What's great about your state?

[Iwritecode]

I thought this thread would be a fun way for everyone to brag a little about their home state and say what there is to do and experience. Hopefully we have enough members on here to hit most if not all of the states.

About 10 years ago my wife and I bought a little pop-up trailer and came up with the plan of eventually visiting every state. So every year for our summer vacation we would pick a state or two, find a campground to stay at and something fun to do when we got there. We live in Northern Illinois so we started with all the surrounding states. Our list so far includes:

Wisconsin (Wisconsin Dells numerous times, Madison Zoo, Milwaukee Zoo, camped in Janesville for many years, visit family)
Iowa (visiting family)
Indiana (trailer factory tours, RV HOF/museum in Elkhart, Amish community in Shipshewana)
Missouri ( Cave tours, St. Louis Arch)
Kentucky (Corvette museum, Louisville Slugger Museum, numerous cave tours)
Minnesota (Mall of America twice)
Michigan (Holland).

We’ve gotten as far east as Ohio (Put-In-Bay), just over Iowa’s western border into Omaha, Nebraska and just barely into Tennessee. My wife says our visit to a state doesn’t “count” unless we actually do some sort of activity there. Visit a theme park or a restaurant or a museum, etc…

Our plan sputtered out about five years ago when I got a job that included a 2-hour commute and no PTO. We simply didn’t have the time to travel anymore. But I just recently got a job with a 10 minute commute and lots of PTO so we want to eventually get back to it again. The kids have gotten a little older and our trailer has gotten quite a bit bigger but we hope to complete it eventually.

So my question to everyone here is: What fun things are there to do in *your* state?

My answer would be to visit Chicago and the surrounding area. There are tons of things there. There are a few different museums and the Shedd Aquarium. You could spend an entire day in each one of them. We have professional sports teams for all the major sports. Six Flags Great America is in Gurnee. There are lots of places to shop and eat. There are boat tours down the Chicago river. There are also lots of campgrounds and a few National Parks scattered around Northern Illinois.

[Wiscampsin]

Add cheese factories, wineries, Door County, fishing, great state parks, and the Maritime Museum to the Wisconsin list.

[BamaBob]

US Space and Rocket center in Huntsville (Home of Space Camp!)
LOTS of great lakes and state parks to visit
The sugar sands of the beaches around Mobile (and the cool fort there as well!)
GREAT golf on the Robert Trent Jones golf trail
Just to name a few sights in Alabama the Beautiful!

[wyo700]

I live in Wyoming. Born and raised here and don't want to go anywhere else. Funny reading all the things you would to do everywhere you go. You and your wife choose to go places where there is a "city" life near by and lots of places to see and places to eat which there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As my for my family we go into the mountains of Wyoming to camp and never in a campground. Never a restaurant to eat and not many people around. We have a toy hauler and take our honda pioneer sidexside everywhere we go. And that is what I love about Wyoming I can go two hours from home in either direction and be at a lake and have great trail riding. Where I live I can just leave my house drive a quarter of a mile and be out in the sticks and ride for miles and miles. Not to mention we have Yellowstone national park. Which I will be going to this summer and will be staying in a campground which I have no choice. Wyoming is great IMO because of the wide open spaces and the small towns small amount of people. The great outdoors doesn't get any better than Wyoming. I could go on and on.

[Campin Cajun]

Louisiana:
The FOOD is at the top of the list, especially in the south.
The fishing is great.
The hunting is good.
Mardi Gras
All the different types of festivals.
Some of the friendliest people in the world.
Great sports teams.
Great campgrounds.
Outdoor activities.
Many different cultures, meaning the people are different south of Hwy 90, south of I-10 and north of I-10.
Did I mention the FOOD.
Truly is a great state to live in.

The bad is our roads and the humidity, but we keep it that way on purpose. If we fixed it everyone would live here.

[mjones12]

North Carolina: In the west we have the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway; in the east there are traditional beaches and barrier islands (Outer Banks). Being one of the 13 original Colonies, we have rich history whether you're interested in the original English settlers on the coast or the Native Americans in the mountains (Cherokee).
There are numerous other modern attractions here, and I'm sure others will list them. Additionally, our temperate climate allows for camping year-round, as long as you're not planning to camp THIS week.

[CampingGator]

If you have never been to Florida, then you have to go to Disney World and camp at Ft. Wilderness there. Then, there are the many beaches, from the panhandle on down the state. Ok, enough of that! We live in north central Florida. We don't get the snow birds. There are beautiful rivers and springs to kayak and canoe. Swimming abounds at the springs. There are many campgrounds scattered in the area. Tubing the Ichitucknee River near High Springs is a great experience. Antique shopping in Micanopy. Gator sports at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Ocala horse country. Miles and miles of beautiful rural roads to travel. It's more old Florida and an experience that most who visit the state are unaware of. Of course, it's a little too cold to do the swimming thing just now, but by the first of May, you should be good.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by mjones12

North Carolina: In the west we have the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway; in the east there are traditional beaches and barrier islands (Outer Banks). Being one of the 13 original Colonies, we have rich history whether you're interested in the original English settlers on the coast or the Native Americans in the mountains (Cherokee).
There are numerous other modern attractions here, and I'm sure others will list them. Additionally, our temperate climate allows for camping year-round, as long as you're not planning to camp THIS week.

And in the Charlotte/Concord area NASCAR hall of fame and 90% of the racecar shops within 50 miles. Only 4 lane drag strip in the world.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by Wiscampsin

Add cheese factories, wineries, Door County, fishing, great state parks, and the Maritime Museum to the Wisconsin list.

Snowmobiling!

TURBS

[davido_]

Utah:

Five National Parks within the state's boundaries. Six within a 5-hour drive of Salt Lake City. 42 State Parks. Many National Monuments.

Winter: Skiing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, ice fishing, snow cave camping, snowshoeing.
Spring / Fall: Camping in Southern Utah's red-rock areas.
Summer: Camping in the High Uintas and Wasatch mountains.

Hiking, fishing, boating, rock climbing, biking, camping... it's an outdoors state.

We have every kind of terrain from sand dunes, to alpine, to desert planes, to red-rock canyons, etc. A lot of outdoor diversity.

[OldCoot]

Iowa has Ms Amy and they are TRYING to rid the state of Turbs.

[mlong]

Pennsylvania:

Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Williamsport-Little League World Series
PA Grand Canyon
Hershey Park & Chocolate World
PA State Parks
Fishing/Hinting
& Lots more!

[awellis3]

Wow! Where to start? Ocean front? Virginia has both developed and unspoiled coastline from Virginia Beach resort in the south to the Eastern Shore and its unspoiled barrier islands. Then there's the Chesapeake Bay with its tidal estuaries and rivers (Potomac, Rappahannock, James, York). World-renown fishing, crabbing and boating await the visitor.
Beginning in 1607 with the first permanent English-speaking settlement in what was to become the United States of America, Virginia is rich in history. For Colonial times, visit Jamestown, Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg. See settlement sites of the Native Americans (many of whom are still here: Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Nansemond, Monacan to name but a few). See historic Hampton Roads where the age of iron-clad war ships was born. Check out the fleet (esp. the carriers) in Norfolk.
Ride up Route 5 toward Richmond and visit the plantations of two US presidents and the site of the first Thanksgiving in Colonial America. In Richmond visit the White House of the Confederacy. Here also you can learn of the rich history of Africans brought to Virginia before the Pilgrims even got on their boat. It's all here.
Get on the Civil War history trail and see where the war started, ended and was fought for 4 years. Manassas, New Market, Petersburg, Shenandoah Valley, Appomattox - the list is long.
Visit the homes of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Robert E. Lee (now Arlington National Cemetery).
Virginia has the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains in the west. There you can start at Cumberland Gap and Wilderness Road SP and learn of westward expansion during and after the Revolutionary war, see caverns, caves, the Grand Canyon of the East. Fish, swim, boat the mountain streams and rivers. Snow ski at Wintergreen and Massanutten.
State Parks, mom-and-pop campgrounds and RV resorts are spread over the entire state. Once you unhitch, you won't be more than an hour's drive from a week's worth of things to see and do.
Oh, did I mention three NASCAR tracks? Kings Dominion? Busch Park?
I need to stop now before Luray Caverns comes to mind, and oh, I forgot ....

[iluvlcy]

Oklahoma:
Route 66 & all it's attractions
Cherokee and Chickasaw Indian Culture Centers
OKC National Memorial& Museum
Gorgeous State Parks
Great Lakes with amazing fishing
And some pretty friendly folks!


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[Capt. Mike]

Iwritecode, you just scratched the surface in Missouri...

St. Louis area
Anhauser-Busch Brewery free tours
Grant's Farm (home of the Clydesdales) free tours
Cardinals baseball
City Museum
Forest Park / Zoo / Art Museum / Muny Opera / Planetarium
Wineries along the Missouri River valley in Hermann
Bike Riding on the KATY Trail
Scuba diving underground in the old mine at Bonne Terre
First Missouri Capital at St. Charles

Kansas City area
Swope Park and Zoo
KC Royals baseball
Steamboat Arabia Museum
Kansas city, itself, is a beautiful city, with more fountains than any
city in the world, except Rome
NASCAR at Kansas Speedway

Branson theatres and country music shows

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetary in St. Louis has a newly-opened history museum.

College sports, minor league baseball, and major league sports all around the state.

Great fishing, boating and golf at Lake of the Ozarks

[The_Rhino]

OHIO:
"You are now leaving Ohio" signs - at least this time of the year!

The State Parks are fairly updated with paved sites & modern bathrooms.

A few "Bucket List" attractions are Cedar Point, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Homes County/Amish Country, Put-In-Bay, Rock-N-Roll & Football Hall of Fames, etc. We also enjoy the Cleveland, Columbus, & Akron Zoos, the Cleveland & Columbus Science Centers & Cleveland Air Show. Lots of loyal sports fans here, so Browns & Indians games are entertaining if your favorite sports team is in town & folks come from all over to see LaBron play now that he is back in town with the Cavs...

However, one of our favorite activities is biking through various sections of the Cuyahoga Valley Tow Path (downhill direction...) & having the CVSR train bring us & bikes back to our parking spot for just $2 (uphill...). In addition, "Rails-to-Trails" is converting unused rail lines to scenic bike paths across the state...

[hrlyguy2]

Illinois
Good Chicago hot dogs and pizza.
After that nothing but crooked Government
And crappy State

[Frank-VA]

Originally Posted by awellis3

Wow! Where to start? Ocean front? Virginia has both developed and unspoiled coastline from Virginia Beach resort in the south to the Eastern Shore and its unspoiled barrier islands. Then there's the Chesapeake Bay with its tidal estuaries and rivers (Potomac, Rappahannock, James, York). World-renown fishing, crabbing and boating await the visitor.
Beginning in 1607 with the first permanent English-speaking settlement in what was to become the United States of America, Virginia is rich in history. For Colonial times, visit Jamestown, Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg. See settlement sites of the Native Americans (many of whom are still here: Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Nansemond, Monacan to name but a few). See historic Hampton Roads where the age of iron-clad war ships was born. Check out the fleet (esp. the carriers) in Norfolk.
Ride up Route 5 toward Richmond and visit the plantations of two US presidents and the site of the first Thanksgiving in Colonial America. In Richmond visit the White House of the Confederacy. Here also you can learn of the rich history of Africans brought to Virginia before the Pilgrims even got on their boat. It's all here.
Get on the Civil War history trail and see where the war started, ended and was fought for 4 years. Manassas, New Market, Petersburg, Shenandoah Valley, Appomattox - the list is long.
Visit the homes of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Robert E. Lee (now Arlington National Cemetery).
Virginia has the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains in the west. There you can start at Cumberland Gap and Wilderness Road SP and learn of westward expansion during and after the Revolutionary war, see caverns, caves, the Grand Canyon of the East. Fish, swim, boat the mountain streams and rivers. Snow ski at Wintergreen and Massanutten.
State Parks, mom-and-pop campgrounds and RV resorts are spread over the entire state. Once you unhitch, you won't be more than an hour's drive from a week's worth of things to see and do.
Oh, did I mention three NASCAR tracks? Kings Dominion? Busch Park?
I need to stop now before Luray Caverns comes to mind, and oh, I forgot ....

I SECOND THAT QUOTE ON THE GREAT STATE OF THE COMMWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.

[B47]

Originally Posted by iluvlcy

Oklahoma:
Route 66 & all it's attractions
Cherokee and Chickasaw Indian Culture Centers
OKC National Memorial& Museum
Gorgeous State Parks
Great Lakes with amazing fishing
And some pretty friendly folks!


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

Don't forget the famous Robertsons Ham Sandwich shops - finally stopped at one a couple years ago while going to FAA Acedemy in OKC.

Wasn't worth the money or the hype IMO.

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

And in the Charlotte/Concord area NASCAR hall of fame and 90% of the racecar shops within 50 miles. Only 4 lane drag strip in the world.

Right. And Richard Childress also has a world-class winery, along with many other wine producers.

Also, we have the largest natural-habitat zoo in the U.S. and the first state-supported university in the nation.