Top 4 Travel Destinations
 

Please list your <font color="green">TOP 4 STATES</font> and include your <font color="aqua">TOP 4 DESTINATIONS WITHIN EACH OF THOSE STATES</font>.

This is for fun and for ideas . . . we all need to be adding to our &quot;gotta see&quot; lists, afterall! :)

Wow... this will show you all how well traveled I am! ( Not!)

Charleston, South Carolina
New York City, New York
Boston, Massachusetts
Anywhere in Maine, Rhode Island... all those scenic tiny states where you can drive a little and see a lot, compared to California! :)

1. Missoula, MT- any outdoor activty you could imagine, great nightlife, and incredible eye candy for all of us.
2. Annapolis, MD- Great history, incredible food, and can't beat the shopping.
3. Las Vegas, NV- Great resorts, great food, and actually great hiking if you leave the strip.
4. North Dakota- Granted thats where I grew up, but its tuff to beat the serenity and sunsets in august, while riding in a combine all alone when no matter where you look you see golden wheat and horizon.

Kauai Hawaii~ North Shore

Sedona Arizona

Laguna Beach Ca.

Oregon coastline

I don't think we've been to 4 destinations in 4 states...so here's an abbreviated version for those of us still on the road less travelled-

California - my favorite place there was The Pageant of the Masters at Laguna Beach

Florida - getting a condo on the beach in Destin, Crystal Sands, and do nothing

Tennessee - the Smoky Mountains, arts &amp; crafts shopping, staring at the streams

Outside the U.S. - London is the only place we've been overseas,--- fave being seeing Romeo &amp; Juliet at the Globe Theatre, going to the Chelsea Flower Show, seeing Westminster Abbey, and the day we spent at Hampton Court Palace

Hawaii...Maui..Kaanapali Beach
California...Napa and Sonoma area, plus Palm Desert, Palm Springs
New York, New York
Arizona, Sedona

Maui, Hawaii
Newport, Rhode Island
San Diego, California
Key West, Florida

Let me make certain I understand the question: you're asking for my opinion of the top four states for travel, and then the top four sites within each of these four states I chose -- for a total of sixteen sites chosen?

1. California: Los Angeles, Yosemite, San Francisco, Redwwods

2. New York: New York City (worth four picks)

3. Alaska: Kenai Wildlife Refuge, Denali NP, Kenai Fjords NP, Valdez

4. Utah: Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef (yes, I know that's five, but I can't eliminate any of the NP's)

Maui ~ anywhere I can see the ocean, feel sun's warmth and smell the salt air.

The North Shore of Lake Superior, Minnesota ~ The Cascade River, the Temperance River, Gooseberry Falls, the Split Rock Lighthouse, the pizza at the Koho in Tofte and any morsel of food at The Angry Trout in Grand Marais. (And my littel book store in Grand Marais, but I can't remember the name of it right now, it is down the street from the World's Famous Donut Shop!) Yes, all of the above mentioned are destinations within the area of the North Shore.

Savannah ~ The historic district.

Coeur de Alene, Idaho ~ The Lake, the Shops on the main street, the Cabins at Blackrock.

Utah: Sundance Film Festival
Washington: Sun Mountain Lodge
Montana: Going-to-the-Sun Highway
Idaho: Sun Valley

L.M. Sunshine

God bless ya, Little Mary, may we all bask in the glow of your sunshine!
((#))

Maui, Hawaii
Seattle, WA
Las Vegas, NV
Boston, MA

I forgot about Sedona, AZ.

Not counting places I've been (spent time and enjoyed, that is)

San Francisco and the Redwoods, CA
Coast, Maine
Alaska
Oahu or BI, Hawaii

Alternate/tied: NYC, New Orleans, Flroida Keys


Places I want to return to and spend time in-

Seattle, WA (Washingtonian 'til I die, baby!)
DC and area
Michigan
Carolinas/south

And then, there's the fact I've never been off of N. America....
Europe (Germany, Italy, Ireland, France)
Australia (Sydney/GBR)
Asia (Japan/ Hong Kong)

Sooo not going to happen:)

Florida, sorry!
Also....San Antonio, TX

Auggh- Sorry, Bayougal- read your OP wrong!

Previously mentioned: Places I wish to go in the future

Now....where I've been (and enjoyed):

Washington: Seattle, San Juans, Spokane, Leavenworth

Oregon: Portland, Cannon Beach (and area), Newport, Columbia River Gorge

DC: Ahhh- not really a state, but: Smithsonians, FDR memorial, Alexandria, Williamsburg

CA: San Diego and area, Disneyland, hwy.101, and.....SF is on the list.

And I flew over the Great Lakes/Chicago- DEFINITELY want to stop and explore next time....

Great thread, Bayougal:)

Utah: Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce &amp; Capitol Reef have already been mentioned so my 4 will be Dinosuar National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreational Area, Monument Valley and Rainbow Bridge National Monument &amp; Natual Bridges National Monument...heck I know it's 5 but Utah JUST HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER!

Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, Devils Tower National Monument and Wind River Range.

Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado National Monument &amp; Great Sand Dunes National Park

Arizona: Grand Canyon National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Petrifed Forest National Park and Walnut Canyon National Monument.

Utahtea

Hard to do! Top 4 States and top 4 destinations:

California - San Francisco, Big Sur, Yosemite, Redwood National Park

Washington - Mt. St. Helens National Monument, Mt. Rainier National Pk, San Juan Islands, Olympic National Park

Oregon - Oregon Coast, Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake, Mt. Hood

Montana - Glacier National Park, Yellowston National Park

Newport, RI
San Diego, CA
Ft. Walton Beach, FL (panhandle area)
San Francisco, CA

1- New York State...anywhere except NYC(THERE IS MUCH MORE TO NY THAN THE CITY)
2- New Hampshire- Lakes Region and Mt. Washington
3- Nevada- Vegas, Baby
4- Florida- Ponce Inlet or St. Augustine

1. Florida--because my mother lives there and I also just like hanging around there (except in summer). No major theme parks, just strolling around Mount Dora and the main squares at The Villages around sunset (when the shops are still open and the live entertainment is getting underway).

2. Oregon, because it's one of the most beautiful places in the country with some of the liveable communities. Top 4: Portland and Eugene for inland, Cannon Beach and Florence or Bandon on the coast

3. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, of course, from Society Hill to Chestnut Hill, it's great. Then &quot;my&quot; corner of the Lehigh Valley, where my friends from school still live. Historic Bethlehem for the shops and history (probably in reverse order). Hosensack because it has such beautiful PA Dutch homes and hardly anyone knows where it is, or Shimerville because they serve such fantastic soft ice cream.

4. Vermont. I'm an avowed leaf peeper, so I might as well go with the best! Middlebury, Stowe, Mad River Glen (when the snow is fresh on the ground) are my three picks, haven't got a fourth yet...

1. Las Vegas--Horseback riding in Red Rock Canyon, walking through all the hotels on the Strip, eating fun and different food, and the M&amp;M Store.

2. New York--Broadway and off-Broadway shows, Double decker bus tours, street fairs, Central Park

3. New Orleans--The French Quarter, New Orleans Museum of Art, shopping on Magazine St., and finding cheap, amzing places to eat.

4. Hashville--Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall or Fame (you have to do each of them once even if you aren't a country music fan), the Cumberland Museum, the Italian Street Fair, and thrift and antique stores.

1. Arizona--Tucson, Bisbee, Scottsdale, Sedona
2. Colorado--Boulder, Aspen, Telluride, Glenwood Springs
3. New Mexico--Santa Fe, Taos, Chimayo, Turquoise Trail
4. Hawaii--on the Big Island--south Kona, Kapoho, Hawi, Honoka'a and Waipio Valley

1. St Augustine, FL...what a quaint little place.

2. Anywhere on Maui.....heavenly.

3. San Francisco, CA...very nice and different looking city.

4. Seattle, WA...I loved the Seattle Pike Market there.

5. Anyplace along the ocean in Maine.

6. Scottsdale, Arizona

7. New York City, NY

Wow, what amazing lists you all have come up with!:)

I will add these suggestions to my state travel lists. In case you're wondering, I save a document that is literally a list for each state from ideas on this board and others, then I have an easy &quot;print and go.&quot; (If you search Wy, you can find an incomplete list I posted for travelers to Yellowstone.) By the time I visit that state, I usually have LOTS of wonderful places to visit. Thanks so much! :)

Santa Fe, New Mexico
San Francisco, California
Boston, Massachusetts
Florida beaches

In Hawaii.......Maui

In California.....La Jolla

In New York.....NYC

In New Jersey.... Down The Shore

<b>Vermont</b>
1. The beautiful scenery throughout the state - foliage season is coming!
2. Shelburne Falls for the Inn as Shelburne Farms (both accomodation and food) and the Shelburne Falls Museum.
3. Inn at Essex for the world's <u><b>BEST</b></u> chicken wings at the Tavern.
4. My backyard for wildlife viewing :-)

<b>Massachusets:</b>
1. Clark museum in Williamstown (what a <i><font color="blue">gem</font></i>!)
2. Museum of Fine Arts in Boston - world class.
3. Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston - she was a fascinating woman! 4. The view from the Hyatt Harborside Hotel in Boston - take the ferry over and have a drink in the bar.

<b>Maine</b>:
1. All of the fun little shops that line the coastal towns - Kennebunkport, Ogonquit - really any of them.
2. The view from Cadillac Mountain looking down into Bar Harbor when the red-sailed boat is out.
3. scenic drives along the coast.
4. Goose Rocks beach.

<b>Any of our National Parks</b>:
I know - against the rules of the post - but they are so wonderful, and in so many different states!

Thanks BayouGal - this was fun to think about!

<font color="green">Cyn</font>

It's so hard to compare for &quot;top&quot; - if it is favorite as in most fun, or in most awe, or in most relaxation- well they all would be different. I don't exactly know what you mean by top. Top I have seen or top overall for the future planning??

4 I have enjoyed and had the most &quot;fun&quot;-

Trip all the way down the middle from IL to Gulf of MS - mighty Mississippi too. (Not 1 state- I know.) Way too many sites (old homes) and river beauty venues to list.

San Diego- had a blast in both nature and urban (Harbor, Old Town, Zoo, Tidal pools at the beach)

NYC &amp; NY State - too many to list- but especially for theatre and green topography.

Michigan- sunsets, water, people, topography. Best on all counts.

FL- people I love who have moved there and not the weather or beaches, Orlando (had the most fun ever with grown up children- life long memories.)

I've seen many of the parks and features of Utah, Idaho and out West. Their beauty is timeless and appreciated, but they don't spark fun like the above. Different kind of top to me. And although I can hike and love the peace etc. I much prefer the fun vacation.

Gotta sees after I retire and can spend more time roaming:

Northwest- Oregon &amp; Washington state- I hear Walla Walla is just terrific and a lot like Northern MI.

Colorado- I've been 5 times in winter and want to see it in summer.

Vermont/Maine- think I would love it.

Alabama- all kinds of reasons.

And all the places on UtahTeas's list too.

Other trips I will go again or 1st time if God wills:

Sicily (would be 1st time)
Austria/Germany (hopefully with IT &amp; Sicily for a month overall)
Japan (would be 1st time)- especially Kyoto
UK

Guanajuato: Guanajuato or San Miguel de Allende.
Queretaro: Queretaro.
Michoacan: Patzcuaro; Morelia; Uruapan.
Jalisco: The Costalegre.
M

What a diverse group we are!
Massacusetts: Boston, North Shore OuterCape,Bershires
New York: N.Y.C. Finger Lakes,Watkins Glen,Adirondacks
Oregon; Portland,Oregon Coast Bandon and Florence
Rhode Island Newport, Rose Island Lighthouse,Wickford, Bristol

Oh, this is hard because I'm an Army Brat who has lived from coast to coast, in Europe and the Far East.
Here are my sentimental favorites:

Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park; seeing Old Faithful erupt; being scared out of your wits by a HUGE male elk while taking photo; eating pizza in Jackson Hole; breathing in fresh air!
Virginia: walking the campus at the University of Virginia; having a very 18th century conversaiton with Bill Barker, aka Thomas Jefferson, at Colonial Williamsburg; getting to know our first President through his home at Mount Vernon; and playing golf at The Homestead Resort.
California: Ocean surf; touring San Fransico by air in a very, very little plane; drinking wine in Napa; terrific weather.

And last but not least; Arkansas, my adopted hometown of Hot Springs National Park; home of fantastic mineral water from the hot springs; home of gangsters of old; where early baseball spring training took place; horse racing at Oaklawn track; and the boyhood home of former President Bill (have been able to meet to Pres on a few occasions.)

Have to mention Miami, Florida, and the beaches; the golf courses of Alabama, the shopping in Dallas, Texas, museums in Washington DC, and baseball and history in Cooperstown, New York.

My list errs on the side of being able to actually list 4 places in each state...

1. North Carolina:
Outer Banks, Asheville, Chapel Hill, Jordan Lake

2. Virginia:
Charlottesville, Alexandria, Skyline Drive, Leesburg

3. California:
Pacific Coast Hwy, San Francisco, Vineyards, desert

4. Florida:
Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Gulf Coast

Illinois, downtown Chicago/Michigan Ave
California, San Fran/cycle the golden gate
Oregon, gorgeous Coastline
Georgia, Savannah- lovely quaint town

Nevada: Mt. Charleston, Vegas, Boulder City, Reno

Florida: St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Clearwater, Destin

PA: Philly, Pittsburgh, Erie, Gettysburg

GA: Savannah, St. Simons, Augusta, Macon

1) Chicago, IL Best time to go is in the summer see http://chicago.com
2) NY, NY Best time to go is in the summer see http://newyourk.com
3) Palm Springs, CA Best time to go is year roundyear round see http://palmsprings.com
4) San Francisco, CA Best time to go is year round

New York - Adirondacks, Finger Lakes Region, historic Hudson Valley, and fall foliage anywhere in NY.

Utah - Moab area (Arches NP), Springdale area &amp; Zion NP, Bryce &amp; Boulder (Escalante, Scenic Rte 12), Capitol Reef NP. Listing only 4 places in southern Utah is crazy hard!

Maine - Belfast, New Harbor, Isle au Haut, Southwest Harbor (Mt Desert Island) - the whole coast above Portland is amazing.

Southern Colorado/Northern NMexico - can't list one cuz it's the whole area. Chaco Canyon is incredible, Jemez Springs (NM) is a gorgeous area, Ouray, CO - a highlight of our visit to CO, Mesa Verde &amp; Great Sand Dunes - sorry couldn't decide on one.

<b>Virginia:</b> (1)The Shenandoah Valley for its scenic vistas and its Civil War connections. (2)The Colonial Parkway which threads through Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown connecting those towns and their history. (3)Richmond for its Civil War connections. (4)Jefferson's homes including Monticello and Popular Grove.

<b>Pennsylvania:</b> (1)Philadelphia and surrounding area for its connection to the colonial struggle for independence. (2)The city of Lancaster and the surrounding Amish communities. (3)Gettysburg Battlefield (4)The Pennsylvania Turnpike for a scenic drive through the Appalachian Mountains.

<b>Colorado:</b> (1)Rocky Mountain National Park (2)The drive along the &quot;Million Dollar Highway&quot; and/or the train trip from Durango to Silverton on the narrow gauge railway. (3)Black Canyon of the Gunnison NM (4)Mesa Verde National Park

<b>Illinois:</b> (1)Chicago and the surrounding six county area for its wealth of cultural activities. (2)Galenna for its quaint shops and its historic connection to US Grant. (3)The Quad City area 'cause that's where I grew up and the Mississippi River flows east/west there. (4)The Great River Road that follows the Mississippi from the Wisconsin border to the Quad Cities and beyond. (Yes JJ5, I agree that following the river down to the Gulf is worthy of mention even if I follow the rules and confine myself to Illinois....although it's mighty tempting to cross over into Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri along the way!) &gt;:D&lt;