Last year, my husband and I decided to make the most of working remote jobs by traveling across the US, staying in 29 different states along the way.
Although I don’t regret visiting any of the states we spent time in, there are some I’m excited to return to — and others I’m glad I saw once.
In my opinion, Michigan is seriously underrated.
Whenever we had a spare moment during our month in Michigan, we were outside.
We strolled through a tulip farm in Holland, had a picnic on the beach at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, and sipped pinot noir along a wine trail near Buchanan, stopping by different wineries along the route.
We spent most of our time near the shores of Lake Michigan, so we had access to all the things I could want on a beach vacation — fresh seafood, lively boardwalks with all kinds of quirky shops, and pristine sand.
However, in my experience, the prices seemed lower than what I’m used to in many of the “beach destinations” along the coasts.
I already have a list of places I want to explore the next time we’re in Michigan, such as Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Mackinac Island, one of the few places in the US where cars are banned.
Vermont’s small towns are incredible.
I firmly believe that Vermont has some of the most picturesque small towns in the US. And although each one has its special charms, Stowe really stands out to me.
Between perusing the cute shops, riding the gondola to the top of Mt. Mansfield (Vermont’s highest peak), and grabbing a drink at the Von Trapp Brewery (started by Maria von Trapp’s son), I felt like I’d been sucked into a postcard.
I was also impressed by Vermont’s dairy game. In almost every town we visited, I saw a shop selling creative varieties of cheese.
My favorite usage of dairy, however, had to be at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury. The tour was fun, the ice cream was perfectly decadent, and I still chuckle about the hilariously poetic Flavor Graveyard, where retired varieties are memorialized.
South Dakota offers so much more than Mount Rushmore.
Seeing massive carvings of former presidents is impressive, but there’s so much more to South Dakota than Mount Rushmore.
For example, I loved spending time in Custer State Park, which I believe offers some of the best views in all of the Black Hills. During our visit, we saw coyotes, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and hundreds of bison (one even licked our car!)
Less than two hours away, we were treated to an entirely different landscape in Badlands National Park, which is dominated by buttes and towering rock spires.
There are also tiny museums and fascinating sites tucked away in small towns, making the drive across the state even more entertaining.
We stopped at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs — an active excavation site where the remains of over 60 mammoths have been unearthed. I was amazed by the sheer scale of that many skeletons found in one place, and it was definitely worth the stop.
On the other hand, West Virginia was beautiful, but I think we saw the highlights.
We spent several days driving around West Virginia, checking out different hiking trails and marveling at the abandoned mills hidden on backroads.
There were certain moments that took my breath away, like visiting Sandstone Falls and the stunning 3,000-foot bridge in New River Gorge National Park.
However, after getting our fill of nature, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of other options to fit our interests. In general, the state is pretty rural, and a lot of the small towns seemed designed for locals, not tourists.
Although I think hikers, campers, and whitewater enthusiasts could enjoy a visit to the Mountain State, I’m content with what I saw on my trip.
Idaho surprised me, but I don’t feel the need to return anytime soon.
I didn’t know much about Idaho before we visited, but we saw some incredibly memorable spots during our trip.
Craters of the Moon National Monument — filled with black ancient lava fields and hill-like cinder cones — is unlike any other natural preserve I’ve been to in the continental US. Seeing it covered in snow only added to its otherworldly quality.
We also visited the Basque Block in Boise, which is a section of town that is preserved and dedicated to the Basque people who emigrated from Spain to Idaho in the late 1800s. As we strolled, we read signs that were posted and learned about the area and the culture.
Although I’m sure there are more beautiful places to see around Idaho, when I return to this region in the future, I’ll probably focus my time in Montana and Wyoming.
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