U.S. towns with rich European heritage to visit

This summer, the New World is the ultimate dupe for the Old World.

Travel to Europe has become more challenging. Airfares, which always rise during peak season, are even higher because of the fuel crisis in the Middle East. Airlines are cutting routes and trimming schedules to save money. The European Union’s new Entry/Exit System is gumming up airports, causing travelers to miss their flights. Overtourism is stressing everyone out.

To enjoy a transatlantic holiday, however, you don’t need to cross the ocean. Towns and communities across the United States, from California to Connecticut, have preserved the traditions and culture of their immigrant ancestors.

Instead of Europe, try Little Europe.

“Travel to Europe is expensive, and you can find a cheaper alternative by visiting these immigrant enclaves in the U.S.” said Jeanne Batalova, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. “In these places, you can still find culinary traditions, architecture and festivals that celebrate a particular origin group.”

Batalova, who was born in Ukraine and lived in Chicago, home of Ukrainian Village, says destinations with hyphenated nationalities are not a substitute for the real country. However, the more accessible and affordable options can still transport you to not-so-faraway lands where windmills spin, tulips bloom, hefeweizen flows and bilingual signs welcome - and välkommen or willkommen or witamy - all.

Little Bavaria in Michigan: Frankenmuth

History: Frankenmuth grew out of a German missionary’s quest to bring more Lutherans to the Midwest, where he was stationed. A 15-person congregation arrived in 1845 with a promise to keep Frankenmuth pure Bavarian.

See and do: Learn about the “first 15″ at the Frankenmuth Historical Association, which also created the interactive 7,000-mile Frankenmuth Trail and a much shorter self-guided walking tour with such important sites as the St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, Frankenmuth Woolen Mill and Bavarian Inn, which has been serving “all-you-care-to-eat” chicken dinners since 1888.

Eat: In addition to its signature fried chicken, the Bavarian Inn’s menu, delivered by dirndl- and lederhosen-attired waitstaff, features krauts, schnitzels and worsts. Its sister restaurant, Oma’s, also dishes out German specialties. At Frankenmuth Brewery, the state’s oldest operating craft microbrewery (est. 1862), pair an enormous pretzel with a pint of hefeweizen or pilsner.

Celebrate: Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival (June 11–14) and Frankenmuth Oktoberfest (Sept. 17–20).

Alternatives: Leavenworth, Washington; New Ulm, Minneosta; Helen, Georgia.

Little Denmark in California: Solvang

History: In 1911, a group of Danish immigrants living in the Midwest founded Solvang (“sunny field” in Danish) to protect and preserve the culture and traditions of their homeland. To draw tourists after World War II, the central coastal town amped up its Danishness, remodeling buildings in a Danish provincial style, building Danish-style windmills and bestowing streets with Danish names.

See and do: Solvang boasts a collection of diminutive copies of Danish landmarks, such as Rundetårn (Round Tower) and the Little Mermaid Statue, in addition to decorative windmills and eclectic museums including the Elverhøj Museum, the Hans Christian Andersen Museum and California’s only Viking Museum.

Eat: When in “Denmark,” eat danish. Solvang’s bakeries also churn out butter cookies (yes, the ones in the tin), stroopwafel, cream puffs and aebleskivers, the love child of a doughnut and a pancake.

Celebrate: Solvang Danish Days festival, held every September, and Julefest, a traditional Scandinavian winter festival.

Alternatives: Elk Horn, Iowa.

Little Netherlands in Iowa: Pella

History: In the summer of 1847, 800 Dutch immigrants fleeing religious persecution at home established Pella. The spiritual freedom seekers named their settlement after a biblical refuge city.

See and do: Built in the Netherlands, the nearly 125-foot-tall Vermeer Windmill was shipped piecemeal to Iowa and became one of the tallest operating windmills in North America. Visitors can tiptoe around smaller windmills - and tulips - in Central Park and Sunken Gardens Park, which features a wooden shoe-shaped pond. The Historical Village offers a slew of Dutch attractions, such as a wooden clog-making werkplaat, Hindeloopen folk painting demonstrations and more than 45,000 tulips.

Eat: Local establishments serve Dutch pastries (Jaarsma Bakery, family-owned since 1898), meats and cheeses (Frisian Farms Cheese House, Ulrich Meat Market) and the ultimate Dutch-Midwestern fusion food, Gouda cheese curds (Clover Leaf on Franklin).

Celebrate: Tulip Time festival, first weekend of May.

Alternatives: Holland, Michigan.

Little Switzerland in Wisconsin: New Glarus

History: In July 1845, an appeals judge and a blacksmith from Switzerland purchased 1,200 acres in Green County on behalf the Emigration Society of Canton Glarus in Switzerland. The following month, 131 Swiss colonists from old Glarus arrived in New Glarus.

See and do: The Swiss Historical Village and Museum tells the story of America’s Little Switzerland through a trove of artifacts, including an original settler’s cabin and a cheese factory with a copper cheesemaking kettle. The Chalet of the Golden Fleece, the home of Edwin Barlow, who brought the Wilhelm Tell play to the U.S. in 1938, was seemingly teleported from Bern. The resident goats at the Swiss-themed Swissland Miniature Golf are alive; the painted herd in the New Glarus Cow Parade are not.

Eat: Fuel up on fondue, müsli and rösti at Chalet Landhaus Inn. Puempel’s Olde Tavern serves Swiss cheese many ways. Sample Spotted Cow from New Glarus Brewing Company, available only in Wisconsin.

Celebrate: Swiss Volksfest (Swiss Independence Day) on Aug. 2 and the Wilhelm Tell Festival on Aug. 22.

Little Norway in Washington: Poulsbo

History: In the late 1800s, Norwegian immigrants settled Poulsbo, whose bayside setting on Kitsap Peninsula evoked Norway’s fjord-sculpted landscape.

See and do: Poulsbo eschews Scandinavian minimalism for brightly painted buildings, fluttering Norwegian flags and Viking statues, including a 12-footer. The Poulsbo Heritage Museum and Martinson Cabin illustrate the arduous journey and tribulations of the Norwegian pioneers. The first permanent settler arrived by rowboat; Olympic Outdoor Center rents paddleboards and kayaks, equally suitable for exploration.

Eat: Tizley’s Europub crosses culinary borders, serving German, Austrian, British, Swedish, Italian and a little Norwegian. Sluys Poulsbo Bakery satisfies a Viking-size sweet tooth with its three-pound King Olaf doughnut, fattigman cookies and towering confection known as kransekake.

Celebrate: Viking Fest, held on the third weekend in May around Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), and Midtsommer Fest on June 20 for the summer solstice.

Little Poland in Connecticut: New Britain

History: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Polish immigrants flowed into New Britain, known as Hardware City for its factories. Many transplants lived and worked on or near Broad Street, which city officials in 2008 designated as “Little Poland.”

See and do: Broad Street, the heart and soul of New Britain’s Polish community, has a high concentration of Polish-owned businesses, such as Polmart, the H Mart of Poland. To practice your Polish, read the street signs or attend Mass in Polish at Sacred Heart Church.

Eat: Pierogies, paczki, pavlova, kielbasa, mushroom soup, red borscht - and that’s just Roly Poly Bakery.

Celebrate: Little Poland Festival on June 14 and Dożynki, the Polish Harvest Festival, on Aug. 29-30.

Alternatives: The Polish Triangle in Chicago.

Little Italy in Massachusetts: Boston’s North End

History: Starting in the 1800s, waves of immigrants from Germany, England, Ireland, Poland and Russia flowed into Boston’s North End. The Italians, led by the northern Genoese and followed by southern Italians, stayed put, setting down roots. By 1920, local historians say Italian immigrants and their children made up roughly 90 percent of the North End’s population.

See and do: The North End Historical Museum, set to open this summer, covers 400 years of events, including the immigration era and today’s incarnation of Little Italy. The West End Museum explores the area’s dynamic history, as well. Northern Italians established Sacred Heart Church in 1889 as the city’s second Italian Catholic parish.

Eat: The North End has a cannoli rivalry akin to Philadelphia’s cheesesteak debate: Modern Pastry or Mike’s Pastry. With more than 100 trattorias, restaurants, pizzerias, bakeries and cafes, consider hiring a culinary guide, such as Bobby Agrippino with North End Boston Food Tours.

Celebrate: Summer is packed with Italian Catholic feasts, such as the Fisherman’s Feast of the Madonna Del Soccorso di Sciacca (Aug. 13-16) and Saint Anthony’s Feast (Aug. 27-30).

Alternatives: Lower Manhattan and the Bronx; San Diego; and Federal Hill in Providence, Rhode Island.

Little Sweden in Minnesota: Lindström

History: In 1853, Daniel Lindstrom set off from Sweden in search of land to homestead. His 130-acre farm grew into the town of Lindström. The region gained literary attention through Vilhelm Moberg’s 1949 historical fiction opus, “The Emigrants.”

See and do: Allemansrätt Park, a 125-acre wilderness and Swedish heritage park, embodies the Swedish philosophy and constitutional “right of public access.” Lindström Historical Walking Tour comprises three downtown loops that take in such sites as the coffee pot water tower and the statues of Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson, the main characters in “The Emigrants.” The Swedish Barn Quilt Trail runs from Chisago City to just north of Taylors Falls, with the largest cluster (about 30 quilt squares) in Lindström. Bikers and pedestrians can roll and stroll along the informative Swedish Immigrant Regional Trail from Chisago City through Lindström.

Eat: As the Swedes know, fika is an essential part of the day. Grab a coffee and a treat (with or without lingonberries or meatballs) at Gustaf’s on Main or Lindstrom Bakery.

Celebrate: Karl Oskar Days on July 8-12 (with an ABBA tribute band).

Alternatives: Lindsborg, Kansas.

Little Spain in Florida: St. Augustine

History: Founded in 1565 by a Spanish explorer, St. Augustine reigned as Spain’s seat of power for three centuries. The oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States retains its Spanish colonial design, with the 16th-century Plaza de la Constitución in the city center. Nearly three dozen original buildings still stand, a time capsule of colonial architecture and influences.

See and do: Immerse yourself in Old Spain in the Colonial Quarter, a two-acre living history museum, or along St. George Street. The National Park Service runs two of the most prominent Spanish-era landmarks: Castillo de San Marcos Fort National Monument, the oldest masonry fortification in the U.S., and Fort Matanzas National Monument, a 1742 watchtower accessible by free ferry to Rattlesnake Island.

Eat: Columbia Restaurant, which opened in 1905 in Tampa, claims to be the oldest Spanish restaurant in the country. At the St. Augustine outpost, diners feast on tapas, sopas and Catalan seafood dishes and desserts.

Celebrate: St. Augustine Spanish Food and Wine Festival, typically held in mid-to-late February.

Alternatives: San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Little Greece in Florida: Tarpon Springs

History: Greek divers and boaters converged on Tarpon Springs in the early 1900s, transforming the Gulf Coast town into the sponge capital of the world. Most of the immigrants originated from the Dodecanese Islands, the name the main thoroughfare now sports.

See and do: Soak up sponge history in the Greektown Historic District, which encompasses the Tarpon Sponge Company, Spongeorama Sponge Factory and the Sponge Docks, home port of the Anastasi, considered to be the last traditional Greek-style sponge boat still in operation. The St. Nicholas Boat Line runs sponge tours on the Anclote River, including a diving demo on select trips. For a deeper exploration, the Heritage Museum offers several exhibits about the Greek community in Tarpon Springs.

Eat: Restaurants along Dodecanese Boulevard, such as Hellas and Mama’s Greek Cuisine, serve Hellenic classics, including spanakopita, moussaka, saganaki and skordalia.

Celebrate: The annual Tarpon Springs Seafood Festival, held Nov. 7-8.