Hi Dan, Jennifer and young men,
Good luck on your adventure! I'll be praying that you all will have an awesome experience.
I have been fortunate enough to visit all 50 states. So I thought I would give you a brain dump on some of my favorite experiences. This list is influenced by my interests as an airplane pilot, as an engineer and as a baseball fan.
Gary
Arizona
* Bisbee - tour old underground copper mine
* Morenci - Phelps Dodge copper mine tour
California
* Fairfield (Outside San Francisco): Jelly Belly jelly bean factory
* Torrance (suburb of Los Angeles): Robinson Helicopter factory
* Northern California: Avenue of the Giants (huge redwood trees)
* Yosemite National Park: great water falls & mountain scenery
* Gilroy: off-beat amusement park
* San Diego: animal park east of town (buy cheap combo ticket for zoo and animal park)
* Drive Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles
- Elephant seals near San Simeon
- Hearst Castle near San Simeon
- Julia Burns Pfieffer State Park (great waterfall)
- Picturesque bridges and light houses
- Santa Cruz - Amusement park & beach
- Solvang - Danish town
* Lake Tahoe - boat ride on sternwheeler to Emerald Bay
Colorado
* Denver: Casa Bonita Mexican Restaurant (cliff divers and other fun for kids)
* Colorado Springs: Air Force Academy
* Canon City: Royal Gorge (>1,000 feet deep)
Florida
* Titusville - Space Center
* Florida Keys - swim with dolphins (much cheaper than Orlando area)
* Key West - sunset party (music, street performers)
* Float plane trip to Fort Jefferson (snorkel and lunch on remote island with Civil War fort
* Lakeland - Sun n Fun airshow and airplane convention in April - ultralights, homebuilts, warbirds, personal airplanes
* Vero Beach - Piper airplane factory
Georgia
* Atlanta - Varsity restaurant (burgers, hot dogs, car hop or inside dining)
* Stone Mountain - laser show on side of mountain (bring your blanket or lawn chairs)
Illinois
* Chicago - baseball at Wrigley Field, caramel corn at Garrett's on Michigan Avenue
Kansas
* Independence - Cessna airplane factory
* Wichita - Beech and Boeing airplane factories
Maryland
* Chesapeake Bay bridge / tunnel
* Annapolis: US Naval Academy
* Assateage Island - wild horses
Massachusetts
* Boston - ballgame at Fenway Park (ride the subway to the game)
Minnesota
* Minneapolis: Sculpture park, Medieval festival west of city during September
* St. Paul minor league baseball game
* Legoland at Mall of America
* Duluth - Cirrus airplane factory
Michigan
* An afternoon on Mackinaw Island - rent bikes, eat fudge, go to the big hotel and sit on its front porch
* Watch a ship go through the locks at Sault Saint Maria
Missouri
* St. Louis - ride to the top of the Arch, Monument to the Dream newsreel about building the Arch
* St. Louis Zoo - always free
* Stanton - Meramec Caverns
Montana
* Glacier National Park - Going to the Sun road (great mountain scenery, mountain goats)
Nevada
* Elko - steak supper at Basque restaurant (Star or Nevada restaurants are best)
* Elko - BJ Bull's - meat & potato pies, fruit pies (small building at the west end of the main street, i.e., Idaho Street)
* Outside Elko - Lamoille Canyon (mountain scenery and melted glaciers)
New Mexico
* Carlsbad Caverns - cave tour, bat fly at dusk
New York
* Niagara Falls - take the Maid of the Mist boat ride
* Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome - airshow with Keystone cops and WWI airplanes
* New York City - Beauty & the Beast play, Christmas at Radio City Music Hall with Rockettes, the decorations and big Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, ice skate at Rockefeller Center or Central Park
Ohio
* Batavia airport - free hot dogs on Saturdays at Sporty's Pilot Shop
Oklahoma
* Tulsa - outdoor presentation of the play "Oklahoma", (barbeque supper, Native Indians)
Oregon
* Drive down the coast from Astoria to the California border
- Rogue River jet boat ride (better than any roller coaster)
- Dunes City - Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (Ride go carts on sand dunes)
- Look for star fish and sea urchins on the beaches near the big rocks (sea stacks)
* North of Medford - Crater Lake and the Pinnacles (cool rock formations)
Pennsylvania
* York - Harley Davidson factory tour
* Lancaster - Amish country
* Philadelphia - tour of mint that makes coins, Liberty Bell
South Dakota
* Mitchell - Corn Palace (auditorium made with real corn on the outside)
* Wall - Wall Drug
* Wall - Badlands (colorful rocks, chance to see antelope)
* Rapid City - Mt. Rushmore
* Devil's Tower (from Close Encounters of the Third Kind) - across the border in Wyoming
Utah
* Southern Utah - Monument Valley (the huge rock formations from Forrest Gump and cowboy movies)
* Park City - Mrs. Debbie's cookie and candy factory
Vermont
* Vermont Teddy Bear Factory - Burlington
* Shelbourne Farm & Museum
Virginia
* Chincoteage Island - wild ponies
Washington
* Seattle - Boeing aircraft factory
* Port Angeles - Ferry ride to Victoria, British Columbia
Washington, DC
* Tour of mint that makes paper money
* Natural History museum - dinosaurs, insect zoo, hands-on kids area
* Air & Space Museums - on the mall and Udvar Hazy (near Dulles airport)
* Ride the subway
Wisconsin
* Madison - restaurant with circus theme
* Oshkosh - airplane convention in late July (12,000 planes, >500,000 people)
* Kohler - Kohler factory (bathroom sinks, toilets),
www.us.kohler.com/designkb/designcenter/tours.jsp
Wyoming
* Grand Tetons/Jackson Lake
- Go in September to avoid crowds
- Horseback ride to breakfast around a camp fire
- Boat ride to island on Jackson Lake for steak supper
* Yellowstone
- Go in September to avoid crowds
- Drive the roads in early morning or at sunset to see elk and other animals
