What happens in Vegas stays in… Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Everywhere, really.
New York City is crowded, expensive, and unless your name is on the list, you’re eating in a Time Square chain restaurant. Cancun is fun if you’re 19. Or you’re a celebrity bartender. 

Picking the right bachelor party location is tough. There are the standard, go-to spots, including the aforementioned destinations. There are hometowns and familiar stomping ground; I’ve been to bachelor parties in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Meh.

Then there are the under-the-radar spots; locations boasting bountiful bachelor party treasures, from craft breweries tours to cave spelunking trips. Think Seattle, Myrtle Beach and Ashville, NC.

We’ve picked out three of these “sleeper” destinations worthy of consideration for your bachelor party, whether you’re the man of honor, the one planning it, or the fiancé looking to suggest any destination other than Las Vegas.

(P.S.: We’re going to keep this article PG-13; you can no doubt use your imagine and search engine savvy to fill in the itinerary with additional activities.)

The Mile-High Bachelor Party: Denver

Denver is close to… everything. That’s part of the appeal of being centrally located in the Rocky Mountains; you get hiking and skiing, as well as the opportunity to experience tasty brewery tours and world-famous stadiums. Plus, Denver is at a figurative crossroads, where you can turn the clock back with the some old-school prospecting or explore the new frontier at one of the city’s booming recreational marijuana stores. Different strokes for different folks, right? Getting to a Denver bachelor party is easier than you might think; the average airfare to fly to Denver is only $151.¹

Three can’t miss stops:

1. Sports Authority Field at Mile High or Coors Field: If you go in the fall, you might be able to catch a baseball and football game. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with the House that John Elway built — was razed and rebuilt — or the most homerun-friendly park out there, thanks to the thin air and hitter-friendly outfield. 
2. Brewery tours and tastings: You can go with one of beers founding fathers, and tap the Rockies with a tour of Coors Brewery, the company founded by Adolph Coors in 1873. Or, you can visit some of the small crafter brewers that have since grown up, such as Great Divide Brewing Company and Breckenridge. If you like authentic German pilsner and want a view of the Denver skyline, look at Prost Brewing off I-25. Bottoms up! 
3. Skiing the Rockies: Within a 90-minute drive, Keystone and Breckenridge resorts are among the closest to downtown Denver. Loveland is a wee bit closer, but pales in comparison to the trail offerings and terrain. If you don’t have a rental car, there are shuttles available leaving from Denver. 

The Homerun Bachelor Party: Cooperstown

We should start out by saying that baseball’s origin story is likely a farce, an amazing work of fiction. The selection of Cooperstown, New York as the site for the Baseball Hall of Fame is based on the idea that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday, a storied Union Civil War general who grew up 90 miles down the road from Cooperstown before moving there. But this theory has been debated and debunked by baseball scholars, meaning that tiny little Cooperstown — located 90 minutes from three small airports — landed one of the world’s greatest sports attraction by, well, accident.²

But there is no accident why 300,000 make the trip to cow country every year. The Baseball Hall of Fame and Doubleday Field are the destinations for fans to flock to and soak in the history of America’s Pastime, as well as to attend annual Hall of Fame ceremonies to see their sports heroes inducted into the most hallowed institution in athletics. 

Pack your cap, glove and prized baseball cards; Cooperstown is one of the few places you might still find folks to trade or even buy your dusty, prized rookie cards. And if you do run out of things to do on your bachelor party, have a contest where everyone gets to make up their own baseball origin story.

Three can’t miss stops:

1. The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum & Doubleday Field: Whether you want to gaze at the busts of your favorite HOF players or explore interactive exhibits on Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron, it’s all here. This 50,000-sq-ft museum was founded in 1939 and is overflowing with baseball artifacts, historic footage and more. The other half of this tandem tourist attraction is Doubleday Field, America’s original sandlot. It’s here where real-life all-stars still battle in an annual game and where you can actually play with your friends if you book the field far enough out.
2. Cooperstown Distillery: Looking for a change of pace from the typical beer tour and tasting? Craft distilled spirits are a great mixer for a bachelor party. The tasting counter is always open, and you can schedule a tour of the Distillery to see how they make Bean Ball Bourbon, Abner Doubleday Double Play Vodka, Fenimore Gin and more.
3. Leatherstocking Golf Course at Otesaga: This isn’t just another course to swing the sticks. Leatherstocking Golf Course borders Otesaga Lake, and has built a reputation as challenging course that takes advantage of its natural setting. Like everything else in and around Cooperstown, it’s nostalgic: the course was built in 1909 and plays host to the annual Seniors Open and Pro-Am. Oh, and if you want to step up the quality of your accommodations while visiting Cooperstown, check out the Otesaga Resort Hotel, a luxury spot with a spa, pool and fine dining. Plus, it’s just an eight-minute walk to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Euro-Trip Bachelor Party: Prague

This is a no-brainer across the pond. British bachelors famously throw down at stag parties in the capital of the Czech Republic. It’s a city that wears its fractured history on its skyline. Gothic churches butt heads with sterile and towering communist relics. Imaginary lines of demarcation separate tourists and locals where “pivo” (beer) and meal prices downtown can be double or triple that of out-of-the-way meat stands and watering holes. Once you’re in Old Town Square, you may never want to leave. Filled with outdoor cafes, an astronomical clock tower and street vendors peddling sausages and svarak (hot mulled wine), you may not need to explore further afoot to have a good time. But just in case you do… 

Three can’t-miss stops:

1. Medieval Torture Museum: How about adding a bit of culture to the typical bachelor bacchanal? This intimate yet brutal museum makes it perfectly clear how our ancestors treated each other in time of war. And peace. Whenever, really. Don’t go after lunch — or you might lose it. 

2. Charles Bridge: Famously crossing the Vltava River, the Charles Bridge is much more than a pedestrian thoroughfare. It’s a meeting place, a bustling retail spot, a people watching paradise and a stage for entertainers of all sorts, from mimes to one-man-bands. The 500-meter bridge has been breached by many floods, been rebuilt time and again, and still stands strong as the most iconic site in Prague. ³
3. Day trip to Munich: When you’re only four and a half hours away from the heart of Bavaria, how can you not make the trip? Grab a train for 40 euros and pack your favorite stein, because the beer halls are calling. And so are the giant pretzels and legit German mustard.

You don’t need to go to a city known as a bachelor party factory to have a good time. Choose your own adventure in one of these three off-the-grid spots, and reminisce on the good times — or agree to forget them forever — whenever you and your wolf pack get back together again.

Mike Ward is a copywriter, family columnist and sometimes comic who lives in Richmond, Va. with his wife, two young kids and two mutts. He likes long road trips and rooting for losing sports teams. 

Related Articles

• Drinking Down Kentucky's Bourbon Trail
• Las Vegas Like a Local
• Travel Insurance 101: How Travel Insurance Works