Friday, November 30, 2012

Three for the road

Apropos of not a whole lot, I decided to make a list of three places and/or things I would like to see in each state of the US. Why three? Well, why not - plus only two things wouldn't be enough to justify a visit. Note that none of the three things will be capitol buildings I've yet to visit, as those are a given, though I will include things in capital cities. Also, while I will number the three things, it is in no particular order. There isn't much rhyme or reason to the lists: it's three places I find noteworthy or interesting and wouldn't mind seeing in my lifetime, but it hardly constitutes a comprehensive list of things I'd want to see in a given state (well, maybe a few of the more boring ones) nor is it liable to constitute a list of things I would definitely have to see on any one visit to a state.

Alabama

1. Dauphin Island
2. Noccalula Falls Park, near Gadsden
3. First White House of the Confederacy, Montgomery

Alaska

1. Point Barrow
2. Kenai Fjords National Park
3. Unalaska Island, Aleutian chain

Arizona

1. London Bridge, Lake Havasu
2. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, south of Why
3. Meteor Crater, west of Winslow

Arkansas

1. Hot Springs National Park
2. Ozark National Forest
3. Pea Ridge National Military Park

California

1. Yosemite National Park
2. Death Valley National Park
3. Channel Islands National Park

Colorado

1. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
2. Loveland Pass, US Route 6 west of Denver
3. Hanging Lake, east of Glenwood Springs

Connecticut

1. Mark Twain House, Hartford
2. Yale campus, New Haven
3. Long Island Sound lighthouses

Delaware

1. Cape Henlopen State Park, near Lewes
2. Fort Christina State Park, Wilmington
3. Kilcohook Coordination Area

Florida

1. Florida Keys
2. Cape Canaveral
3. Dry Tortugas National Park

Georgia

1. Stone Mountain, east of Atlanta
2. Savannah
3. World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta

Hawaii

1. Pearl Harbor, Honolulu
2. 'Akaka Falls State Park, north of Hilo
3. Captain Cook Monument, south of Kailua-Kona

Idaho

1. Craters of the Moon National Monument, southwest of Arco
2. Shoshone Indian Ice Caves, north of Shoshone
3. Mesa Falls, northeast of Ashton

Illinois

1. Old State House, Vandalia
2. Kaskaskia (only part of Illinois west of the Mississippi)
3. Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, south of Cairo

Indiana

1. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
2. Corydon (old capitol plus a Civil War battleground)
3. Turkey Run State Park

Iowa

1. Field of Dreams, east of Dyersville
2. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, West Branch
3. National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque

Kansas

1. Castle Rock, south of Collyer
2. Monument Rocks, south of Oakley
3. Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States, near Lebanon

Kentucky

1. Mammoth Cave
2. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, south of Hogdenville
3. Churchill Downs, Louisville

Louisiana

1. Grand Isle State Park
2. Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery, east of New Orleans
3. Kent Plantation House, Alexandria

Maine

1. Acadia National Park
2. West Quoddy Head Lighthouse
3. Snow Falls Gorge, West Paris

Maryland

1. Point Lookout State Park
2. St. Clement's Island State Park
3. Ocean City miniature golf courses

Massachusetts

1. Cape Cod
2. Nantucket Island
3. Salmon Falls Glacial Potholes, Shelburne Falls

Michigan

1. Mackinac Island
2. Isle Royale National Park
3. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Minnesota

1. Headwaters of the Mississippi, Lake Itasca
2. Gooseberry Falls State Park
3. The Northwest Angle

Mississippi

1. Vicksburg National Military Park
2. Biloxi Lighthouse
3. Fort Massachusetts, West Ship Island

Missouri

1. Gateway Arch, St. Louis
2. Confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri, north of St. Louis
3. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, Independence

Montana

1. Glacier National Park
2. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, near Crow Agency
3. Missouri Headwaters State Park, near Three Forks

Nebraska

1. Chimney Rock, south of Bayard
2. Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha
3. Great Platte River Road Archway, near Kearney

Nevada

1. Lake Tahoe
2. Hoover Dam
3. Las Vegas

New Hampshire

1. Mount Washington
2. America's Stonehenge, near Salem
3. Lost River Gorge, near North Woodstock

New Jersey

1. Cape May
2. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, north of Long Beach
3. Great Falls of the Passaic, Paterson

New Mexico

1. White Sands National Monument, southwest of Alamogordo
2. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
3. Capulin Volcano National Monument, southeast of Raton

New York

1. Niagara Falls
2. Boldt Castle, near Alexandria Bay
3. Montauk Point

North Carolina

1. Kitty Hawk
2. Cape Hatteras
3. Linville Falls, Blue Ridge Mountains

North Dakota

1. Geographic Center of North America monument, Rugby
2. International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith
3. Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway, southwest of Fargo

Ohio

1. Put-in-Bay (on South Bass Island in Lake Erie)
2. Cuyahoga Valley National Park
3. Grant Birthplace, Point Pleasant

Oklahoma

1. Ouachita Mountains, south of Poteau
2. Natural Falls State Park, west of Moseley
3. Lake Texoma State Park, southwest of Durant

Oregon

1. Crater Lake, northeast of Medford
2. Ice caves, south of Bend
3. Hells Canyon Overlook, north of Homestead

Pennsylvania

1. Fallingwater, Mill Run
2. National Aviary, Pittsburgh
3. Flight 93 National Memorial, north of Shanksville

Rhode Island

1. Newport
2. Block Island
3. Fort Adams State Park, near Newport

South Carolina

1. Charleston
2. Myrtle Beach (mini golf capital of the world!)
3. Congaree National Park

South Dakota

1. Mount Rushmore
2. Wind Cave National Park
3. Geographic center of the 50 states, near Castle Rock

Tennessee

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
2. Rhea County Courthouse and Scopes Trial Museum, Dayton
3. Shiloh National Military Park

Texas

1. South Padre Island
2. San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Park, east of Houston
3. Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Utah

1. Zion National Park
2. Capitol Reef National Park
3. Arches National Park

Vermont

1. Lake Champlain
2. Chester A. Arthur State Historic Site, east of St. Albans
3. Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory, near Waterbury

Virginia

1. Mount Vernon
2. Shenandoah National Park
3. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

Washington

1. Point Roberts
2. Olympic National Park
3. Mount Rainier National Park

West Virginia

1. Weirton
2. New River Gorge
3. Falls of Hills Creek Scenic Area, southeast of Richwood

Wisconsin

1. Door County
2. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
3. Amnicon Falls State Park, southeast of Superior

Wyoming

1. Yellowstone National Park
2. Grand Teton National Park
3. Devils Tower, northeast of Gillette

Feel free to weigh in on any you've seen, or suggest alternates. Do remember that if I haven't listed something really obvious (like the Grand Canyon) it's probably because I've already been there, although me completely overlooking something can't be totally ruled out.