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Equ » Autumn is in the air🍁
July 26th, 2015 6:12:24pm
927 Posts

*IMPORTANT NOTICE: Before continuing to read my comment, please do NOT refer me to the list of the states saying that this has already been posted! I AM NOT looking for JUST states! You may, however, ONLY add the state if you're talking about the location of a town/attraction. Thank-you!*


As many of you know, I'm currently a College student and I'm working towards a 4-year degree. I love to travel and I was wondering of good places to visit!  


What are some awesome attractions/activities you've ever done or want to do? {this includes but not limited to: Ski resorts/lodges, amusement parks/water parks, nature parks, beaches, etc.} What are some cool towns/cities you've ever visited? 




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eluhfunt - - just visiting.
July 26th, 2015 6:27:03pm
168 Posts

Varadero, Cuba! 

My parents took me and the kids last February for a week and it was fantastic! The beaches are gorgeous, the weather is fantasmal and the all-inclusive packages aren't too bad! 

If you do go, make sure you bring little ITEMS to tip the house keepers. Everyone there makes very little money, and there dollar value gets them very little so they prefer to get actual things! Things like eye liner, mascara, manicure sets, or toys for their children makes them happy to the point of tears. I ended up leaving Sydney's clothes bundled up neatly for them since she wouldn't fit them by the time summer came around. I also left some diapers, as a lot of babies in Cuba go without diapers because they're so expensive! 

Even if the resort is 5-Stars, DON'T go in with a 5-Star mentality. It's a third world country so they do the best they can, but their standard for 5-Stars is far different from ours (coming from a First World Country). However, compare a resort to the rest of Cuba and you'll realize it's actually not that bad. 

As for food.. well, I didn't really like it. But Cubans don't have the best reputation for good food. Not that it was disgusting, it just wasn't OMG SPECTACULAR. But you won't go hungry. 

Cubans are very friendly and hospitable, so don't be afraid to make friends! They try their best to speak English but they will still find ways to communicate with you. :)

If you get a chance, take a tour into Havana (or Habana, as they call it). The history is quite amazing and the culture is quite unqiue. Stay alert though! The streets are VERY consfusing and it's easy to get lost! Also, keep all of your valuables on you AT ALL TIMES. Putting a camera down will pretty much result in a quick swipe for a local to make a quick buck. Also, mind who you're taking pictures of! Remember, it's a third world country so a lot of the locals are desperate for money and WILL CHARGE YOU for taking a picture of them!

BUT at the end of the day, Cuba was fantastic and is worth doing at least once!

PS: They idolize Fidel Castro so be prepared to see his face on EVERYTHING.




 

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Absinthe .:.Main.:.
July 26th, 2015 7:25:10pm
552 Posts

Veri's (or Absinthe's) Where To Go in the US Guide!!

 

Alabama:
*USS Alabama in Mobile Bay
*City of Mobile in general

 

Arizona:
*Grand Canyon
*Tombsone (city) - if you're into the Old West

 

Arkansas:
*Personally haven't done anything here, but I hear diamond mining, crystal mining, and hot springs are wonderful

 

California:
*Los Angeles - Amoeba Music (largest independent music retailer....freaking awesome)
*Hollywood - Walk of Fame, Kodak Theater, Chinese Theater, other awesome stuff
*Beverly Hills - famous people's houses
*Santa Monica - The Pier
*Malibu - restaurant called Neptune's Net has excellent food
*Anaheim - where Disneyland is

 

Colorado:
*Estes Park - great city, home of The Stanley Hotel which was the hotel inspiration for The Shining


Florida:
*Orlando - Disney, Universal Studios, LegoLand, Sea World, International Drive
*St. Augustine - oldest city in the United States (celebrating her 450th anniversary in September of this year, 2015), lots of pirate history
*Cedar Key - cute little town, we have a pirate invasion there in September
*Miami - Gulfstream Park (home of the Florida Derby and other Thoroughbred races)
*Florida Keys - gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous from Key Largo to the southern most point in the US, Key West!
*St. Petersburg - amazing downtown area
*Madeira Beach - John's Pass tourist area, good food, pirates on occasion, I'm about to live there (lol)
*Clearwater Beach - some of the best beaches in the US
*Siesta Key - #1 beach in the US
*Sanibel Island - best beaches for finding sea shells!
*Captiva Island - I haven't seen a better sunset
 
Georgia:
*Atlanta - Georgia Aquarium (seriously the only good thing about ATL in my opinion)
*Savannah - TONS of history (Civil War and pirates too), also great Old South feel and great food


Hawaii:
*I have been to Maui and it was spectacular. Great food, beaches, rainforests!!
 
Illinois:
*For big cities, Chicago. Tons to do with shopping, the Navy Pier, and other stuff
*For small cities, Grafton, Alton, Pere Marquette (all on the Mississippi River)
 
Indiana:
*I hear Indianapolis is nice....I've only been to see family in a small town lol
 
Iowa:
*Just.....no. Nothing to do.
 
Kansas:
*A lot like Iowa lol.

Kentucky:
*Horse racing
*Thoroughbred farms
*The Kentucky Horse park


Louisiana:
*Never been, but have always wanted to check out New Orleans for the history



Maine:
*Bar Harbor is wonderful
*Best lobster EVER

 

Maryland:
*Only sorta been here....lol


 
Michigan:
*Henry Ford museum in Detroit
*There are a bunch of islands in Lake Michigan that I hear are cool


 
Minnesota:
*Land of 10,000 lakes
*Mall of America - largest mall in the US, has its own amusement park, freaking awesome
*Valley Fair - amusement park in Shakopee (not the one at Mall of America)


 
Mississippi:
*Civil War history, especially in Vicksburg


 
Missouri:
*Kansas City - great shopping, great food
*St Louis - Forest Park, The Zoo (free and amazing), Missouri Botanical Gardens (some of the best in the world), City Museum (legit epic), The Arch, Six Flags St Louis, The Art Museum (free), the History Museum (free), Science Center....
*This list can get looooooong as I spent 10 years here
*Hermann - little town, great food, good winery (Hermannhof), good atmosphere


 
Montana:
*Big Sky Country indeed!
*Great for just being outdoors and seeing the wide open spaces!
*Highest posted speed limit in the US (80mph if memory servese)


 
Nevada:
*Las Vegas. Nuff said


 
New Mexico:
*Aliens (no really)
*Wild mustangs
*Native American awesome stuff
*Santa Fe
*Albuquerque


 
North Carolina:
*Raleigh


 
North Dakota:
*It's like Iowa and Kansas...wouldn't really recommend it lol


 
Ohio:
*Cleveland - Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Museum
*Sandusky - home of Cedar Point amusement park (roller coaster capital of the world)


 
Oklahoma:
*It's flat. Drove through it once...that's about it


 
Oregon:
*Portland is lovely


 
Pennsylvania:
*Hershey Park -  a theme park dedicated to Hershey chocolate
*Gettysburg - tons of Civil War history, I walked Pickett's Charge in its entirety. Pretty nifty


 
South Carolina:
*Beaufort


 
South Dakota:
*Custer's Last Stand
*The Black Hills
*The Badlands
*Mount Rushmore (awesome)


 
Tennessee:
*Memphis - home of Blues music, Graceland (for all Elvis fans), Beale Street, excellent BBQ, The Peabody Hotel (and the Peabody Ducks), good shopping, Gibson guitar factory which does tours
*Nashville - Country Music City USA, great live music venues, The Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, good food, awesome shopping


 
Texas:
*Amarillo - home to the Cadillac Ranch
*New Braunfels - home of one of the best waterparks in the US called Schlitterbahn (German for "slippery road"). I want to go so bad.


 
Utah:
*Salt Lake City has a lovely airport. That's about all I got lol


 
Virginia:
*I know I've been there, I just don't remember it


 
Washington:
*Forks - went before the Twilight thing and it was very nice
*Starbucks
*Seattle
*Space Needle
*Mount St Helens


 
Wisconsin:
*Haven't been there in like 20 years lol


 
Wyoming:
*Yellowstone National Park. Seriously. Go there.


 
Washington DC:
*The monuments are wonderful




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Insomnia • [34] ⸸ Spare
July 26th, 2015 8:51:27pm
839 Posts

There are things to do in Iowa, as I live here. May not be some big popular thing like Disney world or Hollywood stuff, but if you like history and stuff, I quite like it. We’re not all corn fields and stuff. Lol. Probably a lot cheaper than other places too.

 

*National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque

*Field of Dreams(yes from the movie) in Dyersville

*Amana Colonies in Amana, IA(seven villages on 26k acres of shops and history)

*Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, I’ve never been but I’ve heard it’s pretty awesome.

*Adventureland in Altoona, IA. Smaller than Disney land, but basically the same stuff.

*Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, IA. Love this place, grew up in McGregor so I was around there a lot. Lots of nature trails and awesome camping spot. Plus McGregor is a small river front town, but very historical.

*Lost Island Water Park in Waterloo, IA(probably not really the best place to go, but I live by waterloo and it is a nice place, haha).

*Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines.

*American Gothic House in Eldon, IA

*Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry/Marquette, IA(also grew up by this, it’s prehistoric mounds built by native americans.. animal mounds and others, it’s pretty amazing if you like native American thngs).

*Iowa Speedway in Newton, IA(if you like racing)

*Prairie Meadows in Altoona, IA. Thoroughbred race track.

*Maquoketa Caves State park in Maquoketa, IA




 

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Whynn • Main • Direwolves
July 26th, 2015 9:23:33pm
568 Posts

Aruba. I have been going every year for 2 weeks in November since I was 15 (now 27) and I love it so much. It is probably (at this moment) my favorite place on earth. 




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Minette 🌙 can we, can we surrender
July 26th, 2015 9:37:57pm
247 Posts

I haven't traveled all that far but I'll share some of the places I've been.

Florida (where I live)

*Anna Maria Island-  It's on the west coast of florida and the water is so blue and crystal clear compared to the east coast.  The island is largely uncommercialized and there's easy access to the river and ocean.

*Cape Canaveral-  Cruise terminals are located here and you can see the ships coming and going in the port.  Jetty park campground is just down from the port and has access to the beach.   Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar has the best clam chowder and is right next to a cruise terminal.

*Clearwater Aquarium-  I've never been here but I really want to go.  Home of Winter, the dolphin with the prosthetic tail.

*Anastasia Park-  Located in St. Augustine.  It's one of the best campgrounds I've been to.

*Wekiva Falls-  Good campground my dad loves the place.  It was awesome going kayaking down wekiva river, so pretty.

*Deleon Springs-  You can make pancakes right at your table in the restaurant.

*Rock Springs-  Great place if you want to go tubing down the springs.  

Georgia

*Jekyll Island-  Spent a few days here a couple months ago.  Great place to find sand dollars along the beach (just make sure they're dead).  The water was really murky compared to florida so we didn't go in the water.  Georgia Sea Turtle Center is located here and it only costs a few bucks to get in.  Driftwood beach was awesome (so many fidler crabs) and some beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

North Carolina

*Carowinds-  An amusement park on the South/North Carolina border.  Only like $50 for a ticket which is great compared to universal and disney.  Has a small waterpark there as well.

*Maggie Valley-  We always rented a cabin up on the mountain for the summer.  Absolutely gorgeous here and it was only a short walk to a small market.  We always went on trail rides up the mountain and rode the ski lift if possible.  The ride to Tennessee from here is so beautiful.




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halo
July 26th, 2015 9:50:48pm
84 Posts

I have to say the west coast of Michigan is beautiful. Silver Lake sand dunes or Sleeping Bear sand dunes come to mind. A couple summers ago I spent my entire summer vacation in the Upper Peninsula (so anything there is A ) but Marquette is fabulous. 




 

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Equ » Autumn is in the air🍁
July 26th, 2015 10:05:42pm
927 Posts

WOW! These are all great suggestions so far guys! :) Let's keep this travel train a-rollin'! 

 

However, I will say that many locations like Orlando, Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine and other central FL attractions I've already seen but I love how you all gave other suggestions. I can tell you that about 50 on here have hit my list and more are welcomed! :D




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trig · Pyrenees
July 26th, 2015 10:19:10pm
6 Posts

We took a family vacation to New Braunfels, Tx this past June and it was a lot of fun. You're close to Gruene, Tx with has the Gruene Music Hall and an awesome winery plus a bunch of little shops to look through. Schlitterbahn was a really fun, they have two separate parks but there's buses running between them all day. So it's like gettting double the fun for no extra charge. We also went to San Antonio, to see the Alamo and the Buckhorn Museum and Saloon. My sister and I had an obnoxious amount of fun at the museum because it's full of all kinds of animals (stuffed) on display. We didn't have time but you can also do float trips down some of the rivers in tubes. The food in the whole area is just wonderful too. We have family that's closer to the ocean too, so we also spent a couple days on the beach which is never a bad idea.

Last year we went to Yellowstone National Forest and I'd highly recommend that for a trip too. It's more driving to see things than your normal vacation but it's awesome. 




 

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Event Coordinator Panthera Onca .:. The Night Floof 🐆
July 27th, 2015 2:53:56am
28,133 Posts

My favorite travels have been out west to

South Dakota - Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, Wall Drug

Wyoming - Devil's Tower, YELLOWSTONE

Montana - GLACIER NATIONAL PARK!!!!!

Colorado - Garden of the Gods, Mesa Verda, Durango-to-Silverton train trip!! (was awesome!!), Pikes Peak

Arizona - Grand Canyon (obviously)

Utah - Monument Valley (AWESOME!!!), and I've never been to BUTWANTTOSOBAD....Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, and Natural Bridges NP

Also, you can visit the point where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah's borders meet. It's called the Four Corners (very original haha) You can stand on  all four states at one time.

New Mexico - (never been to these but DEF. on my bucket list) Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National NP...and to see a Saguaro cactus up close and personal

 

 

 I also recently took a trip down to Texas! 

We went to Corpus Christi and swam in the ocean and hung out at the beautiful beach on North Padre Island

Then we were in San Antonio and went to SeaWorld and the Riverwalk along the San Antonio River. We also saw the Alamo. We didn't get a chance to see them...but they also have like a wild animal park near San Antonio and they also have a huge zoo! And besides the Aquatica waterpark at SeaWorld, there is the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels.

 




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Maharet : Taking a break : BV, Blitz, & Trig watching
July 27th, 2015 3:53:00am
2,469 Posts

Pan, I live in corpus and go to pins (padre island national seashore weekly) you are brave swimming in the water haha. Depending on the time of year we do get 6ft Sharks fairly close to shore and not to mention the sting rays haha.

 

but yes it's an awesome place. 60 miles of DRIVABLE beach. 4wd is recommended past the 5mile marker.

 

we are also in the top 10 birding areas. Rock port /Aransas pass is 30ish mins away, hello endangered whooping cranes.

 

texas state aquarium and the Lexington (navy ship) are along the way to rockport

 

the Alamo is in San Antonio along with the river walk. Austin isn't far From there either, hello party on 6th street. 

 

Pinto sports, catech the San Antonio spurs (basketball), Houston Astros (baseball) and Dallas Stars (hockey)

 

schlitterban is ok, but it's an amusement park, boring!

 

Instead head to the hill country and go to concan can float the frio river. 

 

Enchanted rock is around the area also, yay for camping and hiking

 

Go to grune hall for awesome Texas country and two stepping fun, we have lots of cowboys ;) 

 

garner state park is rad in the fall! 

 

Oh and eat whataburger before you leave. Either a number 1 or 5 and then wait till 11pm and get a bob meal (amazing hangover food) 

 

Check out the Texas Country Reporter on YouTube for awesome back country finds. 

also Texas highway magazine

Or just google places to go to in Texas. We are big and have tons to do!




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`NEKE-A-SAURUS → up in smoke
July 27th, 2015 3:35:40pm
12,807 Posts

Banff, Alberta.  It's nestled in the Rocky Mountains and is absolutely stunning.  Basically, the Rocky Mountains are my favourite place on earth!




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Absinthe .:.Main.:.
July 27th, 2015 10:38:17pm
552 Posts

Insomnia....thank you for showing me Iowa isn't boring!! Now I need to go back and check some of these places out!




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Event Coordinator Panthera Onca .:. The Night Floof 🐆
July 28th, 2015 12:47:49am
28,133 Posts

Oh really, Maha?! Wow, haha!! We had no idea. There were cars lined up for a mile each way and everyone was in the water when we were there so it appeared safe to us LOL




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Master Administrator Samantha - see page to know who to contact directly!
July 28th, 2015 3:10:37am
4,333 Posts

Hey! I love to travel. I'm super tired, so I can't really think of any specific places right now without looking to see what's already been mentioned, but I will add to Veri's post that there IS a lot of stuff in Iowa, haha. There's Adventureland in Des Moines which is awesome, the state fair every year is one of the best in the country, and there is Okoboji which is super fun if you like lakes and lake activities and Arnold's Park there. Plus tons of camping and state parks and fishing and kayaking/river activities.

I'm from Nebraska and we have one of the best zoo's in the country here in Omaha (rated the best in the world by Trip Advisor), we also have a super cool downtown area with trendy stores and restaurants and brick roads and carriage rides. Then we have a bunch of live music festivals and food festivals and one of the highest concentration of restaurants in the country! Plus lots of nighttime fun and cool bars with live bands.

I'll update with other places I've travelled later on! Those are just my home states, haha.

EDIT: I do post some reviews and pictures of places I have been on my blog, so you could check that out, too, if you wanted!




 

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Event Coordinator Panthera Onca .:. The Night Floof 🐆
July 28th, 2015 3:45:57am
28,133 Posts

I suppose since I'm from Minnesota I should list some of the attractions here as well.

1. DULUTH...in my opinion the best city in the entire state. You can watch the huge ships come into the harbor and the big lift bride. You can take boat tours on Lake Superior. The North Shore itself is LOADED with state parks all the way north to the border...and basically every state park has a waterfall which is the cincher for me. Gooseberry Falls is along this route as well. You can also head west and visit the huge Iron Range near Hibbing and Chisholm. Getting back to Duluth, they have a huge freshwater aquarium, lots and lots of tourist shops and amazing food. The visitor's center next to the harbor is pretty cool.

2. Of course if you're a non-MN native you go to the Mall of America. The joke is that no one in MN actually shops there. My friends and I do try to go up there about once a year but we never buy anything besides food usually. They have a big amusement park in the middle of the Mall, Nickelodeon Universe, [was way more awesome when it was Camp Snoopy but whatevs...], and next to the Mall is the Waterpark of America which is pretty awesomesauce. OH and they have Underwater World in the Mall as well!! They have all sorts of small fish and sharks and stingrays and sawfish.

3. The lakes, of course. I would recommend anything north of Brainerd. South of that our lakes get kinda green, but the further north you go, the more clear and clean[looking] they get. You can basically spot a fish, throw your line in and watch the fish bite. No joke, I've done it. :P

4. If you really wanna get wild, you can come to my humble little town of Madelia in Sept and see the Younger Brothers Capture Days. ;) In the 1800's after the Jesse James/Younger game took off from Northfield MN from a botched robbery the James's and Youngers split up. The Younger Brothers made the mistake of stopping at a farm near Madelia and a boy there recognized them. He rode a horse to town and told the sheriff. The Madelia "Magnificent Seven" met up with them in a swamp about 4 miles out of town and had a shootout until the Younger Brothers finally surrendered. And that is my little town's claim to fame. ^_^

5. Basically any State Park in MN. :P There are tons!! And pretty much every single one is next to a river, stream, or lake. My favorites are Blue Mound, Whitewater, and Minneopa.

6. Minnehaha Falls is in the heart of Twin Cities (MPLS/STPAUL). Very spectacular in the spring. Not so much in the fall...unless it's rained a whole lot. 

7. Stillwater/St. Croix area. Stillwater is one of the oldest cities in MN. Very touristy and has tons of boutique and antique stores to persue. And candy stores. And ice cream shops. The St. Croix river nearby is very scenic. 

8. Basically anywhere near the Minnesota or Mississippi Rivers in the fall. We get some pretty spectacular colors. Southeastern MN is very well known for it's fall colors...near Winona area. There are also a lot of Amish in that area so they have shops you can check out. 

 

...that's all I can think of for now. :P I'm sure I'll pop awake in the middle of the night with something else I missed. xD




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etiqueta {canis panthers}
July 28th, 2015 4:16:10pm
538 Posts

I moved to Independence, MO (Kansas City area) and I love it!

I live 10 minutes away from Worlds of Fun, where Sam and I went on Sunday.

Awesome BBQ.

Water parks.

Tons of shopping.

Sports.

Kansas City Zoo.

Lots of historical sites to visit.

 




 

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Audacious [rip daddy♥] [blitz watching!]
July 28th, 2015 10:33:02pm
2,126 Posts

My only vote is.. Disney ♥




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euphony 🌴 beagles
August 6th, 2015 8:40:47pm
46 Posts

I moved from small town Northeast Missouri to North Carolina and have done an insane amount of traveling in the past few years.  My recommendations are:

 

St. Louis - the Zoo is one of the top in the country, its huge and free! if you go on a week day you can almost always find free parking on the side of the street directly in front of the North entrance.  The Missouri Botanical Gardens are gorgeous (though not free) and the arch is a classic.  Also Busch Stadium and the STL Cardinals if you're into that. STL also has a six flags.

Kansas City - Rockfest every May!! and Worlds of Fun. And probably some other stuff.

Nashville - I love downtown Nashville.  All the bars and little shops and the music and the street musicians on literally every corner.

 

Louisville - Louisville has this hole-in-the-wall chinese place that's super cheap and delicious. Churchill Downs during the racing season is also a really cool experience and is only like $3 for general admission on non-famous derby days.

 

Savannah/Tybee Island - My first ocean experience. Tybee is so cute and Savannah is classic. 

 

Atlanta - Six Flags over Georgia.  World of Coke. and some giant aquarium that I'm still bitter about not getting to go to yet.

 

Boone, NC - Totally biased as I go to school here but its small-ish and gorgeously set in the Appalachian Mountains.  Best time to visit is in the fall for the leaf colors and winter when everybody comes up from Flordia to ski.

 

Outer Banks, NC - lots and lots of pretty beaches, a lot of them undeveloped.  some of the islands have wild horses!

 

those are some of my favorites to date. :)




 

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