The Top 10 States I want to Visit

We just got back from vacation, which makes the timing of this post a little awkward, but I want to tell you all my list of top 10 states in the United States that I want to visit. This list is in no particular order, other than they are in the order that they popped in my head.

1. New Mexico
2. Washington
3. Montana
4. Louisiana
5. North Carolina
6. Colorado
7. Alaska
8. Maine
9. Missouri
10. Oregon

New Mexico

It has been suggested by a friend that I go to New Mexico. Specifically, Santa Fe. I am in love with the desert and the south western cuisine, so this is definitely high on the list.

Washington

I have always wanted to go to Washington. I think it’s the combination of Mount St Helens, Mount Rainier, and the Pacific Coast line. We’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean, and it is calling to me.

Montana

Going to Utah woke up my interest in looking at the mountains; driving through them not so much. I’ve heard that Montana had amazing views of the Rockies and there are a lot of other interesting natural landscapes to see there.

Louisiana

I’m not really sure why I want to see Louisiana. I think it’s all the history and culture there. My husband loves seafood, and that may be my way to bribe him to take me there.

North Carolina

I’ve heard that North Carolina is a really pretty area, and I’d love to see it for myself. Looking on their website, it has everything that I like. Hiking, mountains, and sandy beaches. Yes please.

Colorado

We flew into Colorado on our way to Utah, and I’d love to see more of the state than the airport. My husband has been there a couple of times before so I’ll have my own personal tour guide, and mountain driver. Spoiler, this will be our vacation destination in 2022 unless something dramatic happens and we can’t go.

Alaska

My in-laws went to Alaska several years ago and the pictures they brought back with them are among my favorites. There are several national parks there, and we have a bucket list item of visiting all of them before we die. We’ve only seen a handful.

Maine

We have already been to Maine before, but I want to go back. Mainly because I want to watch the sunrise at Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park is one of the first places in the United States that sees the sun, and I want to talk my husband into taking me.

Missouri

Honestly, I picked this state at random while looking at the map of the United States. For as well travelled as we are becoming, we haven’t travelled much in the Midwest. Awkward, I know given that we live there.

Oregon

I’d like to see Oregon for similar reasons that I want to see Washington. I’m not big on the ocean, but for some reason the Pacific is calling to me. I think it’s because we’ve seen the Atlantic and I want to see how they compare.

Bonus Travel Destinations

Above are the top 10 states I want to see. This is just my list and a basic why I want to go there. I haven’t done any research or planning for what I want to do or see in particular. We have this tradition where we take turns picking where we want to go, and next year is his turn.

I also want to see all of the Great Lakes. I grew up on Lake Superior and I’ve visited Lake Michigan several times, but I’ve never seen Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario. I’d like to change that.

I would also like to do more Wisconsin travel. Having lived here all my life you’d think I would have seen more of the state than I have.

We also have a new rule that every five years or so we have to go to a desert state. We both love it there to enough to visit often. The transition to snow birds will be pretty swift for both of us I think, when the time comes.

Have you been to any of my top 10 states? Which ones? What is your favorite thing to do? What should we be sure to see and what should we avoid?