US: California

Los Angeles

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• The Grammy Museum

San Diego *

• Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala
• Mingei International Museum: art of practical items
• San Diego History Center
• Timken Museum of Art (very small)
• Museum of Us
• San Diego Museum of Art
• Museum of Contemporary Art (late 1800s)
• La Jolla shores, cove and beach
• Japanese friendship gardens
• Desert garden
• Seaport village (expensive shopping)
• Old town
• Casa de Carillo (city’s oldest house)
• Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
• Pacific Beach
• Sunset cliffs
• Ballast Point, Stone Brewery
• Dike Rock or Cabrillo National Monument tide pools (winter is best)

San Francisco

• Lombard Street
• Chinatown
• Golden Gate Park
• Marshall’s Beach
• Twin Peaks (views)
• Old Mission Dolores Church (oldest in SF)
• Legion of Honor art museum
• Asian art museum
• Japanese tea garden
• Walt Disney Museum

Carmel-by-the-Sea: fairy town

• Carmel Mission Basilica
• Tor House: home of Robinson Jeffers

Laguna Beach

• Pacific Marine Mammal Center
• Laguna Art Museum: California art

Lake Tahoe

• Sand Harbor (has rock beach nearby)
• DL Bliss Beach
• Tallac Historic Site (3 house museums)
• Truckee historic town

Sequoia National Park *
Sacramento

• Old Sacramento Waterfront
• California Museum
• Crocker Art Museum
• Stanford Mansion
• Midtown area
• California State Indian Museum
• Sacramento History Museum

Capitola: Colorful seaside town
Hearst Castle: beautiful interior

US: Colorado

Denver

• Kirkland Museum of Fine & Deocrative Art
• Denver Art Museum
• RiNo area

Telluride

• Historical Museum
• Gondola (views)

* Mesa Verde

US: Florida

Key West

• Ernest Hemingway House
• Key West Lighthouse
• Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
• Little White House
• The Beach
• Shipwreck Treasures Museum
• Mel Fisher Musuem (marine life?)
• Audubon House
• History of Diving Museum

Everglades
Sanibel *

• Lighthouse Beach
• JN Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge Drive
• National Shell Museum
• Sanibel Historical Museum and Village
• Bowman’s Beach

Ft Lauderdale

• Bonnet House Museums & Gardens
• Flamingo Gardens
• NSU Art Museum (?)
• Everglades Holiday Park
• Stranahan House Museum
• Hollywood area
• Historical Society and Museum
• Riverwalk

St Petersburg

• Dali Museum
• Craft Beer Trail
• Chihuly Collection
• Museum of Fine Arts (may be small)
• Museum of History (may be small)
• Treasure Island (has dolphins)

Miami *

• Wynwood Walls street art gallery
• Cape Florida Light
• Ancient Spanish Monastery
• South Beach
• Venetian Pool
• Deering Estate (archaeological preserve)
• Vizcaya Gardens
• Art Deco District
• Museum of Art and Design
• Perez Art Museum (contemporary)
• Wolfsonian (art and design – huge!)
• Little Havana
• Coral Castle (outdoor art installation)
• History Miami Museum
• Day Trip to Exuma Cays

US: Hawaii

Honolulu * & Oahu

• Manoa Falls Trail (short)
• Waikiki beach
• Pearl harbor
• Waikiki brewing company
• Iolani Palace: Hawaiian history
• Eat malasadas (like donuts)
• Polynesian cultural centre
• Shark Cove
• Shangri La Museum (Islamic art)
• Honolulu museum of art
• Kualoa Ranch
• Hanauma Bay
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum: Hawaii museum
• Dole plantation
• Watch a surf competition
• Snorkel with dolphins (west side of island)
• Diamond Head hike (rigorous)
• Historic Honolulu

Maui Island

• Lavender field
• 7 Sacred Pools of Ohe’o Gulch
• Pineapple farm
• Paia
• Makena Cove Beach
• Road to Hana

Kauai

• Hanalei bay
• Kilauea lighthouse
• Poipu beach – turtles and sea lions
• Queen’s bath (beach)

US: Oregon

Sea Lion Caves *
Crater Lake
Bandon Beach: historic town on the beach
Portland

• International rose garden
• Pittock Mansion: views of Portland
• Witch’s castle ruins
• Portland Art Museum
• Eat lots of donuts

US: Wyoming

Jackson & Jackson Hole *

• Snow King Mountain chairlift ride
• Aerial Tram
• Moulton Barn
• National Museum of Wildlife Art
• Laurance Rockefeller Preserve
• Grand Teton National Park
• Granite Hot Springs
• Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum
• Eco Tour Adventures
• National Elk Refuge

Cody

• Buffalo Bill Centre of the West
• Old Trail Town

Cheyenne

• Wyoming State Museum
• Nelson Museum of the West
• Cheyenne Frontier Days Museum
• Terry Bison Ranch

Castle Gardens Petroglyph Site

US: Massachusetts

Boston

• Boston Tea Party Museum
• Freedom Trail
  ---- Boston Common
  ---- Massachusetts State House
  ---- Granary Burying Ground
  ---- King's Chapel
  ---- Boston Latin School (oldest in America)
  ---- Old South Meeting House
  ---- Old State House
  ---- Boston Massacre Site
  ---- Faneuil Hall
  ---- Old North Church
  ---- USS Constitution
  ---- Bunker Hill Monument
  
• John F. Kennedy Museum
• Museum of African American History
• Museum of Science
• Ye Olde Tavern Tours

Nantucket *

• Whaling Museum
• 3 Lighthouses
• Bluff Walk
• Shipwreck and Lifesaving museum
• Sconset town
• Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

The Mount (MA): Edith Wharton’s home

US: Texas

Fredericksburg

• Pioneer Museum
• Wilseed Farms
• Lots of breweries and wineries
• Luckenbach live music

Big Bend
Dallas

• Sixth Floor Museum
• Dallas Museum of Art (contemporary)

Austin *

• South Congress Bridge bats
• LBJ Presidential library
• State capitol
• Barton Springs Pool
• Bullock Museum (history)
• Hamilton Pool (reservations required)
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre
• South Congress Street
• Blanton Museum of Art
• Rainey Street
• Cathedral of Junk

San Antonio *

• River walk
• Alamo & missions trail
• San Fernando Cathedral
• King William Historic District
• Market Square
• SA Museum of Art
• McNay Art Museum (19th and 20th century)
• Briscoe Western Art Museum
• Spanish Governor’s Palace
• UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures

Fort Worth

• Amon Carter Museum of American Art
• Kimbell Art Museum
• Sid Richardson Museum (American west)
• Log Cabin Village
• National Cowgirl Museum
• National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum
• JFK Tribute

US: New Mexico

Albequerque *

• Museum of Southwestern Biology
• Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
• Turquoise Museum
• Albuquerque Museum of Art & History
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre

Santa Fe *

• Meow Wolf Art Complex
• Museum of Spanish Colonial Art
• Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
• Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
• Santa Fe Cathedral
• New Mexico History Museum
• Palace of the Governors
• Georgia O'Keefe Museum
• New Mexico Museum of Art

Chaco Canyon *
Pecos National Park: ancient adobe
Bandelier National Monument: cliff dwellings
Taos *

• Taos Pueblos
• San Francisco de Asis Church
• Martinez Hacienda (colonial house)
• Taos Museum of art (house museum)
• Taos earthships (eco-friendly architecture)

White Sands Park
Gila Cliff Dwellings *
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Acoma Sky City Pueblos *
Three Rivers Petroglyphs
Georgia O’Keeffe Home Studio

US: Washington

Seattle *

• Pike Place Market
• MoPOP: pop culture museum
• Underground Tour
• Seattle Art Museum
• Chihuly Garden and Glass
• Museum of History and Industry
• Living Computer Museum
• Wing Luke Museum: immigrant communities
• Golden Gardens Park: tide pools
• Discovery Park: has sea lions and a lighthouse
• National Nordic Museum
• Monorail

Leavenworth, WA: cute German town

• Reindeer farm
• Nutcracker museum
• Blackbird island
• Greater Leavenworth Museum

Winthrop: wild west town

• Shafer Museum: history
• Fish hatchery

Diablo Lake
Tacoma

• Washington State History Museum
• Tacoma Art Museum – PNW art
• Chihuly Bridge of Glass
• Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
• Museum of Glass
• Almond Roca candy factory

Orcas Island: whale watching
San Juan Islands: whale watching
Port Townsend: cute seaside town

US: Maine

Portland

• Portland Observatory
• Victoria Mansion
• Portland Museum of Art
• Cryptozoology Museum

York

• The Goldenrod candy store
• Old York Historical Society

Rockland

• Breakwater
• Owl’s Head Lighthouse

Kennebunk

• Maine Mead Works
• Cape Porpoise
• Brick Store Museum (small history museum)

US: Connecticut

New Haven

• Yale University Art Gallery
• Beineke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
• New Haven Museum
• Lighthouse Point Park
• Yale Centre for British Art
• Pardee-Morris House: 17th century home
• Jordan’s Furniture ropes course

Farmington

• Stanley-Whitman House: 18th century home
• Hill-Stead Museum: impressionist art

Chester: cute town
Litchfield: cute town
Hartford, CT

• Wadsworth Atheneum (Art)

US: South Carolina

Charleston

• Aiken-Rhett House Museum
• Middleton Place
• Old Slave Mart Museum
• Fort Sumter
• Nathaniel Russell House Museum
• Ghost Tour
• Calhoun Mansion

Bluffton: cute town

US: Georgia

Savannah

• Ghost Tour
• Owens-Thomas House
• Jepson Centre for the Arts (modern art)
• SCAD Museum of Art (student work)

Atlanta

• World of Coca-Cola Museum
• Georgia Aquarium
• Botanical Garden
• Atlanta History Center
• HIGH Museum of Art
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History
• Jimmy Carter Museum
• MLK National Historic Site - Birthplace
• Museum of Design
• Carlos Museum - Ancient Art
• Xocolatl Chocolate Tours
• Centre for Civil and Human Rights

Cumberland Island

US: Virginia

Jamestown 1 & 2
Yorktown

US: Tennessee

Memphis *

• Graceland
• National Civil Rights Museum
• Rock n Roll Museum
• Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
• Dixon Gallery (impressionism)
• Art Museum of the University of Memphis
• Beale Street (music)
• Victorian Village
• Mallory-Neely House: victorian mansion
• Woodruff-Fontaine House: victorian mansion
• Lorraine Motel
• Stax Museum (soul music)
• Sun Studio Tour
• Ducks at the Peabody hotel (very crowded)

Nashville

• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• Ryman Auditorium
• Cheekwood Estate
• Tennessee State Capitol
• RCA Studio B

US: Arizona

Sedona

• Crescent Moon Ranch
• Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village

Tombstone *

• OK Corral
• Courthouse State Historic Park
• Boothill Cemetery

Wupatki National Monument: small adobe archaeology site
Montezuma Castle: adobe castle
Flagstaff

• Museum of Northern Arizona
• Pioneer Museum

Tucson *

• San Xavier Mission
• Sosa-Fremont-Carillo House
• Tucson Museum of Art
• Arizona State Museum
• Barrio Viejo area

Bisbee: Old town in a valley
Oatman

• Free roaming donkeys
• Mine tour

US: North Carolina

Wilmington: beachside town
Poplar Grove Plantation (has horse sanctuary)
Asheville

• Biltmore Estate
• Asheville Art Museum (American art)

US: Vermont

Burlington

• Ben & Jerry’s
• Ethan Allen Homestead
• Lake Champlain’s Chocolate Factory
• Burlington Breakwater (photos)
• Shelburne Museum

Stowe: cute country town

• Ben & Jerry’s Factory

Montpelier

• Vermont Historical Society Museum
• Bragg Farm Sugar House
• Coburn Covered Bridge

US: Rhode Island

Providence

• Roger Williams Park (has a rose maze)
• Providence anthenaeum
• Stephen Hopkins house (1700s home)
• Thayer Street area
• RISD museum
• Waterfire (select weekends)
• DePasquale Square
• John Brown House (old mansion)
• Rhode Island State House
• Benefit Street (history)
• Propsect terrace (views)

US: Alabama

Birmingham

• Birmingham Museum of Art
• Biringham Civil Rights Institute

Mobile

• Alligator Alley
• Mobile Museum of Art
• Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico
• History Museum of Mobile
• Mobile Carnival Museum

US: Ohio

Cincinnati

• Cincinnati Art Museum
• Taft Museum of Art
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
• Underground tour (breweries during prohibition)

US: Wisconsin

Milwaukee

• Milwaukee Public Museum
• Milwaukee Art Museum
• Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear (1900s)
• Grohmann Museum (evolution of human work)
• Pierhead Lighthouse
• Pabst Mansion
• Third Ward
• Pabst Brewery

US: Oklahoma

Okahoma City

• Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
• Oklahoma History Center
• National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
• Bricktown Area
• Paseo Arts District
• OKC Museum of Art (small)
• Museum of Osteology (skeletons)

Tulsa

• Gilcrease Museum (American west)
• Philbrook Museum of Art
• Greenwood Rising History Center (Black history)

Cherokee National History Museum

US: Michigan

Detroit

• Motown Museum
• Detroit Institute of Arts
• Detroit Historical Museum
• Henry Ford Experience
• Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History
• Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
• Greenfield Village

US: Alaska

Anchorage

• Alaska Native Heritage Center
• Anchorage Museum
• Whale watching
• Bear viewing
• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
• Eklutna Village

US: New Jersey

Cape May
Clinton

• Red Mill Museum Village

US: Arkansas

Eureka Springs

• Quigley’s Castle
• Blue Spring Heritage Center
• Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

US: Nevada

Virginia City

• Mark Twain Museum
• Mackay Mansion
• Chollar Mine Tour
• Chollar Mansion
• The Way It Was Museum

US: Kansas

Dodge City

• Home of Stone
• Boot Hill Museum

US: Utah

Newspaper Rock: Petroglyphs
Arches National Park
Dinosaur National Monument
Bear Ears National Monument

US: New York

Hudson: cute town

• Antique Warehouse

US: Montana

Great Falls

• Charlie Russell Museum
• Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

Red Lodge

• Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary

US: Illinois

Galena: cute town

• Galena History Museum
• Dowling House
• Grant Home (Ulysses S Grant)

US: Missouri

St Charles: historic town
Kansas City

• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
• National Toy Museum
• American Jazz Museum
• National WWI Museum