Fresno!

Why go...Bread-basket of California!  Underground gardens!  Oak trees!  Basque food!


Fresno!  Forestiere underground garden; this is a hand carved, underground home and garden built by a Sicilian immigrant in the early part of the 1900s to resemble the catacombs of Europe!  Vinyard Farmers Market!  


Visalia!  Kaweah Oaks Reserve!


Kernville!  Float down the beautiful Kern River in an inner tube!  Soak in the hot springs in Lake Isabella.


Bakersfield!  Basque food!  Bakersfield has the largest Basque population outside of Europe!

Nebraska!

Why go...A state that is renowned for being nice!  Fossils! Giant rock formations that the pioneers used as landmarks as they went west!  An awesome zoo with the world's best indoor swamp/nocturnal cave exhibit!


Arbor Day Farm!  This is an apple orchard, park, and historical center!  They even have a treehouse!


Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park!  A long time ago, when rhinos roamed the mid-west, a volcanic explosion killed many mammals; their bodies were preserved in the ash!  The skeletons are in such great shape!


Omaha!  The largest city in Nebraska!  Old Market historic downtown!  Joslyn Castle built in 1903!  Lauritzen Gardens Arboretum.  Omaha Zoo with a big indoor swamp and nocturnal cave exhibition!  They keep the "cave system" dark in the daytime and light in the nighttime.  This reverses the animals circadian rhythms so that visitors get to see what the nocturnal animals like to do!  Simmons Wildlife Safari; see elk and bears and eagles, oh my!

Placerville!

Why go...Gold rush history!  River rafting!  Wineries!  Caves!


Mother Lode River Center!   You can raft down the rapids or the mellow part of the river!  Mellow, please!


Story Winery


Iron Stone Winery; drink while panning for gold!


Marshall Gold Discovery Park.  See where gold was discovered!

Gold Bug Park; see a real gold mine!

Tour the local caves; tours range from all walking to mostly crawling!

Empire Mine; gold mine, historic cottage and gardens, living history museum, blacksmith!

Eden Vale Inn.  Extremely beautiful bed and breakfast!

Colombia!  Colombia is the best preserved gold rush town in the state!  The whole town is a living history museum!  Saloons, panning for gold, stage coaches, etc.

North Dakota!

Why go...Native American cultural sites, beautiful parks, U.S. historical sites!



Fort Abraham Lincoln!  Restored fort and Indian village!


Fort Ransom! So pretty! 



Turtle River Park!  Another beautiful park!


International Peace Garden!   A beautiful garden in honor of the peaceful border between Canada and the United States!
 

Fort Union!  This was a major fur trading spot in the 1800s!


Frontier Village!  A replica of a frontier town!  And visit their resident white buffalo!

Sacramento!

Why go...Oldest city in California!  Gold was discovered nearby in 1849, and triggered the largest human migration in history!  A fun, historical town.



Citizen Hotel 


Sutter's Fort!  Built in 1839, this is the original European settlement in the area!  See what life was like back then at this living history museum! 



Dive Bar!  Aquarium with mermaid above the bar!  The world needs more mermaid attractions!  

Creative Juices is a wine bar that supplies painting material while you drink!  Drink and paint!  How fun!

Historic Old Sacramento! This organization does a ton of cool things including historical tours, ghost tours of the city, and underground tours!  Sacramento has an extensive underground to explore because the current city street was actually built over the original city street!

Delta King River Boat!  This historical river boat has a mystery dinner theater!  I love the idea of snooping around a boat looking for the culprit!


Old City Cemetery.  Beautiful historic cemetery.  The perfect mix of beautiful and spooky. Lots of awesome, historic tours available! 


Old Sacramento!   A historic district preserved from it's original days, now a touristy spot.  It has lots of neat museums, including a recreation of a 19th century hardware shop! 


Railbridge Cellars.  A wine bar with an upstairs and underground!  Mellow and pretty!

Davis...

UC Davis Arboretum.  They have a myriad of themed garden.  I love the idea of strolling through all these diverse and beautiful settings in the same day.

UC Davis California Raptor Center!  Go to an open house and meet the resident birds!  

Chico!

Why go...beautiful swimming holes, star parties, snow shoeing, caves!

Bidwell Park has a beautiful pool built along side the natural creek, as well as beautiful swimming holes scattered throughout the park!  So pretty!  I wish all city pools were this lovely!

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.  Moonlight kayaking and star parties!  Historic house and cemetary!   

Lava Beds National Monument.   Awesome living history events!  See the ice cave and the fern cave!


Lassen Volcanic National Park.  Snow shoeing! Horseback riding!  Dark Sky Festival Star Party!   Stay in the park at Drakesbad Guest Ranch. 

Arkansas!

Why Go...Arkansas is extremely beautiful!  See caves, forests, waterfalls, victorian villages, gardens, bath houses, haunted hotels, submarines, Ozark heritage, bunches of museums, and...Walmart!

Prim

Long Bow Resort!  This resort was the first thing that made me love Arkansas!  It's so pretty; I want to be there!  The house is built between the waterfall and a boulder. 

Blanchard Springs

 This is a big, beautiful cave system in the Ozark National Forest.  You can go on a cave tour and camp in the forest.  

Mountain View

Ozark Folk Center State Park!    Preserving Ozark heritage with music, pioneer skills/crafts, herbs, dancing, food, and more!  They have cabins in the park so you can stay overnight!  Awesomely interactive!

Bentonville

Crystal Bridges!   A big and lovely art museum, garden, and educational center that offers lots of awesome classes.  They also have the Skyspace where you can watch the sun set or rise!  This is a lovely and lovingly done project - a place just for art and nature and learning.

 21c Museum Hotel.  Hotel and museum in one!

Walmart!  Birthplace of Walmart.  See the original shop preserved in it's 1950s glory and enjoy the old school soda fountain!

Eureka Springs

Historic victorian downtown nestled into the mountains! Crescent hotel!  Beautiful and haunted!  Take part in the nightly ghost hunt!

Harriosn

Mystic Caverns!   Take the tour of this epic cave!  
1929 Hotel Seville.

Hot Springs

Hot Springs National Park.  In the 1800's this area was developed as a bathhouse resort/national park! You can take a bath at Buckstaff Bath House!  
Garvan Woodland Gardens.  Lovely gardens with the spectacular St. Anthony's chapel!

Lookout Point Inn.  Beautiful inn on the lake.

Little Rock 

Capital Hotel.  Pretty and historic!

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum!  Get a tour and spend the night aboard the USS Razorback!  Experience life on a submarine!  Feel the squeeze!
Wildwood Park!  Beautiful gardens with an annual night time lantern festival where the gardens are decorated with "luminaria" to create a magical experience!  Ooh la la!  Who doesn't want to wander through somewhere magcial!?!
Central Arkansas Nature Center.  They have  "living exhibits" of all the different aquatic environments found in Arkansas!

Historic Arkansas Museum.  They have historical re-enactments and a restored pre-civil war town!  

Heifer Village.  This  is an interactive museum that is devoted to ending world hunger and promoting sustainable environmental practices.  This is a really well done museum on a topic that you don't often get the chance to learn about in such an engaging way.

Bismark 

DeGray Lake Resort State Park!  This looks like the quintessential lake vacation!  They have awesome hikes, survival skill classes, treasure hunts, and a lovely lodge.