Pleasantly Surprised by what destination?
 

Where did you go that you were pleasantly surprised, be it a city, state, attraction, etc?

Mine was Denver. I was surprised by the downtown area and the areas within walking distance. Nice downtown. A lot to see in this town.

puerto rico

Austin, TX. Also, Chico Hot Springs in Montana. My 2nd runner up would be Anchorage, AK.

Mine, too, was Alaska. My husband wanted to take me there for our 25th wedding anniversary. I thought it was going to be more of a "wildernessy, camping" destination and so I never told him that deep down inside I didn't want to go. What a wonderful place, not anything like I expected.
I would go back again in a heartbeat.

North Shore of Oahu--I hated Waikiki--noisy congested big city. We headed to the north shore one day and what a difference! Very lush, green and peaceful.

Elk, California. This is above San Francisco, near the city of Gualala.
On a trip to San Francisco, we were going to take a overnight trip up the coast and we were going to stay in Gauala.(still a nice place). A friend of ours told us to go up the road just a bit and stay in Elk. What a cute town with the most breathtaking ocean views.

Lake Crescent, Washington--heaven.

Williamsburg, VA. DH had to go to a conference and I could not imagine what I would do while he was in meetings. We stayed adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg and I loved touring all on my own. Then when he would be finished for the day, we would go back over together.

Toronto. What a beautiful city. Very diverse, great architecture and wonderful restaurants.

Kathmandu, Nepal.

Seattle.

Knew we would like Victoria BC and were using Seattle as a fly-in, fly-out point. But Seattle (what we got to see of it) was really neat - distinct neighborhoods, energy, and a beautiful setting on the water.

Washington, DC I had been there 30 years ago and when my wife asked to go I always balked but when it was her turn to choose a destination, she chose the Capital. I reluctantly went along with her plans, complaining all the way, but it turned out to be quite a different city. Nobody panhandling, transportation was simple and easy to use and there were so many place to see and eat that it was hard to choose. We had a wonderful time and (according to the wife's pedometer) walked over 10 miles a day.