Hey y’all, and hope you had a good Monday. I’m back with a follow-up to yesterday’s post, where I shared the 20 places I’ve been to that Patricia Schultz included in 1000 Places to See in the US & Canada Before You Die. Today I’m sharing a handful of places from that list that are on my bucket list! There are 980 places listed in this book that I’ve never been to. Therefore, I’m only including a fraction in this bucket list post. However, if a place listed in the book didn’t make this list, I would absolutely still be open to going. I just have to prioritize when there’s only so much time and resources to travel!
Here goes my bucket list from 1000 Places to See in the US & Canada Before You Die…
1. LL Bean Headquarters (Freeport, Maine). Let’s be honest, I want a photo opportunity with the giant Bean Boot they have out front!
2. Nantucket. I’m partial to Southern beaches, but would still love to experience this well-known New England resort town. Plus Beautycounter has an adorable store in Nantucket that is open seasonally!
3. Martha’s Vineyard. Considering this is the inspiration behind Vineyard Vines, one of my favorite preppy brands, I would love to visit at least once in my life.
4. Christmas in New York. I’ve never ever been to NYC, and would prefer to visit when it’s warmer. However, I would brave the chilly temperatures to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in person just once. I wouldn’t actually want to be there on Christmas Day though, so this refers to Christmastime in general.
5. New York City’s Premier Hotels. Specifically, I want to have tea at the Plaza Hotel.
6. Statue of Liberty. I just feel like whenever I finally make it to New York, that I need to see this national landmark.
7. Times Square. As long as it’s not New Year’s Eve, haha!
8. Key West. I would love to experience the Florida Keys, and get a picture with the iconic “Southernmost Point in the Continental US” buoy!
9. The Orange Bowl. As a huge college football fan, I would love to have the experience to go to the Orange Bowl, particularly whenever Clemson plays in it as part of the College Football Playoff in the future.
10. Universal Orlando. Despite multiple trips to the Orlando area, I’ve never been to Universal. I’ve heard amazing things about their roller coasters, which is what most appeals to me!
11. Palm Beach. This is the birthplace of the Lilly Pulitzer brand, when Lilly herself designed brightly colored shifts that would camoflouge the stains from the fresh-squeezed orange juice she sold from the fruit of her husband’s citrus grove.
12. The Breakers. This iconic hotel in Palm Beach is any Lilly lover’s dream!
13. St. Augustine, FL. The history buff in me would love to see the oldest European settlement in the continental US.
14. The Master’s. I don’t follow golf the way I do other sports, but I really want to wear my Lilly and eat one of the famous Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches.
15. The Biltmore. Despite living in North Carolina most of my life, and living only an hour away from Asheville when I lived in Greenville, SC, I’ve never been to the Biltmore House.
16. Kentucky Derby. Y’all know how obsessed I am with the Kentucky Derby, and it would be amazing to be able to wear my Lilly or seersucker dress and floppy hat at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May!
17. Graceland. I would really like to visit Memphis, and the birthplace of Elvis would be such a fun iconic attraction to see.
18. Memphis BBQ. I’m not nearly as picky about my BBQ as some, and I actually prefer ketchup to barbecue sauce. But I’ve heard so much about Memphis BBQ and would like to taste it for myself.
19. National Civil Rights Museum. If I ever make it to Memphis, I would also want to give the National Civil Rights Museum a visit. I’m sure it would be very fascinating and sobering to visit the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
20. Grand Ole Opry. I’ve never been to Nashville either, and it has been at the top of my bucket list for awhile. The Grand Ole Opry would definitely be the quintessential Music City attraction.
21. Nashville Food. This was actually one of the specific attractions in the book. I feel like I hear a lot about well-known eateries in Nashville that are both delicious and Insta-worthy.
22. Dollywood. I love theme parks, and I’ve heard good things about Dollywood.
23. Millenium Park Chicago. I’ve never been to Chicago either, and would love to get a picture with the iconic Bean. I’m so basic, I know!
24. Wrigley Field Chicago. The sports fan in me would definitely have to include a stop here on a trip to Chicago.
25. Mall of America. I first remember reading about the Mall of America in a Weekly Reader back in elementary school. I would definitely like to see this shopping destination and amusement park combo destination sometime.
26. Riverwalk San Antonio. I really want to visit Texas someday, but the way the book listed various Texas attractions didn’t really resonate with me so much. The San Antonio Riverwalk would be really neat though.
27. Texas Comfort Food. I definitely wouldn’t mind enjoying some authentic Tex Mex food deep in the heart of Texas!
28. Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. Despite all my trips to Walt Disney World, I’ve never been to Disney’s west coast park. I would love to experience the original Disney park that Walt Disney actually walked around in! In addition, I want to go on the rides that are unique to Disneyland and don’t have a counterpart at Disney World.
29. Beverly Hills. I probably wouldn’t be able to purchase much of anything, but it would be so fun to browse and window shop the boutiques on Rodeo Dr.
30. Hollywood. Would definitely want to see the iconic Hollywood sign in person!
31. Sunset Boulevard. Another iconic area of Los Angeles. Let’s be honest, I partly want to visit LA so that I could sing “hopped off the plane at LAX” and have it be real life. Can you believe that Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” is 10 years old this year?!
32. Pasadena. Bonus points if I could visit during the Rose Bowl and see the Tournament of Roses Parade. It’s actually my dream to go on an LA-area vacation if Clemson plays in the Rose Bowl in the future.
33. Pacific Coast Highway. I immediately get the Smash Mouth song of the early 2000s running through my head, but I’m sure the scenery down Interstate 1 is actually breathtaking, and I would love to see it.
34. San Diego Zoo. I love going to the zoo, and would really like to see this one. They have pandas too.
35. Santa Monica. This would be a great chance to stick my feet in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, and the Santa Monica Pier area looks absolutely adorable in pics.
36. Golden Gate Bridge. Although Southern California appeals to me more than Northern California, I would still love to visit the San Francisco area someday, and see the Golden Gate Bridge.
37. Seattle’s Coffee Culture. Does it really surprise anyone that I want to visit the original Starbucks someday?!
38. Waikiki Beach. I really want to visit Hawaii someday. My first choice would be to go to Aulani, the Disney resort there. However, since that wasn’t an option on the list in the 1000 Places book, I’m putting Waikiki Beach in it’s place, since it’s on the same island as the Disney resort, and in the Honolulu area.
39. Pearl Harbor. Another site that appeals to the history buff in me.
(Just daydreaming about all the places I want to visit. Photo by Amelia Cassar Photography)
And there you have it, my top bucket list items from the places listed in Patricia Schultz’s 1000 Places to See in the US & Canada Before You Die. Have you already been to any of these places on my bucket list? If so, what did you think of them. And are any of these places on your bucket list as well? For the full list of 1000, you can check out the book!
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-xoxo Liz