50 Must Visit (Maybe) Places in America

Posted on August 20, 2026August 20, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

Good Morning, Dear Friends

Summer is winding down and we all try to squeeze in one more trip before vacation season slips away. Because of that, I’ve put together another fun list.. This time, it’s the 50 most famous places in America, The Good Old USA. . Now, I’m not saying these spots are good or bad — just famous. In fact, the article I read said most Americans have only visited five or fewer. So, I’ll note which ones I’ve been to, and then you can tell me your number in the comments. Finally, let’s see how many of these iconic places you’ve checked off. I’m not saying all of thes eplaces are great, no judgement here, they are just famous.

The Statue of Liberty standing on its pedestal on Liberty Island, with visitors below, an American flag to the right, and a partly cloudy sky overhead.

The 50 Most Famous Places in America

(My visits noted beside each one)

Statue of Liberty (New York City, NY) — Yes
The Strip (Las Vegas, NV) — Yes
Times Square (New York City, NY) — Yes
Disney World (Orlando, FL) — Yes
Road to Hana (Maui, HI) — Yes
Fort Sumter National Monument (Charleston, SC) — No
White House (Washington, D.C.) — Yes
Yosemite National Park (CA) — Not yet
Central Park (New York City, NY) — Yes
South Beach (Miami, FL) — Yes
Liberty Bell (Philadelphia, PA) — No
The Alamo (San Antonio, TX) — Yes
Empire State Building (New York City, NY) — Yes
Washington Monument (Washington, D.C.) — Yes
Gateway Arch (St. Louis, MO) — No
Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, CA) — No
Chicago River (Chicago, IL) — Yes
Hollywood Sign (Los Angeles, CA) — No
Zion National Park (UT) — No, but I want to
French Quarter (New Orleans, LA) — Yes
Disneyland Park (Anaheim, CA) — Yes
Pike Place Market (Seattle, WA) — Yes
Yellowstone National Park (WY/MT/ID) — Yes
Mount Rushmore (Keystone, SD) — Yes
Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, NY) — Yes

Hang in There — Halfway Through!

Grand Canyon (AZ) — Yes
Kennedy Space Center (FL) — No
J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, CA) — No
The Wave (AZ) — No, but very high on my list
The Bean (Chicago, IL) — No
Alcatraz Island (San Francisco, CA) — Yes
Hoover Dam (NV) — Yes
Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC) — No
Pearl Harbor (Honolulu, HI) — Yes
Mesa Verde National Park (CO) — No
Mackinac Bridge (MI) — No
Mall of America (Bloomington, MN) — No
Acadia National Park (ME) — Yes
Colonial Williamsburgh 2018
Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington, VA) — Yes
Balboa Park (San Diego, CA) — No
Cape Cod (MA) — Yes
Denali National Park & Preserve (AK) — Yes
Graceland (Memphis, TN) — No
Mammoth Cave (KY) — No
Atlantic City Boardwalk (NJ) — Yes
White Sands National Park (NM) — No
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, OH) — No
Cannon Beach (OR) — No, but it’s on my bucket list
Savannah Historic District (Savannah, GA) — No
Colonial Williamsburg (VA) — Yes

Now Wasn’t that Fun?

A list like that makes you think doesn’t it. It sure surpised me. Do you agree with the choices?

Final Thoughts

After all, I don’t know who decides what counts as “famous.” In addition, I’m not sure I agree with every pick. However, like Planet Fitness, this is a No Judgment Zone. As a result, if I counted correctly, I’ve visited 28 out of 50 places. Finally, how about you — what’s your number?

Picking a Destination

Posted on March 21, 2014March 21, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Anyone who has been following this blog for any time knows that my travel goal is to visit all 50 states and not just as a layover on the way to someplace else. No I want to spend quality time in each state.

I was watching a travel channel program today and it hit my why I have such a problem with that goal. I mean , really, I set it. Why should it be such a difficult thing to work toward? The reason, because each state has so much to share. You just aren’t finished with a state with one vacation. Each state needs time to get to know it. Like a person… you don’t get to know someone by sharing a drink at a cocktail party.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been to Florida. I don’t always spend the time at Disney either. That’s a nice visit but not a priority for me.

But as I watched them talk about the Coral Castle in Homestead, FL I realized that I’m not done with Florida yet.

I haven’t ben to the Coral Castle, or the Miami Zoo.

I want to return to the Everglades and explore it in a lot more depth.

I haven’t spent any time in the northern part of the state or Panhandle and only touched on the sights in St. Augustine.

I’ve been to Hawaii twice but really want to get back there again. I haven’t been to Maui or taken the “Fast Ferry” between islands. I need to snorkel off Molokai and see Kilauea pour lava into the sea at night.

I can’t forget Alaska. My first visit was on a cruise ship . A nice trip but too tame for my taste. I want to set up a “base camp” maybe in Anchorage and explore out from there. I want to visit Fairbanks and see- no not just see-the northern lights, but photograph them.

One of the best trips I’ve done was with my sister to South Dakota but we didn’t get to see a pow wow or visit Sturgis or many other old west towns and there’s the whole eastern side of the state.

It’s hard to turn away from unfinished business. Every state I’ve visited needs a return visit to finish the exploration started on that first visit but if I always do that I’ll never get to the rest of the states. What a huge amazing country we live in!

Bucket List of the States

Posted on November 9, 2013November 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Well my little exercise of reviewing the 50 states was interesting. It took so many posts and so much research that I think it needs a summary list just so it’s all in one place.

Visited To Be Visited

Alaska Alabama

Arizona Arkansas

California Colorado

Connecticut Delaware

Florida Idaho

Georgia Illinois

Hawaii Indiana

Maine Iowa

Massachusetts Kansas

Nevada Kentucky

New Hampshire Louisiana

New Jersey Maryland

New York Michigan

Rhode Island Minnesota

South Carolina Mississippi

South Dakota Missouri

Texas Montana

Vermont Nebraska

Virginia New Mexico

Washington North Carolina

Wisconsin North Dakota

. Ohio

. Oklahoma

. Oregon

. Pennsylvania

. South Carolina

. Tennessee

. Utah

. West Virginia

. Wyoming

So there’s the bucket list. I will be in San Diego, CA for a few days in January for a business meeting so I’ll have another notch on the California side but that doesn’t work off the pending list.

I was thinking about a visit to Williamsburgh, VA for my vacation in 2014 but now I wonder if I should “rethink” that and aim to go to one of the remaining states. I will have to think on this .