1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die

IN THE
USA
AND
CANADA

by
PATRICIA SCHULTZ

Though every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the travel information contained in this book, such information can change at any time. Readers should be sure to check websites and to call ahead for confirmation when making any travel plans. The author, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for travel conditions that may differ from those described in this book. And if you discover any out-of-date or incorrect information in the book, we would very much appreciate it if you would let us know via our website,
www.1000BeforeYouDie.com
.

Copyright © 2007 by Patricia Schultz

1,000 Places to See Before You Die is a registered trademark of Patricia Schultz and Workman Publishing.

1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die is a trademark of Patricia Schultz and Workman Publishing.

1,000 … Before You Die is a trademark of Workman Publishing.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying—without written permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7611-3691-0 (pb); ISBN-13: 978-0-7611-4738-1 (hc)

Design by Paul Hanson

Workman books are available at special discount when purchased in bulk for premiums and sales promotions as well as for fund-raising or educational use. Special editions or book excerpts also can be created to specification. For details, contact the Special Sales Director at the address below.

Workman Publishing Company, Inc.

225 Varick Street

New York, NY 10014-4381

www.workman.com

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing: May 2007

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The whole object of travel
is not to set foot on foreign land;
it is at last to set foot on
one’s own country as a foreign land.

—G
ILBERT
K. C
HESTERTON

In loving memory
of the two finest parents of all time,
Leonard and Mary Schultz

One thousand thank yous do not begin to express my gratitude to Workman publishing for this opportunity to create a companion travel book that I hope will match the spirit and breadth of the first
1,000 Places to See Before You Die.

At the helm of the veritable village it took to create this 1,200-plus-page tome is the wise and ever infallible Peter Workman: How did he know that a book whose title touched upon dying would galvanize so many people to get off the couch and live? I am honored that Peter believed I was up to the challenge and coaxed another list of a thousand favorites out of me. I am happy that he recognized that our own great country and its northern neighbor and their countless beauties deserve the same attention previously showered upon the globe.

Only a writer will understand that he or she is but the smallest of pieces in a far larger and complex jigsaw puzzle. The well-oiled and creatively organized Workman Publishing family always saw the big picture. They left me to roam the continent, hunt down 1,000 destinations while they made sense of my scribblings back home, whipping them into the handsome book you now hold in your hands.

This cast of disparate characters and talents shared the herculean task of making this book happen on time—with a tweak, nudge, polish, hone, query, and edit along the way. Front and center I must thank my editor Margot Herrera, who gives new meaning to the expression “sunny disposition” and whose unflappable nature worked as the glue that kept this project together. Cut from the same cloth is her assistant extra ordinaire, Cassie Murdoch, who managed to convince me that she lived to make my life easier. Also on their team is the tireless intern Alicia Matusheski, whom I’m told never ever complains.

Paul Hanson’s design sensibility, first applied to the original edition, was kept fresh and exciting in this sibling book, expertly assisted by his colleague Orlando Adiao. Patrick Borelli also has my gratitude for his endless iterations of the cover. Other indispensable team members include Barbara Peragine, who worked on layout and typesetting around the clock; Katherine Camargo, keeper of the
schedule; production editor Carol White, who dotted all i’s and crossed all t’s; photo researcher Aaron Clendening, who pored over oceans of images in order to make the right match; and production supervisor Doug Wolff, who oversaw the book’s printing.

Workman’s editor-in-chief, Suzie Bolotin, has been unwavering in her support, most appreciated during those bumpy patches and moments of shortlived despair. Pat Upton and Jenny Mandel, in licensing and special sales, and the publicity team of Amy Corley, Ron Longe, and Oleg Lyubner are determined that this new book enjoy much of the recognition of its predecessor.

Among my fellow travelers, first and foremost many thanks to former Manhattanite and now Portland, Oregon-based writer/editor Matt Hannafin, who was part of this book from the beginning and worked overtime on a grab bag of U.S. cities and states. I am also profoundly grateful to two others who were indispensable in the book’s completion: Bill McCrae, the quintessential travel authority of a dying breed, whose love for exploration and learning and inherent sense of perfection and pride is something I aspire to, and Anitra Brown, placed next to me by fate on the inaugural sailing of the
Queen Mary 2,
who became a fast and famous friend of indefatigable assistance in making many of these chapters happen. Tina Lassen deserves my thanks for her help with the Midwestern states as does Linda Romine for her knowledge of her home turf, Indiana, and many points south; they were both a joy to work with. Michael Shapiro, Mary Herzcog, and Erika Lenkert helped me make sense of California’s bounty of possibilities, while Julian Smith shared his unlimited love of the Four Corners, as Hawaiian resident Jeanette Foster did for her Pacific home. Andrew Collins lent insight into all things Southern, as Judy Jewell and James McQuillen did for the Pacific Northwest and David Schwan did for Illinois. I’d also like to thank June Naylor, Marie Morris, David Wallace, Rick Steelhammer, Jason Tesauro, and Erin Burke.

And of course I owe countless thanks to all the people along this journey, from the tourism folks in far-flung Alaska, to those who showed me corners of Canada that I didn’t know (including the wonderful Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island), to the hospitable Cajun communities in the Louisiana bayou, and everyone in between. Together they made this the road trip of a lifetime. We have tried our heartfelt best to capture the magic and history and majesty of this continent we call our home, and share with you the inspiration to experience it for yourself. The daunting size of such a project means an error or two is bound to jump off the page; for this we apologize
and encourage you to contact us at
www.1000BeforeYouDie.com
.

Profound thanks to my sister, Rosalyn Vross, for putting up with me for all these years; to her husband, Ed, my go-to guy for military history, Alaska info, and all things field-and-stream-related; and to their children, Star, Corey and Brittany, who are my children and who, I hope, have vicariously enjoyed coming along for the ride. And to my Aunts Dorothy and Kitty, whom I aspire to be like when I grow up.

And at the end of the day, it is the quiet support of my friends that allows me to tolerate the eight-day weeks and deadline-fueled weekends, who patiently listen when I bemoan how much I miss my life, and are unsurprisingly packed and ready to go when I come up for air and mention the need for a travel fix. Teddy Sitter is confirmation that there is nothing in life so precious as an old friend, and shares with me every vicissitude brought on by my life and work, its successes and wealth of blessings. I’d like to give a special shout-out to Elizabeth Ragagli, who encourages me to do un-Patricialike things such as snowshoeing in Jackson Hole when I am more inclined to check out the great indoors (“Does this hotel have a spa?”), and to Anita Flannery, who plays Thelma to my Louise (or perhaps it’s the other way around) during jaunts through the breathtaking canyons of Utah and mid-town Manhattan.

Maya Angelou once said you can judge people by how they handle tangled Christmas tree lights and lost luggage. Nick Stringas laughs at lost luggage, wrong turns, and canceled flights—always with a smile the size of Montana—reminding me that there’s no such thing as a bad trip.

Demo version limitation

Does the world really need another “short list” of a thousand places to add to the excitement and anxiety of “so much to see, so little time”? Isn’t it enough that my previous book,
1,000 Places to See Before You Die,
was already keeping folks awake at night, ticking off must-see destinations as if for some grand travel sweepstakes or in a race against time? (Taj Mahal? Did that. Masai Mara? Check. The Road to Mandalay? Next year.) After having focused on the planet’s abundance of riches, I found myself returning time and again to the notion of a similar book about travel in the U.S.A. and Canada: But would these two countries alone supply me with enough diversity and possibilities? Could the 150-plus U.S.A. and Canada entries I included in my first book be expanded to one thousand, all promising the same kind of specialness that had previously stopped me in my tracks while wandering around the globe? Would I join Dorothy and declare there’s no place like home?

These are the questions that stayed with me in the nascent days of this book’s conception. Having tried my best to capture the magic of the world and its untold offerings in
1,000 Places to See Before You Die,
I was heartened by the number of travelers—both rookies and veterans, here and abroad—who embraced the book and poured their carpe-diem energies and pent-up cravings into putting it to good use. My own energies and curiosity were telling me there was an encore waiting in the wings: It was time to turn my international attentions home.

My philosophy of travel has always been based on removing myself from what is comfortable and safe, on seeking out experiences that broaden my horizons and enrich me in ways superficial and profound. That simple concept had always seemed most intoxicating when experienced far from home, but why not apply it to my own backyard? Especially when my backyard is the U.S.A. and Canada—with a great and diversified landmass and rich mosaic of heritages, the pickings don’t get any better than these.