Last Updated on February 12, 2024 by Travelationship
I did it! I hit the big 5-0 in Rhode Island over the the 4th of July weekend! Couldn’t have picked a more patriotic weekend for this accomplishment.
I have visited ALL of the 50 states in the US. In each state, I visited at least one state-specific spot (local restaurant, park, monument, etc.) or spent at least one overnight in the state. Airport-only visits did not count.
My journey started in Minnesota and ended in Rhode Island. The United States has so much to offer travelers. Mountains, oceans, deserts, forests, all four seasons – the US has it all. The diversity of the US and its citizens is remarkable. I have seen more of the US than most people, but I also feel I have barely touched the surface.
I look forward to visiting all the states again and seeing more of each one. I am especially interested to see how my favorites list changes as I revisit the different states and explore new areas of each.
My States List
First Five States: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, South Dakota, Iowa
Last Five States: Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, West Virginia
Five Favorite States: California, Colorado, Maine, Kentucky, New York
Five Least Favorite States: Maryland, Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, Indiana
States I’ve Lived In: Minnesota, Texas, Washington, California, Arizona, Virginia, Oregon, Illinois, & Florida
States I would like to live in: California, Colorado, New York, and Maine in the summer and fall
States I would visit over and over: California, New York, Colorado
States I want to discover more of: Maine, Kentucky, Colorado, Vermont
States I feel I need to revisit because I feel my time was too short: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan
Best views: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Washington
Favorite Spring: California
Favorite Summer: Minnesota
Favorite Fall: Maine
Favorite Winter: Colorado
State I spent the most amount of time: Minnesota – 20 years
State I spent the least amount of time: Arkansas – about an hour
States that surprised me the most: Mississippi, Alabama, and New Jersey – their bad raps are not deserving
Favorite US cities/areas: New York, NY; Stillwater, MN; Davis, CA; Boulder, CO; Santa Barbara, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Juan Islands, WA
Favorite US Landmarks/Monuments: Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC; Statue of Liberty in New York, NY; Mt. St. Helen in Skamania County, WA – I know there is more, but I am blanking.
Most favorite US trip: In 2010 I took a solo road trip to significantly important civil rights cities. I couldn’t visit them all, but I visited AL, MS, GA, and TN. My favorite part of the trip was meeting some of the congregation at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. They were welcoming and accepting and shared some beautiful stories with me.
Most romantic US trip: Driving the Maine coastline in Autumn. Talk about gorgeous!
Off the top of my head, US Places I want to visit: Alaska in the summer; Mendenhall Glacier Caves, AK; Niagara Falls, NY; Florida Keys, FL; St. Louis, MO; Whitaker Point, AR; Hogsmeade, Orlando, FL
HOW MANY STATES HAVE YOU VISITED? WHICH ARE YOUR FAVORITES?
Congrats! Alaska in the summer is beautiful. The Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau is amazing. Must be careful of bears on the trails. The park center brings in pieces of the glacier that break off so you can see it up close and touch it. Whale watching in Juneau can be iffy but if you get to see the family of whales we saw it’s great. Glacier Bay – Awesome. In Skagway we took a bus tour into the Yukon, saw the Carcross desert (yes, an actual desert in Canada), took the White Pass Railway back to Skagway (if you do this stand between the cars to take photos or sit on the left side if you are going up the mountain and the right side going down toward Skagway. The space between cars has room for only a couple of people so you have to stake out your spot quickly), my favorite was Ketchican where we went on a Dungeness (sp) crab fishing boat and then back to the lodge for an all you can eat crab feast. The best crab we have ever eaten and the staff was so nice. FYI – You have to build a sculpture with your crab shells. Best shopping and galleries there. We’d go back to visit Alaska again in a heartbeat. I also like New Mexico – especially Roswell, Taos and Abiquiu. CA, WA, WI, MT, NY, MA are favorites. I have 9 states left to visit – mostly on the NE part of the country but Oregon and Hawaii on the West coast.