Must Visit Sites in the Lower 48

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dcasement

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Hi all!  We're planning a 12 month trip across the lower 48 beginning in NH.  We're interested in hearing about sites in each state you highly recommend, other than National Parks (already planning those);outdoor activities, city sites, cultural activities, etc.
 
Wow!  What you're asking for is a list a mile and a half long.  It might be better to suggest where you're going first and ask for ideas about that area or areas.This is a huge magnificent country and even looking at one state alone there would be many many suggestions.

Of course National Parks, but also National Battlefields?  Music venues?  Food venues?  See what I mean?
 
It probably depends on your interests. If you're looking for hiking and nature and studying geology, the list will be much different than if you're looking to hit up museums or study the history.
 
I think Google will be far more informative than we can help. Everyone has different interest. Need more info. Maybe ask along the way as you travel.
 
We are looking to take a small trip to the Adirondacks and then head west out to Arizona and the golden arches. We are thinking two weeks will be nice, but of course never enough time to see everything. We are focusing more on outdoor festivities and sight seeing. My wife watches these 3D videos on Youtube of the arches out west? I'm not too tech savvy, but she seems to like them. Check them out!
 
This is my general itinerary. I have pages of more detailed ideas on what my family wants to do in each of these places and other lists with the exact places we plan on staying each night. This has been literally hundreds of hours of planning.


July 31 Presque Isle, PA
August 8 Cedar Point
Aug 9 Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Aug 14 Apostle Islands
Aug 17 Duluth
Aug 20 Bismark
Aug 21 Badlands National Park
Aug 25 Mt Rushmore
Aug 26 Grand Teton 
Aug 28 Yellowstone
Sept 8 Missoula, Montana
Sept 10 Glacier Park
Sept 14 Spokane
Sept 15 North Cascades NP
Sept 17 Seattle
Sept 23 Mt Rainier
Sept 25 Olympic National Park
Sept 29 Portland
Oct 1 Crater Lake
Oct 2 Redwoods
Oct 5 Lassen Volcanic Park
Oct 7 San Francisco
Oct 13 Lake Tahoe
Oct 18 Yosemite
Oct 24 King Canyon/Sequoia NP
Oct 27 Big Sur and Pacific Highway
Hearst Castle
Oct 29 L.A./ Hollywood/ Disneyland
Nov 7 San Diego
Nov 20 Joshua Tree
Nov 22 Death Valley
Nov 24 Las Vegas
Dec 3 Hoover Dam
Dec 4 Grand Canyon
Dec 10 Canyon de Chelly
Dec 11 Four Corners
Dec 12 Mesa Verde
Dec 14 Arches National Park
Dec 17 Canyonland/ Capitol Reef
Dec 18 Bryce Canyon
Dec 20 Zion NP
Dec 22 Salt Lake City
Dec 26 Black Canyon
Dec 27 Great Sand Dunes
Dec 29 Albuquerque
Jan 3 Palo Duro Canyon
Jan 3 San Antonio
Jan 10 Austin
Jan 11 Houston
Jan 17 New Orleans
Jan 28 Tampa
Feb 4 Everglades
Feb 6 Key West
Feb 7 Ft Lauderdale
Feb 14 St Augustine
Feb 18 Savannah
Feb 25 Nashville
March 3 Memphis
March 10 Arkansas
March 11 Oklahoma
March 14 Kansas
March 18 Nebraska
March 22 Iowa
March 26 St Louis
April 2 Mammoth Cave
April 5 Lexington
April 14 Myrtle beach
April 20 my college room mate in NC
April 21 Virginia Beach
May 5 Dewey/ Rehoboth beach
May 13 Six Flags NJ
May 19 Lancaster/ Hershey
 
I hope you make a stop in MD. We have a lot of Civil War history.  We have every type of landscape you could want-mountains,Chesapeake Bay,Ocean City.  Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  Frederick has a lot of history.

None of those are particularly RV friendly though.  Have you got a toad or Class A or C?  You could visit Frederick from Gettysburg.  Campgrounds in Hagerstown,which is probably closer to Frederick.  CGs in Ocean City and there is Cherry Hill CG which is good choice if you want to see D.C.  Lots of museums-
Smithsonian,National Zoo,govt buildings,monuments. 

If you could tell us what specific interests you have,maybe we can narrow it down.
 
We are stopping in Maryland for a couple days! We're planning on going to Assateuge Island State Park for a night or 2 on our way up. We have a class A with a toad.
We are going Gettysburg, haven't decided if that'll be before or after Hershey, but it's on the list.
We aren't doing DC because we spent a week there 2 years ago and have been multiple times, but for the OP or anyone who hasn't been, it's a must do. We actually stay in Maryland when we visit. Give yourself plenty of time in DC, there's sooooo much to do and see!
 
I know the OP said other than National Parks, but I would like to add a few ideas that include some National Parks and museums: Gettysburg, Minuteman Missile museum and related sites, Mt. Rushmore and related sites (the Needles Highway, Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, and Iron Mountain Road), Custer State Park, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon (on a motorcycle), Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks Indiana, Indiananpolis Speedway/museum, any NASCAR race, Boston and all the related sites (Freedom Trail, Old Ironsides, Fenway, Faneuil Hall, etc.), Washington DC and all you can take in there, and in the home state: Acadia NP (hiking), Mt. Katahdin (hiking). The rest are still on my bucket list!
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
We are stopping in Maryland for a couple days! We're planning on going to Assateuge Island State Park for a night or 2 on our way up. We have a class A with a toad.
We are going Gettysburg, haven't decided if that'll be before or after Hershey, but it's on the list.
We aren't doing DC because we spent a week there 2 years ago and have been multiple times, but for the OP or anyone who hasn't been, it's a must do. We actually stay in Maryland when we visit. Give yourself plenty of time in DC, there's sooooo much to do and see!

Wave to us as you're passing by Northbound to Assateague. We're just North of Wallops Island. :)
 
Amanda-

I've got some questions about your post earlier for your stops in the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde and Arches National Park. Can I message you about specific campgrounds and routes?
 
LarryL60 said:
Amanda-

I've got some questions about your post earlier for your stops in the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde and Arches National Park. Can I message you about specific campgrounds and routes?
Absolutely, I have a plan but I have never been to these places so I can't give advice or reviews.
 
Two weeks will be too short. Last summer we left from MN for out west and we were gone 24 days traveling 6,000 miles.
Yes, there are so many places to visit but we enjoyed traveling along the Oregon coast. By the way, we?re headed northeast next summer including the Adirondack and White Mtns. Do you have any other ?must see?  places for us?  Thanks!
 
ricsuz88 said:
Two weeks will be too short. Last summer we left from MN for out west and we were gone 24 days traveling 6,000 miles.
Yes, there are so many places to visit but we enjoyed traveling along the Oregon coast. By the way, we?re headed northeast next summer including the Adirondack and White Mtns. Do you have any other ?must see?  places for us?  Thanks!
My Adirondack favorites are Cranberry Lake and Nick's Lake. So beautiful. Cranberry Lake is more remote, Nick's Lake is very close to the little town Old Forge with tons of little shops and restaurants and even a water park.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
This is my general itinerary. I have pages of more detailed ideas on what my family wants to do in each of these places and other lists with the exact places we plan on staying each night. This has been literally hundreds of hours of planning.


July 31 Presque Isle, PA
August 8 Cedar Point
Aug 9 Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Aug 14 Apostle Islands
Aug 17 Duluth
Aug 20 Bismark
Aug 21 Badlands National Park
Aug 25 Mt Rushmore
Aug 26 Grand Teton 
Aug 28 Yellowstone
Sept 8 Missoula, Montana
Sept 10 Glacier Park
Sept 14 Spokane
Sept 15 North Cascades NP
Sept 17 Seattle
Sept 23 Mt Rainier
Sept 25 Olympic National Park
Sept 29 Portland
Oct 1 Crater Lake
Oct 2 Redwoods
Oct 5 Lassen Volcanic Park
Oct 7 San Francisco
Oct 13 Lake Tahoe
Oct 18 Yosemite
Oct 24 King Canyon/Sequoia NP
Oct 27 Big Sur and Pacific Highway
Hearst Castle
Oct 29 L.A./ Hollywood/ Disneyland
Nov 7 San Diego
Nov 20 Joshua Tree
Nov 22 Death Valley
Nov 24 Las Vegas
Dec 3 Hoover Dam
Dec 4 Grand Canyon
Dec 10 Canyon de Chelly
Dec 11 Four Corners
Dec 12 Mesa Verde
Dec 14 Arches National Park
Dec 17 Canyonland/ Capitol Reef
Dec 18 Bryce Canyon
Dec 20 Zion NP
Dec 22 Salt Lake City
Dec 26 Black Canyon
Dec 27 Great Sand Dunes
Dec 29 Albuquerque
Jan 3 Palo Duro Canyon
Jan 3 San Antonio
Jan 10 Austin
Jan 11 Houston
Jan 17 New Orleans
Jan 28 Tampa
Feb 4 Everglades
Feb 6 Key West
Feb 7 Ft Lauderdale
Feb 14 St Augustine
Feb 18 Savannah
Feb 25 Nashville
March 3 Memphis
March 10 Arkansas
March 11 Oklahoma
March 14 Kansas
March 18 Nebraska
March 22 Iowa
March 26 St Louis
April 2 Mammoth Cave
April 5 Lexington
April 14 Myrtle beach
April 20 my college room mate in NC
April 21 Virginia Beach
May 5 Dewey/ Rehoboth beach
May 13 Six Flags NJ
May 19 Lancaster/ Hershey


I seldom post but keep up with the ongoing topics on here (most of my questions I find already answered and most of my answers to others have already been taken care of  ;) ).  That said, we're not far from Mammoth Cave so if you have opportunity, give us a shout when you're in the vicinity.

Shelia
 
RockyHill said:
I seldom post but keep up with the ongoing topics on here (most of my questions I find already answered and most of my answers to others have already been taken care of  ;) ).  That said, we're not far from Mammoth Cave so if you have opportunity, give us a shout when you're in the vicinity.

Shelia
Ok! I screen shotted it and added it to the appropriate folder!
 
If you're taking some time in Arkansas, rather than just blowing through on I40, google "Blanchard Springs Caverns".  Most all the great scenery in Arkansas is north of I-40.
 
viceprice said:
I know the OP said other than National Parks, but I would like to add a few ideas that include some National Parks and museums: Gettysburg...

Gettysburg is one place that every American should visit if they have an opportunity. While there consider taking one of the guided drive tours around local historical sites.

 

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