If I’ve learned anything from watching your channel for a while is that cheap doesn’t equate to desirable. I take these prices with a grain of salt on EVERY video you do about prices ANYWHERE in the USA. I always go back to the video about the midwestern “Iron Belt.” You videos are so informative. Keep up the good work.
Cheap does not necessarily mean desirable, but it can also very important to point out that desirable is a very subjective thing like some people would find cheap and plentiful flat prairie land in Kansas far away from large cities as desirable, others would prefer to live in a city in the mountains or on the coast , others in the middle of the forest
Another city that is mind blowing and remote: Chokolosee Island Florida... only Florida coastal town where most of the homes are not on stilts... the island has hills! I was astounded visiting there early this year.
One of the best bumper stickers i've seen, Chokoloskee's , "A small drinking town with a big fishing problem". I used to visit the old general store /museum there when I lived in Naples.
I went to Jerome last month - not really on purpose, just ended up passing through and wow, what a cool little place! I loved it. I really love those old Arizona mining towns, they're so unique - Bisbee is one of my other favourites.
Absolutely. I was going to see if I could use some footage but I didn’t have time to reach out to see if it was ok. That reminds me, I forgot to add a link to your channel.
As a lifelong resident of Walton County (the county that Seaside FL is in), Seaside is far from what you described. I’ve watched it go downhill for years right before my eyes. It’s impossible to park in seaside, and if you do find a spot, you have to download an app to pay to park, and they closed off parking in the central square, which makes it more pedestrian friendly but it also made parking a nightmare. The best way to get there is taking a shuttle from 331, about 15 minutes away (if there’s no traffic). But the real kicker is that you can’t even walk on the beach anymore. Since Covid, they stopped allowing the public to use the beach, and if you wanna use the beach, you have to pay $100+ for beach chairs and have a special wristbands, and there’s gates and fences all over the entrance to the beach and security guards everywhere making sure everyone is actually staying there. And during spring and summer break (peak season) it actually gets pretty trashy. There’s large groups of high school and college kids running around wreaking havoc by starting massive fight clubs on the beach at night, and just being extremely disrespectful. It’s gotten so bad that they had to enact curfews for kids under 16 or 21, and last week some kids set off huge fireworks in the central square around hundreds of people. Thankfully no one got hurt but they enacted a curfew after that. The vibe is really snobby, and everything there is insanely overpriced for what you get. It really sucks because 15 years ago, it was an incredible hidden gem, and it actually felt like a real community. But since they’ve made all these changes, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. If you go in the winter it’s actually pretty nice but if you go any other time you’re gonna be very disappointed. I’d recommend the beaches of Navarre Beach or Pensacola Beach for a beach vacation, or if you want an authentic coastal Florida small town experience, check out Apalachicola. To make a long story short, Seaside is to Northwest Florida what Hollywood and Venice Beach are to LA. It’s severely overrated, and you’re not gonna see any locals hanging out there anymore
Overrated. 30A is no longer for families; it’s for the celebrities (Luke Bryan, Bryan Kelly - Grayton Beach) and as the employees at the South Walton Visitors Center calls the wealthy “Hoity-Toity”.
Well done Briggs. I wondered about Gibbtown. I was just in Alaska and heard a few things about Whittier...good stuff on it too! And Salem MA is ever weirder than people can imagine... worked a mile from Salem for many years and rarely went to town as it has one way in, one way out... traffic is terrible during the summer and to Halloween absolute insanity.
@larissatom6910 yeah, there's not really an off season. Just a time where it's less crowded but still ridiculous. Winter you have Ober Gatlinburg and Christmas shopping, spring you have hiking and blooming, summer is all the tourist attractions and Dollywood, fall is leaves changing. There's one month where it's alright and pretty quiet, for obvious reasons I'm not letting that secret out lol
Great list. I would include Galena, IL, a pre-civil war lead mining boom town which retains most of that era's original buildings, including a home owned by U.S. Grant.
Glad you mentioned Beaufort NC. I grew up nearby and on the weekends my family and I would do walks there. I may live in Raleigh now but, Beaufort is still a hidden gem of NC.
Really disappointed to not see Oak Ridge TN on there. The secret city. Really historic, really weird layout and super packed with government facilities
Nice to see Leavenworth on this list...Could have probably had it tied with Solvang....Would have thought maybe Mackinac Island or even maybe Point Roberts would have made the list ...What the heck do i know anyway ....Lookin forward to what comes next ....maybe lol.
I'd add, Fire Island, New York. The bulk of the island can only be reached by boat or sea plane. No vehicles allowed. The island community is crisscrossed with board walks. I noted it to be weird when first visited by the number of naked men walking around. They wouldn't serve my wife and in any restaurants for some reason. Strange place.
Hey Briggs! If you haven't been to Pigeon Forge in twenty years, you should take a few days and check it out! Been going there on and off for 18 years and it's just amazing how much it has changed! Wife and I are planning a visit the first of next month. Try to find a time frame that's not peak. And check out Gatlinburg while you're there.
Mothman showed up at the bridge right before it collapsed. He's still there btw. There's an abandoned government research facility in the area. Mothman was a result from some scientific experiments from that place
You've finally done it, Briggs. Ten towns I've spent a week in. I agree with your assessment. I'll try to say Hi, next time I catch you at Helvetia Tavern.
For those interested in Jerome, Arizona, also check-out Virginia City, Nevada (just south of Reno). It too, is a mining town built on the side of a mountain. It's a slice of the Old West, complete with a "Boot Hill" cemetery.
I lived in Pigeon Forge as a kid in the late 70's. Haven't been back since 86, but hope to visit in a couple of months. I still know people in that area.
My mother used to live in both Beaufort & Morehead City NC and I have also been there on business. Yes, it is charming. Seafood is incredible . . . People are fine. BUT, it is 3+ hours to a major airport and even 1hr+ to New Berne and commuter connections to Atlanta, Nashville, etc. Incredibly remote for the Eastern Seaboard.
I knew Leavenworth (WA) would make it lol It's literally in the city law code for businesses to have a Bavarian aesthetic. Even places like the local Subway, instead of the standard signage, you'll see a hand carved hanging sign with stylized lettering and stuff like that. Besides all that, it's beautiful landscape, right where eastern and western Washington blends together, and there's like 12 campgrounds off Icicle Road alone. ❤
Gibsonton, Flprida is 1 of only a few placrs where zoning allows carnival equipment to be on your property. It is home to The International Showmans Association. Andre the giant, the allagator skin women, and others lived here at one time. It is a suburb of Tampa, Fl. South-East of it along SR 41 and west of Interstate-75. It is in unincorporated Hillsborogh county,fl.
That was a fun video! I've been to Salem, and it was so picturesque. Sometimes it's easy to forget the atrocities that occurred there. Leavenworth is postcard adorable. I haven't been to Seaside but the beaches in Destin and Fort Walton have those gorgeous white sand beaches.
Thanks for this, it was a fun video. I've been to Whittier a couple of times, and you forgot to mention one of the strange things about it. The tunnel that you mentioned, is actually a railroad tunnel that also runs auto traffic. It's only open to cars in two 15 minute segments per hour, one heading into town and one heading out. Trains use the tunnel in between. Not a place you want to get a flat tire!
OMG Gladys Kravtiz! I'm watching Bewitched right now so I appreciate the reference! Also, I have an ancestor who was killed in the Salem witch trials. Also also, The Crucible is an excellent play and film.
We’ve been to Pigeon Forge once and our whole vacation was ruined by ONE thing - traffic. Don’t go unless you want to spend half your stay stuck in slow moving gridlock
I don’t live too far from Tangier Island, but have never been there. It’s sad to think of the interesting history preserved in this place being lost to the rising sea.
Outside of Pigeon Forge check into tiny home communities. Not just the type on wheels. Sticks and bricks type are popping up through builders like Incredible Tiny Home’s that recently purchased land for this purpose. And more are coming. Hope this is helpful info :)
I worked with a guy who retired from the Coast Guard and he spent some time there, along with other islands in the Aleutian Island chain. He also spent some time in Antarctica. He said that if you were young and liked to travel, the Coast Guard was a great career path.
I lived in NIceville Fla. in the '60's, the stretch of seashore between Destin and Panama City was empty except for a small block building about half way that was a radar installation from Eglin Air Force base. Nothing else existed there except miles (about 35) of white sand dunes. No Seaside, no Panama City, even Destin was just a few bait shops and bars for the fishing boats that charter out of there. Great times, could spend the day on the beach and never see anybody that didn't come with you. It's sad when I drive it now.
Check out Walton, NY sometime. I'm not a huge fan of many towns or cities east of the Mississippi, but Walton is one of the cutest little mountain town I've ever found.
I know your lists are never conclusive but I live in AZ and I am surprised Jerome beat out Bisbee. There are local festivals several times a year that people come from all over to participate. I was there is April and coincidentally the Alice in Wonderland festival was happening, culminating in The Red Queen being “be-headed” after a public burlesque show. After that is was a magic mushroom outdoor dance that lasted until morning with techno-ethereal music and floats shaped like mushrooms. It was rumored there was a magic mushroom hunt that took place during the four days of the festival. The people there are really friendly and it is VERY artsy. It’s a really interesting/weird town.
Hey! I enjoy your videos. I grew up not too far from Pegion Forge. You forgot to tell how horrendous the traffic is in the hight of the summer season. I live in Vero Beach, Fl. now. It's a very quirky town unto itself. Hit me up if you would like to know more .
I saw one of Guy Fieri's show where he was in Pigeon Forge, TN. He opened up a restaurant / bowling alley / arcade joint called -- you guessed it -- Flavortown. Man is Pigeon Forge so built up. I heard that they were building a bypass road so you can go around if you are on your way to Gatlinburg and Smokey Mountains.
My dad and his wife retired in Point Pleasant WV it’s a pretty town, not in the mountains, on the Ohio River. Small enough that it doesn’t have a Walmart, but there’s one across the river in Gallpolis OH. (Galla Poe Lis)
Umm they don’t have sunsets over the water in North Carolina. Sunrises maybe, but not sunsets. But other that, I love Jerome… it’s one of my favorite places to visit. If you go visit the kaleidoscope shop… they are amazing.
Briggs, have you ever traveled between Forest Grove and McMinnville, and noticed a road to the west called Poverty Road? Someday I am going to travel that road. Maybe there's a dust bowl at the end.
You missed Mackinac Island, MI. Strange place, especially in the winter when the tourists aren't there. No cars, mainly bicycles and horse-drawn conveyances. Access by plane and ferry only. If you aren't too picky, you may find a house for about $1.5m.
I do believe you meant sunrises for Beaufort, being as it's on the Atlantic. As far as Blackbeard, he's supposedly buried treasure at as many locations as Washington slept/
