The Best Tour in Every State, Part 4

This is the fourth part in my series about the best tour I've taken in every state. I recommend reading the first post (Alabama through Georgia), second post (Hawaii through Maryland), and third post (Massachusetts through New Jersey) before this one. 

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New Mexico

We took fantastic tours in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque, but I think I have to pick ABQ Trolley Tour as the best one I've taken in New Mexico. It was a great mix of landmarks, culture, history, and hidden gems. There was an emphasis on TV shows and films shot in Albuquerque, which was really interesting. The whole tour was great. 

New York

My first two visits to New York took place when I was in high school (here's one of them). Both trips had were packed with non-stop tours and I have many great (albeit vague) memories of them. I have much clearer memories of the full-day New York city tour I took with my fellow teachers and our 5th grade students during Spring Break in 2000. My parents came too. I'm calling that the best tour I've taken in New York.  

North Carolina

The best tour we took in North Carolina was at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. In addition to being packed with important memorabilia from the fight for Civil Rights, it is home to the original Woolworth's lunch counter where the famous sit-ins of 1960 began. I hated that we couldn't take pictures inside, but loved everything else about it. 

North Dakota

We spent six days in North Dakota, packing in multiple activities each day. We took exactly one tour in all that time, and it was only about 15 minutes: the narrated train tour at the Dakota Zoo. It was excellent, providing more information about the animals and the zoo itself that you'd get from just walking around (which, of course, we also did). 

Ohio

The best tour we took in Ohio was on Lolly the Trolley in Cleveland. The tour gave us a great overview of the city and took us to spots we otherwise wouldn't have known to visit. Sadly, Lolly the Trolley permanently closed in 2022 after 37 years, largely due to COVID. I'm glad we visited when we did. 

Oklahoma

The best tour we took in Oklahoma was the Bricktown Water Taxi narrated boat tour. This is the only tour on my list that matches Yelp's. The tour takes you through the mile-long Bricktown Canal. It's packed with a fun combination of interesting facts about Oklahoma City and corny jokes like you'd hear on the Jungle Cruise. We really enjoyed it. 

Oregon

I was going to name the public tour of Powell's Books in Portland as the best tour I've taken in Oregon, but then I remembered the factory tour at Bob's Red Mill. Both tours were really interesting and informative (and free!) but if forced to choose the best tour in Oregon, I'm going with Bob's Red Mill. Eat lunch at the Bob's Red Mill Store - sooo good. 

 

Pennsylvania

I've taken a lot of different tours in Pennsylvania, all of them ones I'd recommend. Hanover is the Factory Tour Capitol of the World and I absolutely loved all the tours we did there. We had a great tour of the Capitol in Harrisburg. I loved touring the Mint in Philadelphia, but I think I have to go with Independence Hall as the best (and certainly most iconic) tour in Pennsylvania. 

Rhode Island

The Discover Providence Tour was outstanding, but I'm going to pick the Providence River Narrated Boat Tour as the best tour in Rhode Island. We learned a lot about the city, but I was particularly interested in WaterFire, the high water marks, and amazing Fox Point Hurricane Barrier.  

South Carolina

The best tour we took in South Carolina was the self-guided Boardwalk Tour at Congaree National Park. The loop trail is an easy 2.6 miles and takes you through the heart of Congaree. The digital guidebook is almost as good as having an actual person guiding you on the tour. 

Tomorrow I'll finish up this series with the last ten states: South Dakota to Wyoming.