New Jerseyan’s favorite small towns that are NOT in New Jersey

Since returning from our small town trip to Bloomington, Indiana, we are already planning the next one.

As much as I love Jersey, it's great to get away and see what the rest of the nation has to offer. If you watch the news, you see a picture painted of cities being crime-ridden, expensive, and unfriendly to the casual traveler. Who needs the hassle? For our time off, gassing up the RV and heading into a small walkable town is the better way to spend our hard-earned dollars.

As we plan our next trip out-of-state, I asked our audience about some of the favorite small-town destinations in the U.S. The criteria we used included friendly, walkable, low-cost stays and great food.

Here's what we heard:

Mike from Lebanon: Ann Arbor, Michigan (9 1/2 drive)

Lorrie in South River: Cape Vincent, NY (6 1/2 hour drive)

Sean in Lakewood: Eagle, Idaho (37-hour drive)

Allison in Jackson: Fairfield, Iowa (15 1/2 hour drive)

Looking at this list, I see the beginning of a road trip. I'm good for 8-12 hours for each driving leg of the trip without being that tired. If we left Princeton and stopped 8 hours later, we'd be in West Virginia. Yes, there are some great food spots there too.

On one of our recent treks, we hit a Japanese Steakhouse. which was fantastic and worth a return trip. I'm thinking West Virginia, Michigan, Iowa, Idaho, and then home. Should take about a week. Depending on the travel back and forth to California for my son, this could be the August plan. I'll keep you posted!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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