I have been lucky enough to do quite a bit of traveling. As I was growing up, my parents took road trips for family vacations and took me to various places on the map. Because of them I was able to visit each of the states in the U.S. by the age of 24. Several posts on this blog have chronicled the places they took me and the places I have visited in adulthood. This post does the same but with a different tack. I will list the states in alphabetical order and match them with my favorite location in each. Many states will be difficult to limit while some will be difficult to list at all. Obviously, the list will have a historical leaning, but there will also be other types of places. I will not write any descriptions. However, if anyone wants to know more about something then give me a comment. I will be happy to post about it later. Here goes:
Alabama = The All Steak House in Cullman
Alaska = Glacier Bay
Arizona = Jeep Tour in Canyon de Chelly
Arkansas = The Farmer’s Market in Little Rock
California = The Green Door Room in the Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theatre in San Francisco
Colorado = The Strater Hotel in Durango
Connecticut = Yale University Campus in New Haven
Delaware = The Coastal Drive Up Highway 1
Florida = The Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers
Georgia = The Varsity in Atlanta
Hawaii = The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
Idaho = The Oasis Rooms Museum in Wallace
Illinois = Abraham Lincoln’s Home in Springfield
Indiana = The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis
Iowa = John Wayne’s Birthplace in Winterset
Kansas = The Kirby House Restaurant in Abilene
Kentucky = The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory in Louisville
Louisiana = The Town Square of Carencro
Maine = The L.L. Bean Store in Freeport
Maryland = The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis
Massachusetts = The House of Seven Gables in Salem
Michigan = The Palace of Auburn Hills
Minnesota = The Softball Fields in Brooklyn Park
Mississippi = Square Books in Oxford
Missouri = Harry S Truman Home in Independence
Montana = Last Stand Hill at the Battle of Little Big Horn
Nebraska = A Gas Station in North Platte
Nevada = The Blackjack Tables at the Mirage
New Hampshire = Where the Old Man of the Mountain Once Stood
New Jersey = The Meadowlands in East Rutherford
New Mexico = The High Mesa Trail in Chaco Canyon
New York = Niagara Falls on the Niagara River
North Carolina = The Lobby at the Grove Park Inn
North Dakota = Fort Abraham Lincoln in Mandan
Ohio = The Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton
Oklahoma = The Oklahoma City National Memorial in Oklahoma City
Oregon = Crater Lake National Park
Pennsylvania = The Hotel Hershey in Hershey
Rhode Island = The Breakers in Newport
South Carolina = The Five Points District in Columbia
South Dakota = Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood
Tennessee = My Mom’s Kitchen
Texas = Keel Drug Store in Ballinger
Utah = Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation
Vermont = Interstate 91 from Massachusetts to Maine
Virginia = Mount Vernon near Old Town Alexandria
Washington = The Space Needle in Seattle
West Virginia = West Virginia University Campus in Morgantown
Wisconsin = The Softball Fields in Stevens Point
Wyoming = The Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park
If I could choose one place in each state to go, then this is the list. Obviously, other people will have a different list. Let me know what a few of those locations might be.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
Have you been to Charlotte, NC? Headed there in a few days and would love some suggestions.
Actually, I was there last year for the first time. I spent a few days downtown at a history conference. Wasn’t much there to tell you the truth. There were some cool restaurants in the area, but it usually died at night. I would imagine that the outlying areas are better in a city that size. It wasn’t very cosmopolitan. However, I really like SF and the entire area in general. I need some pointers for there.
I live in a suburb of Nashville. So, if you need to know anything in the South I might have it covered.
I’m hoping to be in Nashville next year so I’ll definitely pick your brain!
This is an amazing list of your favourite destinations. I would like to know more about Texas.
I had personal reasons for listing the store in Ballinger. It was owned by my late uncle’s father. For tourists, no trip to Texas is complete without going to Austin and San Antonio. In my opinion, those are the best cities by far. However, I believe the small towns and countryside are where you find the real fabric of a country.
I am thinking of visiting Scotland in the summer. What are the must-see’s there?