6 States to Go!

Idaho - I drove there (twice) in the last few years. The falls at Twin Falls were worth the trip. And the walks along the Snake River.

The "Shoshone Falls After Dark" event in May was a fun time to be there:

https://visitsouthidaho.com/shoshone-falls-after-dark/

ETA: Shoshone Falls is often referred to as the Niagara of the West.

https://www.tfid.org/309/Shoshone-Falls

A friend did all 50 and recommends this:
https://www.fargomoorhead.org/best-for-last-club/

The North Dakota Badlands but you need a car.

This NYer enjoyed Milwaukee Wisconsin where we did a memory lane day with my dad who did his naval basic training at the Great Lakes in the 1950s and has fond memories of USO dances and beer halls in Milwaukee. Went to a braves game and the brewery tour. Didn't make it to the Museum. Then we drove to the Wisconsin Dells which was a nice family stop ...mini golf waterparks and boat rides. 5 days was enough total..we paired it with some time in Chicago to see White Sox and Cubs stadiums and games.

I grew up in eastern South Dakota, and now I live on the border of Minnesota and North Dakota (on the Minnesota side).

In North Dakota, you would want to visit the Badlands. In the summer, the town of Medora puts on a musical, if that's your thing. Visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the dinosaur museum in Dickinson, and the museum in Bismarck if you are traveling along I 94.

In Minnesota I'd visit Duluth. I had never visited Duluth until I met my now husband and he took me there when I was about 24 years old. We've been back for a long-weekend type "vacation" 4 more times. I love seeing the ships, walking the boardwalk by the lake, eating at Grandma's, and visiting the aquarium and the Glensheen Mansion. (Read the book about the murder there before you go!) Just be sure not to visit when they are having the Grandma's marathon and not too early in the season as it can still be fairly cool there in late spring and even into the beginning of summer.

I won’t be there till August, but North Dakota for Teddy Roosevelt National Park. And my uncle said the outdoor musical at Medora is great.

I also second that Idaho has some really good scenery. I mean, part of it is next door to Yellowstone. The scenery didn’t stop at the state line.

For Idaho, https://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm Craters of the Moon.
Coeur d'Alene and the panhandle are scenic.

How did you do WA, OR, NV, UT, WY. & MT and miss Idaho?

Here's another plug for Minnesota. I live in Duluth (and it is a cool little city with beautiful views of Lake Superior and a lot of fun activities). But it is also a gateway to the North Shore, which is just gorgeous. I'm driving up to Grand Marais, MN in late autumn this year for 5 nights, and it is one of my favorites. It's evocative of a town in Maine, and is so lovely. And the drive up along the north shore of Lake Superior is breathtaking.

But I also love Minneapolis and St. Paul, and if you're looking for a fun big city vibe, they fit the bill. There are so many things to do there; beautiful lakes in the middle of the city, a striking downtown, gardens galore, museums like the American Swedish Institute, the Russian Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute, or just driving down Summit Avenue in St. Paul for a look at row after row of beautiful old mansions.

Or you can drive through some beautiful and quaint towns like Stillwater, MN or Lanesboro, which has been voted the pretties town in the US. Minnesota really does have so many wonderful places to visit.

And while you're in the north of Minnesota, you could easily drive over the bridge to Wisconsin, and head along the southern shore of Lake Superior to Bayfield, WI, which is known for its wonderful apple festival everywhere, and one of the most charming towns I've been it. It sits along the southern shore of Lake Superior. You could also take a trip to the Apostle Islands while you're there.

Weiser Idaho Fiddler’s contest is a lot of fun if you like old time fiddling’
https://www.fiddlecontest.org/

Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers.

My brother lives in Dodge City, Kansas. Every summer, I believe it’s around August, they have Dodge Days with rodeos, roping contests, etc. it could be a reason to visit.
Disclaimer - although we’ve been there numerous times to visit (weddings, babies etc) we have never been there for Dodge Days.

When we did a major road trip, we wanted to complete our "50". Some states, like Mississippi, we drove five miles into the state, went about ten miles parallel to the road we had been on, then five miles back out. Now I can say I've been to Mississippi, and that was enough for me.

Idaho also has Ketchum and Stanley, beautiful scenery and Hemingway memorials.

North Dakota, I second Theodore Roosevelt National Park because he was the first to designate land to be set aside and preserved for all of us.

I'll second Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho along with Sun Valley/Ketchum, Stanley, Galena Summit and the Sawtooths. Hike to the top of Bald Mt. and take the gondola back down. We drove through North Dakota on I-94 in August 2020. The sunflower fields were spectacular - Instagram worthy, but thankfully without the social media influencers trampling through the fields. I second Teddy Roosevelt National Park and will add Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. We camped there along the Missouri River with a full moon shining over us. Minneapolis-St. Paul are all that and a bag of chips. We also enjoy Duluth with its walk along Lake Superior and the waterfall at Pattison State Park. And then of course there's Betty's Pies. I grew up outside of Chicago so have been to Wisconsin more times than I can count. Beer, brats and cheese are great. But I'm from the Dick Butkus era so won't say much more. ;-)

How do you feel about wildlife? In march in Nebraska you can watch the sand hill crane migration. The Dakotas have the Buffalo roundup

Well, for Idaho, I recommend the North Idaho Panhandle, lol!!

You need to be cautious about some of the recommendations for Southern Idaho. Shoshone Falls at Twin Falls is nearly dry for a good part of the year as the water upstream is diverted for agriculture purposes and to refill reservoirs. Twin Falls itself is not anywhere I'd recommend a tourist visit unless you enjoy the smell from the large industrial cattle feed lots wafting over you. Craters of the Moon can be beastly hot in the July and August sun...really, really uncomfortable. Nearby Ketchum/Sun Valley and the mountain village of Stanley/Redfish Lake are interesting and the mountains are awesome.

If you come to Coeur d'Alene and are here on the 1st Saturday of the month, you'd be more than welcome to attend our Coeur d'Alene/Spokane area meet up!

Have you been to Glacier or as mentioned before, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons? If you have any interest in those National Parks, it's pretty easy to fly in to Spokane WA, drive east thru Idaho (overnight in Coeur d'Alene) then loop to either set of parks. Come back across US12 and the Lewis and Clark Scenic Byway along with it also being the route along which the Nez Perce Indians fled during the Nez Perce War of 1877.

Both Kansas and Nebraska have areas of great natural beauty, festivals, and lots of historical sights. But it would be hard to justify a trip for just any one of them. More like a passing through visit.

Door County Wisconsin on Lake Michigan is worth seeing. Ethnic festivals in Minneapolis and Milwaukee.

Idaho - a second vote for the Shoshone Falls at Twin Falls. Stunning. I’d never heard of them; I was just driving cross country, pulled in late afternoon at a motel in Twin Falls (the name should have been a clue) and the guy checking me in said “I guess you’re here to see the falls.”

Nebraska - I really liked Scott’s Bluff (both the National Monument and the nearby town of the same name). Also the state capitol in Lincoln is really interesting architecturally. However the day I was there, I was the only person on the guided tour so hard to work hard for an hour at making impressed noises and thinking up questions.

I’ve done 36 states and was planning to do 50 by 50 but lost momentum, and now I’m 60 and I’m not sure I have the energy or money to complete the set - especially as I’m in the UK!

Actually, Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls are two different attractions.

Edited to add: Twin Falls is a city. From there you can visit the actual Twin Falls and/or Shoshone Falls. The latter is the most spectacular. There are many waterfalls to be visited near the city of Twin Falls. Don't miss Thousand Springs State Park.

Well, if you go to Twin Falls you can see where Evel Knievel tried to jump the Snake River. You can access the site from the Twin Falls Visitor Center.

Minnesota is a beautiful state. Choose one or two of its beautiful lakes to visit for a few days. Dine on Walleye ! You probably haven’t ever seen a larger breakfast than one you’ll be served in MN!
It is easy to cross over to Wisconsin from MN, two stars checked off your list. I only have two states left to visit. Alabama and North Dakota. Zero interest in visiting Alabama and wish I’d gotten to ND when I was in MN!

If you like to bike there are 2 great rides in Idaho. 1st is Coure d' Alene trail. I haven't done the whole 72 miles, but have stayed at Heyburn state park and done several miles from there which includes riding over the lake on a mile long pedestrian / bike bridge. It's an awesome ride. 2nd is trail of the Hiawatha just off 90 near the Montana border.

The North Shore of Minnesota along Lake superior is beautiful. In Duluth you can go to Canal Park and watch the large ore ships come in. Then drive north to Gooseberry Falls State Park which is lovely. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park has a great lighthouse and hiking trails. We like staying at the Larsmont Cottages just north of Duluth and taking day trips from there.

Lake Minnetonka near the Twin Cities is another pretty area. The towns of Wayzata and Excelsior have charming downtown areas on the lake.

The MSP airport is great and you can also go to the famous Mall of America.

Give Minnesota a visit in spring, summer, or fall and you may be pleasantly surprised by “Minnesota Nice”.

In Wisconsin I would recommend the Door County area which reminds some people of Cape Cod. It has several fun little towns - Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim, and Sisters Bay. There are craft shops and Wilson’s Ice Cream. Al Jensen’s Swedish restaurant has goats eating grass on the roof, and lots of places sell cherries and offer fish boils. Lake Michigan is refreshing and Peninsula State Park is worthwhile.

Actually, Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls are two different attractions.

I went to Shoshone Falls from the city of Twin Falls because the man on the motel reception told me not to miss them!

Here is a link to the webcams focused on Shoshone Falls. Right now it looks pretty dry which is often the case from July on after the snowmelt is done. At the time I'm posting this it's 9A in the Mountain Time zone where Twin and Shoshone Falls are located so the view is into the sun. Look later in the afternoon and you'll get a better idea of the amount of water over the falls.

https://shoshonefalls.tfid.org/view.htm?mode=l

Thanks to everyone who has contributed! Y'all are wonderful to offer your advice. I have created spreadsheets and have entered all of your suggestions. I'm thinking now that we'll make it to all 50 states!

We never set out to do this. We have always just picked areas of interest and traveled there. We do have a self-imposed rule though-- we have to actually do something in the state to count it-- not just set foot in it. Well, there was Rhode Island though-- we might have skimped on that one as we drove through it. We had a time constraint that day.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your input.