Custer State Park in South Dakota gets added to a lot of Black Hills Itineraries. After you visit, you’ll understand what all of the hype is about. With its scenic drives, first class hiking, and opportunities for wildlife spotting, this state park is one of the best I’ve ever visited. In fact, when I talked …
Badlands National Park is unsurprisingly home to South Dakota’s badlands. This rugged landscape is ideal for those wanting to get out and hike, but that’s not all there is here. Badlands National Park is full of wildlife ranging from buffalo to prairie dogs and even more in between. No trip to South Dakota would be …
Jewel Cave National Monument is located in western South Dakota and is a must see on any visit to the Black Hills. While some people may get more focused on nearby Wind Cave National Park, the two caves are very different and each is worth a visit. Now, I’ll admit that when I was planning …
Colorado is a big state with so much to see and do. There’s four national parks, some great cities, and more outdoor adventures than you could imagine. If you love being outdoors, try to give yourself as much time as possible. But, if you are limited on your vacation time, here’s three great options for …
Joshua Tree is a national park that surprised me. I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about Joshua Tree National Park until I started planning out my trip. It was more of “it’s a national park and I want to visit all US national parks one day”, so I’d have to go to Joshua Tree …
Death Valley is a national park that surprised me. In my head, when I thought about Death Valley, I pictured a barren wasteland. While that image does exist in some areas of the park, you’ll find much more than that. There’s scenic drives, incredible overlooks, hiking, and much more. Things to Do in Death Valley …
Arizona is a state with a lot to offer and you could easily spend weeks here exploring every nook and cranny. Most of us don’t have that time luxury and have to limit what we can see. If you only have a few short days, here’s two templates for an Arizona 5 day itinerary. Arizona …
One of my favorite things about Chicago is its skyline. Its architecture feels so different from many other American cities and taking in the architecture from different angles is one of the best things you can do on your visit. Yes, you can wander the through the Chicago Loop and look up, but you can …
I’ve been lucky to visit Chicago several times over the course of my lifetime. Of course, it helps that I’ve lived within a three hour drive of Chicago for most of my life. As long as I followed south right along Lake Michigan, I’d eventually hit downtown Chicago. Over numerous visits, I’ve done almost all …
One of the easiest national parks in the United States to visit is a park that doesn’t feel like a national park. Typically, we think of mountains and forests and epic nature, but that’s not what you’ll find at Gateway Arch National Park. St. Louis’s Arch is a symbol of the city and a must …
