Atwater

Atwater sits in California's Central Valley, a few miles north of Merced, and spent decades as the home of Castle Air Force Base before the base closed in 1995. That history is still the town's biggest draw: the old runway grounds are now home to one of the largest collections of retired military aircraft on the West Coast.

Outside the museum, Atwater is a quiet farming town built around almond orchards and dairy country, with a small downtown and a handful of family-run restaurants that lean heavily Mexican and Central Valley comfort food.

It works well as a stop on the way through the Central Valley rather than a multi-day destination, though the aircraft museum alone is worth planning a half day around.