Chuck's TOP 50 PLACES and CITIES in the USA to VISIT/EXPLORE

NOTE: Best viewed on a real live PC using the Chrome browser. Results will vary on other devices or browsers.

As of July 4, 2023 I have visited all 50 states and then some. Over the years I've covered a lot of ground to check out some of the best places in North America. Experience makes the difference one might say. So, from me to you... Feel free to share this page with anyone you think might be ready for one or more adventures while seeing some of the best places and cities the USA (the best country on Earth) has to offer. One of these days I may cook up a "best of Canada" page as well. Until then, enjoy.

Chuck's TOP 50 USA PLACES To Visit

Yellowstone/Grand Teton NPs	WY	View nature, geysers, lakes, falls and wildlife.
Yosemite NP	CA	View nature, falls, wildlife and crazy rock climbers.
Bryce and Zion Canyon NPs	UT	View mother nature's most facinating sandstone carvings as you hike among wonder spires.
Grand Canyon NP	AZ	A flying tour is best, but hikes and raft rides are great too.
Arches NP	UT	Drive/walk/hike among various formations and arches.
Lake Powel/Rainbow Bridge NM in Glen Canyon NRA	UT	Bring your own ski boat or, better yet, schedule a boat tour or house boat.
Grand Staircase-Escalante NM Canyonlands NP	UT	Drive/walk/hike among various formations; some arches.
Hoover Dam/Lake Mead NRA	AZ & NV	Take a dam tour and/or go boating; close to Las Vegas, etc.
Glacier NP	MT	View nature and wildlife; a flying tour is best.
Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson Monuments/Smithsonian Museums/Etc.	D.C.	WARNING: Beware of this corrupted city full of Marxist Libtard Demoncraps and various other criminals!
Arlington National Cemetery Change of the Guard	VA	Get there early and plan for at least 3 hours.
Gettysburg Museum of History National Cemetery	PA	Get there early and plan for most of a day.
The Gateway Arch	MO	Spend a day or two in St. Louis as well.
Carlsbad Caverns NP	NM	Get there afternoon and stay for the evening bats.
Redwood NP	CA	Plan to walk among the giants for at least a day.
Chimney Rock Chimney Rock State Park	NC	Well worth a visit and good starting point for the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Blue Ridge Parkway plus Shenandoah NP via Skyline Drive	NC & VA	Plan 2 days+ to drive, stop, hike and view.
Mount Baker/North Cascades NP/Ross Lake Maple Pass/Washington Pass view point	WA	Via Hwys 542 and 20 into various hiker wonderlands.
9/11 Museum/Trade Center Statue of Liberty	NY	Get there from NJ side via Hudson River ferries to see cities, sights, etc.
Multnomah Falls Columbia River Gorge NSA	WA & OR	Head east from Portland and take exit 22 off I-84 up to the old Columbia River Hwy, go east (on the OR side) to the falls. Stop to view some sturgeon at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. Next watch wind surfers in Hood River OR B4 crossing to Salmon WA. Head westbound on the WA side to Beacon Rock State Park (take several good, yet easy going, hikes along the way).
Crater Lake NP	OR	Awesome in the summer; with other nearby lakes to boot!
Devils Tower NM	WY	Must see at least once; plus prairie dog town and other attractions (next)...
Mount Rushmore Black Hills NF/Crazy Horse	SD	Plan to spend a full day+ in the area.
Badlands NP	SD	Mother nature opens up for you here.
Theodore Roosevelt NP	ND	Start in Medora for more "bad lands" to explore (plus bison galore).
Monticello	VA	History at its best; couple it with Charlottesville also.
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour	LA	Great swamp tour for nature viewing; gators included.
The French Quarter Jackson Square	LA	Spend a day (or more) in New Orleans. WARNING: Crazies come out at night, so stay safe.
Pearl Harbor	HI	Pacific WW2 history started (and ends) here.
Kilauea/Hawai'i Volcanoes NP	HI	If you want to see volcanic action this is the area for you.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex	FL	Strap in and blast off via a great bus tour.
Mt Rainier NP	WA	Best hiking/views around a top 5 highest Mt in lower 48.
Florida Keys Hwy 1	FL	Great day trip from Miami.
Everglades Safari Park	FL	Swamp nature and great fun all in one airboat ride.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens	CA	If you like museums and flowers you better go here; Pasadena area is frosting on the cake.
Balboa Park/San Diego Zoo San Diego Model Railroad Museum	CA	Couple this young/old friendly park with other San Diego (a jury is out warning city) adventures in nearby Coronado, Clayton's Coffee Shop, etc.
Lake Tahoe	CA & NV	Water fun, casino fun and shows, catch a ski lift ride even higher up for better views.
Victory Rover Naval Base Cruises USS Wisconsin	VA	This and other Norfolk/Hampton sights, like Fort Monroe, should float your boat.
USS Alabama Battleship MP	AL	Tour an entire WW2 battleship, sub and air museum all in one Mobile stop.
Wright Brothers NM	NC	Get off the ground for a trip into the past; and enjoy "The Outer Banks" as well.
Museum of the American Revolution Liberty Bell Independence Visitor Center	PA	Thanks to the libtards, Philly (another safety warning city) has seen better days; it's still worth a historical education stop if passing through.
JFK Presidential Library & Museum Old North Church Paul Revere's House/MIT/Etc.	MA	Make it a day tour by checking these out, at least; Boston has many other sights (like Harvard & Cambridge) also.
Denali National Park and Preserve	AK	USA's 20,310 ft mountain, highest in North American, tops off the vast Denali National Park; explore away.
Harley-Davidson Museum	WI	Let's ride! Take in some (high crime area) Milwaukee sights also, IF you dare.
Niagara Falls State Park	NY	A one day sight to behold.
Fort Sumter NM	SC	Get a boat ride to this fort and a museum where the Civil War's first shots were fired; near Charleston SC as well.
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine	MA	1812 fort/battle that inspired the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner"; in Baltimore (yet another safety warning city). Check out the United States Naval Academy while in the area.
Aspen/Snowmass Rec Areas	CO	Get a "Rocky Mt high" in these beautiful resort areas; well worth a summer or winter visit.
Grand Coulee Dam Lake Roosevelt NRA/Banks Lake	WA	Take in some hiking, hunting, boating, fishing, wildlife watching and/or a huge dam tour (with a laser light show at night) in sunny eastern WA.
Hells Canyon Wilderness Snake River Canyon	OR & ID	Explore the great outdoors and plenty of fresh air in this mystic canyon wonderland.

Lucky 7 honorable mentions...

NRA Whittington Center	NM	Bring your long range rifle to the home office of the 2nd Amendment and test your accuracy out to 1000 yards.
West Point	NY	West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post/accademy in the United States located on the Hudson River.
Penobscot Narrows Observatory and Fort Knox (the other one)	ME	Stop at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and ride the elevator up for an exciting view of Maine from above.
Pikes Peak	CO	14,115 ft pink granite peak featuring hiking trails with stunning views; ride the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway up... or drive up. Check out the Air Force Accademy in Colorado Springs.
Acadia NP/Thunder Hole	ME	Natural's boom box inside a great national park worth checking out.
Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge	IA & NE	Check out a nearby museum and/or city sculptures, after taking a stroll over this footbridge for some Omaha/Council Bluffs city views.
Plymouth Rock Park/Mayflower II	MA	Take in some history and sights and then have a picnic in the park.

Chuck's TOP 50 USA CITIES/TOWNS To Visit

These cities/towns are fairly safe to visit with great culture, sights nearby and/or museums and are in addition to any cities/towns that one would go to in order to see one of the above 50+ PLACES.

NOTE: Several major cities were purposely excluded thanks to corrupt city leaders and DAs (a.k.a. Marxist Libtard Demoncraps) who have allowed them to become traffic jammed hubs of chaos, populated by massive infestations of illegals and homeless, while supporting historically high crime, violence and drugs; thanks to "woke" MLD ideologies... Examples: Seattle WA, Portland OR, L.A. and San Francisco CA, Chicago IL, N.Y. NY, etc.

Bowling Green	KY	Corvette Museum and Factory, good eats, near Mammoth Cave NP
Indianapolis	IN	Indy 500 tour and museum, plus loads of other attractions.
San Antonio	TX	Alamo, The Pearl, great river walk, light show, etc.
Kailua-Kona	HI	Best Big Island base of operations.
Astoria/Long Beach	OR & WA	Lois gives this mouth of the Columbia River duo 5 gold stars. Cannon Beach close by.
Bandon	OR	Drive the Oregon coast with a must stop visit to this small town with great beaches that inspire all comers.
Twin Falls	ID	A growing city full of free Americans enjoying the better life thanks to good weather and plenty of nearby recreational opportunities. Idaho is one of the few free states left that boasts continued support of the First and Second Amendments. If you plan to enjoy the great outdoors and are seeking "life, liberty and the persuit of happiness" in a city with a reasonable cost of living Twin Falls is worth the visit (or even moving to).
Palm Springs	CA	Check out the Aerial Tramway, hike up top, then drive out to Joshua Tree NP nearby.
Jackson (Hole)	WY	Great BBQ, museums, wildlife everywhere, Tetons hiking the Rocky Mountains way, etc.
Tucson	AZ	Visit (1) AZ-Sonora Desert Museum, (2) Saguaro NP, (3) Titan Missile Museum, (4) Pima Air & Space Museum, etc.
Des Moines	IA	Tour the gold medal winning Iowa Capitol Bldg for sure and then explore away.
Savannah	GA	Wonderful parks, 1800s mansions and sight seeing.
St Augustine	FL	Start with Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, walk the waterfront, visit the light house and take it from there.
Old Town/Albuquerque	NM	Hot air balloons, history and sights to see.
Charleston	WV	Check out the Capitol Bldg and/or head up north via the Midland Trail and New River Gorge.
Nashville	TN	Tennessee Capitol Bldg, home to Vanderbilt University, legendary country music venues; including the Grand Ole Opry, etc.
Knoxville	TN	Start with Market Square district which has 19th-century buildings, shops and restaurants.
Memphis	TN	Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Johnny Cash recorded albums at the legendary Sun Studio, and Presley's Graceland mansion is a popular attraction.
Chattanooga	TN	Trail of Tears started here, nice walks around downtown and river foot bridges, etc.
Birmingham	AL	Must see Civil Rights Institute.
Oklahoma City	OK	Visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, then find a good steak house before you ride off into the sunset.
Charlotte	NC	Hit the NASCAR Hall of Fame, strap into a seat on the Fury 325 roller coaster to hit speeds reaching 95 mph with 325 ft drop, etc.
Austin	TX	Texas Capitol Bldg is a must see before walking around for other sights.
Cooperstown	NY	Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, get a hot dog and enjoy a night on the town.
Galveston	TX	Check out the amusement rides and restaurants all around Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier as well as a self driving mansions tour, etc.
Madison	WI	Yet another Capitol Bldg to tour before checking out the rest of this multi-lake city.
Lead/Deadwood	SD	Both Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead and the western town of Deadwood are a quick draw.
Spokane	WA	Spring time roaring river front walks and lots of morning and night eats all year in this sunny eastern WA city.
Lincoln	NE	Nebraska Capitol Bldg wins the silver medal for 2nd best must tour; check the view from up top. More to see and do also.
Monterey/Carmel-By-The-Sea	CA	Check out some racing action at Laguna Seca Raceway plus swimming, surfing and bikes to rent after taking in Spanish Bay, Point Pinos Lighthouse, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, etc., etc.
Honolulu	HI	Take a multi-island flying tour, bask on the beaches, snorkling is great, food, food everywhere, etc.
Casper	WY	Take in the museums with memories of early explorers as they ventured into the wild, wild west. And don't leave town w/o eating breakfast at Eggington's downtown.
Friday Harbor	WA	San Juan Island's scenic home base for a day trip, a week of sights, killer whale viewing or some old fashion R&R.
Sandpoint	ID	Northern Idaho welcomes you to Lake Pend Oreille. This small town is known for great eats and ski slopes/terrain parks on Schweitzer Mountain. Enjoy bike and/or footpaths by the lake or hike up into the Idaho Panhandle NF ranges for awesome views.
New Haven	CT	Check out Yale University campus, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Yale University Art Gallery, the New Haven Museum (covers local history) and all the downtown sights.
Providence	RI	Rhode Island's capital city has plenty of attractions to explore.
Louisville	KY	Kentucky has too many good cities to pick from. Knock one out of the park after you arrive with a visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.
Baton Rouge	LA	M I S S I S S I P P in your I? Not here. Take a waterfront walk and explore sights to see; even the old and new capitol buildings. Enjoy.
Salt Lake City/Ogden	UT	Start at Temple Square and work your way out into the nearby mountains for endless adventures.
Anchorage	AK	Head downtown to explore. Then head to Seward and Homer. Or catch the Alyeska Aerial Tram ride up onto Alyeska Resort Mountain and explore some more.
Columbus	OH	Make it a day (or two) in a fun city and state capital to explore.
Lexington	VA	Home of Washington and Lee University plus Virginia Military Institute, this charming town is friendly and fun to explore.
Jacksonville	FL	The most populous Atlantic side city proper in the state of Florida with loads of things to pique one's interests.
Mid-Ohio/Millersburg	OH	Start here to explore the Mid-Ohio raceway, beautiful upstate Ohio, Millersburg and the Amish Country Byway.
Tampa/St Pete	FL	Popular for golfing, boating, fishing and beachgoing.
Bend/Redmond	OR	All plus and no minus; Deschutes River (rafting/boating/fishing), Cascade Mountains (lakes and peaks), ski resorts and multi-use trails, the High Desert Museum, and Newberry National Volcanic Monument with stairs leading into the Lava River Cave, a huge lava tube. That's for starters.
Sun Valley/Ketchum	ID	Mother nature shows off winter or summer in this resort area with miles of mountain trails, wildlife and flower-filled meadows.
Montpelier	VT	Restored Greek Revival state capitol with a historic art collection, offering free guided tours, great eats, etc.
Leavenworth	WA	A Bavarian/Alpine-style village serving German beer and food. Roam through a Nutcracker Museum, walk along the Wenatchee River at Waterfront Park, watch for ospreys and eagles; the village is a gateway to nearby hikes and wineries.
Ketchikan	AK	Charming Alaskan town on the Inside Passage (a popular cruise route) known for its boardwalks and totem poles. Near Misty Fiords NM (glacier-carved wilderness), featuring snowcapped mountains, waterfalls and salmon spawning streams. Plus it's home to black bears, wolves and bald eagles.

Honorable mentions...

Pendleton	OR	Chuck's birthplace (@ St Anthony's Hospital when it was there), gateway to the Blue Mts, featuring Oregon's largest rodeo arena that has hosted an annual rodeo & pageant since 1910.
Idaho Falls	ID	Another river walk to enjoy and the fantastic Museum of Idaho; well worth the visit.
Bozeman	MT	An all visitors are welcome city offering attractions such as the MSU Museum of the Rockies housing the Siebel Dinosaur Complex, with a notable collection of T. Rex specimens, and a planetarium. Bridger Range, to the north, and the Spanish Peaks, to the south, have trails for skiing, biking and hiking. Grab a cold one and enjoy the stay.
Hanover	NH	Hanover, a town located along the Connecticut River, is home to famous Dartmouth College (Laura Ingraham's alma mater). Hike Moose Mountain, visit museums, or just kick back and enjoy the show.
Bar Harbor	ME	Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island along Maine's Frenchman Bay serving as a gateway to Acadia NP. Time to get going!