Hidden Travel Gems Around the United States

Think you know your way around the nation's most beautiful natural wonders and historic attractions? You might want to think again. There are so many beautiful but lesser-known national parks, historical landmarks and artistic offerings in the United States, and OnlyInYourState.com has curated the top 23 for you to visit in 2023. We've selected ten of the best for you here in this slideshow. Are you curious yet?

The scenic Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is located in Bristol, Maine and is open from May through October. With a learning center, art gallery and Fishermen's Museum, it's a great educational landmark as well as a perfect place to test out those landscape photography skills. Travelers can enjoy climbing the historic lighthouse, or photographing it alongside the rugged cliffs that fall into the sea.

Louisiana's Barataria Preserve offers 26,000 acres of protected wetlands, hardwood forests, bayou and more, making it a great place to visit to learn more about the importance of wetland ecosystems. Travelers can enjoy taking a ranger-led walk, or canoe or kayak through approved portions of the park. Kids and adults alike will love keeping their eyes out for alligators and the 200 different species of birds that call the park their home. The preserve is also located close to the town of Jean Lafitte, named after the famous French pirate. Today, it's a great place to experience some of Louisiana's natural and human-centric history.

Travelers heading to Chattanooga should consider visiting this natural landmark: the nation's largest underground waterfall! Ruby Falls, discovered in the 1920s under Lookout Mountain, offers a stunning 145-foot waterfall in a cave system. Travelers can enjoy a one-mile cave walk that is sure to impress any intrepid explorer.

Located on scenic Kiawah Island off the coast of South Carolina is Beachwalker County Park, which offers an accessible spot for enjoying plenty of low-impact outdoor fun. From its stunning and clean white sand beach to the beautiful blue water, it's truly a hidden gem. The island itself is home to a wide variety of wildlife, like bobcats, loggerhead sea turtles, dolphins and more, giving animal lovers plenty of reasons to visit Kiawah Island.

Located along a fifteen-mile stretch of Michigan's Lake Superior lakefront is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, a soaring cliffside of multicolored sandstone that has been worn into beautiful shapes by the water over hundreds of years. This area draws photography lovers to photograph the beautiful natural wonders and scuba divers in search of nearby shipwrecks, along with kayakers and climbers.

Most famous for its Garden of the Gods area is Shawnee National Forest, spanning a whopping 289,000 acres in southern Illinois, between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Home to breathtaking vistas, unique geological formations created by glacial activity and lush forests filled with animals, it's a must-visit for any nature lover. We recommend visiting during the peak of fall, when the trees turn vibrant shades of oranges, reds and yellows.

For travelers who want a truly remote natural wonder to explore, try Fantasy Canyon in Utah. It's only accessible via the Fantasy Canyon Trail, so it's great for intrepid trekkers or those who know how to go remote. Gorgeous starry night skies and otherworldly sandstone rock formations caused by an ancient river and Lake Uinta, which both no longer exist, it's a place that'll make you wonder if you've stepped onto a completely other planet.

Wander within and among stunning clay formations caused by volcanic activity at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. It's one of the state's first parks, yet is lesser known compared to a few others. Travelers will love visiting this park as part of a weekend or day trip. There's also camping available at the park, which also offers beautiful, otherworldly night skies.

A trip to Northern California isn't complete without an exploration of a redwood forest, and at the Sequoia Park Zoo, guests have the opportunity to climb one! Those who aren't afraid of heights will love climbing up to the 100-foot platforms and wandering along bridges that connect the tall trees in a quarter-mile walk in between visiting animals such as the red panda or sea otter at the state's oldest zoo. The Redwood Skywalk is also partially accessible, except for an "adventure" portion of the walk, making it a great choice for travelers with mobility issues.

Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve has an interesting nickname: "the marble halls of Oregon." Extending 15,000 feet underground the Siskiyou Mountains, the caves were formed by acidic water softly carving out the marble rock, offering a stunning and otherworldly exploration for the nature lover. Travelers can take a guided tour down the cave system and explore just one of the state's incredible natural wonders.