USA Travel Bucket List: Top 3 Things To Do in Every State
Welcome to the USA: a big, beautiful, diverse, and complicated country. Experiencing the best of the United States can inspire, change perspectives, transform—and hopefully encourage us all to keep contributing to making this country’s great experiment a success. Ready to begin your bucket list adventure? Start here with our picks for the top three things to do in each state (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico), organized by region.
West Coast Bucket List
Alaska
- Soaring over Denali National Park on a flightseeing plane
- Marveling at massive glaciers
- Getting a glimpse of charismatic bears
California
- Admiring the waterfalls and granite slabs of Yosemite National Park
- Catching views of the Golden Gate Bridge
- Soaking up the sun on Southern California beaches
Oregon
- Hanging out in Portland
- Gazing over Crater Lake
- Road tripping along the Columbia River Gorge
Washington
- Gaping at Mount Rainier’s towering volcanic peak
- Perusing Pike Place Market
- Hiking through primordial rain forest in Olympic National Park
Southwest Bucket List
Arizona
- Looking out over the Grand Canyon
- Exploring Red Rock Country
- Taking a scenic drive through Monument Valley
Nevada
- Getting dazzled by Las Vegas glitz
- Skiing down powdered slopes in Tahoe
- Marveling at 4,000-year-old trees in Great Basin National Park
New Mexico
- Wandering Taos Pueblo
- Floating in a balloon above Albuquerque
- Caving in Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Texas
- Jamming in Austin, the “Live Music Capital of the World”
- Getting off the grid in Big Bend National Park
- Browsing San Antonio’s Market Square
Utah
- Taking in the views at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks
- Hiking among the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park
- Roaming dinosaur country at Dinosaur National Monument
Rocky Mountains Bucket List
Colorado
- Driving and hiking Rocky Mountain National Park
- Carving fresh powder in Vail
- Sampling craft brews in Denver
Idaho
- Feeling out of this world at Craters of the Moon National Monument
- Taking a summer getaway to Coeur d’Alene
- Going on an outdoor adventure in the Sawtooths
Montana
- Hiking in Glacier National Park
- Learning about Blackfeet culture in Browning
- Taking a ranch vacation
Wyoming
- Watching Old Faithful erupt at Yellowstone National Park
- Spotting bison in Yellowstone
- Catching views of Mormon Row against the Tetons in Grand Teton National Park
Great Plains Bucket List
Iowa
- Pondering Effigy Mounds National Monument
- Savoring the food creations at the Iowa State Fair
- Walking onto the Field of Dreams
Kansas
- Remembering the fight for equal rights at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
- Wandering through prairieland at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
- Imagining the bottom of the ocean in Western Kansas
Missouri
- Digging into a plate of Kansas City barbecue
- Riding to the top of Gateway Arch
- Weekending at Lake of the Ozarks
Nebraska
- Witnessing sandhill crane season
- Visiting Carhenge
- Tanking down a Nebraska river
North Dakota
- Soaking in the Badlands views at Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Enjoying Fargo (with or without a woodchipper)
- Standing knee-high to a buffalo at the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument
Oklahoma
- Gaining insight into Cherokee history at the Cherokee Heritage Center
- Remembering America’s Black Wall Street at Greenwood Cultural Center
- Getting kitschy along Route 66
South Dakota
- Watching the changing colors of Badlands National Park
- Browsing Native American art at Red Cloud Heritage Center
- Finding vast views and big skies at Custer State Park
Great Lakes Bucket List
Illinois
- Admiring the Chicago skyline
- Looking for Abraham Lincoln
- Climbing the Cahokia Mounds
Indiana
- Climbing mountains of sand in Indiana Dunes National Park
- Strolling and visiting the museums along Indianapolis’s Canal Walk
- Watching cars race by at the Indy 500
Michigan
- Cruising the Motor City
- Tasting wine in and around Traverse City
- Marveling at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
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Minnesota
- Paddling the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
- Visiting the Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden
- Experiencing Life in the Skyways in the Twin Cities
Ohio
- Riding the coasters at Cedar Point
- Slowing down in Amish Country
- Hiking and biking Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Wisconsin
- Getting out on the water
- Saying “cheese” in America’s Dairyland
- Rooting for the Green Bay Packers
New England Bucket List
Connecticut
- Paddling the Thimble Islands
- Listening to tales of the sea at Mystic Seaport Museum
- Walking through a re-created village at Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center
Maine
- Venturing into Acadia National Park
- Feasting on lobster
- Spotting lighthouses
Massachusetts
- Following the Freedom Trail
- Getting outdoors at Cape Cod National Seashore
- Soaking up art at world-class museums
New Hampshire
- Summiting the highest peak in the White Mountains
- Cruising Lake Winnipesaukee
- Visiting Flume Gorge
Rhode Island
- Wandering the Cliff Walk in Newport
- Getting Artsy in Providence and beyond
- Enjoying beaches across the state
Vermont
- Watching fall foliage light up the hills
- Skiing and snowboarding in the Green Mountains
- Tasting Vermont’s artisanal cheese
Mid-Atlantic Bucket List
Delaware
- Relaxing in the sun at Delaware Seashore State Park
- Wandering through historic Lewes
- Feasting your eyes on American decorative arts at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate
Maryland
- Strolling the sights of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
- Sailing around Historic Annapolis
- Spotting wild ponies on Assateague Island
New Jersey
- Beach-hopping on the Jersey Shore
- Meditating on U.S. History at Liberty State Park
- Touring the Garden State’s best gardens
New York
- Gazing up at (or down on) the NYC skyline
- Hiking the Adirondacks
- Feeling the mist of Niagara Falls
Pennsylvania
- Following in the founders’ footsteps
- Running up the “Rocky steps” and visiting the museums of Benjamin Franklin Parkway
- Riding the inclines up Mount Washington
Virginia
- Going back in time in Colonial Williamsburg
- Taking a road trip on Skyline Drive
- Visiting presidential homes
Washington DC
- Devoting an entire day to the National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Being spoiled for choice among the Smithsonian Museums
- Viewing the Lincoln Memorial at night
West Virginia
- Appreciating West Virginia’s beauty at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
- Learning about Civil War History at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
- Climbing for a view at Seneca Rocks
U.S. Islands Bucket List
Hawaii
- Watching the sun rise or set from Haleakala
- Diving and snorkeling Hawaii’s best reefs
- Seeing lava glow at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Puerto Rico
- Strolling Viejo San Juan
- Diving deep into El Yunque National Forest
- Soaking up the sun and surf
Southern Bucket List
Alabama
- Seeing how the past informs the present at the Legacy Museum
- Celebrating the “Father of the Blues” at the W. C. Handy Birthplace, Museum, and Library
- Digging your toes into the sugar-white sand at Gulf Shores Public Beach
Arkansas
- Conjuring the bravery of the Little Rock Nine at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
- Soaking in Hot Springs at Hot Springs National Park
- Mining for diamonds in Crater of Diamonds State Park
Florida
- Snorkeling in tropical waters at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
- Kayaking through wetlands in Everglades National Park
- Getting a taste of Cuba on Calle Ocho
Georgia
- Celebrating a Civil Rights luminary at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
- Wandering hauntingly beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery
- Glimpsing wild horses on Cumberland Island National Seashore
Kentucky
- Having a mint julep at the Kentucky Derby
- Spelunking at Mammoth Cave National Park
- Tasting the Kentucky spirit along the Bourbon Trail
Louisiana
- Soaking up New Orleans music heritage
- Searching for gators on a swamp tour
- Confronting the legacy of slavery at Whitney Plantation
Mississippi
- Journeying into the blues on the Mississippi Blues Trail
- Imagining life 2,000 years ago at Bynum Mounds
- Craftmaking at the Bill Waller Mississippi Craft Center
North Carolina
- Hiking and driving Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Taking a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Escaping to the Outer Banks
South Carolina
- Admiring the view from Charleston’s historic Battery
- Learning about Gullah history and culture at the Penn Center
- Walking beneath the world’s tallest forest canopy at Congaree National Park
Tennessee
- Hiking and driving Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Honoring the Civil Rights Movement
- Jamming to live music in Memphis and Nashville
From the Pacific to the Atlantic, through prairies and bayous to snow-capped mountains, uncover the best of the US with Moon USA State by State.
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