All 50 States–Now What?

I’m often asked: So, you’ve been to all 50 states, now what? What did you like about each one? Where do you want to go…

I’m often asked: So, you’ve been to all 50 states, now what? What did you like about each one? Where do you want to go back?

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Yes I’ve been to all 50 States. I made it to number 50 in the summer of 2021. (You can read about it here.) Although there’s a saying “I haven’t been everywhere yet, but it’s on the list”, that was not the intention. We travel in order to expose and educate our children (amongst other reasons).

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However, at some point when we realized how close we had gotten to making it to all 50, that became some sort of goal. That’s even why we made a point to go to North Dakota! And, apparently we’re not the only ones. North Dakota has a Best for Last Club that I was able to join. They even sent me a T-shirt and a certificate. I found out about it from the All Fifty States Club.

All 50 States

When I hit 50, my husband completed all of the Lower 48 and three of my five children made it to 47. (One of them wasn’t with us in ND, so she’d only been to 46 and my youngest only made it 31 by Summer 2021–before his fist birthday–guess it’s time to help him catch up!)

We have made it a point to do something in each state and not count it if it’s just a drive-thru. However, sometimes that may just be a visit to a local police station or a stay with family or friends. Sometimes we were under certain time constraints that we only did something very touristy. There are places that definitely warrant more time.

All 50 States

If you want to make it to all 50 states, depending where you live, it will take more or less intentionality.

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Ideas From All 50 States

Below I’ve compiled a list of the most memorable or unexpected places we went in each state. Some of the selections are very touristy, since perhaps that’s the only thing we did there. Of course visits with friends and family are the best, but I’ve left those out since you probably wouldn’t enjoy our friends and family as much as we did. Also, some of the selections are based on feedback/memories of my kids and some are my own. Feel free to contact me for more ideas or details. I’ve included links where possible. The list should be looked at as a work in progress.

AlabamaHelen Keller Birthplace
AlaskaGlacier Dog Sledding (dog sledding on a glacier reached by helicopter)
ArizonaBearizona
ArkansasHot Springs National Park
California-we live here, so…
ColoradoMesa Verde National Park
ConnecticutVeteran’s Memorial Park
DelawareUniversity of Delaware Chabad
FloridaEpcot Center (I was a little kid and hadn’t traveled much internationally yet)
GeorgiaStone Mountain
Hawaii-I just have a funny beach memory from my childhood
IdahoEBR-1 Atomic Museum
IllinoisEast St. Louis jail
IndianaRV Hall of Fame and Museum
IowaState Capitol
KansasBrown v. Board of Education
KentuckyKroger’s kosher section
Louisianaairboat swamp tour
MaineCape Air
MarylandNational Museum of Civil War Medicine
MassachusettsFreedom Trail Self Guided Walking Tour
MichiganBee Wise Farms (found them through Harvest Hosts)
MinnesotaTwo Harbors Lighthouse
MississippiSouth Central Urgent Care
MissouriGateway Arch National Park
MontanaRichland County Fair and Rodeo
NebraskaLincoln Police Station
NevadaLas Vegas Motorcoach Resort
New Hampshire-hike up Mount Washington (the Cog Railway is a great option with kids)
New Jersey-my kids working in The Chocolate Girl factory for a few days
New MexicoCarlsbad Caverns
New YorkPelleh Poultry
North Carolina-jewelry making at Ignite Jewelry Studios
North DakotaBest for Last
Ohio-drive through Telshe Yeshiva campus at midnight days after it re-opened from COVID-19 closure
OklahomaChoctaw Nation Museum
OregonTree to Tree
PennsylvaniaConstitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia (even though all buildings were closed because it was summer 2020)
Rhode IslandColonial Jewish Walking Tour
South Carolina-“Exploring the Gullah Culture” at Boone Hall Plantation
South DakotaMount Rushmore
Tennessee-Dickson Fishing (found them through Harvest Hosts)
TexasFort Worth Stockyards
UtahScenic Byway 12
VermontVermont Teddy Bear Factory
VirginiaMonticello
WashingtonSpace Needle at night
West Virginiawhite water rafting the New River
WisconsinLumberjack World Championships
WyomingRegister Cliff

This is by no means an exhaustive list of what to do in all 50 states. These are not necessarily the best things to do in each state. But, they are our most memorable as can be seen in our Amazing Lasting Family Memories Game.

All 50 States

This is a vast and diverse country, every time we drive across it we discover new things. We continue to explore and grow. I will update this list as we discover new places and have new experiences.

What are your favorite places? Where would you love to go? Please share with me. We’re always looking for new ideas to explore in all 50 states.

 

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