What are these "vacation homes" you speak of?

Watch out, Grand Lake... they're coming for you!

OK, can we talk about our childhoods for a second here? I think that when we were kids, we all believed there was something that made someone rich. Well, aside from a ton of money. There were certain items they owned, features in their homes or even vacations they took that instantly made them rich in your eyes.

I'm sure something just came to your mind.

I used to think, and still do believe, that you are well off if you have a vacation home. To me, anyone who can afford to pay cash for a second home or juggle two mortgages was and is a high roller.

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With that being said, don't be surprised if we see some of those high rollers moving to the state of Colorado.

Specifically Grand Lake.

This Colorado town was recently added to a list of the 8 Best Small Towns to Buy a Vacation Home in the U.S. according to Travel + Leisure. When I first saw the headline I thought most of these places were going to be by the beach, you know, like with an ocean view. To me, that screams vacation.

However, Grand Lake offers a lot and they offer a lot for everyone. Travel + Leisure praised it for its outdoor activities, including being right next door to Rocky Mountain National Park. This is perfect for those who want to get away while also enjoying a little adventure.

Do you consider Grand Lake a great place to get away for a little bit? Are people with vacation homes in Grand Lake rich in your eyes?

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.

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