I do some international travel (mainly Canada, Europe, Mexico and Caribbean but I have been with my wife to New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji and Australia and without my wife in the past to China, Vietnam and Japan) but there are others who have definitely traveled abroad more. My wife and I decided to cross out the US while we were young enough to enjoy it and we’ve hit up all of the areas you would want to do except for a couple.
We’re still missing the following states in order that I want to see them: Oregon, Vermont (only state east of the Mississippi I haven’t been to and we’re waiting to pair it with a return trip to Quebec), Minnesota, Ohio (going next week to Cincy for a day or two unless the weather is bad), South Dakota, and North Dakota. I haven’t spent a lot of time in the Midwest but I’ve hit most of the highlights other than Ohio as we’ve been saving that for a large family trip to Cedar Point and Kings Island and just haven’t had it properly arranged yet and Minnesota as we just haven’t made it up that far yet. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the “Mountain” area of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, far more than the more eastern Midwest. Because my in-laws now live in Ft Smith, I’ve had to spend a fair amount of time in the lower Midwest ie Arkansas and Missouri and I absolutely detest the area. Those two states I hate far more than Kansas and Nebraska as at least the two flat prairie states make up for their ugly terrain with a surprising amount of small museums and roadside attractions. And I’ve definitely spent more time in Washington, Alaska and California than in the middle Midwest, so for the Midwest seek advice from others.
But in essence I’ve done probably 90% of the parts of America you would want to see including most of the 62 official National Parks and a lot of the high quality National Seashores, Monuments and Recreational Areas (of the 62 official NPs I’m only missing American Samoa NP, Badlands, Crater Lake, Cuyahoga Valley, Gates of the Arctic, Great Basin, Hot Springs (drive right by it essentially every time I visit the in-laws and haven’t stopped yet), Indiana Dunes, Isle Royale, Katmai, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, Theodore Roosevelt, Virgin Islands and Voyaguers. So not only have I done the “Big Ones” like Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and the Utah Big Five, but I’ve been to some really seldom traveled NPs as well like Big Bend, North Cascades, and Congaree. I’ve been to the five most visited Hawaiian Islands and all four corners of the US from Bangor to the Keys/Dry Tortugas to Seattle to San Diego.
So with that being said my favorite areas to visit in the US in order are:
1) Hawaii -especially Maui, but any island is wonderful...it’s just that Maui is the best, in my signature pics is a picture I personally took from a hike to the Red Beach of Hana and it is that red when you’re there near sunrise or sunset like we were.
2) New Orleans - the absolutely amazing food, drink and music...no place better to relax and enjoy life.
3) The Florida Keys - a close second to New Orleans, not quite as many food and music options but still plenty of both and with coral reefs to snorkel/scuba and amazing fishing to boot. Some great rum distilleries have popped up here (esp Papa’s Pilar) and the local seafood is second only to what you’d get in Hawaii.
4) Central Cali from Saint Babs to Pacifica - as good of wineries as any you will find in the US, amazing scenery (esp Big Sur to Carmel on CHP1), amazing restaurants and a pretty laid back attitude compared to LA and San Fran.
5) Four Corners and nearby areas esp in Utah and Arizona- It’s not just the Grand Canyon and the Mighty Five (Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion, Arches), in a relatively short distance ie easily drivable over a week visit you can also choose to hit up great spots like Goblin Valley, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Dead Horse Point, Dinosaur National Monument (which is more than just the great fossil beds but a whole water filled canyon area to explore), Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Fossil Butte, Horseshoe Canyon and Grand Staircase National Monument. Absolutely amazing views, hikes and photo areas all around. The only downside is limited indoor activities, pretty poor hotel choices and the only great food to be had (unless you want to expand this area to include Flagstaff which is usually my jumping off point after flying into Phoenix) WAS Cafe Diablo which was an amazing 5 star place in the middle of nowhere (Torrey Utah) but apparently it closed in Jan when the chef left and while a new quality at least by cv chef was set to open a new high end place called Hunt and Gather that project is at least temporarily if not permanently on hold. Now the best food experience left is at The View restaurant in Monument Valley. But the hikes and views still make this one of my favorite areas to visit.
6) Gulf Coast Florida plus I-4 corridor so Crystal River through Tampa/St Pete down to at least Sarasota if not Ft Myers and over to Orlando - A trip easily doable over a week with tons of amazing restaurants including some of the best in the US with unique regional cuisines like the Amish restaurants in Sarasota, the Greek in Tarpon Springs, Cuban in Tampa etc... The wineries and distilleries are lackluster but the breweries are literally some of the best outside of Asheville, Colorado, and Oregon. Tons of great theme parks from the 4 Disney Parks, 2 Universal Parks, Busch Gardens, Seaworld, Legoland and all of the little pocket theme parks in Otown. There’s amazing fishing and some pretty unique views with the pure white sand beaches and beautiful crystal clear Magnitude 5 Freshwater springs to explore plus the Everglades if you include Naples/Ft Myers.
7) Santa Fe/Albuquerque/Taos - While I’m not a big fan of Tex-Mex, I’m a huge fan of New Mexican food. The Hatch chili is special by itself but the locals really know how to highlight it to an amazing degree. You could have a great vacation just by following and eating on the Green Chili Cheeseburger Trail, but there’s too much else to see and do in the area. There’s a surprising amount of great wineries and breweries in the area.
8) Phoenix/Tucson/Verde Valley/Sonoita/Flagstaff/Jerome - I almost included Flagstaff in the Four Corners area but it’s closer in feel (but not looks or environment) to the greater Phoenix area. There’s three great wine regions within easy drive of Phoenix (Sonoita, Verde Valley and Wilcox) and the Arizona blend of Navajo and Apache food with local Mexican is only bettered by New Mexico. But the Frybread House in Phoenix is so good it’s the only place I’ve ever eaten at twice on a single vacation...and I’ve done that twice, just stunningly amazing “Indian” Tacos, tamales and Native American specialties. There’s a couple of great casino resorts in the area and both Flagstaff, Jerome and Tucson are surprisingly cool weathered due to the elevation even if back in Phoenix it may be 115.
9) Piedmont North Carolina area to Asheville and up through the Smoky Mountains - I’m heading there quite soon for 10 days. My personal favorite bbq area and style (Piedmont) mixed with my personal favorite brewery area (Asheville) and some absolutely amazing outdoor parks all around with obviously the Great Smoky Mountain NP being the highlight but DuPont State Forest May be the best natural park (up there with Niagara state park in NY, Bahia Honda in FL, and Goblin Valley in Utah) NOT part of the National Park Service with an enormous amount of amazing waterfalls scattered around the park. The Biltmore is a national treasure that must be seen at least once and the area around Cherokee plus the great open Native American theater Unto These Hills (second only to Ha-the Breath of Life at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu for best indigenous people cultural presentation) and the Cherokee Tribe Museum make for a great and highly educational time.
10) Maine - I’ve been looking for an excuse to head back, but right now they’re barring Floridians. But the Acadia National Park is one of the best especially if you get outside of the main touristy parts around Bar Harbor. Portland is a perfect little seaside town with great restaurants and even Bangor has its charm.
11) Yellowstone NP/Grand Tetons NP/Jackson Hole/Cody/Billings
12) NYC
13) San Francisco/Napa/Sonoma/Sausalito/Yosemite
14) Las Vegas/Red Rocks/Valley of Fire
15) Acadia/Cajun Country including Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, Baton Rouge and more
16) Seattle/Mt Rainier NP/Cascades NP (if you included Vancouver and British Columbia this would be much higher, but the better parts are on the Canadian Side)
17) Memphis/Mississippi Delta/Tunica
18) Denver/Colorado Springs/Rocky Mountain NP
19) Boston/Salem/Cape Cod ports
20) Florida Panhandle/Mobile/Biloxi/Gulfport
21) Texas Hill Country/Austin/Lockhart/San Antonio
22) Chicago/Milwaukee
23) Outer Banks NC/Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Historic Triangle VA
24) “Low Country” Aka Charleston, Savannah, Golden Isles and Cumberland Island
25) Philadelphia/Amish Country/Hershey/Knoebels
Honorable Mention: Buffalo/Niagara would have been top 15 maybe top 10 if you included Toronto and NOL; Jacksonville/St Augustine/Cape Canaveral; and Atlanta/Mountain towns of Georgia.
