your next getaway.
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Habit building: Doing it a little every day to build a solid financial foundation
Planning for a solid financial future requires work – and a good base. Here are four things that everyone should consider.
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Hidden beach towns worth finding
Who doesn’t appreciate a good beach town — or maybe any beach town? Pairing a town with a sandy coast naturally gives it a happier twang.
