5 US Destinations to Revisit
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As a Canadian, the United States is the country I’ve visited the most (outside my own). I’ve been to some extraordinary places in the US like New Orleans and New York, and there are many places in the US I haven’t travelled to and want to. However; there a lot of places in the US I’ve technically been to, but due to circumstances (lack of time and poor planning) I never got much time to see them. So here are five places in the US I need to revisit.
The Grand Canyon, Arizona
Several years ago a couple of friends and I did a road trip to Las Vegas, and we decided to take a detour to The Grand Canyon along the way. We drove (from Salt Lake City) for several hours, got to The Grand Canyon, snapped a few photos, wandered around the gift shop for a few minutes and left. I’m not much of an outdoor adventure person, but I’d like the chance to spend at least a night here, and maybe check out The Grand Canyon Skywalk. An icon like The Grand Canyon deserves more than 30 minutes and is a place I want to revisit.
Houston, Texas
I spent a brief two days in Houston before my first trip to New Orleans in 2012. I went to Houston because I had air miles to use, and not quite enough to get me all the way to New Orleans. What I failed to realize was Houston is a big, sprawling city, and I felt pretty overwhelmed during my two days there. I wandered around downtown and did a fun, historic pub crawl. Aside from that, I didn’t get to see much of America’s 4th largest city. I think it’d be neat to check some attractions in Houston like the quirky The Orange Show Monument, or some live music at a venue like Dosey Doe. It seems like there’s a lot I missed in Houston and I’d like a chance to revisit this city.
Los Angeles, California
My first visit ever outside of Canada was a family trip to Los Angeles when I was 12. Like a lot of family vacations to the LA area this trip involved visiting Disneyland and Universal Studios. I’d love to go back to Los Angeles and see some of the sites outside of theme parks. Sure I’d check out places like Venice Beach and The Hollywood Walk of Fame. I’d also like to see a live show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or check out a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I have a feeling that it would be a very different trip than the one I took when I was a kid.
Maine
There are a lot of states I’ve driven through on road trips, but not spent much time in. Aside from a night in Ellsworth, my visit to Maine on a road trip with a friend in 2009 involved seeing the interstate from a car window. It was a very rushed trip, and while putting an entire state on this list might be a bit much, but I’d love to go back and spend some more time in Maine. Maybe visit Acadia National Park, and spend some time visiting Portland, which looks to have a pretty cool local food scene (we drove through Portland, but didn’t stop there). Plus I could eat so many lobster rolls on my next visit to Maine.
Minnesota
I’ve visited several states, but many just for one night or passing through on a road trip. I spent a night in Duluth two years ago while driving from Michigan to Washington. My time in Minnesota was compounded by frustration when the few photos I snapped during my trip didn’t show up on my camera (so I have no pictures from my time in Minnesota). Honestly, I’d love to go back and see more of Minnesota, maybe check out some of its quirky attractions like The Spam Museum. While I didn’t get there, I’d love to visit Minneapolis, because it seems like a fun and underrated US city. Note from future Alouise: I’d also very much like to check out Paisley Park, the estate and production complex owned by the late great Prince, which is now a museum.
Things To Know
I sometimes suck as a traveler, and definitely regret missing out/not spending more time in these places. If you are looking to visit any of these places be sure to book your hotel stay here.
What places in the US would you revisit?
The Grand Canyon was the first place my feet ever stepped in to aside from my hotel, if you count that in.. but it’s technically the first in my list. I went there on sunrise and I couldn’t contain my happiness. 🙂
Hi Alouise,
This is a great article and got me to thinking about various places I ahve gone and not appreciated it due to any number of circumstances, much like you mentioned with Houston and the Grand Canyon. Speaking of Houston, if you ever get to go back a couple of ideas for you. If you are an art fan, Houston has some great museums like the Menil and a wonderful Cy Twombley exhibit. If you like the beach more, there is always Galveston which is a short drive away that has a nice boardwalk area.
Hope you get to go back to these places and check them out more!
Visiting The Grand Canyon during sunrise sounds amazing. Thanks for the comment Rachel.
Minneapolis is pretty cool for a 2-day trip! I visited my friends who were studying at University of Minnesota & they brought us around town.
Do check out the Sculpture Garden, Foshay Tower, Nicollet Mall & try breakfast at this hole in the wall diner called Al’s Breakfast at Dinkytown!
Oh I love hole in the wall diner’s. Thanks for these tips Danial. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit Minneapolis soon and put them to good use.
I can relate to every one of those.I saw the Grand Canyon as part of a tour (train ride from Williams, Arizona, and then a tour of the Grand Canyon. The bus let us off here and there for five minutes each. I want to go back and do it at my own pace. Houston I visited only on a business trip. Los Angeles we just drove through a few weeks ago on a Route 66 trip. The traffic was so horrible we didn’t even want to stop. I peeked down Rodeo Drive and saw the Hollywood sign from a few blocks away catching a glimpse between buildings. We had planned to go to Maine one year but ended up driving through and taking a ferry to Nova Scotia instead. We loved Nova Scotia but still haven’t properly seen Maine. I am a Midwest writer, but I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t been to Minnesota since I’ve started my blog. We went to Minneapolis years ago when my husband had a job interview there and again when our then teenage girls wanted to go to the Mall of America but didn’t see much of it either time.
It’s impossible to see everything, everywhere. I used to try, but now I leave a place with a feeling of leaving something for “next time,” and hopefully there will be a next time.
I have been to all of these but Maine. Thanks for the info in this post on Acadia park. My husband and I are on a quest to visit all 50 state capitols and Maine is ne we haven’t been to yet. Looking forward to it someday any will have to check out the park while we are there. Thanks again.
All great places to visit – and a very diverse variety of choices! Sorry to hear that you lost all of your Minnesota photos, but hopefully you make it back there soon to check out all of the state’s unique characteristics! Thanks for sharing.
What a great list for second time visitors but for first time visitors, too!
Hi Matt. Thanks for the suggestions for Houston. I’d heard Houston has some great museums, but I didn’t really utilize my time there very well. Hopefully I’ll be to check out some of those places on my next visit to Houston.
Connie you bring up a good point, you definitely can’t see everything on one trip. I’ve come to resign myself to the fact now that I’ll likely leave a place disappointed that I couldn’t see and do everything I wanted. Hopefully though I had a great time seeing what I could while I was there. Thanks for the comment.
Maine was fantastic, from the brief time I was there. I think Acadia National Park would be a great place to visit – I just wish I could speak from experience. Thanks for the comment.
Minnesota seems like a very underrated state. I look forward to going back and spending more time there in the future. Thanks for the comment.
Yes. These places all deserve a first time visit for sure…and a second time visit if you didn’t see everything properly the first time. Thanks for the comment.
Great ideas on where to revisit. I too am re-visiting some of these places. Thank you for the great reminder.
I always think it’s great to revisit a place. You get a different view the second time around.