*Post updated on Sept. 16, 2024

Humans love making lists — psychology has my back on this claim — and I am no exception. As a travel enthusiast and blogger, then, it is only natural for me to want to check more and more destinations off my bucket list and tell the world over what I've experienced along the way.

One of my long-term travel goals is to visit all 50 of these here United States of America, and I've been making steady progress over the last decade or so, twice visiting six new states in a single year (2011 and 2015). This post will serve as a progress report and an index of sorts to document my lifelong mission (which hopefully doesn’t take a lifetime).

Let’s get to it, shall we?

1. Michigan (1993)

Great Lakes State born and raised, and yet there are still corners of the Mitten that remain unexplored. The short list would include the Porcupine Mountains and Isle Royale in da U.P.

The Mitten State of Mind: One Thing to See or Do in All 83 of Michigan's Counties, Pt. 2

The Mitten State of Mind: One Thing to See or Do in All 83 of Michigan's Counties, Pt. 3

2. Wisconsin (2002)

This was the first state I visited outside of my home state of Michigan on a little family vacay to Wisconsin Dells in the summer of 2002. There we were in the water park mecca of the Midwest and 8-year-old me decided to get his head stuck in the metal railing on the hotel balcony, requiring assistance from the local fire department. Finally made a return trip to Wisconsin in June 2017 (see: Fond du Lac, I Hardly Knew You and Sights & Sounds at Road America), and have been back several times since.

3. Minnesota (2005)

My first trek to the Land of 10,000 Lakes came when I was just 11 years old. While Bloomington and the Mall of America were fine and dandy, the core memory etched into my brain from that trip is losing my “blankie”. My second and only other trip to the Gopher State came in the fall of 2023 to see Michigan football take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. During that trip, I also made a point to visit George Floyd Square.

4. Ohio (2006)

I cannot feign to be a fan of Ohio. As a true blue Michigan Wolverine, it just can't be done. But I have been here on a few occasions, the first time being a trip with my aunt, cousin, and brother to Cedar Point in Sandusky in 2006. The next time I set foot in enemy territory was in 2012 for a ballroom dance competition (if you can believe that) in Columbus. Since then, I’ve made a couple of stops in Cincinnati, which might be, in my estimation, the state’s one shining star.

5. Pennsylvania (2009)

It was on a trip to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, that I first entered the great state of Pennsylvania. It was a brief meeting — an early morning pitstop at a rest area in god-knows-where — but I've since stayed a night in State College. I would love to get to Philadelphia at some point (Independence Hall, holla).

6. Maryland (2009)

January 2009 — yes, the very month America's first black president was inaugurated (I was there!) — was also the first time I stepped foot in Maryland. Or, more accurately, sat on a bus that drove through a portion of the state on the way to Washington, D.C. Even if you don't count that, I kind of, sort of ran out of gas near Middletown, Maryland, in June 2016 on the way to Delaware (see: 11 Things You Should NOT Do at a Summer Music Festival).

7. Virginia (2009)

Arlington, Alexandria, Mount Vernon: my first experience with Virginia was a mere outgrowth of a pair of trips to Washington, D.C., in the early months of 2009. Still, no one could deny the importance of Arlington National Cemetery or the estate of the nation's first president. There is undoubtedly more to see in the Old Dominion, but I don't see anything coming to fruition soon.

8. Indiana (2011)

Though I drove through the Hoosier State earlier in the year, my first genuine visit was in November 2011 for a convention that took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. I've also ventured to South Bend and West Lafayette, both times to see my Michigan Wolverines throw the pigskin around.

9. Kentucky (2011)

Unfortunately, I've only really driven through Kentucky on the way to other destinations — but gosh darn it, I'm counting it anyway. I'll let you know when I make a proper visit to Louisville.

10. Tennessee (2011)

Though I count both the first time I drove through the Volunteer State in March 2011 and that time we were run off I-75 near Loudon in April 2013 as semi-official visits to Tennessee, I finally spent some significant time there in spring 2018. That's when a friend and I set out for a long weekend in Nashville, which included rooftop bars aplenty, some Biscuit Love, and murals upon murals.

11. Georgia (2011)

Driving along the expressway in Atlanta at 3 a.m. was my first memorable experience in Georgia. That was on the way to St. Augustine, Florida, for a vacation with my then-girlfriend’s family during spring break of my junior year of high school. I've been to Atlanta a couple other times since then, including in 2013 for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four.

12. Florida (2011)

My first jaunt to Florida was all the way back in April 2011 for that family vacation mentioned just above. We stayed in St. Augustine but also trekked up to Jacksonville one afternoon to get a little parasailing in. My second time in Florida, which wouldn’t come until March 2017, involved a little trouble with a rental car in Orlando. More recently: fun and frivolity in Key West.

13. Texas (2011)

Two for two on the "T" states I am, with my first trip to Texas — and my first time traveling solo — taking place in June 2011. I was there for Economics for Leaders, a week-long summer program put on by the Foundation for Teaching Economics that consists of educational activities for soon-to-be high school seniors. My program took place on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, and, being June, it was hot, hot, hot.

14. Illinois (2012)

Another family vacay, but this time with my own fam. My mother, sister, brother, and I took a train from Holland, Michigan, to Chicago in August just a couple weeks before I would set off for college. Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Chicago-style pizza: We did the works. I revisited the Windy City only a few months later in February 2013 and then again in June 2017 after stopping in Evanston to take a peek at Northwestern University's campus. (I also now live in Chicago!)

15. West Virginia (2014)

An alternative spring break trip with some of my college classmates during my sophomore year saw me to West Virginia in March 2014. We traveled there to help restore a rundown community center in Bluefield to working order while staying at the Appalachian South Folklife Center near Pipestem Resort State Park. Other stops included the John Henry Monument in Talcott (at my insistence) and in Charleston, the capital, for a bite to eat at Pies & Pints.

16. New York (2014)

My first jaunt to the Empire State did not see me to New York City but to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. I picked up one of my good friends from high school in Columbus, Ohio, and then we journeyed through a dark and stormy October evening to that city on the far end of Lake Erie. While there, we ate buffalo wings at the place where they were first "invented" — the Anchor Bar on Main Street.

New York City, Chapter 2.5: Hello, Brooklyn

No Matter How Many Times You've Been, New York City is Always a New Adventure

17. Vermont (2015)

The Green Mountain State was what you might refer to as the base of operations for a solo adventure I coined the “East Coast Extravaganza”, which saw me visit a handful of New England and East Coast states in 2015. Most everything about this not-so-little excursion can be found in That Time I Climbed a Mountain Alone.

18. New Hampshire (2015)

Dinner at Salt Hill Pub in Lebanon and filling up at a gas station in Contoocook comprise the meaningful time I have spent in New Hampshire. I'd definitely like to head back here at some point, perhaps hitting up Maine in the same swing.

19. Massachusetts (2015)

The East Coast Extravaganza strikes again with a stop in Boston. As with Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey below, my time in the Bay State was rather short. On a rainy afternoon, I only stopped long enough in Boston for a brief appearance at the Museum of Fine Arts, a slice of the good stuff at University House of Pizza, and a drive-by viewing of Paul Revere's house.

20. Rhode Island (2015)

The tiniest state that ever there was. Following a few hours spent in Boston, I took my time driving around Providence and the campus of Brown University on a rainy Saturday in which I ultimately spent some amount of time in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. If it sounds like a lot of time in the car, that's because it was.

21. Connecticut (2015)

I cannot say I am well-acquainted with Connecticut, seeing as I only spent little more than two hours in the state during a road trip I called the East Coast Extravaganza in 2015. That was enough time, however, for pitstops at Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford and the house used for exterior shots in the movie The Family Stone (2005) in Greenwich.

22. New Jersey (2015)

My first time in New Jersey was very Kentucky-ish — in my vernacular — in that it was truly just a drive through on my way to stay the night in State College, Pennsylvania. But! I had an overnight layover in Newark on the way back from Israel in May 2016, so I have surely stepped foot on New Jersey soil. Maybe I'll make a side excursion to Hoboken whenever I make my way to Manhattan next (update: it didn’t happen).

23. California (2016)

Los Angeles first called my name during spring break of my senior year in college. At the time, I was hard pressed to turn it down — so I didn't. It turned out to be an amazing week spent among the Hollywood hills and the boulevards. Three and a half years later, in late September of 2019, I was equally jazzed to return, spending a good chunk of change in the city’s Silver Lake neighborhood and getting my fill of the most glorious chicken sandwich known to mankind.

24. Delaware (2016)

The first state! How exciting! Readers of this blog will hopefully, maybe, just possibly be familiar with my shenanigans in Delaware from a pair of posts: 'Ten Thousand Lightning Bugs..' and 11 Things You Should NOT Do at a Summer Music Festival.

25. Colorado (2018)

It took me long enough, but I finally made it out to Colorado toward the end of 2018. A three-day excursion over my birthday weekend in December saw me to Denver, along with a cabin out in Bailey. In addition to a performance of The Nutcracker, some good food at Sam’s No. 3, and a night out in the RiNo district, we made time for skiing, too, of course.

26. Missouri (2018)

Spontaneity was the name of the game when a set of unforeseen circumstances found me hopping a couple trains and making my way to St. Louis for New Year’s Eve 2018. A few days in Missouri’s second-largest city were well spent checking out the famous Gateway Arch (which was unfortunately closed due to a partial government shutdown) and some of the downtown area, as well as gobbling up a pie from Imo’s Pizza. Ideas for your own trip to the STL here: 5 of the Coolest Things to Do in St. Louis, According to a Local.

27. North Carolina (2019)

A trip with family down to the Carolinas in the summer of 2019 allowed me to visit a particularly sexy section of the Appalachian Mountains: the Blue Ridges of western North Carolina. Specifically, we checked out Pisgah National Forest near Asheville, wading into the chilly waters of Looking Glass Falls and going for a short climb up Devil’s Courthouse.

28. South Carolina (2019)

The quaint city of Greenville served as our base of operations whilst visiting family in the Palmetto State in June 2019. Our three-day excursion to the Carolinas included hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, golfing, water park-ing, and discovering all that downtown Greenville has to offer (including those difficult-to-find Mice on Main).

29. Nevada (2021)

The casinos had been calling, and come May 2021, I finally gave in. With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions (temporarily) loosened, my brothers and I headed to Sin City for three days of downright debauchery (and by that, I mostly mean moderate drinking and pissing most of our money away on the slots). Other than gambling, however, we did make time for a pair of cultural touchstones: Madame Tussauds Las Vegas and Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum. Next time? The damn dam tour.

30. Oklahoma (2021)

On the day after my 28th birthday, a friend and I made our way to Oklahoma City to visit my younger brother, who had moved out there just a few weeks earlier. Our extended weekend in OKC was filled with good food (namely, tacos and “local pizza”), electric scooter rides, a little NBA basketball, mechanical bull riding, golf ball whacking, and donations to the casino.

31. Iowa (2022)

“Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa.” So goes the famous quote from “Field of Dreams” — but if I were asking the question, it probably would have been more along the lines of: “Is this just a giant cornfield?” Answer: pretty much. The University of Iowa does have a pretty sweet football stadium, though.

32. Kansas (2023)

When I was learning the 50 state capitals in elementary, my hands-down favorite was Topeka. Sadly, my first venture into the Sunflower State did not include a stop there. Instead, it involved driving through the vast expanse known as The Flint Hills (stunning, honestly), and an hour-long stop in Wichita for lunch at the Old Mill Tasty Shop.

33. Arkansas (2023)

It may have only amounted to a couple of hours in Fayetteville, but in May 2023, I finally checked off my first “A” state: Arkansas. Essentially a detour on the way back from a road trip out to Oklahoma City, my brief stop in Razorback country afforded enough time to visit a couple of small shops downtown and grab brunch at a spot called Cheers at the OPO, a restaurant housed in a former post office.

34. Washington (2023)

A West Coast adventure was just what the doctor ordered for my 30th birthday in December 2023. We skied at Crystal Mountain, checked out some of Seattle’s famous landmarks, and visited “Twin Peaks”, as well. Having finally made it out there, I can say without a doubt that Washington state is worth the trip.

35. Arizona (2024)

A friend’s wedding in Las Vegas at the end of May 2024 provided the perfect excuse (sorry, Dylan) to visit the Grand Canyon State for the first time. After attending the ceremony and all that it entailed in Sin City, I set off in a rented Dodge Challenger, stopping first at Hoover Dam before crossing into Arizona and making way for the Grand Canyon itself. My first foray into the Arizonan desert also included stops in Flagstaff and Glendale/Phoenix.

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Total: 35/50 (as of 06/01/2024)

Still to go: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

-LTH

The Race to 50 States: Logging My Lifetime Journey Across America