- Alaska:
- Places:
- Anchorage: the state's first masjid
- Glacier Bay
- Katmai National Park: grizzly bears (September)
- Activities: Alaskan cruise, cottage
- Arizona:
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Hoover Dam (Nevada border)
- Phoenix (capital): Bat Caver (May through October), Camelback Mountain, Mystery Castle, Old Town Scottsdale, Orpheum Theatre (watch a show), Salt River (tubing; May through September), South Mountain Park (scenic drive), Superstition Mountains and the Apache Trail
- Tuscon: History of Pharmacy Museum, Saguaro National Park (horseback riding), Tucson Mountain Park
- Sedona: Devil’s Bridge Trail*, Cathedral Rock Trail, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Oak Creek Canyon, Soldier Pass Canyon, Vortexes, Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park
- Activities: Hot air balloon ride
- Havasupai Falls
- Arkansas:
- Little Rock (capital): Arkansad River (kayaking), Clinton Presidential Library and Museum
- Hot Springs: Bathhouse Row, Garvan Gardens (Anthony Chapel), Hot Springs Mountain Tower, Lake Hamilton, Ouachita National Forest and Lake Ouachita,
- Hot Springs National Park (Ouachita Mountains):__ smallest and older National State Park
- Ozark Scenic National Riverways: Alley Spring, Big Spring (largest), Blue Spring, Cave Spring, Rocky Falls Shut-In, Round Spring and Cave, Van Buren (floating), Welch Spring and Hospital
- Activities: Water taxi
- California:
- Places:
- Bodie ("ghost town")
- Glass Beach
- Los Angeles: Venice Beach, Malibu, Hollywood, Koreatown, Chinatown, and other neighborhoods
- Attractions: Los Angeles Museum
- Niland: Salvation Mountain
- Redwood National and State Parks
- Sonoma
- San Diego
- San Francisco:
- Attractions: Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf
- Restaurants: Leo's Oyster Bar
- Thousand Steps
- Yosemite National Park
- Souvenir: California State flag
- Colorado:
- Places:
- Colorado Springs: Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center
- Denver: Red Rocks Amphitheater
- Four Corners (Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah border)
- Great Sand Dunes National Parl: Medano Creek (natural waterslide)
- Mount Evans
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Connecticut: Essex (Essex Steam Train), Hartford (Elizabeth Park Rose Garden, June; Mark Twain House), Mystic (Mystic Pizza), New Haven (Yale University)
- Florida:
- Places:
- Devil's Den Spring (Willinston)
- Everglades National Park
- Key West: Hemingway Home and Museum (home to ~60 polydactyl cats)
- Miami
- Orlando: Disney World
- Possible Trips:
- Florida National Parks: Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortuga NPs
- Georgia:
- Places:
- Atlanta: Georgia Aquarium
- Savannah
- Hawaii:
- Activities:
- Places:
- Honolulu: Diamond Head (Waimanalo Reservoir)
- Molokai: Kalaupapa National Historical Park and world's largest sea cliffs
- Idaho:
- Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
- Twin Falls: Perrine Bridge, Snake River Canyon, Shoeshone Falls (fall)
- Illinois: Chicago
- Attractions: Navy Pier, Oz Park, Skydeck Chicago (Willis Tower)
- Food:
- Restaurants: RH Chicago - The Gallery at the Three Arts Club; BomboBar
- Iowa: Dubuque (Fenelon Place Elevator), Madison County (covered bridges), West Bend (Grotto of the Redemption)
- Kansas: Wamengo (Oz Museum)
- Kentucky: Mammoth Cave National Park
- Louisiana: New Orleans (Bourbon Street, French Quarter)
- Events: Mardi Gras
- Food: beignet
- Souvenirs: King Cake baby, Mardi Gras mask, voodoo dolls
- Maine: Portland, Acadia National Park, Bay Harbor (Thunder Hole), Mount Katahdin (highest mountain in the state)
- Acadia National Park: Cadillac Mountain (highest point on the North Atlantic Seabord), Eagle Lake (largest freshwater lake in the park; fishing)
- Activities: Windjammer cruise
- Massachussetts:
- Places: The Berkshires (summer), Cape Cod and Nantucket (crabbing), Martha’s Vineyard (Jaws Bridge), Salem
- Activities: Wading in a cranberry bog
- Missouri:
- St. Louis (Gateway Arch)
- Ozark Mountains:
- The Ozarks: Dogwood Canyon (biking), Top of the Rock
- Montana: Glacier National Park (Rocky Mountains)
- Nebraska:
- Omaha (capital):
- Lincoln:
- The Sandhills: Nebraska National Forest (largest hand-planted forest in the world)
- Western Nebraska: Chimney Rock State Park (!!!), Carhenge (!!!), Chardon State Park,Fort Robinson State Park, Sandhills, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Toadstool Geologic Park
- Nevada:
- Places:
- Black Rock Desert: Fly Geyser
- Hoover Dam (Arizona border)
- Las Vegas:
- Attractions: Las Vegas Strip (tour hotels, zipline)
- Restaurants: Serendipity 3 (dessert, frozen hot chocolate), Hello Kitty Cafe
- Events: Cirque du Soleil "O" and "KÀ"
- Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
- Washoe County: Fly Ranch Geyser
- New Hampshire: The Lakes region, White Mountains (Mount Washington; best time: autumn!)
- New Mexico:
- Destinations:
- Sante Fe (capital): Canyon Road (art), Haiku Pathway, Meow Wold, Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, Sante Fe Opera, Sunrise Springs
- Restaurants: Kakawa Chocolate house (hot chocolate)
- Shopping: Palace of the Govenors (Native sales), Rainbow Man,
- Albuquerque: Albuquerque Museum
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- White Sands National Park
- Souvenirs: Turqouise (!!!), dreamcatcher, incense, pinon cones
- New York:
- New York City:
- Boroughs:
- Brooklyn:
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Coney Island: ride the teacups
- Morbid Anatomy Museum
- Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
- Manhattan:
- Central Park
- Empire State Building
- Grand Central Terminal
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (“The Met”)
- The High Line
- Times Square
- Other Attractions:
- Grand Central Terminal
- Guggenheim Museum
- New York Public Library
- Radio City Music Hall
- Rockefeller Center
- Staten Island Ferry
- Wall Street
- Washington Square Park
- Activities
- Broadway Show
- New Year's Eve "Ball Drop"
- Shopping
- Fifth Avenue
- Thrifting
- Beacon’s Closet
- Buffalo Exchange
- Crossroads
- What Goes Around Comes Around
- Food: bagels, black and white cookies, pizza
- Restaurants: DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections; Spot Dessert Bar (The Harvest and light bulb bubble tea); 10Below Ice Cream (ice cream rolls); Laduree (macaroons), Cafe Zaiya (green tea and black sesame swirl ice cream), Levain Bakery (cookies), Big Gay Ice Cream, Serendipity 3 (frozen hot chocolate)
- Niagara Falls: Niagara Falls State Falls
- North Carolina:
- Places:
- Asheville: Biltmore Estate
- Beech Mountain: "Autumn at Oz"
- Outer Banks
- North Dakota: Enchanted Highway, Theodore Roosevelt National Park (biking), White Butte (highest point in the state)
- Ohio: Hocking Hills State Park
- Oregon:
- Places:
- Cape Perpetua: Captain Cook Trail to Thor's Well
- Crater Lake National Park
- Portland
- Attractions: Mt. Hood National Forest, Tamanawa Falls
- Activities: Pedal Bike Tours
- Food: Voodoo Doughnuts, Stumptown coffee, Black Rock Coffee
- Souvenir: Stumptown coffee mug
- Texas:
- San Antonio: Bat Bridge
- Wimberly (near Austin or San Antonio): Blue Hole Regional Park
- Rhode Island: Providence (capital), Newport (mansions), Block Island (summer)
- Newport: Newport Cliff Walk, Newport Mansions (the Breakers, the Elms, etc.), White Horse Tavern (oldest restaurant in the US)
- Activities: Drive the longest stretch (Woonsocket to Westerly, 1 hour), hike
- South Carolina:
- Charleston
- Kiawah Island (45 minutes): Tideline (bike trails), loggerhead turtles (July-August), white-tailed deer (dusk and dawn)
- South Dakota: Badlands National Park (plus Wall Drug), Deadwood (Wild Bill and Calamity Jane graves), National Monument Cluster State Park (Needles Highway; buffalo safari), Crazy Horse Memorial, Hot Springs (Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, Mammoth Site), Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Wind Cave National Park
- Tennesse:
- Places:
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Blue Ridge Parkway: Sliding Rock
- Nashville
- Utah:
- Places:
- Salt Lake City
- Olympic Park: extreme tubing and other activities
- Temple Square
- National and State Parks:
- Arches National Park
- Goblin Valley State Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Zion National Park
- Vermont: Green Mountains - Long Trail (oldest long-distance hiking trail in the country)
- Virginia: Williamsburg
- Washington:
- Places:
- Olympic National Park
- Seattle:
- Attractions: Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room
- Souvenir: Pike Place Market Starbucks mug
- Wisconsin: House on the Rock
- Wyoming:
- Jackson Hole !!!): Grand Teton National Park, National Elk Refuge, Granite Hot Springs, Snake River (white water rafting),
- Activities: UTV, Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, Jackson Rodeo, boat tour, dog sledding, sleigh ride, snowshoe, snowmobiling, tram ride
- Accomodations: Historic Wort Hotel
- Restaurants: Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
- Casper: Casper Mountain, Fremont Canyon (kayaking), National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, Oregon Trail (horseback riding)
- Activities: Fat biking, stay in a teepee
- Shopping: Lou Taubert’s
- Hoback: Astoria Hot Springs
- Grand Teton National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Washington, D.C.:
- Attractions: The Smithsonian Institution American History Museum (Dorothy's shoes) and Natural History Museum, Lincoln Memorial, United States Capitol
Trip Ideas:
- New England road trip: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
- Pacific Northwest road trip: Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver
aug 22 2016 ∞
feb 20 2024 +