50 Nifty United States

Thus far our kids have actually done something in fourteen states (PA, MD, CA, VA, OH, FL, NJ, MA, CT, RI, IL, NY, NC, and SC) plus one province (Ontario) and the District of Columbia. I've been doing some planning lately to see how many other states and provinces we might be able to add to their list before leave the nest. As a child we visited quite a few states and most of the provinces of Canada during our family vacations. My favorite Canadian province was Nova Scotia although it was hard to top Prince Edward Island since I love Anne of Green Gables so much. Some of the places I would love to take my kids some day are places I have already been such as the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest, etc. Some places on the "bucket list" are ones I've never been to before such as Mount Rushmore, Hawaii, the redwoods in California, etc. Other places on our bucket list are ones that Paul really wants to see some day - mostly battlefields south of Virginia. Of the 16 "states" we've been to thus far (I'm lumping Ontario and DC with the states although I'm fully aware they are NOT states), I hope we return to most of them as there are still things we'd like to see in those states. Although we have field trips planned for the last three months of this year (including a few days in Virginia), I don't believe we'll add any more states to our list this year. The two we added this year were North Carolina and South Carolina.

Before I share some of the plans I've come up with, I should say #1 I fully realize that none of these might actually happen. It was only six months ago that our trip to NYC was scratched because we traveled to Maryland for my brother's funeral instead. Also, #2 I should mention that I really, really enjoy vacation planning. In some ways I take after my dad, but in this regard I definitely take after my mom. She also really, really enjoyed planning vacations. So why make these hypothetical plans? Now that I am using the meal planning app, I am cooking a much wider variety of meals. I think it's easy to get in a rut when you don't make long range plans. We went to Florida three years in a row at one point. Florida is nice, but there are SO many other places to visit. In making the plans, I have tried to keep the budget in mind. I only have two trips that involve airfare, and although the prices of airfare might drastically change between now and then, the cost of a RT ticket to Salt Lake City is about $200 per person, and the cost of a RT ticket to Atlanta is about $100 per person. If money were no object I'd love to include plans to visit Hawaii, the Caribbean, England, etc. Maybe those will be possible at some point. I should also add that my husband probably thinks I'm nuts to put thought and time into possible vacation plans a few years in advance! As they say, opposites attract. :)

In 2020, I'm hoping we add five states and one province to our list. In April 2020, we're planning to visit Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan in conjunction with our trip to Chicago. The plans at the moment are to visit the Indiana Dunes National Park, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Discovery World Center for Public Innovation, Henry Ford Museum, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Underground Living Museum, Greenfield Village, First Ladies National Historic Site, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Children's Museum, and Art Institute of Chicago on that trip.

In May or June (2020), I'd like to take a two day (one night) trip to Longwood Gardens, Rehoboth Beach (DE), and the Air Mobility Command Museum (DE). Originally I had planned a week long trip to Baltimore and Philadelphia for March 2020. I had talked with Maurice about those plans earlier this year, and we were both looking forward to that week together. In light of his passing, I don't think I'm going to be up for spending time in Philadelphia in the spring of 2020. The only place I still want to take the kids that was in the original plan for March 2020 is Longwood Gardens as the timing is perfect given our study of botany in science in the spring. Longwood Gardens is near but not actually in the city of Philadelphia. I thought instead we could add another state to our list by spending a day in Delaware. I have fond memories of going to Rehoboth Beach as a child, and Paul and I went there once for an anniversary getaway.

In August 2020, we're planning a trip to Canada in which we should add one state (VT) and

one province (Quebec) to their list. During that seven day trip we're planning to visit the Museum of Science and Technology (NY), Fort Stanwix (NY), Parliament Hill (Toronto), Canada Science and Technology museum, Basilique Notre Dame, Montreal Science Centre, La Citadelle (Quebec City), Plains of Abraham, Montmorency Falls, Echo Leahy Center (VT), Ben and Jerry's factory tour, Springfield Armory (MA), and the Martin van Buren National Historic Site (NY). 

In October 2021, we're thinking about taking a trip out west as Oliver will be in fourth grade, which means our family will get into national parks for free for the last time that school year. I'm assuming we'll fly in and out of Salt Lake City and possibly visit the following places during a two week trip: Natural History Museum of Utah and Clark Planetarium, Utah Olympic Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park Mesa Verde National Park, Four Corners National Monument,  Shiprock (NM), Petrified Forest National Park, Painted Desert National Park,  Lowell

Observatory, Cathedral Rock (Sedona), Grand Canyon National Park (south rim), Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe bend, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Snowbird Ski Resort, Lava Hot Springs, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Bear World, and Craters of the Moon National Monument. As it stands, we'd be adding New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah (six states) to their lists in 2021. This trip will exceed the current vacation budget. I had been thinking that when it becomes time to trade in our 2012 Sienna that we'd get a Honda Odyssey, but to save money (on gas) and also make it possible to afford this trip (and other expenses), I'm now thinking maybe we should get a CR-V instead as they are much cheaper and get better gas mileage. When we bought our minivan in 2012 we knew we still had a frozen embryo and our family *could* have expanded to include four children, but since I miscarried that little one in 2013, we know our family is complete and we will be fine with a vehicle that seats five rather than one that seats up to eight.

In the spring of 2022 I'm thinking we could add two more states to the list (Kentucky and West Virginia) as we visit the Ark encounter, Clay Center, Shaker Village, Mary Todd Lincoln House, Creation Museum, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati Museum Center, William Howard Taft National Historic Site, National Museum of the US Air Force, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, COSI, and Hopewell Culture National Historic Park. This would mean by the end of 2022 the kids would have been to thirty states, two provinces, and DC. 

We went to New England in 2016, and I'd like to return in the fall of 2023. This time I'd like to visit the PEZ Visitor Center (CT), Newport Mansions and John Brown Museum (Rhode Island), Old Sturbridge Village, Freedom Trail (Boston), Minute Man National Historic Park, Louisa May Alcott's Orchard house, SEE Science Center (NH), McAuliffe Shepherd Discovery Center, Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, whale watching cruise, and Wadsworth-Longfellow House (ME). The kids would add two states to their list on this trip - New Hampshire and Maine as they've already been to MA, CT, and RI. 

Finally, I'm thinking we could go to the southeast in the spring of 2024 and add Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi to their list, which would bring the total to 36 states (plus DC, Ontario, and Quebec). I thought we could fly to Atlanta and then visit the Georgia Aquarium, Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Site, Andersonville National Historic Site (GA), Tupelo National Battlefield (MS), Shiloh National Military Park (TN), US Space and Rocket Museum (AL), Chicakmauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield Park, Andrew Jackson's Hermitage (TN), Mammoth Cave (KY), Titanic Museum (TN), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN), Biltmore Estate (NC), and Stone Mountain Park (GA). The states that the kids would NOT have visited yet would include: Louisiana, Texas, Washington, Nevada, South Dakota, Montana, Hawaii, Alaska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, North Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas. I'm thinking one trip would be to the northwest US to include northern California, Washington state, and some other states in addition to another province or two in Canada. I've listed below some particular places it might be nice to visit  - some at states the kids haven't been to yet and others are particular places they haven't been to although they've already been in that state (or we already have plans to visit that state but not that particular site). Paul in particular keeps lobbying to return to Orlando. I am open to that, but that definitely will be another budget buster as the tickets for those parks are ridiculously expensive.

Of course many of our field trips are within the state of Pennsylvania, but there are still many sites here in our state that they haven't been to yet that I hope to take them in the next few years. Some are very simple like last week we toured a wastewater treatment plant and this week we're touring a Post Office and others involve more driving like the Mercer museum, Fonthill Castle, etc. I've owned my time share for 20 years, and I've gotten a lot of good use out of it. This year we used it in South Carolina and I was able to help two friends each spend a week in Williamsburg and Orlando through my time share. It's been a blessing to our family and also others, but in light of the fact that the future vacations do NOT seem to be the kind where we stay in one place for a week, I'm wondering if I should bring an end to the time share??? I need to do more research into that before making a decision. The time share would come in handy if we went to some locations (ex. Hawaii) but for the vast majority it wouldn't be helpful as we're only spending 1-2 nights in a place before driving to the next place. In reality I prefer the kind of vacation where you just stay in one place. I've had that opinion since I was a kid, but when you go out west, you really can't see much if you stay in only one place. I don't think we can afford to make umpteen trips out west! Here's to hoping we make many precious memories as a family on any future vacations we might take in the coming years.

Other places to possibly plan a trip to visit at some point:

1. Louisiana - Laura Plantation, Honey Island Swamp tour, Jean Lafitte National Park, and Whitney Plantation, National WW II Museum
2. Texas -Alamo, Space Center Houston, Schlitterbahn Water Park, and San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, see a rodeo
3. Washington - Mount St Helens
4. Nevada - Hoover Dam, Lake Tahoe
5. South Dakota - Mount Rushmore
6. Montana - Glacier National Park and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
7. Hawaii - Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor, beaches, waterfalls, Volcanoes National Park, attend a luau, coffee farm, 
8. Alaska - Alaska Native Heritage Center
9. Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Monument (NM)
10. Assateague Island (VA/MD)
11.  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite National Park, and Alcatraz (CA)
12. Universal Studios, Epcot (FL)
13. Mackinac Island and Fort Mackinac (MI)
14. USS Alabama (AL)
15. Vicksburg National Military Park, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, and Old Court House Museum (MS)