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?
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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).
7 Inspiring Benefits of Family Travel Experiences
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.
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.
If you want to make it to all 50 states, depending where you live, it will take more or less intentionality.
5 Essential Route Planning Apps
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.
Alabama–Helen Keller Birthplace
Alaska–Glacier Dog Sledding (dog sledding on a glacier reached by helicopter)
Arizona–Bearizona
Arkansas–Hot Springs National Park
California-we live here, so…
Colorado–Mesa Verde National Park
Connecticut–Veteran’s Memorial Park
Delaware–University of Delaware Chabad
Florida–Epcot Center (I was a little kid and hadn’t traveled much internationally yet)
Georgia–Stone Mountain
Hawaii-I just have a funny beach memory from my childhood
Idaho–EBR-1 Atomic Museum
Illinois–East St. Louis jail
Indiana–RV Hall of Fame and Museum
Iowa–State Capitol
Kansas–Brown v. Board of Education
Kentucky–Kroger’s kosher section
Louisiana–airboat swamp tour
Maine–Cape Air
Maryland–National Museum of Civil War Medicine
Massachusetts–Freedom Trail Self Guided Walking Tour
Michigan–Bee Wise Farms (found them through Harvest Hosts)
Minnesota–Two Harbors Lighthouse
Mississippi–South Central Urgent Care
Missouri–Gateway Arch National Park
Montana–Richland County Fair and Rodeo
Nebraska–Lincoln Police Station
Nevada–Las 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 Mexico–Carlsbad Caverns
New York–Pelleh Poultry
North Carolina-jewelry making at Ignite Jewelry Studios
North Dakota–Best for Last
Ohio-drive through Telshe Yeshiva campus at midnight days after it re-opened from COVID-19 closure
Oklahoma–Choctaw Nation Museum
Oregon–Tree to Tree
Pennsylvania–Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia (even though all buildings were closed because it was summer 2020)
Rhode Island–Colonial Jewish Walking Tour
South Carolina-“Exploring the Gullah Culture” at Boone Hall Plantation
South Dakota–Mount Rushmore
Tennessee-Dickson Fishing (found them through Harvest Hosts)
Texas–Fort Worth Stockyards
Utah–Scenic Byway 12
Vermont–Vermont Teddy Bear Factory
Virginia–Monticello
Washington–Space Needle at night
West Virginia–white water rafting the New River
Wisconsin–Lumberjack World Championships
Wyoming–Register 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.
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.
Check out these great offers for wherever your travels take you:
Anything you need for your journey on Amazon.
Join Going, and never pay full price for a flight again.
Get great custom travel accessories at Etsy.
Explore flight options on Kayak.
Book activities and sightseeing excursions with Viator and Get Your Guide.
Want to ship your luggage? Get a 5% discount when booking with Luggage Forward.
Use promo code BTR5QTP to get $5 off when you join Roadtrippers Plus to find off the beaten path destinations.
Save up to 25% on your travel costs by booking an RV through RVshare.
Save 15% when you join Harvest Hosts to find great experiences and places to stay.
Start earning rewards today: American Express, Capital One, Chase