The Coolest States to Visit in the USA
Submitted by baker on Wed, 02/16/2005 - 08:50
Tags:
- California
- Hawaii
- Colorado
- New Hampshire
- Washington
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- New York
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- Maryland
- Texas
- Alaska
- Maine
- Vermont
- New Mexico
- Illinois
- Rhode Island
- Oregon
- Missouri
- Michigan
- South Dakota
- Wyoming
- Montana
- Indiana
- Utah
- Georgia
- Nevada
- Minnesota
- Arizona
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Louisiana
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Ohio
- Idaho
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Arkansas
- New Jersey
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
- Oklahoma
- Wisconsin
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- North Dakota
- Here's a map of the states I've personally visited:
- create your own visited states map
- or check out these Google Hacks.
Author Comments:
Admittedly, I haven't seen much of the Northwest, North Central, or Southern states, so I may be ranking them unfairly. However, I've spent a fair amount of time in the rest of the U.S. and this is how I think the states stack up against one another.
I haven't been to the southeastern states, but I'd agree with everything here, except:
Hawaii should be #1.
In what ways do New Hampshire, Massachusettes, and Virginia beat out New York for tourism?
And what's so great about Rhode Island?
Williamsburg, Yorktown, Monticello, in Virginia.
Plimoth (Plymouth), Concord, Boston, in Massachusetts.
IMHO
I really love New York state, as I drove all around it one summer. Nevertheless, as a Boston Red Sox fan, I don't think I could ever put New York ahead of Massachusetts for that reason alone. I also admit to being biased towards liking New England since I'm from there. As for Rhode Island, I just feel Providence is the perfect sized city with plenty to do without the aggravation of Boston or NYC.
Heck, Oklahoma is my home and current state, and yet the only real defense for it I can come up with is that a trip to Tulsa will get you a free lunch with me.
The tourism department just rang. They begged me to shut up.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Don't mean to put you on the spot here, but do you have a preference on terrain? Mountains, hills, plains? Also... having never visited New England, I'm curious why Connecticut rated so much lower than the states around it? Just wonderin'.
I like mountainous areas, hilly areas, and generally flat forested areas. I spent quite awhile in Oklahoma and Iowa, and I really did not like the endless flat plains areas. As for Connecticut, I've had some good times in Hartford before, but I hate driving the interstate there. Plus, the residential areas aren't very attractive and it seems to exude this sense of bland suburbia. Oh, and we joke about Yale being a "moat" school encircled by a really bad area.
This a great idea for a list, but I have to quibble with the really low rankings of Alabama and Mississippi; they may be backwards, they may be poor, but they are beautiful, especially in regards to forests and gentle hills. Alabama especially is mostly thick pine forests. And the amount of history in these two states, from the civil war, to the origins of the blues and country music, to the civil rights movement, just add to the atmosphere. And don't even get me started on small towns straight out of the fifties with great ramshackle restaurants and roadhouses. OK, sorry to get defensive, but I just had to.
Johnny Waco
Plus, speaking of Alabama, any state that has a town with a boll weevil statue, a town that is the "bird dog capital of the world," and that has an annual Rattlesnake Rodeo can't be in the bottom ten! I'll shut up now.
I appreciate the comments. I've never been to Alabama or Mississippi, so based on what you wrote I'll have to take your advice and bump them a little higher.