The Best Tour in Every State, Part 5

This is the fifth and final 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), third post (Massachusetts through New Jersey), and fourth post (New Mexico through South Carolina) before this one. 

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South Dakota

We have taken a number of excellent tours in South Dakota, but there's no question which is the best: the Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour at Custer State Park. My only complaint about the tour is that they should call it the Bison Safari Jeep Tour. During the two-hour tour, we saw many bison, pronghorns, and prairie dogs. We learned so much about the native plants and animals of the area. I'd happily take this tour again and again. 

Tennessee

The best tour I've taken in Tennessee is Old Town Trolley Tours in Nashville. This hop-on-hop-off style tour took us to the most popular locations in the city, including the Ryman Auditorium, Marathon Motor Works, Centennial Park (home of the Parthenon), the Belmont Mansion, Music Row, and the Frist Art Museum. Our guide was outstanding. 

Texas

The best tour we've taken in Texas is the Lone Star Riverboat Sunset Cruise in Austin. The tour begins with a narrated scenic cruise during the daylight, then the captain positions the boat by the Congress Avenue Bridge in time for the bat flyout. 

Utah

I've taken many great tours in Utah, but my favorite has to be the Great Salt Lake Tour. The narrated tour took us through downtown and past a lot of interesting sites on the way to the Great Salt Lake. There, we caught live sea monkeys and then had the chance to swim in the lake (we waded). Our guide was excellent and we learned so much!

Vermont

Oh how I agonized over this one! Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour or Rock of Ages Quarry Tour?! I went back and forth a dozen times. They're both so good! But I'm going with the Rock of Ages Quarry Tour. I learned so much during the tour. The smaller size and more relaxed pace (relative to the larger group and strict timeline at Ben & Jerry's) made for a really enjoyable experience. Don't miss either tour when you're in Vermont. 

Virginia

The best tour I've taken in Virginia was a ranger-led tour of Yorktown Battlefield. That was part of the April 2000 trip I took with my fellow 5th grade teachers and our students. We all learned so much about this important site from colonial times and the American Revolution. 

Washington

The best tour I've taken in Washington is one of the most unique tours I've taken anywhere. It's called Beneath the Streets and that's literally what it is: a tour of what's beneath the streets of Seattle. It was so interesting to learn the history of a place that not a lot of people know about and even fewer see. 

West Virginia

I haven't actually taken any tours in West Virginia, so I can't pick the best one. However, I can highly recommend the outstanding West Virginia State Museum. 

Wisconsin

The best tour we've taken in Wisconsin was the Milwaukee City Tour by Untapped Tours. Most tours are either driving or walking, but this was both. I loved that, as we were able to visit places that were far apart, but still get an up-close view of them. It was a fantastic tour. 

Wyoming

I've only taken a single tour in Wyoming (so far!), so I'm calling Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley the best tour in Wyoming. We really enjoyed our trolley ride and learned a lot about the fascinating city of Cheyenne. 

That wraps up my version of the Best Tour in Every State! If you have any tours to recommend, please let me know in the comments.