rainbowzebra

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes is a must if you come to northern Michigan. Majestic is the best one word description I can think of. There are lakes and rivers and streams everywhere for playing in or just enjoying the view. The woods offer hiking, viewing nature, camping, all kinds of natural beauty. We have 4 seasons so almost every kind of weather possible. To me Michigan has it all, just too many interesting things to see and do to write about.

Dodie

Come to Wyoming and or Montana, so much to see and do you would need to spend the summer. Where I live we can get to any of these places in a day, Yellowstone Park, Grand Teton Park, Wild Horse range, South Dakota's Mount Rushmore, some or most would require an overnight stay and you still would not see it all, there are also many mountain tours, fishing and many quilt shops I especially enjoy the quilt shop in Cody Wy. Never a dull moment come visit and enjoy your stay

Bren

Fort Worth, Texas, "Where the West Begins" is my hometown. This area has so much history relating back to the early days of cattle drives,stockyards, and dance halls. The area north of downtown is actually called The Stockyards, and there is a cattle drive each day for visitors to enjoy.

Although FTW is really a large city in a very large metro area (and growing by leaps and bounds), it manages to retain a friendly, homey western vibe of which we are proud. There are so many things to see and do here, and I will list just a few.

For nature lovers we have wonderful parks along the Trinity River as well as the Botannic Gardens which is very special and lovely year round. There are lots of hiking, biking, and walking trails where everything from bobcats to coyotes to alligators have been spotted! There are several large lakes nearby for camping, fishing and boating.

There is every type of "fest" you can imagine including Mayfest with all types of entertainment and exhibits. We have world class museums and art galleries, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the ballet, and Bass Hall for plays and musicals.

There are several large malls for shopping as well as lots of small, independent mom-and-pop type stores selling everything you can imagine. One of my favorites is Pendary's which sells all types of chilies and herbs and spices from around the world. Just walking in the door is a sensory overload and a foodie's dream!

AND the whole area is a Quilter's Dream! There is actually a shop by that name. I especially love Cabbage Rose, but there are many more in the area. We also have several quilt guilds in the area and several quilt shows throughout the year. In addition, there are lots of thrift shops, trade shows, flea markets, and garage sales. I really love estate sales, and we do have some very fine antique stores in the area.

There are beautiful churches, cathedrals, synagogues and mosques here with every religion represented. Restaurants and eateries abound from 5 star to street corner taco places, and there is barbeque everywhere. The night life is pretty lively, but at my age, 68, I have been there, done that, and pretty much stay home at night! Our evening entertainment is usually a backyard barbeque or wine on the patio with friends.

For sports fans, we have the Dallas Cowboys, who actually play in Arlington which is located in Tarrant County of which FTW is the county seat. We also have Texas Rangers baseball, Texas Motor Speedway for racefans and the list would not being complete without mention the Stock Show and Rodeo which happens in January and draws in rodeo lovers from all over. There are all types of special events supporting all types of causes. People here tend to be very civic minded and generous.

Sounds like heaven, except in the summer when it's hotter than h---! That's when we hunker down, crank up the A/C and stay near a pool. But, winters are very mild.

Hope you have enjoyed this virtual tour. We really enjoy living here as you can tell. Welcome to Texas anytime!

MOBRIDGE MOM

When you come to western South Dakota the most obvious place you'll go is Mount Rushmore but while you're in the Black Hills of South Dakota you should also see Crazy Horse Monument, Custer State Park, Pactola Lake, the 1880 Train and if you are feeling really lucky Deadwood would the spot for a little gambling. After you win big in Deadwood you could head to Spearfish thru Spearfish Canyon. If you come the 3rd weekend in July there is Festival in The Park at the Spearfish City Park. Lots of arts and craft vendors and can't forget about the food. When you finish there you can go east to Sturgis and if you're a motorcycle mama or dad check out the Harley Davidson Museum. There will probably be some bikers in the area but it gets really crazy in August for the big Motorcycle Rally. Now is the time to head north towards Lemmon and you will see plenty of wide open spaces where there is nothing but antelope, a few sheep and lots of cattle. If you are into Leo DeCaprio and seen the Revenant you can stop at the Shadehill Resvior and see where the real Hugh Glass started his journey. Shadehill isn't to far from Lemmon and when you get there need to stop in and see some of the amazing sculptures John Lopez makes out of old farm machinery parts. He's done some fantastic work and will be opening a studio on main street that will house his newest piece. You can find pictures of his work at www.johnlopezstudio.com. and see other sculptures scattered all over Lemmon. When you go east on Hwy 12 you will come to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and unless you lived under a rock you are aware of the protest that the tribe had regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline. Whatever your views on the protest hopefully you would be able to watch a Powwow and see the Native American dancers. Keep going west and you will hit the Missouri River and the town of Mobridge where you could do some walleye fishing or go on main street to the Scherr-Howe Auditorium and see the murals painted there by Oscar Howe. It's time to head back south. You'll go to Pierre which is the State Capital and keep heading south until you get to I-90 and head back west. Be sure to stop at Wall Drug and then go into the Badlands National Park to see an other world landscape. Very barren but very beautiful. You can end your trip back in Rapid City or go east and check out the east side of South Dakota. I'll have to let someone else tell you about that because I've been a western South Dakota girl all my life.

sewbizgirl

Come to Mississippi! If you like Civil War history, we are rich with it. We have the Battlefield Park in Vicksburg... amazing. And the town of Natchez is a treasure trove of antebellum and Victorian homes. You can tour many of the houses for a small fee and it's always free to walk the streets of the old downtown and gawk at the houses there. The people who live there are used to it! I love that city.

We have beautiful state parks if you like camping, and antique stores in every town. My favorite antique malls near me are the 49 South Antique Mall and the Magnolia Flea Market, side by side on hwy 49 in Star, MS. There's great ice cream available right down the road at Donna's Produce Market.

One of the best things that happens in MS (if you like Celtic music) is the Celtic Fest in Jackson. It's held every Sept. at the Agriculture Museum. http://celticfestms.org/wp/ There are at least 5 stages with performances going on at once, changing every hour. And the cost for the whole weekend (Fri night thru Sunday) is about $15! There is always a Ceili (Celtic dance) on the Saturday night.

There are some fabric stores here but none that I would call a major attraction such as Marshalls or Hancocks of Paducah... most major in selling machines and minor in fabric.

We also have the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway, where the speed limit for cars is 50 mph, strictly enforced. It keeps most traffic away, except the ones that are there to see the scenery and enjoy the ride. It's a great place to ride a motorcycle or bikes. Lots of historic markers along the way. It once was an Indian footpath! Then, a dirt road that was traveled to get to the Mississippi river to travel by boat to New Orleans or points further.

Mississippi is a very beautiful state, with our history well preserved.

Kitsie

Canada's maritime provinces! Raves and pictures from my cousin who stayed in bed and breakfasts the whole trip. *sigh*

charley26

Come across the pond. Spring and summer are beautiful. Lots of beautiful gardens, stately homes and castles to see.

We can row down the River Wye, stop for afternoon tea - the best is at The Angel in Abergavenny, or a beer, cider, G&T at Symonds Yat, then watch the peregrines feed their young on the rock.

We can go to the Roman baths in Bath, visit the Roman ruins in Caerleon, visit any number of thrift shops, and a quilt festival in Malvern. Then, there is the oldest map in the world - Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral, and one of 5 (I think) of the original Magna Carta documents. If you like walking, we could walk Offa's Dyke; this is a walking route from Chepstow to north Wales, it more or less follows the border between England and Wales - it would take a week or so, stopping overnight in B&B's en route.

If history is not your thing, we could drive to the Lake district or the Yorkshire Dales - both national parks, or venture further into Wales, or drive up to beautiful Scotland, visit the innumerable islands including the Hebrides, Orkney or Shetland islands (cooler) but still beautiful.

Of course, we could go enjoy a festival or two - Glastonbury is legendary - chilled, laid back, and free mud baths if it rains!

Then there is London, and all the pomp and circumstance, but I prefer to stay away from there!
We are a small island, but so much to see and do - maybe a trip across to Ireland to complete your holiday before returning home?

Alice Woodhull

Indiana - Greensburg, the Tree City, where the courthouse has a tree growing from the top, thus the Tree City Located half way between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. There is a wonderful quilt shop located on the Courthouse Square, Tree City Stitches. It is the nicest shop in this area with a great selection of fabric plus a lot of samples already made up. There is a wonderful restaurant just a few doors down, Stories, famous for home made pies and tenderloin. There are a lot of other shops around the courthouse so it would make a wonderful day trip from either of the big cities.

miriam

I'm in Indianapolis now. We passed through Greensburg on route to see family in Indianapolis for over 40 years when we lived in south east Indiana on 5 acres and the nearest town was Manchester which has a general store and a few churches and the truck stop is a nail. I did go see that exquisite quilt shop down town Greensburg and the antique shops recently. My husband likes the music shop. I liked that old hardware store, too - is it still there - I forgot... I like looking at the old houses. There is a very nice park outside of town. We used to meet at that park and picnic since it was half way. Some times you can see people jumping out of airplanes. Greensburg is a small down that has grown up a lot over the years well worth a stop on the tour. See - no town too small for this tour.

I love it when local people are the tour guides. Google tells you only what Google is paid to tell you. Keep up this tour, I'm loving it. My Mom will, too. She is house bound and I'm the care taker. She turned 91 last week.

Trisher

Come to Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada! We will take a one hour drive north to our cottage at Victoria Beach on Lake Winnipeg. It is a unique beach community that does not allow cars in the summer months. So we will park in the parking lot and walk down a shady lane to our cottage. We will pass countless cyclists and walkers. We will go to the bakery for pecan loaf and warm Irish bread. We will stop at the tennis courts and watch some pretty decent tennis matches! Then off to the beach (a five minute walk from the cottage) to sit on the world class sand and dip our toes in one of Canada's biggest lakes. Then we will ride our bikes with our golf clubs slung over our shoulder or pulled behind us and play nine holes of golf. Watch out for the squirrels, foxes, deer and sometimes bears! We will end the day with an ice cream cone from the Moonlight Inn. Mmmmm.

In the days following, we can take in Winnipeg's Museum of Human Rights, go to a symphony at the concert hall and maybe take in some ballet at the outdoor stage at Assiniboine Park (we will look at the Leo Mol sculptures and the English Gardens on the way. We can go see a production at the outdoor theater (with a domed roof) at Rainbow Stage. We can take in a Taste of Manitoba where local restaurateurs provide samples of their delicious and often Ethnic food! And in August we will go to Folklorama. Folklorama is the world's largest and longest-running multicultural festival - lots of entertainment and delectable cuisine from countries all around the world. And we will take in a football game - the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Canadian Football League).

If you some back in winter, we can take in a Winnipeg Jets Hockey game (NHL), go skating on the Assiniboine River and have a lovely dinner on the frozen river in a shelter - dress warmly! Could be bison on the menu!

If you like to hunt and fish - you will be in paradise... and this is getting too long so I will leave off here - but there is so much more to see and do (like a side trip up to Churchill to see the polar bears in their natural habitat)....