Alabama
High is very relative term. At the highest point in Alabama, set above what is now the Talladega National Forest, Cheaha Mountain is 2,407 feet above sea level form which you can view much of the surrounding countryside. At the Cheaha Mountain overlook, you’ll find a tower that was built in 1948 by the Civilian Conservation Corps at the overlook.To get to Cheaha Mountain from Intestate 20, take exit 191 south using US 431. Turn south to use the Talladega Scenic Byway, then use Route 281 South. Follow that along to Cheaha State Park. Drive the marked road up to Bunker Tower. We recommend visiting early in the morning or late in the evening. An enjoyable side trip unless the forecast calls for snow, rain, or lightning.
Alaska
As the economics changed in Alaska, native villages and totem were abandoned. In 1938, the US Forest Services began saving and restoring the totems at Totem Bight State Historical Park. It is a ferry ride to get there. Learn more at the ranger stations and on the website.Ketchikan Ranger Station, 9883 N Tongass Highway, Ketchikan, AK 99901 907-247-8574.
Arizona
Reputed to be the best cowboy bar in the west, Big Nose Kate’s Saloon is an ideal place to dine and have a cool sarsaparilla. Park your RV somewhere safe on the back streets and walk through the town. If you pay to see the gunfight reenactment, you can get a free period newspaper down one of the side streets from the time of the famous gunfight. Receive a reprint of the 1881 Epitaph with the original Gunfight reports as part of your O.K. Corral admission ticket. Check out the gunfight reenactment at the OK Corral and the little boot hill cemetery on the edge of town while you are there if you have time.Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, 417 E. Allen Street, Tombstone, Arizona 520-457-3107.
Arkansas
Southern Tenant Farmers Museum is located on the Sunken Lands Cultural Roadway and is the trailhead for the Tour duh Sunken Lands annual cultural cycling event. Photographs, oral histories, and artifacts tell the history of sharecropping, tenant farming, and labor movements, featuring prominently the history of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union.Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, 117 South Main Street, Tyronza, AR 72386 870-487-2909.
California
Elmer liked glass and old things and put them together in very artistic ways. Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch is a unique roadside stop that rivals many others, including the largest ball of twine and TP village. Please don’t drive by this one without a stop and look-see.Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, 24266 National Trails Hwy, Oro Grande, CA 92368.
Colorado
To complete a visit or simply find a reason to go to Colorado in the first place, take in a trail ride at High Country Trails, billed as the true adventure of the West. All ages from 7 years old and up and riding skill levels are accommodated. Select to go to the top of the mountain trail and overlook Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Grand Lake off in the distance. Trail rides can take six hours and more.Located at Shadow Mountain Guest Ranch. From Interstate 70 take exit 232, take US 40 driving through Winter Park, Fraser and Granby. Two miles west of Windy Gap take Colorado Highway 125 north for about 5.5 miles. Look for them on the right side of the highway.
High Country Trails next to 5043 CO-125, Granby, CO 80446 970-887-8991 or 801-372-9868.
Connecticut
Visit the Glass House, designed by Philip Johnson. Yes, that’s correct — a house made mostly of glass. Those residents who should not throw stones! The house was built in 1948–49 on Ponus Ridge Road in New Canaan. The tour takes a bit over an hour. Tickets are required for admission and access to the home site is only via the paid tour. Advance reservations are required as tours often sell out.Visitor Center + Design Store, 199 Elm Street, New Canaan CT, 06840. For tickets by phone, please call 866-811-4111. For more information call 203-594-9884.
Delaware
It was a long walk, a bit of controversy, and a few lawsuits and good number of years to get from cast records to today’s digital sound technology. Learn the beginnings of sound recording and history of the influential Johnson Victrola Museum. The museum features the achievements of Delaware’s native son, Eldridge Reeves Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company and an early pioneer of the sound-recording industry.Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St. Dover, DE 19904. 302-739-3262.
Florida
The Dora Canal Eco-tour is a two-hour narrated tour by boat that will make you feel like you are starring in an Indiana Jones move. The tour takes you into a Cypress Swamp that is chock full of wildlife and ecological wonders. Among the 2,000-year-old trees, you see native herons, egrets, turtles, and alligators in their natural habitat.After the tour, find some good eats at O'Keefe's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 115 S Rockingham Avenue, Tavares, FL 32778.
Premier Boat Tours, 100 N. Alexander Street, Mount Dora, FL 32757. Please call ahead for reservations, the boats can fill up fast on any given day. 352-434-8040.
Georgia
Something everyone should see at least once even if you don’t like trains. At the Folkston funnel, the train track is the route into Florida for eastern United States and east coast trains. From the platform, you can observe the trains pass and hear the engineers talk to each other and their company control centers as they negotiate their turn to pass through the “funnel”. Great photo opportunity to get photos of the engines and graffiti street art that covers many of the box cars, and talk to people who are more into trains than one could even imagine. Here’s a hint: The numbered engines actually have names!Folkston funnel, 16 Oakwood Street, Folkston, Georgia 31537.
Hawaii
At the center of Oahu, fairytale-like Wahiawa Botanical Garden is a picturesque, peaceful place. Home to a variety of plants and relaxing walking paths. Located on a high plateau in central Oahu between the Waianae and Ko’olau mountain ranges, the garden features native Hawaiian plants, including aroid plants, tree ferns, and epiphytic plants.Wahiawa Botanical Garden, 1396 California Ave. Wahiawa, HI 96786. Get more information about the garden and its plants by calling 808-621-7321.
Idaho
The Idaho Potato Museum celebrates potatoes like no place else on earth. Open year-round from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and to 7 p.m. in June, July, and August. Plenty of room in the south parking lot for your RV. Learn the history and importance of potatoes and some of the early potato pioneers and their contribution, such as Russet Burbank. Pick up one of the recipe books while you are taking a walk through the gift shop.The Idaho Potato Museum, 130 Northwest Main Street, Blackfoot, ID 83221. 208-785-2517.
Illinois
General Ulysses S. Grant Home belongs to the state of Illinois. The gift of this home exemplified the appreciation of fellow residents of Galena, Illinois, to the General for his service in the Civil War. Designed by William Dennison, originally constructed in 1860 for Alexander J. Jackson. Thomas B. Hughlett, on behalf of only a small group of local citizens bought the house for $2,500 in June 1865 and gifted it to General Grant. The home is attractive and furnished is located on Bouthillier Street. The restored house is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as the US Grant Home State Historic Site.The Grant Home, 500 Bouthillier Street in Galena, Illinois 61036. 815-777-3310.
Indiana
The town of Decatur, Indiana, yields two very meaningful visits for RV travelers. One is the American Coach/Fleetwood factory tour. The other is the juried metal sculpture art exhibit tour all around town every summer. Either one or both make the detour to Decatur worthwhile.The sculpture tours are free and self-guided. Takes about 2 hours to walk the area, or you can drive block to block and park and walk. The factory tours are free and available Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
Iowa
Madison County is the Covered Bridge Capital of Iowa, perhaps of the world, and is home to a large group of covered bridges that exists in one small area of the Mississippi Valley. The tour to see the bridges inspired the book and then the movie, The Bridges of Madison County.Madison County’s bridges are on small roads, so you will want to pay to take the tour. Madison County, Iowa, Chamber & Welcome Center, 73 Jefferson St., Winterset, IA 50273. 515-462-1185.
Kansas
Prairie grass once covered 170 million acres of North America yet only about 4 percent remains, much of it in the Kansas Flint Hills area, where you can find the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. A few rare patches of these grasses remain in other areas of the country that are hard to find. This is the grass that fed the buffalo that fed the first to arrive Native tribes and later the early American settlers. Find out how large a role this grass played in the development and settlement of the west and why most of it was plowed under or burned away.Visitor Center — Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, 2480B KS Hwy 177 Strong City, KS 66869. 620- 273-8494.
Kentucky
Need a costume, wig, or mask? Enjoy seeing things too odd to describe? Caufield’s Novelty is the place for all that and more they have something for every season, holiday, or event.Caufield’s Novelty, 1006 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202. 800-777-5653. Big rig parking is rare, so this is a car or cab trip. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday; and closed on Sundays. Also closed November 1 for inventory.
Louisiana
Who doesn’t love a rose garden? When Gardens of the American Rose is in bloom, it is one of the best. This is the largest, (at 118 acres), park dedicated exclusively to roses. Also find sculptures and water fountains that also provide a focal point for the roses and more reasons to take pictures while you are visiting.Gardens of the American Rose, 8877 Jefferson Paige Road, Shreveport, LA 71119. 318-938-5402.
Maine
The Kenneth E. Stoddard Shell Museum is housed in a little covered bridge. There is mini golf, an ice cream parlor, and an arcade nearby. The museum houses seashells from the Pacific Ocean that Kenneth, was a US Navy sailor, who collected seashells from beaches and islands during World War II. Street parking is available. This museum is operated by Kenneth’s son, Lee.The Kenneth E. Stoddard Shell Museum, 510 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay, ME 04537. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. mid-May to mid-September.
Maryland
Bel Air Armory is a historic Army National Guard armory located at Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland. It was constructed in 1915 of Port Deposit granite. Go just to see the building or get in on some of the events that happen here throughout the year. The building by itself is amazing dating to 1915. Get to it by car or by cab, no nearby big rig RV parking.Bel Air Armory, 37 N Main St, Bel Air, MD 21014. 410-638-4506.
Massachusetts
The Titanic Museum is run by the Titanic Historical Society, Inc., whose purpose is the preservation of the history of the famous ocean liner RMS Titanic, which sank by hitting an iceberg on its voyage to New York from England in 1912, one of the best-known losses in maritime history.The Titanic Museum, 208 Main Street, Indian Orchard, Massachusetts.
Open: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Closed Sundays & Holidays; Admission: $4 adults, $2 children.
Michigan
Take in the Elk Ride Tour though the elk preserve and enjoy a great dinner in the Elk Antler Cabin halfway through the ride at Thunder Bay Resort. During the tour, Jack Matthias (the owner) or one of his docents will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the Michigan elk herds, and you will see many elk in their natural Michigan habitat as you take the wagon tour pulled by draft horses or sleigh in the winter months.Get there at least a day early and take in a round of golf, visit some of the local wineries, or get in on one of the shipwreck glass-bottom boat tours in Alpena. The RV park is the best in the area. Some of the nearby waters provide some of the best brown trout fishing in Michigan when in season. Plenty of rooms at the resort if you want to take a break from the RV for a few days or a week. Try one of the pizzas from the clubhouse to make this a no-cooking-needed visit. The pizza here is rated by some guests to be one of the top three in the nation, the second best in Michigan.
Getting a site at the campground is no problem usually, except for busy holiday weekends. Call ahead for elk ride and dinner reservations, this is a frequent stop for tour buses because it is so unique.
Thunder Bay Resort, 27800 M-32, Hillman, MI 49746. 800-729-9375.
Minnesota
Minnesota is reputed to have 10,000 lakes. The water is so clear in so many of them that you can see the bottom. Pick one to enjoy, as there are so many. A favorite for many travelers from the US and Canada is Rainy Lake. Go to fish, just enjoy the views, or take a boat ride. Rainy Lake is in Voyageurs National Park on the Canadian border. Rent a canoe or kayak with Voyageurs Outfitters in International Falls. International Falls is just across the river from Fort Frances, Ontario, so you might want to bring your passport.International Falls, Rainy Lake and Ranier Convention and Visitors Bureau, 301 2nd Avenue, International Falls, MN 56649. 800-325-5766.
Mississippi
Erected in 1848 and Biloxi Lighthouse was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South.The lighthouse is in the middle of US 90 at Porter Avenue, south of the new Biloxi Visitors Center, and just west of I-110 loop. 228-374-3105.
Missouri
Glore Psychiatric Museum, one of the St. Joseph Museums, ranks high on the list of unusual museums. This place chronicles the history of the state hospital’s mental care and represents artifacts and information from a few hundred years’ worth of mental health treatment. It is a do not miss for fans of the book, play, or movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.Glore Psychiatric Museum, 3406 Frederick Avenue, St. Joseph, MO 64506. 816-232-8471.
Montana
With consideration for historical timing, Frontier Gateway Museum presents prehistoric times into the 21st century in seven buildings and outdoor displays in relevance to Montana involving Native Americans, early homesteaders, cattlemen, and railroad artifacts.Frontier Gateway Museum, 201 State Street, Glendive, MT 59330. 406-377-8168.
Nebraska
The Joslyn Art Museum’s collection includes over 11,000 works featuring artists and cultures from ancient times to the present. Featuring temporary exhibits as well.Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68102-1292. 402-342-3300.
Nevada
Forget the slot machines in Vegas pan for gold here. Rye Patch State Recreation Area is a 2,400-acre state park when you can still pan for gold. Trails system use it to see wildlife such as eagles, owls, antelope, fox, and deer. The park also is a stopping off place to go ghost town exploring and gold prospecting.Rye Patch State Recreation Area, 2505 Rye Patch Reservoir Road, Lovelock, NV 89419. 775-538-7321.
New Hampshire
The Strawbery Banke District is on the National Register of Historic Places. A living history museum, the Strawbery Banke District preserves the history of the area and people who lived there. Be sure to see the centuries of houses and there is much more to see.Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth NH 03801. 603-433-1100.
New Jersey
Thomas Edison National Historical Park contains multiple building preserves and celebrates much about the great inventor and industrialist Thomas Edison's laboratory and residence, Glenmont, in Llewellyn Park in West Orange in Essex County.Thomas Edison National Historical Park, 211 Main Street West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-736-0550 (choose extension 11, and leave a message).
New Mexico
Turner Inn and RV Park, Mountainair, NM 87036,In this tiny town on US 60 (about 70 miles south and east of Albuquerque) is the host town for seeing the ruins of the Salinas National Monument old mission ruins. Ruth and Kevin at the Turner Inn and RV Park (pet friendly) are excellent hosts and are always willing to chat with visitors about the area. fees are $28 or $30 per night if you want to stay a while there are weekly and monthly rates available. A few of many reasons’ folks stay a while is the opportunity to find precious gems on the public lands or collect wildflower seeds or to visit the ruins. There is also an active local artist community, Manzano Mountain Art Council and a showroom at (Cibola Arts Gallery 217 W. Broadway, Mountainair) for the artists and artisans m to display their amazing art works for sale in the quaint little downtown area.
Turner Inn & RV park 503 East Broadway, Mountainair, NM 87036 505-847-0248.
New York
West of Canandaigua, the Bloomfield Antique Country Mile is a busy mile-long cluster of antiques shops along routes NY 5 and US 20 near Bloomfield. With plenty of shops lined up back-to-back, this cluster of shops is a terrific place for antique hunting. Keep a compartment empty for your finds.North Carolina
New Burn Moore’s Old Time Barbeque and nearby Birthplace of Pepsi ColaIf your traveling though North Caroline and you have had enough fish and seafood dinners or just want to take a break from the saltwater sourced foods then the ride up or down the coast a way to New Bern, North Carolina, to check out a lunch or dinner at Moore’s Olde Tyme Barbeque.
Moore’s Olde Tyme Barbeque. 3621 Doctor M.L.K. Jr Boulevard, New Bern, NC 28562. 252-638-3937.
If you have time, check out the nearby birthplace of Pepsi: The Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, 256 Middle Street, New Bern, NC 28560. 252-636-5898.
North Dakota
Scandinavian Heritage Park is an outdoor museum that showcases interesting artifacts from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Features include a 240-year-old log house from Norway, a replica stabbur (storehouse), 27-foot-tall Swedish Dala horse, Gol Stave Church Museum, Finnish style sauna, and a Danish designed windmill, various statues, picnic shelter, walking trails, and gift shop.Scandinavian Heritage Park, 1020 S. Broadway, Minot, ND 58702. 701-852-9161.
Ohio
Even if you never wanted to visit any place in Ohio; if you ever watched a MASH 4077 episode on TV or seen the play, this is the place to go for one or more Tony Packo's Original Hot Dogs, also known as the Hungarian Dog. “Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger” played by Jamie Farr (who was born in Toledo in 1934), from the TV show Mash 4077, set in Korea during the Korean Conflict, talked about missing Packo Hot Dogs as his all-time favorite food from home. When you go there you can find memorabilia connected with the show and many of the actors.Tony Packo's Restaurant, 1902 Front Street Toledo, OH 43605. 419-691-6054.
If you need another reason to go to Toledo check out the Toledo Art Museum or the Toledo Zoo.
Oklahoma
Take the ride up and over to the far side of Mount Scott from near Lawton and Fort Sill to Meer’s Store and Restaurant for a Longhorn burger and a slice of pie. Meer’s doesn’t serve just a burger; it serves a Longhorn Burger. To learn the difference, you just have to taste it.Meer’s Store and Restaurant, 26005 OK-115, Meers, OK 73057. 580-429-8051.
Oregon
Crater Lake National Park is home to the deepest lake in the United States. Crater Lake was created when a volcano blew its top. Learn about the many ecosystems found inside the park. Go to Rim Village first then start your tour around the lake. The park is open year-round, 24 hours a day. State route 62 takes you there.Crater Lake National Park Crater Lake, OR 97604. 541-594-3000.
Pennsylvania
Want to see why maybe Einstein was so smart? The Mütter Museum is the place that houses slides of his brain tissue. The museum houses many permanent exhibitions, including the Soap Lady and a new Civil War medicine exhibition.The Mütter Museum, 19 S. 22nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19103. Call ahead: 215-560-8564.
Rhode Island
Open seasonally, Green Animals Topiary Garden is the oldest and most northern topiary garden in the United States.Green Animals Topiary Garden, 380 Cory's Lane, Portsmouth, RI 02871. Call for ticket prices. 401- 847-1000.
South Carolina
While in South Carolina, visit the World's Smallest Police Station. Dating back to 1940, this small (very small) police station functioned until 1990. This place is one of those places that you can miss in the blink of an eye, but it’s worth seeing just for bragging rights.World's Smallest Police Station, 170 South Dogwood Avenue, Ridgeway, SC 29130.
South Dakota
Museum of Geology features mounted skeletons of dinosaurs, mammals, marine reptiles, fish, and fossils from the White River area badlands.South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, 501 E. Saint Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701. 605-394-2467.
Tennessee
Lane Motor Museum includes mostly foreign cars, cars, and more cars that qualify as cute, rare, classic or antique, and also includes Mignet Aviation aircraft, bicycles, floating vehicles, and motorcycles. You may want to go more than one day.Lane Motor Museum, 702 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37210. 615-742-7445.
Texas
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza tells the story of a dark day in American History, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. A rifle was found on the 6th floor of the building shortly after the assassination.The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, 411 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75202. 214-747-6660.
Utah
Visit Nine Mile Canyon, Carbon County, to see “rock art” of Archaic, Fremont and Ute peoples. In the canyon, you can find rock art, often called petroglyphs, dating back over a thousand years. There are also historical ranches and structures along the route, which is over 40 miles long.Location: 20 miles north of Wellington, UT.
Vermont
Sugarbush Farm, Inc., is a 500-acre farm in central Vermont just beyond Woodstock. Visit the farm, and meet the maple trees that yield that ever so sweet syrup. Watch a movie about producing the syrup, and buy a bottle or two to take home.Sugarbush Farm, Inc., 591 Sugarbush Farm Road, Woodstock, VT 05091. 800-281-1757.
Virginia
The Flying Circus Airshow is hard to describe in modern terms. This airshow has a parachute jumper, a wing-walker, and super cool and classic aircraft winging their thing to amaze and amuse. The airshow runs every Sunday, May through October. It will not disappoint!The Flying Circus Airshow, 5114 Ritchie Road (Route 644), Bealeton, VA 22712. 540-439-8661.
Washington
Indianola Pier, this pier hundreds of feet into the bay is another great spot to test your fishing skills and to get out and enjoy a few hours or a day near the water. It is also notorious for star gazers to get a look at the night sky. If you’re going to fish make sure you have season limits for each species of fish and license information.Indianola Pier 19839-19829, Indianola Rd NE, Indianola, WA 98342
West Virginia
There are many beautiful state capitol buildings around the nation, but the West Virginia State Capitol Building is particularly worth seeing. The building is built from marble from three states and was designed by Cass Gilbert from Zanesville, Ohio.West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, The Culture Center, Capitol Complex, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East Charleston, WV 25305-0300. 304-558-0220.
Wisconsin
Kopp’s Frozen Custard is a landmark in Wisconsin. Custard is 6% butterfat unlike ice cream, it is rich and old fashioned and delicious. The Greenfield store location is modern and comfortable, and the flavors change daily. If you have every enjoyed an ice cream cone, you will love Kopp’s frozen custard. Caution though — you might want to give up RVing and move nearby after your first taste.Kopp’s Frozen Custard, Greenfield Store, 7631 West Layton Avenue, Greenfield, WI 53220. 414-282-4312 Flavor-of-the-day hotline: 414-282-4080.
Wyoming
After or during a trip down Interstate 80, take exit 68 to Little America, a respite from the road first opened in 1952. The Little America Hotel and Travel Center and Convenience Store are a welcoming and refreshing rest.Little America, Interstate 80, Exit 68, Little America, WY, 82929