What states have you never been to - but find yourself wondering..

[golfgal]

There is a lot out west I'd like to see.

I live in Hawaii, and it is incredible.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about Hawaii--I want to go there too--Alaska would be interesting too.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Other than North Dakota, which I have never been to, I have visited every state in the U.S. And all visits were for at least 24 hours.

Plus Puerto Rico, St Croix, St Thomas, Guam and Saipan.

Plus I have visited about 30 countries.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Washington State is very interesting geographically.

-The southeast side has an arid climate and is wine country. There are a lot of vineyards that you can visit; most do wine tastings and I think some offer tours.
-The Olympic Peninsula has mountains and a temperate rain forest. Olympic National Park is there.
-Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and the North Cascades run down the middle of the state and are pretty.
-The Seattle area has a lot of stuff to do too.

I'd like to visit Hawaii and New England (in summer). I would like to visit ALL the states at some point. So far I've been to about half of them, some of them only in airports or just passing through, so while I've technically been in them, it doesn't really count for a tourism perspective.

 

[bumbershoot]

The original question sounded like "list the states you wouldn't know what to do there" to me. Not really curious about them, but curious about why you'd be curious about them.



Montana is incredibly beautiful (and terrifying to drive in, especially in a small car...though my experience is colored by the fact that it was only very recently from when they went from "no speed limit" to however they word it now...and most people were still going whatever speed they wanted to go). We woke up one morning and looked outside (camping on my uncle's land while his cattle were off grazing in a different area), and knew why they call it "big sky". The sky is bigger than anywhere else I've seen. I wanted panoramic eyes!

Washington...Mt Rainier! The water. The green. (in summer you might avoid rain, but then you don't see as much green, at least not on the highway) The Olympics are lovely to hike in.

Oregon...everything. Well, OK, I've only been on the west side of OR, so I don't know about most of the state. But I like the parts I've been in. Lots of green just like WA. No sales tax. Can't pump your own gas (will not be a novelty for NJ people).



I find that, if you wonder what's in a state, ordering info from the state's tourism board will help you! I was curious about ND once, because it was possible hubby was going to transfer out there, and the tourism info showed me all the things there are to do there. Lots of this continent's history there...

 

[DisneyKT]

There is a lot out west I'd like to see.

I live in Hawaii, and it is incredible.

I just would like you to know. I AM JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PebblesMK]

I am curious about
Maine
Vermont
Washington
Oregon



I love Wisconsin! Madison is our favorite road trip city. It has wonderful restaurants and a fantastic farmers market (the country's largest!). Madison is also near the little Norway town, the little Switzerland town, and little Sweden. Also near the mustard museum in Mt. Horeb. Milwaukee has fun stuff to see such as brewery tours and the Harley Davidson Museum. The art museum also has high quality works there as well.

Illinois of course Chicago which has a million things to see and do there including Millenium Park and the Sears (ahum... Willis...) Tower.

Both Madison and Milwaukee are great cities to visit. Anywhere along Lake Michigan or the Mississippi River is gorgeous. The Wisconsin River runs right down the middle of the state and is also beautiful.

Door County is a fantastic place to vacation. Wisconsin Dells is a great family destination.

We have the coulees of western WI , the great northwoods north of Wausau, the prairie in the middle/eastern part of the state and the Kettle Moraine in the southeastern part of the state.

We have four beautiful seasons here and something to do in each one.

I love it here and can't imagine living anywhere else.

You can't forget the House on the Rock near Madison! That place is insane. But yes, Wisconsin is lovely and has a bit of everything for all people. Madison is fun, take a tour of the capitol. I believe it's the tallest point in Wisconsin, or so I was told. The inside of the capitol is gorgeous. You could even visit my sister while you're there (though I would probably advise against it). The Dells provide year round fun but is especially great in the summer. Walking downtown by the shops is one of my favorite things. Lake Geneva is also a quaint little town that offers a lot during the summer months. If you're a fan of angels and Oprah, feel free to visit where I live, Beloit!! We have the angel museum, up the road is the infamous "truck in a tree", north in Janesville, you can see Miracle, the white buffalo, there is also a ginormous cow that you can take a picture with. And since OP wanted to visit both Wisconsin AND Illinois, try this out...I can see Illinois from my house. Stand on the state line and be in both places at the same time!
If you go to Milwaukee, stop by in the summer for summerfest, one of the biggest music fests in the country with amazing lineups...all for about 15 dollars. Try some cheesecurds, go on some brewery tours, see a Brewer game at Miller Park, head to Green Bay to see the hall of fame. Oh gosh, I think Wisconsin is pretty great. Come on over! Or you could pick up the book called Wisconsin curiosities and find some fun things to do. Their is a spot near the Dells that gravity is a bit off and if you put your car in neutral at the bottom of the hill, the gravity will pull your car UP the hill. There is also a house that the gravity is off and everything is tilted.

 

[Soarin08]

I move to Idaho for college in April and cannot wait to finally be close enough to visit the West! My DISer best friend lives in Washington, I have another friend who is moving to Montana, and several other friends in Utah. Plus to get to Idaho, I have to drive across Nebraska, Missouri, and Wyoming- never been there either!

 

[FireDancer]

I'd love to spend a week in Acadia National Park (Maine) doing some hiking, kayaking, and biking.

 

[rparmfamily]

I just would like you to know. I AM JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!!

We are here thanks to the Navy and it is so amazing.

 

[mom2travel]

Great thread idea! I would love to see all 50 states, and there are some that I have no idea why we would go there/what to see:
Idaho
North Dakota
Indiana
Kansas
Arkansas
Mississippi
Oklahoma

I know some of these have already been mentioned in the "why" discussions but here are a few more comments:
Montana - we have friends who have family there. They love to ski in the winter and hike in the summer. As PPs have mentioned there are some gorgeous views
Illinois - Chicago is one of my favorite cities
South Carolina - Hilton Head & Kiawah for beaches; Charleston is a great little city to explore

 

[4nana]

We have 2 more states on our bucket list to complete US tour....N & S Dakota . Hopefully we can plan a trip out soon to see what we have or haven't been missing. Thankfully wherever we travel we've always managed to make our own fun and make special memories.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I've been in Kansas a few times. Driving through Kansas is the WORST. Completely flat.

That's what it has looked like every single time I drive through there. Not real thrilling.


Back OT, I'm curious about the northwest - Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon.

That picture is exactly how I pictured Kansas to be and was bawling when I found out we might relocate here. Then once I visited, I fell in love. I still remember the flight on the way over here for the first time. All I saw was bare land just like that picture. I was in shock. But once I saw the town we were moving to, my opinion of Kansas quickly changed.

The part of Kansas we live in does not look like that at all. But if we drive about an hour away, that is what I see around. I do love our little corner of Kansas though. Moving here was the best decision that we have ever made. I love the mid west and how kind people here are.

 

[kinntj]

I'll put in order of interest.

Alaska
Washington
Maine

I've been as far in Washington as Wenatchee, but I would love to go to the coast.

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

..

 

[MUFFYCAT]

California
Washington
Nevada

 

[binny]

Oregon, Washington and Idaho are all very diverse in landscape. I have lived in all three States (and more).

The Oregon and Washington Coasts are stunning with the ocean so accesible, and the 101 could not be more beautiful! The Eastern parts of the States are beautiful but much different. Eastern Washington (Spokane) and Northern Idaho have mountains and foothills and lakes and are beautiful in their own right. The central parts of all three states though tends towards agriculture and some desert. Southern Idaho/Eastern Oregon is high desert. South Eastern Idaho is where Craters of the Moon park is, which is really interesting to see. People who buy into "Man never landed on the moon" theory often claim that the footage was filmed there


I had always wanted to visit Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts, I got 2 of the 3 done last Fall so I was really happy about that. I totally fell in love with Maine!

My next US wishlist is the rest of the East Coast, from Maryland South to GA. I want to take Dh back to Maine though, I know he would love it as much as I did.

I think thats its, Ive been everywhere else.

 

[Jusacuz]

I live in north Idaho and it's beautiful here. If you're into outdoor activities it's wonderful. We have gorgeous lakes/rivers for fishing, boating, swimming and in the winter there is skiing, etc.
We live right on the border of Washington, which is also pretty, but not in the same emerald green Seattle sort of way. When I was a kid I lived in eastern Montana for 4 years and hated every second of it. There were no mountains where I lived and it was just blah.

States I'm curious about:

Oregon
Connecticut
Maine
Hawaii

 

[Jenvenza]

Hawaii
Maine
Alaska
Montana
Washington

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I'm pretty lucky that I've been to most states. The states I haven't visited...

North Dakota
South Dakota
Iowa
Minnesota
New Mexico
Alaska

I hope to make it to Alaska this summer. It would top my "interested" list. Next would be New Mexico.

 

[AshleyW]

I'm pretty lucky that I've been to most states. The states I haven't visited...

North Dakota
South Dakota
Iowa
Minnesota
New Mexico
Alaska

I hope to make it to Alaska this summer. It would top my "interested" list. Next would be New Mexico.

Iowa is fun! I'm a little biased, though.

We have the Amana Colonies, which is a german village with tons of great shops and restaurants and wineries. It's incredibly pretty in the spring and fall.

We have a ton of pretty state parks for camping and hiking, plus the Maquoketa caves which are fun to explore.

Cedar Rapids/Iowa City has a lot of artsy stuff- museums, theaters, etc. There's also a fossil gorge right outside of Iowa City, but I guess I haven't been there since everything flooded in 2008 to see if the fossils are any better or worse.

There's a big Amish community in Kalona, which is pretty fun to visit for a day.

A good time NOT to visit, though... winter.