Most Fun Thing To Do In Each State (Part 2)

Last week I started a list on fun things to do in each state. That first edition had each state A-M and the District of Columbia. It can be found here. This week is the 2nd edition with each of the remaining states. These are the most exciting activities that I have done in these states and/or what I would like to do on my next visit. Once again, hopefully this gives you some ideas for planning your own future vacations.

Nebraska

I have never been to Nebraska

Most Desired Location to Visit: College World Series (Omaha, Nebraska)

I first thought what the heck do I want to do in Nebraska? Then, I remembered of course OMAHA! One year I will go to the College World Series which is at the top of my list of postseason tournaments I want to attend. This just seems to be a magical experience that you can do. Add in the fact that the #1 attraction in the state according to TripAdvisor is also a zoo in Omaha and this city is one that I really want to visit. The more I think about it, the more I think Omaha might be my #1 city to visit.

Nevada

Best Attraction I've Visited: The Hoover Dam (AZ/NV border)
The best and also only attraction I have seen in Nevada. I was not a huge fan of the dam and think it is a bit overrated (sorry mom for being a pain when I went), but I understand that many love this place. It is a great feat of man that they were able to make this thing. However, I am not sure I will ever be going back.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (Las Vegas, NV)
It is pretty surprising that this is the highest ranked attraction in Las Vegas and in Nevada period on TripAdvisor. With the strip and everything else in Vegas that just blows me away. Since this is ranked so highly, I want to see what the hype is about. It seems about as cool as the Grand Canyon in Arizona and I love that so it seems like a nice getaway from the business of the strip.

New Hampshire

I have never been to New Hampshire.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Charmingfare Farm (Candia, NH)
This is a small zoo, but it seems very kid friendly. They have unlimited  tractor train rides which are great for any boy that loves trains like mine. Charmingfare also has pony rides and horse drawn rides. At this zoo you can also even get a sleigh ride add on. Additionally, the zoo has reindeer which lets be honest are loved by children everywhere.

New Jersey

I can't remember every visiting New Jersey, buy it is possible I went there when I was little.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Cape May County Park & Zoo (Cape May Court House, NJ)
This zoo is one of the highest rated in the entire country which I had no idea of until doing research for this list. Additionally, this zoo is absolutely free and parking is also free. The zoo has a bald eagle, giraffes, lions, red pandas, tigers, and more. It is one that we would love to get to eventually and perhaps sooner than expected.

New Mexico

Best Attraction I've Visited: Unknown
I have been to New Mexico and went for a week, but all I remember about that trip is millions and millions of flies. More flies than I have ever seen in my life. We met my Uncle Steve there, but all I can remember is seeing him and all of the flies. I think we did something to do with dinosaur footprints, but the flies just stood out.
Most Desired Location to Visit: The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
I would stay far away from Clayton, New Mexico when I visit which was the fly capital of the world. To be honest this is a state I probably won't go back to because of that experience. However, if I did I would choose this attraction in the capital of the state. This basilica would be a great place to visit as a practicing Catholic. This would be a great place to celebrate mass. Also in Sante Fe is the San Miguel Mission which would be great to see and would be another place to add to the trip. The church is beautiful and it would be simply fantastic to see in person.

New York

This may seem like a crime, but I have never been to New York. Jenna has more than once and wants to go again, but I who grew up much closer have never been.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Baseball Hall of Fame @ Cooperstown (Cooperstown, NY)
The Hall of Fame I most want to attend is definitely the baseball hall of fame which is located in Cooperstown. It seems to be the Hall of Fame that holds the most prestige in this country as well. I am not sure if its because baseball is America's pastime, because of the records, or what, but it is just special. This seems to be an attraction on everyone's bucket list. It will be a trip I make with my boys and my dad one day.

North Carolina

Best Attraction I've Visited: North Carolina Aquarium (Roanoke Island, NC)
There are actually four aquariums in North Carolina that call themselves the North Carolina Aquarium. I am almost positive that the one I visited was the one at Roanoke Island because the outside looks the most memorable, but could be wrong. It was a cool aquarium and I would love to go again or to go to any of the other three as they are all a little bit different.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, North Carolina)
I have been to North Carolina several times, but one thing I haven't gotten to do is enjoy a sporting event in this fine state. The sporting event I would most like to see is a basketball game at the legendary Cameron Indoor Stadium to see the Cameron crazies in action. Duke basketball is the biggest name in basketball and Coach K is a top 10 coach all-time. I'd love to see the Dukies play in Cameron before he retires.

North Dakota

I have never been to North Dakota
Most Desired Location to Visit: Theodore Roosevelt National Park (Medora, ND)
A big part of me wants to say the Dakota Zoo which seems awesome, but if I went to North Dakota I would want to see a bison and a proghorn in the wild. The best place to do that seems to be the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora. While there for the trip I'd also probably try to go to the zoo, but the park would be the highlight of the trip.

Ohio

Best Location I've Visited: Sea World Ohio (Aurora, Ohio)
This park is now closed, but it was once open and we went while it was open. It was similar to the other Sea World parks, but this park did not have any rides at the park. It would be cool if it was still open as Sea World does a great job with conservation. Sea World was eventually brought by Six Flags due to poor attendance and a bad climate for their type of attraction. At that time their parent company, Anheuser Busch decided to exit the market.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Columbus Zoo (Powell, Ohio)
For most people going to Ohio they want to go to Cedar Point, the NFL Hall of Fame, or the Rock N'Roll Hall of Fame. Not me though. While I want to go to all of those places, I would rather visit the Columbus Zoo in Powell, Ohio. This zoo is consistently rated the top zoo in the country and a zoo fan like myself would absolutely have to visit here. This is a must trip and one that will hopefully happen in the next 5 years.

Oklahoma

I have never been to Oklahoma
Most Desired Location to Visit: Oklahoma City Zoo
The Oklahoma City Zoo is another really cool looking zoo. It is only 1 of 20 zoos in the United States with a spotted hyena and 1 of 21 zoos in North America to exhibit the Indian Rhino. Another rare zoo animal I love, the Okapi, is also here. This zoo is only 1 of 23 in North America to exhibit the Okapi. Probably the coolest fact is that this zoo is only 1 of 9 in the country to exhibit harpy eagles. I have never seen a harpy eagle and I am sure they look spectacular so this is a really neat fact and almost worth the visit alone.

Oregon

I have never been to Oregon
Most Desired Location to Visit: Tracktown, USA (Eugene, OR)
There are a few other places I would like to see including the Oregon Zoo (which features a wide variety of species) and Crater Lake. However, sports history doesn't get much better than Oregon Track & Field. This track is actually called TrackTown USA because it is so famous. This of course is also the team that Nike was built from. Phil Knight was an Oregon track athlete. You can really see where it all started by visiting here. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman developed Nike from trying to get better and lighter running shoes for Bowerman's Oregon track athletes. It all started for Nike at the University of Oregon and the track team.

Pennsylvania

Best Location I've Visited: Hershey Park (Hershey, PA)
Hershey Park is simply one of the best theme parks in the country. I recommend that everybody visit there at least once. You do not have to love the candy to have a good time, because this is a legit theme park. It has several thrill rides and coasters all of which have much shorter lines than most theme parks. Of course don't hold me to that short lines bit because I haven't been in a while and I'm sure the word is spreading about this place. It even has its own zoo that we reviewed here.
Most Desired Location to Visit: PNC Park (Pittsburgh, PA)
This is actually on the top 10 of my bucket list because it isn't far from my hometown and I have heard it is one of the best ballparks in the country. Several that have seen it have said that it is the very best park. It is difficult for me to imagine this park being the best, but I have heard that it is quite extraordinary. Going to a game here is something that I certainly feel like I will do at some point.

Rhode Island

I've never been to Rhode Island.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Roger Williams Park Zoo (Providence, RI)
The smallest state appears to be one of the states with the least to do in it. However, since Rhode Island is so small, a trip there can involve visits to multiple states. If I were going to just Rhode Island though, this zoo would absolutely be at the top of my list. This zoo has a bald eagle, elephants, giraffes, kangaroos, leopards, red pandas, pronghorns, and more.

South Carolina

Best Location I've Visited: South Carolina Aquarium (Charleston, SC)
I have not seen much in South Carolina eventhough I have driven through the state multiple times. I did take a tour of Clemson University and almost went there though because it was so beautiful. That is a close second to this Aquarium because let's face it aquariums are more fun than tours. Check out our review from that visit here.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Memorial Stadium (Clemson, SC)
As I stated earlier I went on a tour of Clemson, but I didn't see a game at their spectacular football stadium. I didn't see the Tigers run down the hill after touching Howard's Rock. Out of all the entrances I have not seen in college football, this one ranks up at the top. One day I will get to go to this stadium and watch a game. It will likely be against FSU because I'm pretty good at planning. However, it would not matter the opponent for me to have a good time. That being said it will be against FSU when I go and I will have a better time because it will be against FSU. I can't wait to visit the 2nd coolest stadium in the ACC.

South Dakota

I have never been to South Dakota and have very little desire to ever go.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Mount Rushmore National Memorial (Keystone, SD)
This is the obvious choice for South Dakota. It is something that would be cool to visit. That being said, at the end of the day it is a rock that is carved into the shape of the heads of some of our greatest presidents. It always has high reviews. but not sure it is worth a very expensive vacation trip to me. At the end of the day, the rest of your vacation is still in South Dakota. What else is there to do the rest of the time? Vacations are expensive and since they are so expensive I do not know that South Dakota is the location I would choose.

Tennessee

This may be weird since I lived in a bordering state for the majority of my life, but I have never been to Tennessee. My sister-in-law went to an awesome aquarium here though and reviewed it for us.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Dollywood Theme Park (Pigeon Forge, TN)
Dollywood seems like a wonderful park to visit especially during Christmas time. From early November through the wonderful holiday this park has a Christmas Chapel, a Christmas Carol, two more stations with Christmas songs or shows, carol of the trees, an Appalachian Christmas, and the chance to meet Rudolph and Friends. The park seems awesome at all times, but I think an early November visit would be special. It has 48 rides and looks like just a legit awesome amusement park. I'm actually pretty surprised I have never gone. Let me re-phrase that, I'm surprised I never wanted to go. This place looks awesome.

Texas

Best Location I've Visited: The Alamo (San Antonio, TX)
I have taken one trip to Texas that went to Houston and another that we flew into Austin and went to Kerrville which is just south of San Antonio to visit my Aunt. On that trip we also went to San Antonio and saw SeaWorld San Antonio, The Riverwalk, and the Alamo. The one that sticks out on that trip was the Alamo, although SeaWorld San Antonio is better than Orlando IMO. It is a great historical place that any history buff would love. Most people should visit this and San Antonio is a great city to visit.
Most Desired Location to Visit: AT&T Center for a Spurs Game (San Antonio, TX)
Preferably before Tim Duncan's career is over, I would like to go to the AT&T Center to see a Spurs game. I have admired the Spurs for a longtime since the days of David Robinson, but only been to one of their games which happened to be in DC. I would love the opportunity to see them in their home arena and see my favorite player wind down his career. This team is such an exhibition of hard work, teamwork and dedication that it will really be an enjoyable experience for me.

Utah

I have never been to Utah.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Bryce Canyon National Park
This national park is located in southwestern Utah and is the #1 rated attraction in all of Utah on TripAdvisor. Several have said that it is better than the Grand Canyon which is absolutely incredible. Any canyon that can compete with the Grand Canyon is worth seeing. That comparison alone has me excited to see this place.

Vermont

I have never been to Vermont
Most Desired Location to Visit: Vermont Institute of Natural Science (Quechee, VT)
This looks like another fantastic location in this country. It is centered on birds and bird watching and has a lot of cool things to do in order to learn more about birds. There are some great pictures of bald eagles on the website so I am sure you get a good look at them at a minimum. Additionally, this place is opening up a new exhibit comparing birds to dinosaurs and talking about the evolution of dinosaurs into birds. The attraction just has a lot of neat little wrinkles to it.

Virginia

Best Location I've Visited: Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA)
I have been a lot of awesome places in this great state, but the best place I think is Busch Gardens. It is just a special place to be and one of the finest theme parks in the country. The park is right up there with the Tampa location.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Virginia Zoological Park (Norfolk, VA)
I grew up in Virginia and lived there for 18 years before college. My family still lives in the state. I have been to many great attractions in this state. However, most the attractions I have visited frequently are in the northern part of the state as I grew up in the 703. One place I always wanted to visit in this state and never did was the zoo in Norfolk. It just always seemed like a very fun place to go and my family of zoo lovers would love it themselves.

Washington

I have never been to Washington state.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Safeco Field (Seattle, WA)
I one day would like to visit all the MLB ballparks and this one is near the top of the list. It is near the top of the list because it is consistently ranked as one of the best ballparks in the sport. I have heard wonderful things about Safeco and am sure that I will get out there one day.

West Virginia

Best Location I've Visited: West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV)
I took a campus tour at West Virginia and strongly considered going there when I was looking at colleges. It is a great little town. Not as cool a state as Virginia and I'm not into the couch burning thing, but the University is beautiful and so is the town. I can see why so many people do want to attend this university as a student.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo (Kingwood, WV)
Growing up on a border state, I have been to West Virginia a few times, but never to Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo. At this zoo they have some really cool things including a black leopard, tigers, and even a baby giraffe. This seems like a really cool thing to do one day.

Wisconsin

I have never been to Wisconsin.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI)
As big a sports fan as I am, I have only ever been to one NFL game. One game I would love to go to is Labeau Field to see the cheeseheads. Although NFL tickets are ridiculously overpriced, this is one I'd still love to see. It just seems like one of the best stadiums in the league.

Wyoming

I've never been to Wyoming and honestly if I ever were to forget about a state existing, it would be Wyoming.
Most Desired Location to Visit: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (Yellowstone National Park, WY) 
The say the zoo is called the backyard in Wyoming, but seriously what kind of state doesn't have a zoo. Only in Wyoming is that possible apparently. I have absolutely no desire to ever go to this state, but if I did go, I could go to this location. This is possibly the most famous national park and it is largely in Wyoming, but if I visited this park, I'd likely go to the Idaho or Montana parts of it instead. There just seems like a lot more to do in those states than in Wyoming. Heck, I could be wrong though.

Next week I go into my little rant about how Disney can better use Jiminy Cricket.

Have a great weekend everybody!

-Noland

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater, FL

www.seewinter.com

Date of Visit: Summer 2012

Admission: $21.95

Hours: 9AM-6PM

Quick Intro

As you have probably figured out by their website name the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is where the Dolphin Tale movies were filmed. Judging by that fact it seemed like it would be a cool little place to check out. It was reasonably priced and local to where we were at the time. They rescue, research, rehabilitate, and release animals so the mission is awesome. It is a tad smaller though than most places we have visited.

Highlights

The rescue part of it, winter's story, the sea turtles, and the pelicans were all neat.

Disappointments

Wish it was much bigger and had a wider variety of animals to look at.

Pictures from the website

Turtle Bayou

Shipwreck Alley

Otter Oasis

Shark Pass

Rufus Beach

Winter Zone

Rating

I gave this zoo 1.5 out of 5 elephants.
This zoo gets ranked higher than the Seas at Epcot because it is a rehab zoo that does a tremendous job. If you have seen the Dolphin Tale movie and liked it, I am sure that adds something to it as well. It also isn't too expensive. Most importantly though as far as viewing animals it is not an impressive place to be so it can't be ranked too high. Just from an amount of animals to look at, it matches up about even with Tarpon Springs, but Tarpon Springs is 1/3 the price. Therefore, this had to be somewhere in between 0 and 2. Putting it on the higher end of that because of the entertainment value of Winter and the mission of the aquarium.

-Noland

Gulf World Marine Park

Gulf World Marine Park

Panama City Beach, Florida

Date of Visit: December 2014

gulfworldmarinepark.com/

Admission: $28

Hours: 930AM-4PM

Quick Intro

Gulf World was a decent aquarium in Panama City. It is the first time I was able to visit a zoo locally while visiting my wife's family, so that was exciting. It is pretty small, but we were able to spend a few hours here. While it opened at 930, most of the creatures weren't out until 11 or so. They had some cool exhibits including the closest we've ever gotten to Flamingos. Several animals that seem they are at every FL animal attraction were present such as Alligators, Stingrays, and African Penguins. It was a decent experience.

Highlights

There were two fantastic shows at Gulf World. The first great show was the Sea Lion show which also featured rough-tooth dolphins. The second was the Bottlenose Dolphin show. Each of these were fantastic dolphin shows and better than the dolphin shows at Sea World. They were easily the highlight of the visit.

Disappointments

The shows other than the dolphin shows were a waste of time. The first show featured dogs, cats, and a rat. The reptile show only had 3 animals. Other shows were uninteresting. When we got there, as mentioned earlier, most animals were not on exhibit. There is a lot of wasted space at this zoo too. Considering how small this place is, there should not be wasted space. It appeared that there was an effort to help this by constructing a new stingray area, but right now they need to fill some of that void. Also the reptile show was surprisingly disappointing. The gator even peed on half of the audience during the show. The other reptile out was a bearded dragon and that also had an accident.

Pictures

Macaw

Random turtle

Son loved this Flamingo exhibit

Tortoises

African Penguins

Sea Turtles

Sea Lions

Rough Tooth Dolphins

Mid-air dolphin

Again mid-air

About to splash!

End of the sea lion show. This dolphin and sea lion kissed.

Our son was thrilled after the rough tooth dolphin show.

End of the Bottlenose Dolphin show.

In the end, we were looking around for more, but poked our heads in and enjoyed ourselves.

Rating

I gave this aquarium 2.5 out of 5 elephants.
The reason for this rating is simple. There were two fantastic shows both involving dolphins, but other than that this aquarium was a snoozefest. The day started with empty exhibits and a dud of a show in "Feathers and Furry Friends." While some of the exhibits were cool like the turtles and the penguins, they were not as cool as other exhibits we have seen featuring the same creatures. The shows bumped this place up to average because they were that good. Other than the shows, this is a 1 elephant zoo. If you go here you have to check out those shows with the dolphins.

-Noland

The Seas @ Epcot

The Seas @ Epcot
Walt Disney World Resort
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Date of Visit: Several Times in 2014

We went to Epcot often this year because we have the annual pass for Disney. In fact, we likely will go a few more times before these passes run out in January. However, we did not go to these aquariums nearly as much as we went to Animal Kingdom. That should give you a good idea of what we thought of this aquarium compared to Disney's other animal attraction. There are not a lot of animal attractions unfortunately. However, we all enjoy this part of Epcot and it is the favorite of our entire family while at the park. If we did not have annual passes this year though, we would not have gone multiple times and we may not have gone at all. It is pretty small when you get down to it.

Website

Pictures

 Tank Full Of Jellies

 More Jellies

 Last Shot of Jellies. This was the coolest part of the area. These guys are by Turtle Talk With Crush. They are neat to look at.

 You cannot always see the Sea Turtle, but we were able to catch him on one trip. Another of the cooler parts of this aquarium.

Hidden Mickey behind the fish.

 Cool looking Lionfish.

 Another shot of the Lionfish.

 A shot of one of the eels.

My favorite creature here, the seahorse. This is the 2nd coolest exhibit they have behind the moon jellies. There are not quite as many seahorse as there are Jellyfish.

Yellow Tang in front of some cool coral.

Overall Review

We give this aquarium 0 out of 5 elephants.
The reason this is so poorly rated is that you get very little bang for your buck in the aquarium. It is $95 to get in which is 4x the price of the FL Aquarium. You pay all of that to get a small building of fish that you can go through in 20 minutes. If you are into the other stuff at Epcot than it is a solid deal. However, if you only want to go for the Aquarium, then it is a major ripoff. I'd choose FL Aquarium over this place any day. If you are solely going to see the fish/animals than this is not the place to do it. I'd go again if we got passes, but no special trips. In fact, if we could get Disney passes without Epcot for a cheaper rate, we'd be all over that. Stay tuned in the next few weeks for a post about the exciting places ZooZooReview has been and will be going.

-Noland

Tarpon Springs Aquarium

Tarpon Springs Aquarium
Tarpon Springs, Florida

Date of Visit: Summer 2014

Cost of Admission: Adults $7.75

Seniors $7

Children (3-11) $5.75

Under 3 Free

Hours: Monday- Saturday 10am-5pm

Sunday 12-5pm 

Website

The Tarpon Springs Aquarium was very interesting. It was a bit on the small side, okay it was very on the small side, but it was interesting and fun. The entrance was fun and Jr. loved the shark teeth. He loved running around and the lack of crowds too. His favorite part though was that parking was free. Okay, maybe that was my favorite part and not his, but it is always a plus.

Highlights: No crowds and free parking are huge highlights. We got to save money and got to enjoy the fish without feeling crowded. Good viewing spots for small kids is also a plus. Sometimes the exhibits do not have good places for him to see, but not at the Tarpon Springs Aquarium. Interactive feeding shows are a plus as well. While we didn't stay for any other shows, we saw an Octopus feeding and that was awesome.

Here are some of the pictures we got.

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Albino Python

Full Size Python

Jr. following a fish in the big tank

Crab

Nurse Shark Feeding Tank

Great Grandma and Grandpa holding him up to see the stingray tank

Petting the stingrays

More stingrays

They even had a "Nemo"

Finally a nurse shark in the big tank

We gave this aquarium a solid 2 elephants out of 5. The lack of crowds and free parking made it a worthwhile trip.  However, it was very small. This is one of the worst zoos or aquariums we have rated to this point. I would only say that because it was so small. It rates slightly above the Sarasota aquarium because it was pretty good for its size. Do not plan a special trip for this aquarium though unless you are in the area. It is not that great. It is pretty neat though if you are in the area and looking for something to do. We had fun, but again, don't make a special trip.

-Noland

Florida Aquarium

Florida Aquarium
Tampa, FL
Date of Visit: October 2011

Cost: $21.95 Adult (We got in for $10.98!)

Hours: 9:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Early on living in Tampa we checked out our local zoo and local aquarium. We already posted about the Lowry Park Zoo and now comes our review of the Florida Aquarium.

We enjoyed this trip very much and got in for 50% off on our FONZ membership! It is an AZA reciprocal admission zoo. The full list of those zoos and aquariums can be found here. 

Highlights: The zoo is right in downtown Tampa and easy to get to. It is extremely affordable, especially with any AZA zoo membership. That membership gets you 50% off admission! They had a lot of moray eels which are pictured below. Noland and I love these crazy looking animals. The other animals in the coral reef looked fascinating. The shark dive was also very cool. Take a look at the goliath grouper in our picture what a big one. The Wetlands part of the exhibit was a fun area and we loved the animals here, especially the otters!

Lowlights: Our pictures came out horrible, but that is not the aquariums fault. All of the pictures in this blog post are actually from the aquariums website because our did not come out that well. Ocean Commotion was to cheesy for us. We will see if our kids like it when they come, but it was too cheesy for us. We missed the penguin promenade and there is no exhibit for it. If you want to see the penguins be sure to ask someone when they are coming out.

More Pictures

Goliath Grouper

Exhibit in Ocean Commotion

Shark Dive!

You can swim with fishes for an additional fee. We chose not to do this, maybe next time.

We missed these guys, but they sure look cool

Top of the Wetlands Exhibit

River Otter

We gave this place a 3 out of 5 elephants!!

It was a very good aquarium. However, it is nowhere near the Baltimore Aquarium or Sea World. Definitely above average though. If you like aquariums and are in the Tampa area check it out. Stay tuned for our Sarasota Aquarium review in our next post though and check which one you would rather visit. If you can only go to one zoo in the Tampa Area I would suggest Busch Gardens or Lowry Park. Or making the hour drive over to Animal Kingdom.

Let us know what you think of this post or the Florida Aquarium!

Signing off ♥jen