It’s no secret that traveling to Europe right now can cause a serious dent in your family’s budget. Which is why most Americans are staying close to home instead of crossing the pond to get their Euro fix. However, as I mentioned in my previous blog vacationing in the United States doesn’t mean you are limited to a trip filled with hot dogs, apple pie and baseball stadiums. If you know where to go you can experience European luxury without having to flash your passport or go bankrupt in the process. Take a look:
TEXAS
Why fly to Germany when you can dine on Texas-sized schnitzel in Fredericksburg, Texas, located in the Lone Star state’s Hill Country. German immigrants settled the area in the mid-19th century and today it proudly pays homage to its European roots. The tiny town’s population barely tops 9,000, but its residents happily embrace the German culture by filling city streets with sausage stands and German-flavored lodgings.
WISCONSIN
Say “Grutzi” to New Glarus, Wisconsin. The city is known as “Little Switzerland,” and once you arrive in the land of rolling hills and chalet-style architecture you’ll see why. New Glarus is the proud home of the Midwest’s largest Oktoberfest celebration. It also boasts a Heidi Fest each year. If you are looking for Swiss treats don’t leave town without stopping by the century-old New Glarus Bakery, which is one of the only bakeries in the United States that still makes marzipan-laced Stollen bread. The bakery also specializes in loaves of herbed beer bread and Swiss nut horns, which are finger-shaped rolls stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts.
NEW YORK
It’s not the actual Czech Republic but the Greek and Czech immigrant-filled neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, has a number of shops and restaurants that help visitors feel as through they are on a European holiday. A number of local eateries there serve up savory goulash and dumplings that rival those found in the motherland.
VERMONT
For travelers looking to get a taste of Austria on the East Coast the Trapp Family Lodge, a comfy inn owned by the von Trapp family of “Sound of Music” fame, aims to please. The 96 guestrooms and 100 cabins are set among the pine-clad hills of Stowe, Vermont and offers an Austrian teahouse and restaurant where guests can dig into Austrian specialties like hazelnut-crusted duck tenderloin. The lodge even organizes weekly sing-a-longs for guests who really want to make like the Trapp family.
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