The Best Staycation in Every State

Boise, Idaho

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ADDRESS
Boise, ID, USA

 

WEB :Visit website

Can’t make it to Portland, Denver, or Austin this year? Never fear; you're headed to Boise, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. This small city has everything you need for the perfect staycation with cool art galleries, a booming coffee scene, breweries galore, and hip bars and restaurants—not to mention the great outdoors right at your fingertips. 

 

In historic downtown Boise you’ll find local boutiques selling everything from candles to clothes to candy, with plenty of stops in between for sweet treats at Guru Donut or craft cocktails at Water Bear Bar. At dinner time, you can keep it casual at the hip Funky Taco—a cool graffitied restaurant with a garage door that opens to the street—or opt for something a bit more grown-up at The Wylder, a sleek pizza restaurant with inventive cocktails.

 

Boise is home to the country’s largest concentration of Basque descendants, and you can explore Basque traditions at Boise’s “Basque Block,” a section of downtown where you can find the Basque Museum and Cultural Center and sample Basque cuisine at The Basque Market or Leku Ona.

 

Nearby, some of Idaho’s most beautiful natural wonders await. Adventure lovers can go whitewater rafting on the Payette River, hiking and camping in the Sawtooth National Forest, skiing at Bogus Basin, biking along the 25-mile Boise River Greenbelt, or sandboarding at Bruneau Sand Dunes—all within an hour of the city.  

After a day full of adventure, check in to the snazzy Modern Hotel and Bar, a refurbished motel with chic 60s vibes, or the recently renovated Grove Hotel, located in the heart of downtown. —Teddy Minford

Galena, Illinois

Julien.scavini, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

ADDRESS
Galena, IL 61036, USA

WEB :Visit website

Three hours west of Chicago sits the Galena Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Home to 10,000 people circa the mid-1800s (just over 3,000 people live there now), Galena rivaled Chicago as it arose as the first major mineral rush town and the largest steamboat hub on the Mississippi River. Ulysses S. Grant lived here, along with several other Civil War generals.

 

Today, Galena is a well-liked tourist haven for wine lovers (Galena Cellars Vineyard and Winery is popular), antique shoppers, and restaurant-goers. Visit the U.S. Grant State Historic Sites, bike on the Galena River Trail, take a walking tour of Main Street, and experience goat yoga.

 

As the town is attractively tiered, Galena Trolley Tours is a great way to get around while simultaneously learning about the town’s rich past. In the center of town sits the DeSoto House Hotel, the oldest functioning hotel in the state (1855), with Courtyard Restaurant, Green Street Tavern and Restaurant, and Generals’ Restaurant. —Wendy Altschuler