Future Bucket List Adventures

There is so much to see in the USA and every state has something different to offer. I have been lucky enough to visit a few parts of the USA as child with family. Our trips have included Orlando, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, San Diego, Tucson, Orlando and Los Angeles. Most recently, I took a solo trip to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon in 2023. In 2017, I visited Miami, the Everglades, Key West and New York. I have compiled a long list of places that I would like to see in the future, consisting of two places I have already visited in the past (Tucson and Orlando), along with some parts of the country I've never seen before, which include Sedona, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Arizona Meteor Crater, Canyon Point, Arches National Park, Burning Man Festival, Palm Springs, Coachella Festival, Joshua Tree National Park, Big Sur, San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Philipsburg, Grand Teton, Glacier National Park, Aspen, Space Coast, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, Daytona Beach, Palm Beach, Little Palm Island, Key Largo, New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis, Charleston, Outer Banks, Nantucket, Salem, Martha's Vineyard, Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii.

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Tucson

As the second-largest city in Arizona, Tucson is well-known for its desert landscapes, including the iconic Saguaro cactus, as well as its vibrant Mexican-American culture and delicious cuisine.

Past Holiday to Tucson

As a family, we stayed at the Westward Look Resort. We also went horse riding and visited the famous ghost town of Tombstone.

Westward Look Resort

Horse Riding in the Desert

Tombstone Ghost Town

Here are a few of the places I would like to visit on my future adventure to Tucson.....

Tombstone Ghost Town

Tombstone is a town in southeastern Arizona, known for its Wild West history. Exhibits at the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park include a replica gallows. On historic Allen Street, the O.K. Corral outdoor theater re-enacts an 1881 cowboy gunfight. Resident ghosts are said to haunt the bullet-riddled Bird Cage Theatre. Outlaws are among the local townsfolk buried at the 1878 Boothill Cemetery.

Hacienda Del Sol

Located at the heart of the Sonoran Desert, the Hacienda Del Sol is a relaxing escape with breathtaking views of the Catalina Foothills.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place. The Desert Museum is a natural home to a variety of native wildlife such as rattlesnakes, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, black-tailed jack rabbits and black-tailed prairie dogs.

Tucson Rodeo

La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, commonly called the Tucson Rodeo & Parade, is a rodeo celebration that takes place in Tucson, Arizona. In the United States, a rodeo is a public entertainment event in which cowboys show different skills, including riding wild horses and catching cattle.

Sedona

Sedona is regularly described as one of America's most beautiful places. Nowhere else will you find a landscape as dramatically colorful.

Enchantment Resort

Surrounded by the majestic red rock formations of Boynton Canyon in Sedona, Enchantment Resort combines luxury with a powerful connection to nature.

Antelope Canyon

Situated on Navajo land in the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona, Antelope Canyon is one of the most-photographed slot canyons in the United States.

Horseshoe Bend

The Horseshoe Bend is a geologic masterpiece created by a meander of the Colorado River. Situated around 5 miles downtown from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, it is arguably one of the most photogenic sights on the planet.

Monument Valley

An iconic symbol of the Southwestern USA, Monument Valley is a desert landscape punctuated by red sandstone formations, slender pinnacles and massive buttes straddles the Arizona-Utah state line about 508 kilometers north of Phoenix, Arizona.

Hopi U.S Indian Reservation Cultural Tour

The Hopi Reservation is a Native American reservation for the Hopi and Arizona Tewa people, surrounded entirely by the Navajo Nation, in Navajo and Coconino counties in north-eastern Arizona, United States. Just an hour and 15 minutes from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Hopi reservation offers travelers a cultural experience and rare glimpse into Native American Culture.

Tonto National Forest

The Tonto National Forest, Arizona, embraces almost 3 million acres of rugged and spectacularly beautiful country, ranging from Saguaro cactus-studded desert to pine-forested mountains beneath the Mogollon Rim. The famed Salt River wild horses live in and around the Lower Salt River and Saguaro Lake areas of the Tonto National Forest.

Arizona Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater, is one of the largest and best preserved craters on Earth.

Amangiri at Canyon Point

Tucked away in a remote valley at the border of Utah and Arizona, Canyon Point is home to a one-of-a-kind, otherworldly, luxury resort favored by celebrities and international jetsetters: Amangiri. Amangiri is no ordinary hotel or resort, but rather an enclave of comfort and style in North America's most dramatic desert landscape. The Amangiri is a destination in itself.

Arches National Park

Just north of Moab, Utah, lies Arches National Park, home to thousands of natural sandstone arches that are a geological wonder.

Under Canvas Moab

Under Canvas Moab lies just seven miles north of Moab near Utah’s famed Canyonlands and Arches national parks. Ideally situated among some of the best climbing, mountain biking, and hiking destinations in the world, Under Canvas’ desert glamping accommodations are a perfect gateway to the towering plateaus, sandstone cliffs, and naturally occurring geologic wonders of Utah’s Canyon Country.

Burning Man Festival

The Burning Man Festival is one of the most famous events on the planet and it takes place in the USA in Black Rock, Nevada. Burning Man is an annual nine-day festival that involves music, art, and culture.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city is noted for its mid-century modern architecture, design elements, arts and cultural scene.

Coachella Music & Arts Festival

Coachella is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. Coachella is one of the most renowned music festivals in the world, attracting celebrities from all over the globe. I would like to visit Palm Springs during the Coachella Music & Arts Festival.

Saguaro Palm Springs

The Saguaro Palm Springs is a colourful hotel which offers a bustling, vibrant pool party scene with weekend DJs and parties.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected area in southern California. It's characterized by rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees, the park straddles the cactus-dotted Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert.

Pioneertown

Pioneertown is an old Wild West town hidden out in the desert close to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park.

San Francisco

With its iconic Golden Gate Bridge, historic cable cars, and beautiful Victorian architecture, San Francisco is undeniably one of the world's great cities.

1 Hotel

Located on the Embarcadero, 1 Hotel San Francisco is an urban oasis, with views of the city skyline and the San Francisco Bay.

Alcatraz

Alcatraz is a former federal prison located on an island in San Fransisco Bay. It is now one of the main attractions to visit in San Francisco.

Big Sur

Big Sur is a rugged stretch of California’s central coast between Carmel and San Simeon. California's coast redwoods meet their southernmost habitat along the Big Sur coast. Coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) are the tallest living things on our planet, growing up to 380 feet tall and 16 to 18 feet across.

McWay Cove

McWay Cove is a canonical location on the Big Sur Coast in California, part of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. It is famous for its waterfall, known as McWay Falls, which plunges onto the sand.

Alila Ventana Big Sur Hotel

A place of unmatched beauty and tranquility, Alila Ventana Big Sur embodies the notion that space is luxury in 160 magnificent acres of natural splendor on the rugged Pacific coast.

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Often called the “Serengeti of the Sea," the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of the best places in the world to see marine wildlife such as seals, sea lions, sea otters, whales, dolphins and seabirds any time of year!

Fisherman's Wharf Monterey

Fisherman's Wharf is a historic wharf in Monterey, California, United States. Used as an active wholesale fish market into the 1960s, the wharf eventually became a tourist attraction as commercial fishing tapered off in the area.

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small beach city on California's Monterey Peninsula. It's known for the museums and library of the historic Carmel Mission, and the fairytale cottages and galleries of its village-like center.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos is a State Park and Natural Reserve in Carmel-By-The-Sea, a city about 15 minutes south of Monterey.

Lake Tahoe

Located 1,897 meters atop the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range on the California and Nevada border, Lake Tahoe is widely considered one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Tahoe Little Black Cabins

Tahoe Little Black Cabins is the perfect cabin rental near Lake Tahoe.

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s famed for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, and for Tunnel View, the iconic vista of towering Bridalveil Fall and the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome. Yosemite is home to wildlife such as the Black bear.

Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole is located adjacent to Grand Teton National Park and just 60 miles south of Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is a national treasure. Located primarily in Wyoming, the park is so large that it extends into Montana and Idaho and has five separate entrances. Yellowstone is home to a vast array of wildlife such as the Grizzly bear, wolves, elk, bison and moose. Yellowstone is also now famous for my favourite drama TV series 'Yellowstone' which stars Kevin Costner.

Rustic Inn Creekside Resort & Spa at Jackson Hole

The Rustic Inn Creekside Resort & Spa is a luxurious, boutique hotel located on 12 acres adjacent to the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming.

Grand Teton

Grand Teton National Park is in the northwest of the U.S state of Wyoming. It encompasses the Teton mountain range, the 4,000-meter Grand Teton peak, and the valley known as Jackson Hole.

Philipsburg

Philipsburg is a charming 19th century mining town that still proves to be a gem for visitors. The town is located halfway between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park in Montana.

The Ranch at Rock Creek

The Ranch at Rock Creek is in middle-of-nowhere Montana, surrounded by Granite County's big skies and mountains, and close to old mining town, Philipsburg.

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is a 1,583-sq.-mi. wilderness area in Montana's Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border.

Aspen

Aspen, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is a ski resort town and year-round destination for outdoor recreation. It's also known for high-end restaurants and boutiques.

Vicaroy Snowmass

Viceroy Snowmass is easily the most luxurious resort in Snowmass Village with it's top notch amenities, spa and outdoor pool.

Space Coast

Florida has plenty of shoreline, but there’s nothing quite like the Space Coast – the only beach destination that’s also a rocket launch pad - the Kennedy Space Centre. Few experiences are more thrilling or memorable than seeing marine mammals in the wild. Visitors to the Space Coast have just that opportunity. This area is a home base for the beloved West Indian manatee, better known as the Florida manatee.

Kennedy Space Centre

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. It features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memorabilia, shows, two IMAX theaters, and a range of bus tours of the spaceport.

Past Visit to the Kennedy Space Centre

As a family, we visited the Kennedy Space Centre during a family holiday to Orlando.

Kennedy Space Centre

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach is located on the east coast of Florida, just a 45-minute drive from Downtown Orlando. The beach is famous for its surf, laidback lifestyle, and beautiful natural landscape. Leatherback, green, and loggerhead sea turtles are all known to nest on or near Cocoa Beach.

Lost Inn Paradise

The riverfront Lost Inn Paradise is 1 minute walk from the beach and offers waterfront accommodations in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Melbourne

Located along Florida’s eastern Space Coast, Melbourne is a bustling city with a small town feel in Brevard County known for its historic charm, artsy culture, and great surf. The downtown area has world-renowned art galleries, delicious restaurants, and craft breweries tucked behind oak-lined streets. The Eau Gallie Arts District (EGAD) Main Street is a Florida Main Street program dedicated to the revitalization of historic Eau Gallie area in Melbourne.

Orlando

Orlando is located in the heart of Florida and is roughly one hour from both the Gulf Coast and the Space Coast on either side. I have visited Orlando twice with family. The main attractions in Orlando are world class theme parks, which most notebly include the Walt Disney World Resort and the Universal Studios Resort Orlando.

Past Holiday to Orlando

We visited Orlando in 1992 and the year 2000. We stayed at the Vistana Resort in 1992, and for our second trip, we rented holiday home. We took a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios Resort on both visits.

Walt Disney World Resort - Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World Resort - Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando

The Magic Kingdom Park is a theme park at Walt Disney World Resort featuring classic attractions, enchanting fireworks, musical parades and characters. I absolutely love the Magic Kingdom Park. I have been twice already and will go again.

Four Seasons Resort Orlando

The Four Seasons Resort in Orlando brings genuine five-star luxury to Disney World, offering chic interiors, exceptional service, an excellent choice of restaurants, and private transfers to the theme parks.

Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach is a city on Florida’s Atlantic coast. It’s known for Daytona International Speedway, which hosts February’s iconic Daytona 500 NASCAR race. The beach has hard-packed sand where driving is permitted in designated areas. Near the boardwalk’s rides and arcades, Daytona Beach Bandshell stages free summer concerts. Steps from the beach, Daytona Lagoon water park offers go-karts, laser tag and waterslides.

Palm Beach

The island of Palm Beach is known as the 'Hamptons of the South' and is home to legendary resorts, exquisite mansions and beautiful beaches. Lined with stately palm trees, the shopping nirvana of Worth Avenue is known worldwide.

White Elephant Palm Beach

Two blocks from miles of pristine beaches, the White Elephant Palm Beach is one of Florida's best and most effortless, luxury hotels.

Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

Whitehall, the home of the Flagler Museum, was built in 1902 for Henry Flagler, co-founder of Standard Oil, and his third wife Mary Lily Kenan.

Little Palm Island

Little Palm Island is a private island off the coast of the Little Torch Key with a romantic Robinson Crusoe appeal. What used to be a refuge for pirates and smugglers is today the luxurious escape for the very richest. There are very few places like this in the USA. A tropical resort with its own island. Little Palm Island was a secret Florida destination. In the early days before the Internet, you could only make a reservation by calling this number: 0900-GETLOST. And then you were told at which kilometer marker you will be picked up by a boat.

Key Largo

Key Largo is an island in the Florida Keys, an archipelago off the south coast of the U.S. state. It’s a popular holiday destination where onshore and offshore state parks provide opportunities for wildlife encounters, fishing, kayaking and diving. Divers and snorkelers visit John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to view tropical fish and an underwater statue of Christ.

Bungalows Key Largo

The Bungalows Key Largo is an adult only, luxury, all inclusive resort.

New Orleans

New Orleans is a Louisiana city on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico. Nicknamed the "Big Easy," it's known for its round-the-clock nightlife, steamboat cruises, vibrant jazz music scene, Creole and Cajun spicy cuisine. New Orleans is a melting pot of French, African and American cultures. Embodying its festive spirit is Mardi Gras, the late-winter carnival famed for raucous costumed parades and street parties.

Hotel Monteleone

Located in the heart of the French Quarter, Hotel Monteleone is a boutique luxury hotel with a rich history, just one block away from Bourbon Street.

Preservation Hall

Preservation Hall is a historic music venue in the French Quarter working to protect, preserve and perpetuate the spirit of traditional New Orleans jazz.

Nashville

Nashville is the hometown of country music and the birthplace of bluegrass, with roots in R&B, and a thriving pop and rock scene. Visitors flock to the city year-round to listen to live music in the honky-tonks of Broadway and to see the famous recording studios on Music Row.

The Joseph

The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, offers a sophisticated escape that is both precisely planned and artfully crafted.

Memphis

Memphis is a city on the Mississippi River in southwest Tennessee, famous for the influential strains of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll that originated there. Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Johnny Cash recorded albums at the legendary Sun Studio, and Presley’s Graceland mansion is a popular attraction. Other music landmarks include the Rock 'n' Soul Museum, Blues Hall of Fame and Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

Charleston

Charleston, the South Carolina port city founded in 1670, is defined by its cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel antebellum houses, particularly in the elegant French Quarter and Battery districts.

Folly Beach

Folly Beach in Charleston, SC, is widely treasured by surfers and beach enthusiasts. Nicknamed “The Edge of America,” the town of Folly Beach exemplifies South Carolina's Lowcountry lifestyle.

Wild Dunes Resort

Situated on the northern tip of Isle of Palms, Wild Dunes Resort is just 30 minutes from Charleston. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other, the resort offers a range of South Carolina adventures.

Outer Banks

The allure of the Outer Banks of North Carolina is so simple: they offer a place to relax and enjoy the rhythms of nature and the sea. Wild horses, quaint villages, scenic lighthouses, windswept beaches and scruffy crab shacks provide the backdrop for these four sleepy barrier islands. Though just off the coast of North Carolina, they feel like they’re a million miles away from the “real” world. Swimming, sunning and water sports are what most visitors come here for, but there’s also quite a bit of history to uncover.

Nantucket

Nantucket, a tiny, isolated island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is a summer destination with dune-backed beaches. It’s marked by unpainted cedar-shingled buildings, many surrounded by manicured privets. The wharves and cobblestoned streets of the Town of Nantucket are lined with restaurants, high-end boutiques and steepled churches. The town’s Whaling Museum recounts the island’s role as a 19th-century whaling hub.

White Elephant Nantucket

Edging the harbor, White Elephant is steps from Children's Beach, the Brant Point Lighthouse, and Nantucket Town.

Salem

Salem is a city on the north coast of Massachusetts above Boston. It's famous for its 1692 witch trials, during which several locals were executed for allegedly practicing witchcraft.

Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard is a picturesque island paradise, just 7 miles off the coast of Massachusetts but a world away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland.

Oahu

Oahu is a U.S. island in the Central Pacific, part of the Hawaiian island chain and home to the state capital, Honolulu.

Waikiki Beach

Hawaii is legendary for its stunning beaches. One of the most famous beaches in Hawaii Waikiki Beach on Oahu Island. Waikiki Beach is one of the most easily accessible for those visiting Hawaii, being located in the capital city of Honolulu.

Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach

Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach is a cosmopolitan jewel located on the fashionable Kalakaua Avenue, presiding over the most famous shoreline in the world.

Kualoa Ranch

Kualoa Ranch is one of the most popular Oahu attractions. It’s home to some of the best Oahu tours and adventures, including horseback riding, ATV tours, movie site visits, and ziplining. The Jurassic Park Adventure Tour is located at the ranch.

Paradise Cove Luau

The Paradise Cove Luau is the largest luau in the state of Hawaii. A luau is a traditional Hawaiian and Polynesian celebration, feast, or party featuring entertainment such as hula and fire knife dancers, together with outdoor activities.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

The USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and commemorates the events of that day. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to the United States' involvement in World War II.

Ko'olau Mountains

The Ko'olau Mountains are located on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii and are home to the Byodo-In Temple.

Halona Cove and Blow Hole

This small cove is a hidden gem tucked along the southeastern coast of Oahu. The blowhole attracts a steady flow of tourists year-round, and right next to it is a beautiful stretch of sandy beach that is often missed.

Mokoli'i Island

Mokoli'i Island (Chinaman's Hat) is located on the east side of Oahu island, less than 1/2 mile out to sea from the nearest beach at Kualoa

Lanikai Beach

Also known as Kaʻōhao Beach, Lanikai Beach is widely regarded as one of the best beaches in the world, and is famous for its stunning views of the Mokulua Islands.

Kaaawa Beach

Kaaawa Beach is a picturesque beach with the large, sheer Hawaiian cliffs as a backdrop.

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, is known as the place to stay for a Hawaii family vacation that immerses you in local culture and Disney magic. Princess Moana is also a frequent visitor!

Hawaii Big Island

The Big Island (officially named Hawaii) is the largest island in the United States' Hawaiian archipelago in the Central Pacific.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects some of the most unique geological, biological, and cherished cultural landscapes in the world. Extending from sea level to 13,680 feet, the park encompasses the summits of two of the world's most active volcanoes - Kīlauea and Mauna Loa - and is a designated International Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Punalu'u Beach

Punaluʻu Beach is a beach between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu on the Big Island of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The beach has black sand made of basalt and created by lava flowing into the ocean which explodes as it reaches the ocean and cools.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii Big Island

Situated on the secluded Kona-Kohala coast of Hawaii Island, Four Seasons Hualalai was designed to fit into its natural setting. Luxurious bungalows are carved into the black volcanic rock landscape, allowing ocean views from all the rooms.

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Located at Hōnaunau Bay in South Kona, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau immerses you in Hawaiian culture. This 180-acre national historic park was once the home of royal grounds and a place of refuge for ancient Hawaiian lawbreakers.

Kauai

Kauai is an island in the Central Pacific, part of the Hawaiian archipelago. It's nicknamed "the Garden Isle" thanks to the tropical rainforest covering much of its surface. The dramatic cliffs and pinnacles of its Nāpali Coast have served as a backdrop for major Hollywood films, while 10-mile-long Waimea Canyon and the Nounou Trails traversing the Sleeping Giant mountain ridge are hiking destinations.

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is a world-class wellness resort and flagship sustainable sanctuary on Kauai's North Shore.

Nāpali Coast

Nāpali Coast is one of the most recognizable and beautiful coastlines in the world. A very special place. The pali, or cliffs, provide a rugged grandeur of deep, narrow valleys ending abruptly at the sea.