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When you start a new game of Stardew Valley, you get plenty of areas to explore and forage in. Along with the farm itself, you can visit the Backwoods, the Bus Stop, Cindersap Forest, Pelican Town, and the Beach.
However, there's much more to Stardew Valley than just these starting areas. The game features dungeons, hidden areas, and distant locations that you can unlock as the game progresses. Some open up if you wait long enough, but most of them are only available once you put in some effort to unlock them. Here's how to reach every unlockable region in the game.
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The Mines
The Mines is the first dungeon available in Stardew Valley. At first, you won't be able to reach the entrance thanks to a large boulder blocking the trail there from the rest of the Mountains region. Five days into the game, you should get a letter in the mail saying that the rock is gone and you can now access the Mines and the Adventurer's Guild, which is the building just past the entrance to the Mines. This happens automatically, with no player input required.
The Railroad
Access to the Railroad region is also automatic. On the night of the second day of the first summer, an earthquake will remove the boulder north of Robin's house. This will let you reach the railroad tracks and the town spa starting on the third day of summer. Trains will sometimes run through Stardew Valley, and they drop items you can grab if you get there in time.
The Tidal Pools
A river divides the Beach area almost in half, and the only connection is a broken plank. You can fix this plank by spending 300 wood on it, which gets you access to the tidal pools. The pools are the best place to find coral and sea urchins, and the eastern pier is the only place where you can catch the legendary Crimsonfish. You also need to reach the tide pools to speak to the Old Mariner and get the item that lets your character propose marriage.
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The Secret Woods
If you head to the northwest corner of Cindersap Forest (which is the entire region south of your farm), you'll find a hardwood log blocking a way off the map. If you have a steel axe or better, you can chop this log to pieces and enter the Secret Woods. The Secret Woods contain unique forage items, hardwood stumps that respawn every day, a pond with unique fish, and several slimes. You can also get a stardrop from the statue of Old Master Cannoli by giving it a sweet gem berry.
You may also notice a couple of unusual tiles on either side of a cliff in the southwest corner of Cindersap Forest. During the Flower Dance event, the villagers connect these tiles with a bridge and you can access a forest clearing. There's no way to reach this clearing except during the Flower Dance.
The Sewer
You can see a sewer grate if you head to the southeast area of Cindersap Forest, and there's a sewer hatch in south-central Pelican Town. Both entrances start out locked, but you can eventually get the key to get in by donating 40 items to the museum. After that, Gunther will give you a Rusty Key, and you can use it to open either entrance to the Sewer region.
The Quarry
Keep going east from the Adventurer's Guild and you'll come across a broken bridge. You can fix this bridge either by completing all the Craft Room Bundles in the Community Center or by paying 25,000g to the Joja Community Development Form. The Quarry offers a slowly respawning set of mining nodes and trees you can harvest, plus there's a special Quarry Mine where you can find the Gold Scythe.
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Calico Desert
You can fix the bus by completing the Vault Bundles or paying 40,000g to Joja. Once you do, you can pay 500g to take the bus to Calico Desert, which is in the northwest corner of the world map. There's a desert trader with a rotating inventory just east of the bus, the Oasis shop in the southwest, and a cave entrance in the northwest.
The Skull Cavern
The cave in northwest Calico features a locked door and nothing else. To get the key, you must reach floor 120 in the Mines and open the chest you find. This will unlock access to the Skull Cavern, the game's second major dungeon. Special rewards await those who manage to reach floor 100 in a single day.
The Casino
At the back end of the Oasis shop is a large bouncer. If you complete the quest "The Mysterious Qi," you'll end up with a Club Card that will let you up to the second floor. This is the Casino level, where you can win special prizes by gambling. Overall, the quickest way to win Qi Tokens in the casino is to play the slot machines. You can also get the Statue of Endless Fortune if you have 1,000,000g to spare, and despite the location where you get it, the statue doesn't help you cheat at casino games.
The Mutant Bug Lair and Witch's Swamp
The Mutant Bug Lair and Witch's Swamp are areas, but you unlock both during the same quest. Specifically, once you complete the Community Center quest (one way or the other), head to the Railroad area to begin a cutscene. The Wizard will discuss his ex-wife, then ask you to find the Dark Talisman. Go into the sewers and speak to the void spirit, Krobus, to unlock access to the Mutant Bug Lair. This is a minor dungeon you can reach through a new exit at the west end of the Sewer.
Once you get the Dark Talisman from the other end of the Mutant Bug Lair, you can use it to move a stone with legs in the northeast corner of the Railroad region. Behind this stone is the Witch's Swamp, and to get any further you'll need to give the goblin guard some Void Mayonnaise.
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Ginger Island South and East
Something else you can do after completing the Community Center quest is fix up Willy's old boat. Once you have everything he requires, he can take you to Ginger Island. Initially, you can only reach the beach of Ginger Island South and the jungle of Ginger Island East.
Ginger Island North and the Volcano Dungeon
After visiting Ginger Island East for the first time and interacting with Leo, the way to Ginger Island North will open up. Keep heading north to eventually reach the mouth of the Volcano Dungeon, the third major dungeon of Stardew Valley. Unlike the first two dungeons, you can enter the volcano as soon as you see it. You'll need to bring your watering can if you want to get further in, however.
Ginger Island West
The way to Ginger Island West is back in Ginger Island South, but you'll need to give a parrot five Golden Walnuts to unblock the path. Ginger Island West is where you'll find the Ginger Island Farm, the Gourmand Frog, Birdie the castaway, Qi's Walnut Room, and several more hidden Golden Walnuts.
The Ginger Island Dig Site
The Dig Site is part of Ginger Island North, but to reach it you'll need to pay the parrots 10 Golden Walnuts. You can find special mining nodes here that drop bone fragments and clay, and you can use a bomb to unblock the cave entrance and free Professor Snail.
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Ginger Island Southeast
After you repair the farmhouse in Ginger Island West (cost: 20 Golden Walnuts), you can create a beach resort in Ginger Island South. This will cost you another 20 Golden Walnuts, but it means villagers can sometimes vacation on Ginger Island. As an extra bonus, the parrots will remove the debris in the southeast corner of the area, giving you access to the Mermaid Beach and Pirate Cove.
Qi's Walnut Room
Once you manage to collect 100 Golden Walnuts, the door to Qi's Walnut Room will open up. Fortunately, you don't need to have 100 Golden Walnuts in your inventory, you only need to have found 100. Feel free to spend them on unlocking new areas and improving the island, and eventually the door will open for you.
The Summit
Once you gain access to Qi's Walnut Room, you can check the Perfection Tracker. This is the statue on the east side of the room. Players who complete the Perfection Tracker's checklist will earn several rewards, one of which is access to the Summit.
On the day after you achieve True Perfection (or any day after that), head over to the Railroad region. The boulder blocking the staircase is gone, and the stairs lead up to the Summit. Once there, your romantic partner (if any) will greet you and you'll get to watch a sort of credits sequence. There's nothing else to do at the Summit after you've watched the credits.
