State Places Challenge -- A to Z

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(Photo by Craig Antill)
A - Art Deco District
B - Bahia Honda State Park
C - Christ of the Deep
D - Daytona International Speedway
E - Everglades
F - Fort Jefferson
G - Gatorland
H - Hemingway Home
I - International Drive
J - John F Kennedy Space Center
K - Keys
L - Little Havana
M - Mallory Square
N - Naples
O - Overseas Highway
P - Panhandle
Q - Quietwater Beach
R - Ron Jon Surf Shop
S - Sanibel Island
T - Theater Of The Sea
U - Universal Studios
V - Valiant Air Command Warbird Air Museum
W - Walt Disney World
X - Ximenez-Fatio House
Y - Yeehaw Junction
Z - Zephyrhills

[click here to see some of the other states in our list]

Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places

Aiken: Third Leg of polo's triple crown
Brattonsville: Revolutionary War living history site and movie location
Charleston: Southern Charm, Revolutionary and Civil War History
Daufuskie: Crabs, boat tours, and a century old lighthouse
Edisto Memorial Gardens: A unique memorial to the Civil War fallen
Forts Sumter and Moultrie: Where the Civil War began - and its a great ferry ride out to Sumter
Greenville: An arts center, there are nine bronze mice hidden downtown
Hilton Head Island: The beach for seclusion and quiet time
Isle of Palms: One of several oceanfront resorts near Charleston
Jones Gap State Park: A mountain wilderness on the northern edge of the state
Kings Mountain: Together with Cowpens,crucial turning points in the southern campaign of the Revolution
Landrum: These is the kind of town I look for instead of exit fast food
Myrtle Beach: The beach if you want activities and night life
Ninety Six: Site of the first Revolutionary War battle of the southern campaign
Opera, Dance, Jazz, Theatre: It can only be the Spoleto Festival
Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge: Coastal wetlands with over a dozen miles of trails
Q Cup: The World Series of South Carolina Barbeque
Ridgeland: The "Heart of the Lowcountry"
South of the Border: Pretty much defines 'tacky to excess'
Travelers Rest: Great name for a RoadTrip destination, and not a bad place to rest either
Upcountry: The Cherokee called these heights "the Great Blue Hills of God"
Varnville: Life is like a box of chocolates
Waterfalls: Over two dozen falls, including the highest falls in eastern America
Xenoepists: The Gullah are so much more, and unique in virtually every aspect
Yemassee: and its annual Shrimp Festival
Zentrum: The only BMW museum in North America

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Much more than Memphis and Graceland
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(Photo by Craig Antill)
AMSE: Oak Ridge, where the nuclear age came of age
Big South Fork: Outdoor recreation on the Cumberland Plateau
Chattanooga: History, scenery, centrally located to the deep South
Discovery Center: Murfreesboro, just off I-24, a great break for the kids
Edgar Evins State Park: A true 'rest area' within a few miles of I-40
Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum: Giddy Up 409
Great Smoky Mountains: Straddling the border with North Carolina
Hermitage: President Andrew Jackson's home, Nashville
International Storytelling Center: Johnson City, hosting the nation's oldest event dedicated to the oral tradition
Johnsonville State Historic Park: Hiking in an historic setting, guided walks are available
Knoxville: Gateway to the Appalachians
Lost Sea: Largest underground lake in the U.S.
Memphis: Graceland, the Blues, Mud Island
Nashville: Music City
Obed Wild and Scenic River: One of the best whitewater rivers in the eastern United States
Peabody Ducks: A unique institution in Memphis
Quilt Trail: Even if you're not into quilts, following the trail will show you a beautiful and seldom seen corner of Tennessee
River Road: It's great here as well, but we already used 'G' for the Great Smoky Mountains
Shiloh: Bloody Shiloh
Tennessee Aquarium: A Particularly kid friendly place
Unicoi: Historic town on the Appalachian Trail
Veterans' Museum: Dyersburg, dedicated to WWII Vets and others
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: Knoxville, honoring the founders of a new pro sport
Xmas Tree Farms: In the piney woods, what else would you expect?
Young Acres Farm: One of many farms in Tennessee's Century Farms Program
Zorb: Ever wonder what it's like to be a gerbil?

[click here to see some of the other states in our list]

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(Photo by Craig Antill)
Anne of Green Gables;
Blue Heron Coastal Drive;
Confederation Bridge;
Devine Dance Company;
Elmira Railway Museum & miniature railway;
Fanning school historical site at Cabot Beach;
George Canyon;
Heritage Ghost Walk;
Indian Head Lighthouse;
Jacques Cartier Provincial Park;
Kings Castle;
Little Bear Live : Winter Tales;
Montgomery, Lucy Maud;
North Cape;
Orwell Corner Historic Village
Province House : the birthplace of Canada
Queens County;
Ram Island;
Souris : gateway to the Madeleine Islands
Tyne Valley;
Union Corner Provincial Park
Victoria Rangelight
Wood Islands
Xiphiidae : swordfish can sometimes be found in the North Atlantic Ocean;
York Point;
Ziphiidae : a beaked whale that was hunted in the North Atlantic during the 19th century;

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The Natural State

Arkansas Queen: Slow down and experience Arkansas from its namesake river
Buffalo National River: One of America's last free-flowing rivers
Crowley's Ridge Parkway: Forests and farmlands in the St. Francis River delta
Diamonds: Free for the finding at a state park
Eureka Springs: In the heart of Arkansas' Ozarks
Fayetteville: Just make sure you know what a Razorback is
Gurdon Light: Because I'm posting this list on Halloween
Hot Springs: The park and the town
Illinois Bayou: Unlike most bayous, this one is whitewater
Jacksonport State Park: From near ghost town to historic interpretive center
Kings River: Hiking, canoeing, scenery, fishing and floating in western Arkansas
Little Rock: Historic capital and cultural center
Magnolia Blossom Festival: and World Championship Steak Cook-Off - a great combination, in Magnolia, of course
Newport: Handy to the Great River Road and a nearby archaeological park
Ouachita National Forest: Your chunk of the Ozarks celebrates its hundredth birthday
Pine Bluff: the "City of Murals"
Quapaw Quarter: Historic district of Little Rock (and double points on Q!)
Rodeo of the Ozarks: Always the first four days of July
Springdale: Home station of the scenic Arkansas and Missouri Railroad
Talimena Scenic Drive: A road worthy of a trip
Unusual Town Names: Greasy Corner, Toad Suck, and I guess there is at least one Boring place
Van Buren: The shopping center for Ozark crafts
White River National Wildlife Refuge: One of many refuges along the Mississippi, this one is heavily forested
Xu International Art Gallery: Hot Springs
Yellville: It's only appropriate that this is home to the National Wild Turkey Calling Contest
Zinc: A town with a history as well as the metallic ore

[click here to see some of the other states in our list]

The 39th (or 40th) State depending on the order in which Buchanan signed the proclamations for North and South Dakota, and he never told.

Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge: Actually a complex encompassing several million acres in 9 counties
Bismarck: The capital and a center for Lewis and Clark history
Cross Ranch State Park: One of the last stretches of the Missouri that's still as Lewis and Clark saw it
Dakota Dinosaur Museum: Dickinson, a great place to take a break with kids - just off I-94
Enchanted Highway: Folk art on very public display
Fort Totten: An incredibly intact cavalry outpost
Grand Forks: and the Red River Valley
Hawk Museum: Rugby, thousands of antique farm implements
International Peace Garden: A unique binational botanical garden
Jamestown: Buffalo City, and 2008 is its 125th birthday
Knife River: Reconstructed plains Indian Villages; home to Sacagawea
Little Missouri National Grassland: Grasslands, badlands, it's all good
Mandan: Bismarck's neighbor and home to Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park
Native American Scenic Byway: Connecting the two Dakotas
On-a-Slant Village: 400 year old home to the Mandan Nation
Pioneer Trails Regional Museum: Bowman, preserving the history and heritage of the people and the land
Quilt: The world's largest is in Antler, ND
Rendezvous Region Backway: Through the Pembina Gorge on ND-32 and ND-55
Salem Sue: Udderly ridiculous
Theodore Roosevelt National Park: Any time you visit a National Park, thank Teddy
United Tribes International Powwow: Bismark, an annual event with representation from over 70 tribes
Valley City: "City of Bridges" and gateway to the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway
Williston: Near the confluence of the Yellowstone River and the Missouri River and full of Lewis and Clark lore
X-Stream Adventures: Where you can still engage in the fur trade (of sorts)
Yunker Farm: Children's Museum, Fargo. Hands-on indoor/outdoor fun
Zahl: and the nearby National Wildlife Refuge

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(I haven't been to most of these places yet...)
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(Photo by Craig Antill)
A – Akaka Falls Gulch – about 15 miles from Hilo – jungle-like gorge with stunning waterfalls.
B – Boiling Pots – springs that percolate through the lava beds near Hilo.
C – Captain Cook Monument where he was killed by tribal chief Kamehameha
D – Diamond Head State Monument
E – Ewa Beach on the western side of Pearl Harbor
F – Footprints Trail in Volcanoes National Park –
G – Garden of the Gods near Molokia – odd rock formations
H – Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
I – Iron Man Ultra Marathon on October each year at Kailua Bay environs.
J –
K – Kapa’a, Kauai – I am a sucker for alliterative place names (great diving area).
L – Lake Waiau is the 3rd highest lake in the United States at 13,020 feet.
M – Molokini Crater – one of the best diving spots in the world.
N – Nihoa Island is about 170 miles from Kauai has several large stone images.
O – Oahu Island
P – Pu’uhonua O Honanunau National Historic Park – restored to 1700’s appearance
Q – Queen Street, in Honolulu, named in 1850 for Queen Kā-lama, wife of Ka-mehameha III.
R – Rainbow Falls on the Wai-luku River, near Hilo.
S – Silversword plant only lives on the edge of the Haleakala Volcano crater.
T – Thurston Lava Tube –
U – USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor
V – Volcano House. Hotel on the brink of Kī-lau-ea caldera,
W – Waikoloa Beach – access point for exploring the Pentagon Coral area.
X –
Y – Yung Hee Village on the Big Island
Z –

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My daughter is a KU grad and my first grandson was born here, so it's fitting that I post this on Thanksgiving

Aviation Museum: Wichita is practically synonymous with airplanes
Barbed Wire Museum: Lacrosse; the plains are practically synonymous with barbed wire
Cimarron National Grassland: Prairie as it used to be
Dodge City: Where Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson started to make their names
El Dorado: The fine art of living well
Fort Scott National Historic Site: One of the best preserved cavalry outposts on the plains
Garden of Eden: Not quite what you may think, but if you want quirky...
Hiawatha: Quintessential small town America, its streets are lined with 100 varieties of maple trees
Independence: A MUST for Laura Ingalls Wilder fans
Junction City: In the Flint Hills
Kauffman Museum: North Newton; the natural and anthropological history of the plains
Leavenworth: Has an odd slogan for a City famous for its prison
Manhattan: The Little Apple and the KSU Insect Zoo
Niocdemus National Historic Site: A living community that is the only remaining all Black Town west of the Mississippi River
Oakley: Buffalo Bill and other fossils
Prairie Center: Olathe (KC); Introduce yourself before heading west across the plains
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge: Marshland on the prairie provides a home for migrating sandhill cranes
Rock City: Like looking at clouds: What shapes do you see?
Santa Fe Trail Center: Larned; The history of the trail, of course, but also the annual Tired Iron Show
Topeka: The capital and home to a living prairie museum
Ursuline Garden and Arboretum: A true Rest Stop in Paolo
Valley Center: Outside Wichita
Wetlands and Wildlife Scenic Byway: While most people drive through Kansas in a straight east-west line, this road meanders north-south
Xenia: If you have a Post Office, you have history.
Yoder: The heart of Kansas Amish Country
Zenda: A typical plains town - stop to see the town model and old jail

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Quaker Day Festival & X-Fest are the only two not officially on maps.

A-Angel Mounds State Historic Site & Mounds State Park: Anderson
B-Basketball Hall of Fame (Indiana): New Castle
C-Covered Bridges: Parke County
D-Dunes (Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore): Lake Michigan
E-Evansville: Evansville
F-Football Hall of Fame (College): South Bend
G-Great Indiana State Fair: Indianapolis
H-Hinkle Fieldhouse: Indianapolis
I-Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Indianapolis
J-Jasper: Jasper
K-Kokomo: Kokomo
L-Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial: Lincoln City
M-Monument Circle: Indianapolis
N-New Harmony: New Harmony
O-Old National Road (US 40): Richmond, Greenfield, Indianapolis, Plainfield, Brazil, Terre Haute
P-Prophetstown: Battle Ground
Q-Quaker Day Festival & Parade: Plainfield
R-Richmond: Richmond
S-Santa Claus: Santa Claus
T-Terre Haute: Terre Haute
U-University of Notre Dame: South Bend
V-Vincennes: Vincennes
W-West Baden Springs Hotel: French Lick
X-XFest: Noblesville
Y-Yorktown: Yorktown
Z-Zionsville: Zionsville

[click here to see some of the other states in our list]

Just an update -- this list is up to 67 places and here are the ones still to go:
USA: Connecticut, & Oklahoma.
Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan
Mexico: Aquascalientes, Baja Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Couma, Durango, Guanajuto, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayrit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretmo, Quintano Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamulipas, Tlaxcala, Yucatan, Zacatecas

Thanks!