Finding Interesting Places Away From The Crowds

I recently read an article about how places are being overrun with tourists once their photos and locations are posted on social media.  One example is Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. Years ago you could visit this out of the way vista and only see a couple dozen other people.  Not so anymore. After resharing the article online I heard from a couple friends who had been there recently and said it was a zoo with hundreds of people and dozens of tour buses.

This problem is not limited to National Parks or other well-known tourist locations.  The situation is becoming more and more common as people descend on scenic locations after discovering them on social media.  The article goes on to explain some of the problems that result from overcrowding of places that are not set up for large numbers of people.

When I started my photography hobby I would research a place before we went there. I would buy "Photographing the _______" books and search online to find all the best places to go to make photos. I would have a detailed agenda for our vacation with each location we would visit each day. We had a great time and I got some nice photos, but I'm afraid those days are over. Places that were formerly remote are now becoming too crowded for me. I think it's great that people are getting out and enjoying God's creation, but our vacation plans are more about seeing beauty without the crowds.

Our last big vacation took us through several states. It was designed more as a journey than a destination. We had many stops along the way, such as Bush Creek Falls in WV, where we were the only people there. Most of these stops were not the "Top 10" lists on social media. A couple of those stops were historic places along our route through Michigan on the way to the Upper Peninsula.

Castle Museum

We had planned to stop in Saginaw to see the Castle Museum. Built in 1898, the castle was originally the Saginaw Post Office. In the 1930s it became too small to handle the volume of mail and was scheduled to be demolished multiple times.  Protests saved the building from destruction and it is now the home of the Historical Society of Saginaw County.

There were many details in the structure to take in, such as the gargoyles on the top of the rain downspouts.  It looks more like a miniature version of the Biltmore Mansion than a US Post Office.

Hoyt Library

Hoyt Library Doors

We found the Hoyt Library right next door to the Castle. This beautiful building was built between 1887 and 1895. We arrived at 10:40 in the morning before the library was open so we had to be satisfied with enjoying the outside only.  However, we were the only people there the entire time.   It was a beautiful morning with no crowds to deal with.

Hoyt Library Tower

Right there with the library and castle was a historic church built in 1887.

Historic M.E. Church 1887

After we left Saginaw, we passed through the town of Standish and discovered the Standish Historical Depot. This former Michigan Central Railroad Depot is the first stop on the US-23 Heritage Route, a 200-mile stretch of Lake Huron's lovely coastline that runs from Standish to "the tip of the mitt's" famous Mackinaw City.  This is the same highway 23 that runs through Kingsport Tennessee.  We made a quick left, parked and started wandering around the old passenger cars.  More on that out of the way stop in the next blog post.

Our country is filled with Castle Museums and historic train depots.  We may have to get off the highways and avoid the crowded hot spots to find them.   Being retired with plenty of free time makes that possible.