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OK, it’s that time of year, the kids are out of school, or are coming home from college, for the summer parents are taking time off from work to spend with there family. But where to go? This is usually one of the major problems facing a family that is wanting to go on vacation: where to go so that everybody will be happy. Below you will find a few suggestions from the first twenty-five of the fifty states (yes, I said all fifty states), and their travel tourism websites if you wish to see more. I had started on this with the idea of only choosing maybe ten or fifteen of the fifty states, but I got started and I kept going, and going. My apologies if anyone feels that I may have gotten a little bit carried away here. But as always, enjoy!

1) Alabama: Adventure Island (Orange Beach), Adventure-land Theme Park (Dothan), Alabama Adventure (Birmingham), Southern Adventures (Huntsville). For more info: www.800alabama.com

2) Alaska: Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Glacier Bay, Wrangler St. Elias. For more info: www.alaskatravel.com

3) Arizona: Grand Canyon, Wild Life World Zoo, Arizona Safari, Jeep Tours, Out Of Africa Wild Life Park. For more info: www.away.com or www.arizonaguide.com

4) Arkansas: When you get to this site click on Things To Do, and then 101 Free Things to do in the Natural State. For more info: www.arkansas.com

5) California: Yosemite National Park, Yosemite High Sierra Camps, Yosemite Trails Pack Station, Disneyland. For more info: www.visitcalifornia.com

6) Colorado: Seven Falls, Box Canon Falls & Park, Bridal Veil Falls, Cascade Falls. For more info: www.colorado.com

7) Connecticut: Ansonia Nature & Recreation Center, Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens, Children’s Museum of Southeastern Connecticut. For more info: www.ctvisit.com

Delaware: Old Swedes Church, Nanticoke Indian Museum, Biggs Museum of American Art. For more info: www.visitdelaware.com

9) Florida: Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, EPCOT, Universal’s Islands of Adventure. For more info: www.visitflorida.com

10) Georgia: Wild Adventures Water Park, Six Flags Over Georgia, Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. For more info: www.georgia.gov

11) Hawaii: Haleakala National Park, Maui Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii’s Big Island, Pearl Harbor National Historic Landmark- Oahu. For more info: www.gohawaii.com

12) Idaho: Boise National Forest, Bruneau Dunes Observatory, Cruises on the Lake Pend Oreille. For more info: www.visitidaho.org

13) Illinois: The Field Museum, Chicago Children’s Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, National Museum of Mexican Art. For more info: www.enjoyillinois.com

14) Indiana: Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton Amish Country Getaways, African/African-American Historical Museum. For more info: www.in.gov/visitindiana/ or www.visitindiana.com

15) Iowa: Monroe County Historical Museum, Chief Wapello’s Memorial Park, Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County. For more info: www.iowa.gov or www.traveliowa.com

16) Kansas: Constitution Hall State Historic Site, Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site, Hollenberg Station State Historic Site. For more info: www.kansas.gov/tourism

17) Kentucky: Antique Junction, Kentucky Folk Art Center, East Kentucky Fair, Montgomery County Fireworks show. For more info: www.kytourism.com

18) Louisiana: Arna Bontemps African-American Museum, Cafe du Monde, Louisiana Boardwalk. For more info: www.louisianatravel.com

19) Maine: Children’s Discovery Museum, Big Adventure Center, Fun-town Splash-town USA, Seacoast Fun/snow Park. For more info: www.visitmaine.com

20) Maryland: African-American Schoolhouse Museum, 65th Street Slide & Ride, Adkins Arboretum, Adventure Park USA. For more info: www.mdisfun.org or http://visitmaryland.org

21) Massachusetts: Six Flags New England, Park Passport, Coco Key Indoor Water Park, Flying Horses Carousel. For more info: www.massvacation.com

22) Michigan: The Henry Ford Museum, Big Sable Point Lighthouse, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Gerald Ford Museum, Ludington State Park. For more info: www.michigan.org

23) Minnesota: Mall of America- Bloomington- the largest fully-enclosed retail and entertainment complex in the U.S. The mall also houses the largest indoor family theme park and much more. For more info: www.exploreminnesota.com  e-mail: tourism@mallofamerica.com, web address: http://www.mallofamerica.com

24) Mississippi: Holliday Haven c. 1850, Shadowlawn c. 1874, Victoria c. 1879, “The Trust” Historical Home Tour c. 1850. For more info: www.visitmississippi.org

25) Missouri: 66 Drive-in Theater- the last original drive-in theater, Kansas City Zoo, Dickerson Park Zoo- includes children’s playground. For more info: www.visitmo.com

Stay tuned for part two: States 26-50.