The Gem Hunt
America decides what makes the map.
Every state has a spot the algorithms miss — the one locals send strangers to. Name it. Vote on the finalists. The winners get built into Roamward, the scenic road-trip app that proves you actually went. No download required to play.
Nominate
What does New York do better than anywhere?
One hidden gem — a place a chatbot would never know. The most-named spots become finalists, and the crowd votes the winner into Roamward.
Vote
New York gems, most-loved first
- 1Letchworth State ParkThe "Grand Canyon of the East" near Castile in western NY, where the Genesee River roars over three big waterfalls between cliffs up to 600 feet — far quieter than Niagara, arguably more dramatic.
- 2Howe CavernsA limestone cave system near Cobleskill that drops you 156 feet underground for a walk through cool corridors and a boat ride on an underground river — central NY's answer to a natural cathedral.
- 3Secret CavernsThe gloriously tie-dyed underdog cave next door to Howe in Howes Cave, advertised by rainbow hand-painted billboards for miles, with a tour ending at a 100-foot underground waterfall.
- 4World's Largest KaleidoscopeA 56-foot kaleidoscope built inside an old grain silo at Mount Tremper in the Catskills — lie back on the floor and a psychedelic light show swirls overhead off Route 28.
- 5Watkins Glen State ParkA Finger Lakes gorge in Watkins Glen where a stone trail threads past 19 waterfalls, dropping 400 feet beneath 200-foot cliffs as you walk behind and under the falling water.
- 6The Big DuckA 20-foot concrete duck built in 1931 to sell eggs and ducklings, now a beloved roadside icon on the National Register — step inside its belly for a tiny gift shop on Long Island's East End.
- 7Wing's CastleA hand-built stone castle in the Dutchess County hills that artist Peter Wing has raised since 1970 from roughly 80% salvaged materials — an eccentric live-in art project with personal tours near Millbrook.
- 8Natural Stone Bridge and CavesA self-guided gorge where a rushing stream carved the largest marble cave entrance in the eastern U.S., laced with trails, potholes, and waterfalls — an uncrowded Adirondack stop near Pottersville.
- 9Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz MuseumA warm, kitsch-filled shrine to Lucille Ball in her actual hometown, packed with costumes, set recreations, and I Love Lucy memorabilia in downtown Jamestown near Chautauqua Lake.
- 10Petrified Creatures MuseumA roadside fossil park near Richfield Springs where you can dig for real 380-million-year-old marine fossils and keep them, alongside life-size dinosaur models in the woods — a hands-on central-NY stop.
Not your state’s turn yet?
Want Roamward to map New York next?
Add your vote — the loudest state gets mapped first.
How it works
Nominate
Drop the most underrated spot in your state — the gem an itinerary generator would never surface.
The crowd ranks it
Name a place someone already nominated and it rises. The most-loved gems become the state’s finalists.
Vote the winner in
Finalists go to a public vote. Winners get built into Roamward — credited to the people who found them.
Go verify it
Drive it, GPS-verify the stop, earn the badge, and share the map that proves you were first.
Don’t miss the winners
Be the first to find what the crowd picks.
Join early access and we’ll tell you when your state’s gem wins — and when Roamward opens for iOS testing.
Get early access