This post is brought to you by the number FOUR! 4 is my favorite number, I was born at 4:44, and this trip was 4 months long! So, here are the top 4 things in select categories — I put it together just 4 you (get it?)!
*TOP FOUR CUTEST TOWNS!
(A) Galena, IL; (B) Wilmington, NC; (C) Hendersonville, NC; (D) Whalan/Lanesboro, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR MUSEUMS!
(A) U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL; (B) SPAM Museum, Austin, MN; (C) Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN; (D) KFC Cafe Museum, Corbin, KY (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR NATIONAL PARKS SITES!
(A) Isle Royale National Park, MI; (B) Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC; (C) Wright Brothers National Monument, Kitty Hawk, NC; (D) Voyageurs National Park, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR TOURS!
(A) Minnesota Vikings (U.S. Bank) Stadium, Minneapolis, MN; (B) USS North Carolina Battleship, Wilmington, NC; (C) Tiffin Motorhomes Factory Tour, Red Bay, AL; (D) Biltmore Estate and Gardens, Asheville, NC (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR STATE PARKS!
(A) Monahans Sandhills State Park, TX; (B) Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN; (C) Itasca State Park, MN; (D) Cloudland Canyon State Park, GA (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR BOATING!
(A) Ferry to Isle Royale National Park, MI, complete with island lighthouse and sunken shipwreck; (B) Kayaking at Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN; (C) Otherworldly cypress trees in Caddo Lake, LA; (D) Mississippi River Cruise in Galena, IL (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR MUSICAL PILGRIMAGES!
(A) Prince’s Paisley Park, Chanhassen, MN; (B) Lost Colony Outdoor Musical, Manteo, NC; (C) Elvis Presley Birthplace, Tupelo, MS; (D) WE Fest Country Music Festival, Detroit Lakes, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR BIKE TRAILS!
(A) Itasca State Park Loop, Park Rapids, MN; (B) Tanglefoot Trail, Pontotoc, MS; (C) Root River State Trail, Lanesboro MN; (D) Lakewalk Bike Path, Duluth, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR EXPERIENCES!
(A) Wild Caving at Raccoon Mountain, Chattanooga, TN; (B) taking the RV on long ferry rides around the Outer Banks, NC; (C) the unreal Spa at Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC (not my photo – since they don’t let you have any electronics); (D) unexpected rave with 69-year-old “DJ Dewy” in our campground in Lanesboro, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR BEACHES!
(A) Jordan Lake State Park, Cary, NC; (B) Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Outer Banks, NC; (C) all the small hidden beaches between Grand Marais and Grand Portage, MN; (D) 4-wheel driving on beaches in Duck, Outer Banks, NC (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR BIG THINGS!
(A) the entire town of Casey, IL, with 30+ big things and 10 World Record holders; (B) the 22-foot tall World’s Largest Turkey, Frazee, MN; (C) the 35-feet tall World’s Largest Cowboy Boots, San Antonio, TX; (D) five of the famous Thomas Danbo Trolls, Detroit Lakes, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR HIKING!
(A) Dismals Canyon, AL; (B) High Falls and Middle Falls, Grand Portage, MN; (C) Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN; (D) Cloudland Canyon State Park – Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls, GA (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR HISTORIC SITES!
(A) Taos Pueblo, Taos, NM; (B) Home of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, Galena, IL; (C) Grand Portage National Monument; (D) The Alamo, San Antonio, TX (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR UNIQUE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS!
(A) shopping at Unclaimed Baggage, AL – all the stuff you left behind on that last plane ride! (B) paying respects to 180+ coon dogs at Coon Dog Cemetery, Cherokee, AL; (C) Headwaters of the Mississippi at Itasca State Park, MN; (D) Rock City, Chattanooga, TN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR CAMPGROUNDS!
(A) Spacious, manicured sites at Fall Creek Falls State Park, Spencer, TN; (B) the owner of Country Campground in Detroit Lakes, MN makes homemade sourdough bread, yummmm; (C) camping on a working horse ranch at Seven Springs Lodge, Tuscumbia, AL; (D) big sites, each with their own boat pier, at Rainy Lake RV, Rainy Lake, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR DIVE BARS!
(A) Fat Pelican – built around a refrigerated 18-wheeler, Carolina Beach, NC; (B) Straight to Ale – the best beer “Monkeynaut,” Huntsville, AL; (C) Rattlesnake Saloon – inside a natural cave that used to be a pig pen; (D) Howard’s Pub, “the place” to pick up a fisherman in Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, NC (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR 4 FOODIES!
(A) In-kitchen dining at Goldmoor Inn, Galena, IL; (B) Sunset Terrace at Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC; (C) Eduardo’s Taco Stand, Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, NC; (D) Aroma Pie Shop, Whalan, MN (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR DISAPPOINTMENTS!
Darn-it all! #ShakesFistAtSky (A) There was no “moonbow” at Cumberland Falls, KY because of sudden clouds; (B) A kayak-in concert at Glensheen Mansion in Duluth was cancelled due to a rainstorm; (C) despite a population of 840+ moose on Isle Royale, the only ones we saw were the antlers of dead ones; (D) the iconic black and white stripes of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse were shrouded in scaffolding. (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR … WHAT??!!
(A) 350 bison all around our Jeep in a drive-thru wildlife preserve near Valentine, NE; (B) Biscuits and Porn (exactly as advertised), Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks, NC; (C) literally everything on quirky, strange Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, NC; (D) carniverous plants living in our campground in Carolina Beach, NC (*right click any photo and ‘open in a new tab’ to see related blog and more pics*)
*TOP FOUR RV IMPROVEMENTS!
(A) Shibumi Portable Canopy Shade with Wind Assist – for carefree, shady days on the sand; (B) small air fryer – so much more efficient than heating up the RV with the built-in convection oven; (C) Portable Misting Fan – combatting those steamy summer days around the campsite; (D) Philip measures to see if a replacement refrigerator will fit through the RV door. The worst highway in the world (a.k.a. Hwy 61 in Northern Minnesota) cracked our refrigerant lines and we spent the last three weeks hobbling along with a mostly-dead fridge. We took the doors off and it squeaked its way out — otherwise we would have had to remove the windshield to get it out!
*TOP FOUR THIRTEEN FRIENDS!
We can’t limit this category to just four — we had rendezvouses (is that a word?) with thirteen separate groups of friends and family across the country this summer! Without whose gracious hospitality and on-the-road love, this summer would not have been nearly as sweet!
MOST POPULAR ATTRACTIONS BY STATE!
Many of this summer’s places had been on our bucket list for a while, but there are so many still to come! Here is a fascinating glance at the most popular attractions by state, nationwide!
And that’s a wrap on Summer 2025, Charming Destinations style! Next summer, we’ll be back in the Northwest with our primary destinations in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, plus a couple dips into Eastern Washington and Oregon. Meanwhile, we will have some shorter trips around AZ with our grandkids. Thanks for following along!
LOVE this roundup!!!! T’was a busy summer!