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50 Awesome Vacations: MontanaBe a cowboy for a week in Montana, which offers many opportunities to work and play on a dude ranch. Horseback riding is the central activity, but out of the saddle, these ranches offer fly fishing, guided hikes, rafting, interpretive tours, campfires, cookouts and wildlife sightings.
50 Awesome Vacations: NebraskaYou’re probably familiar with Stonehenge, but how about Carhenge? If that name makes you think of autos stacked monument-style, you’re spot-on. Rising incongruously from the farmland of western Nebraska, Carhenge consists of 38 cars, painted gray and assembled in the same manner as Stonehenge’s building blocks. As you might guess, though, it’s a young whippersnapper compared with England’s prehistoric site: Carhenge was created by sculptor Jim Reinders and dates from 1987.
50 Awesome Vacations: NevadaGreat Basin National Park, in eastern Nevada near the Utah border, offers a rare opportunity to explore Lehman Caves, which are ornately decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone, popcorn and more than 300 rare shield formations. Guided cave tours are offered daily year-round, except on holidays. Park rangers lead all tours, explaining the history, ecology and geology of the caves.
50 Awesome Vacations: New HampshireCanterbury Shaker Village is among the best-preserved of the former Shaker communities that once dotted the Eastern U.S. Established in 1792, the village formerly housed up to 300 people and operated for two centuries before being converted into a museum. These days, the village features 25 original Shaker buildings and nearly 700 acres of forest in a postcard-pretty setting. Besides learning about how the Shakers lived, guests can make traditional Shaker crafts and dine on cuisine incorporating produce grown on-site.
50 Awesome Vacations: New JerseyWant to pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen, one of the Garden State’s most famous exports? Visit the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, best known as the launching pad of The Boss and the E Street Band. It’s still a great spot to listen to live music. Then stop by the Asbury Park Library, which houses the largest collection of written material on Springsteen ever assembled.
50 Awesome Vacations: New MexicoAlbuquerque is home to the “box,” a set of predictable wind patterns that can be exploited to navigate hot-air balloons. That’s one reason the city hosts the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every fall. Companies like Rainbow Ryders offer hot-air balloon rides year-round. It’s one of the most serene flying experiences you can imagine.
50 Awesome Vacations: New YorkMidtown Manhattan is now home to car-free pedestrian plazas in Times Square and Herald Square. The plazas were inspired by similar streets-turned-walkways that are common in Europe. The midtown makeover is part of a long-term effort by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration to reimagine the street grid in one of the most traffic-dense areas in Manhattan. They’re perfect places to sip your coffee while contemplating which of New York’s great attractions to see next.
50 Awesome Vacations: North CarolinaThe Outer Banks are a 200-mile-long string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. The Wright brothers' first flight in a powered, heavier-than-air vehicle took place in 1903 on the Outer Banks, at Kill Devil Hills near the seafront town of Kitty Hawk. Explore these islands by renting a beach house. Vacation Rentals by Owner lists dozens of options, including 36 in Kitty Hawk alone.
50 Awesome Vacations: North DakotaLocated on land that was once a major trading region where Lewis and Clark met Sacajawea, the Knife River Indian Villages Historic Site introduces visitors to the history and heritage of the Northern Plains tribes. The facility, about 60 miles northwest of Bismarck and run by the National Park Service, includes the remains of earth-lodge dwellings, a reconstructed earth-lodge home, a museum and a garden where traditional crops are grown. Each year in late July (in 2010, July 24-25), the site hosts Culture Fest, celebrating the past and present culture of the Northern Plains tribes.
50 Awesome Vacations: OhioThere are amusement parks, and then there’s Cedar Point in Sandusky, west of Cleveland. The 364-acre park is best known for its 17 roller coasters, including the wooden Blue Streak and the high-octane Magnum XL-200, which was the world’s first roller coaster to soar above 200 feet. Cedar Point also features a wide variety of other thrilling rides, plus children’s rides, a water park and miniature golf. New in late June was the Shoot the Rapids ride, a flume ride with plunges of 85 and 49 feet.
50 Awesome Vacations: OklahomaSaddle up in Stockyards City! Oklahoma City’s Western district has a rich history that dates back a century, but the cowboy life is very much a present-day affair here as well, and more than 70 Stockyards City establishments cater to working ranchers, who buy and sell cattle here weekly. If you like Western wear, you’ll find everything you’ve ever wanted in Stockyards City’s shops. For food, chow down at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, which has been serving prime fare since 1910.
50 Awesome Vacations: OregonAre you a fan of pinot noir? Uncork some fun at the International Pinot Noir Festival, July 23-25 in McMinnville, 37 miles southwest of Portland. This year’s event will host more than 60 international pinot noir producers and 50 top Northwest chefs. The weekend will include tastings, educational seminars and unforgettable meals in Oregon wine country.
50 Awesome Vacations: PennsylvaniaGettysburg National Military Park offers a haunting reminder of how the Civil War once divided the country. The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War. It’s where Union victory in July 1863 ended Gen. Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. It was the war's bloodiest battle, with 51,000 casualties, and provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous address.
50 Awesome Vacations: Rhode IslandOn evenings throughout the summer, Providence’s three rivers are set ablaze with approximately 100 flickering bonfires, part of a public art installation called WaterFire that has been lighting up the state capital since 1994. The fires are accompanied by recordings of natural sounds and music. WaterFire is best enjoyed at Waterplace Park, where the rivers converge and cobblestoned waterfront walkways beckon for a leisurely stroll.
 50 Awesome Vacations: South CarolinaFort Sumter in Charleston Harbor is the birthplace of the Civil War. Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back. A concession-operated ferry service takes visitors to Fort Sumter from downtown Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
50 Awesome Vacations: South DakotaDeadwood is a modern town, but the Old West is still alive and kicking here. In fact, it’s preserved its history so well that the entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places. Legendary figures such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane once walked Deadwood’s streets, and you can visit their graves in Mount Moriah Cemetery. You can also try panning for gold at the Broken Boot Gold Mine, established in 1878.
50 Awesome Vacations: TennesseeThe White Lightning Trail is a network of winding mountain roads in northeast Tennessee, where moonshine stills once bubbled and bootleggers hauled illegal whiskey in fast cars. The drivers who modified their cars to outrun the police helped give rise to stock-car racing, which grew into NASCAR. Highlights of the self-guided driving trail include the hometowns of country musicians Roy Acuff at Maynardville and Chet Atkins at Luttrell, Knoxville's Market Square and the Museum of Appalachia between Clinton and Norris.
50 Awesome Vacations: TexasWhat could be better in summertime than floating down a scenic river? Grab an inner tube and float down the Guadalupe River near New Braunfels in central Texas. Outfitters along the river can also set you up with rafts or kayaks for a real whitewater thrill ride.
50 Awesome Vacations: UtahThe Mormon Tabernacle Choir has appeared at 13 world's fairs and expositions and performed at the inaugurations of five U.S. presidents. Catch a rehearsal every Thursday evening at the Salt Lake Tabernacle. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the choir's live half-hour broadcast, “Music and the Spoken Word,” is held every Sunday at the Conference Center.
50 Awesome Vacations: VermontDo you scream for ice cream? If so, treat yourself with a trip to the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory in Waterbury. The factory gives 30-minute tours most days of the year; try to go on a weekday, when they’re likely to be making ice cream. But even if they’re not, you’ll still get to sample some Cherry Garcia or Chubby Hubby (or one of the many other flavors) at the end of the tour.
50 Awesome Vacations: VirginiaThe Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs through Virginia and North Carolina, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Stop off at Milepost 86 to visit the Peaks of Otter lodge and restaurant, the visitor center and the 1930s restored Johnson Farm. This spot also offers a campground, picnic area, access to the Appalachian Trail, and an extensive trail system to the summit of the three main peaks. Mabry Mill, a working grist mill, is another popular place to stop.
50 Awesome Vacations: WashingtonLake Chelan is 55 miles long but only 1.5 miles wide at its widest point, and the steep slopes of central Washington’s Cascade Mountains hug the lake snugly, giving it an almost fjordlike quality. If you really want to get away from it all, there’s no better place than the community of Stehekin, on the northwest end of Lake Chelan: The tiny, isolated town is accessible only by boat, air or foot (many visitors hike in), and the views are breathtaking.
50 Awesome Vacations: West VirginiaThe New River begins in North Carolina, flows into southwest Virginia and eventually into West Virginia. It has a funny name indeed, since it is actually one of the oldest rivers in the world. It’s also a magnet for whitewater rafters and kayakers who enjoy the challenge of difficult Class III to Class V waters. In other words, the rapids are imposing and forceful, many of them obstructed by large boulders that require maneuvering in powerful currents, crosscurrents and hydraulics. The New River has a dozen commercial outfitters that offer guided whitewater trips year-round, with the main season running from April through October.
50 Awesome Vacations: WisconsinMilwaukee, the state’s largest city, has a strong German heritage as well as a long and storied beer tradition. The huge Miller Beer Co. (now called MillerCoors) has been brewing pints in Milwaukee for more than 150 years, and today its Miller Brewery facility still sits on the site of land purchased by founder Frederick Miller in 1855. The brewery offers free tours most days, taking you through the beer-making process; samples of beer (or soft drinks) are available for quaffing at the end of the tour.
50 Awesome Vacations: WyomingThis state is full of natural wonders, but none is grander than its glorious fauna. Whether you visit Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons or Jackson Hole — or, better yet, all three — Wyoming may be the best place to see wildlife in their natural habitats. The safest way to view the four-legged locals is by car; more than half of the state is public land, and bears, bison, bighorn sheep, elk and much more frequently wander up to (or even across) the road. Hiking is also a great way to view the critters, but make sure to keep a safe distance. |
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