Every vacation should come with a little bit of peace. But for those looking to up the ante on rest and relaxation, there’s the Self-Realization Fellowship Hermitage & Meditation Gardens in Encinitas, California, which was named the most peaceful tourist attraction in the state.
In October, vacation rental company Casago analyzed Tripadvisor reviews to find the most peaceful tourist attractions across the United States. Specifically, the company examined the “Things to Do” sections across publicly available Tripadvisor pages for all 50 states and 20 major U.S. cities. It then ranked the attractions according to the number of times “peaceful” was mentioned in the reviews (using English-language reviews only). And in the state of California, that honor went to the Self-Realization Fellowship Hermitage & Meditation Gardens, where the word “peaceful” was flagged in more than 35 percent of the reviews.
For the uninitiated, the Self-Realization Fellowship Hermitage & Meditation Gardens is an active spiritual center in Southern California (about 30 minutes north of San Diego), created by Paramahansa Yogananda in the 1930s. But you don’t have to be a disciple to visit, as the meditation gardens are open to all — every Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are closed on major holidays and when it rains.
