The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 6: Montana to New Jersey

This is the sixth post in a series. I recommend reading the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth posts before this one. Today I'll be picking the city in Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, and New Jersey that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

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The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 6: Montana to New Jersey

 

The city I most want to visit in Montana is Bozeman. Bozeman is a primary gateway to Yellowstone National Park, which I very much want to visit, but since it's about 90 miles away I'm not going to count it for the purposes of this post. Instead, I'll focus on attractions that are in Bozeman. First is Museum of the Rockies. My second pick is Downtown Bozeman Walking Food Tour. 

Gering is the city I most want to visit in Nebraska. It's tiny (only 8500 people) but it has a Runza, which is now my first requirement for any city I go to in Nebraska. Gering is the closest city to Scotts Bluff National Monument as well as the Legacy of the Plains Museum, both of which I am very interested in visiting.  

The next place I'd like to visit in Nevada is Virginia City. Virginia City was a mining boomtown from the 1859 Comstock Lode. Much of the town has been preserved. I'd like to visit The Way it Was Museum and take the Murder, Mystery, and History Tour by the Virginia City Outlaws. 

On my next trip to New Hampshire, I'd like to go to Manchester. Manchester is New Hampshire's largest city and is known for its history as a textile manufacturer. I am most interested in visiting the Currier Museum of Art and SEE Science Center. 

The city I'd most like to visit in New Jersey is West Orange. Thomas Edison was perhaps West Orange's most famous resident. My top priority would be Thomas Edison National Historic Park. I would also enjoy a visit to the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo. 

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What do you think of my picks? Have you visited any of them? Do you have suggestions of other places to go? Let me know in the comments!

The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 5: Massachusetts to Missouri

This is the fifth post in a series. I recommend reading the first, second, third, and fourth posts before this one. Today I'll be picking the city in Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

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The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 5: Massachusetts to Missouri

 

 

The city I most want to visit in Massachusetts is Provincetown. While I've been to Cape Cod, we didn't make it all the way to the tip where Provincetown is located. This town is most famous for being the landing site for the Mayflower in 1620. I would most like to visit the Province Lands Visitor Center at Cape Cod National Seashore. The other attraction that interests me the most is the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum. 

I am most interested in seeing Grand Rapids during my next visit to Michigan. Grand Rapids is home to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum (although not the Presidential Library; they're typically colocated, but in this case the Library is 130 miles away in Ann Arbor, another city I'd like to visit). The other attraction I'd like to see is the Grand Rapids Public Museum. 

The city I'd most like to visit in Minnesota is Duluth. Duluth is a port city located on Lake Superior, and is the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes. Fun fact: The Port of Duluth is the world's farthest inland port accessible to oceangoing ships. When I make it to Duluth, I want to take a narrated boat tour of Lake Superior and the Duluth Harbor, then visit the Lake Superior Zoo. 

Natchez is the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River and also is the city in Mississippi I'd most like to visit. The top two attractions I want to see are Natchez National Historical Park and the Natchez Museum of African American Culture. 

Independence is the city I most want to visit in Missouri. It is best known as the main starting point for the hundreds of thousands of pioneers who traveled west on covered wagons along the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe Trails. I would love to learn more about this history at the National Frontier Trails Museum. Independence was also home to President Harry Truman; the Truman Presidential Library and Museum is my other priority when I visit. 

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Have you visited any of these cities? What else do you recommend I do there? Leave any suggestions you have in the comments!

The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 4: Kansas to Maryland

This is the fourth post in a series. I recommend reading the first, second, and third posts before this one. Today I'll be picking the city in Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, and Maryland that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

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The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 4: Kansas to Maryland

 

The city I'd most like to visit in Kansas is Wichita. Quite a few celebrities grew up in Wichita, including Mars, the pygmy hippo who stole the internet's heart. Mars lives at Tanganyika Wildlife Park, which is my top attraction in the Wichita area. The next place I'd visit is the Museum of World Treasures. 

Paducah is the city I'd most like to visit in Kentucky. Paducah looks like such a charming town. It is one of 10 cities in the US that have been designated a UNESCO Creative City (I've been to 8 of the 10 and I very much want to finish that list.) I most want to visit the National Quilt Museum. Now that I'm a (novice) quilter, I am especially interested in spending time there. Steve and I watched Chef Sara Bradley cook during the Tournament of Champions All-Star Christmas and would really enjoy eating at Freight House, her restaurant in Paducah. 

Before visiting Natchitoches, I need to practice pronouncing it. It's NACK-uh-tish. I can pronounce it just fine until I see the word again and my brain goes to to Spanish. Anyway, Natchitoches is the city in Louisiana I would most like to visit. While there, I would go to Cane River Creole National Historic Park and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum.

The city I most want to visit in Maine is Augusta, the state capital. When there, I'll visit the Maine State Capitol, as well as the Maine State Museum. Of the 5 remaining state capitals we haven't visited, this will probably be the last, as it is the farthest from us and not close to any of our other remaining must-see destinations. Fun fact: Augusta, Maine (which is obviously part of the contiguous United States) is significantly farther from us here in California than either Juneau, Alaska or Honolulu, Hawaii. 

This may be a bit of a surprise since I'm not a beach person, but the next time I visit Maryland I would most like to go to Ocean City. My highest priority would be taking a boat tour from Ocean City to Assateague Island. The other thing I'd most like to visit is Ocean City Life-Saving Museum. 

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Are there any other must-visit places I need to know about? Please let me know in the comments!

The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 3: Hawaii to Iowa

This is the third post in a series. I recommend reading the first and second posts before this one. Today I'll be picking the city in Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

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The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 3: Hawaii to Iowa

 

The city I am most interested in visiting in Hawaii is Kula on the island of Maui. It's a small community known for its farms and botanical gardens. There are a lot of farm and garden tours that sound really interesting. I would most like to tour the Kula Botanical Garden and then take the Haleakala Creamery Farm to Spoon Tour.

When we traveled to eastern Idaho in 2021, we didn't end up going to Pocatello because the place I most wanted to visit was closed on the days we were passing through. The next time we're headed that direction, I'm going to prioritize visits to the Museum of Clean and the Idaho Museum of Natural History.

The city I most want to visit in Illinois is its capital, Springfield. Springfield is one of the five remaining state capitals I haven't visited. There are a lot of neat things to see and do there, most of which are related to Abraham Lincoln. My top two attractions are the Illinois State Capitol and Museum and the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

South Bend is the city I'd most like to visit in Indiana. The first thing I'd do is tour the University of Notre Dame. My second activity would be the National Studebaker Museum. 

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I want to visit the Ice Cream Capital of the World. Le Mars, Iowa certainly got my attention with that nickname! Le Mars produces approximately 200 million gallons of ice cream per year, more than any other city in the world. The first place I'd go is the Wells Visitor Center, so I can learn more about how all that ice cream is made. Then I would head out on an Ice Cream Sculpture walk, to find the 55 six-foot tall decorated ice cream cones that decorate the streets of Le Mars. 

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Have you been to any of these cities? Do you have recommendations for other attractions I should visit? Let me know in the comments!

The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 2: Colorado to Georgia

This is the second post in a series. I recommend reading the introductory post first. Today I'll be picking the city in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, and Georgia that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

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The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 2: Colorado to Georgia

 

I would love to travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Olympic City USA is home to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center and the Olympic committee headquarters, more than 20 national Olympic governing bodies, dozens of national sports organizations, and my top pick for attractions, the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum. I would also love to take the cog railway to Pikes Peak. 

The city I'd most like to visit in Connecticut is New Haven. I'd start my time at Yale University, specifically at the Peabody Museum. It looks incredible. I would also like to check out Lost in New Haven, which looks really unique and would be a good introduction to the area. 

On my next trip to Delaware, I'd most like to visit Wilmington. The are six units of First State National Historic Park; Wilmington is home to three of them. I'd start my visit at Fort Christina. I'd also plan to visit the small but charming Brandywine Zoo. 

It should be no surprise that the city I most want to visit in Florida is its capital, Tallahassee. We have been to 45 of the 50 state capitals and I'd love to see the rest. My priority would be the Florida Capitol and the Museum of Florida History. 

My top choice for a city to visit in Georgia is beautiful and historic Savannah. I would start by riding a full loop on Old Town Trolley Tours; we've taken Old Town Trolley Tours in multiple cities and always found them to provide an excellent overview to a city. After learning all about the city and seeing its most famous sites from the trolley, I would check out the American Prohibition Museum. 

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Did I miss any must-do attractions in these cities? Let me know in the comments what else I should do when I make it to these cities!