Fun Travel Facts About Every State

Every one of the USA's most iconic landmarks or attractions has a little-known fact hiding in its history and all 50 states have a few nuggets outsiders may not know. Click on the slideshow to find out a fun travel fact about your home state or the spot where you're headed on your late summer vacation.

Let's be clear: well over 99% of airline luggage makes it to the carousel at its intended destination. A small percentage of bags get delayed and find their way home a little late. A teeny-tiny fraction of that luggage is never claimed by its owners though and ends up at Alabama's Unclaimed Baggage Center. Stop by Scottsboro to peruse left behind clothes, jewelry, electronics and knick-knacks and to head home with a bargain and a few stories.

You should most certainly visit Juneau on your trip to Alaska, but just don't plan on including it on a road trip because there aren't any roads in or out. Due to the region's rugged terrain, the only way to reach the city is by ferry or plane, making it unique among American state capitals.

While other members of the cactus family are scattered throughout the country, you can only view the spindly arms of the saguaro in the Grand Canyon State. Best experienced at Saguaro National Park near Tucson, a perenially underrated park.

Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro is the only place in the nation where you can dig for your very own diamond. While the odds aren't in your favor, past visitors have come away with a real gem.

The U.S. Military was originally opposed to the idea of the Golden Gate Bridge for national security reasons and while they finally relented, they insisted that it be painted in stripes to increase visibility. But then the steel beams arrived primed in this most exquisite hue of burnt red, the architect argued the case for orange, and the rest is San Francisco history.

Reaching a high point just north of 14,000 feet, Mount Evans Road is the USA's highest paved road. Combine a road trip on this epic stretch of pavement with a trip to nearby Leadville, the nation's highest town.

There are lots of reasons to visit Mystic-one of the country's coolest coastal towns-with the most peculiar one being the opportunity to see the severed arm of St. Edmund. Head to Chapel of Our Lady of Assumption at Saint Edmund's Retreat to see the appendage and to learn all about the man it used to be attached to.

Those sweeping dunes at Cape Henlopen State Park might just be some of the biggest hills in the Blue Hen State. Beating out Louisiana and Florida, Delaware owns the lowest average elevation in the nation at approximately 60 feet above sea level.

With well over 1000 miles of coastline, sunny Florida owns the most seafront property of any contiguous US state. And to make things beachier, no matter where you are in the state, you will never be more than 60 miles from the sea.

Located in downtown Atlanta, The Varsity is the world's biggest drive-in restaurant (it can accommodate over 600 cars) and is also said to sell more Coca-Cola than anywhere else on the planet. Stop by for an iconic slice of ATL culture alongside some seriously tasty dogs & rings.

When the height of Hawaii's Mauna Kea is tallied including its massive submerged base, it comes in just north of 33,000 feet, which makes it the world's tallest mountain by far. Visit this special place to see a bewitching lunar landscape-which can often include snow-and to enjoy some of the best stargazing in the world.

Idaho may share Hells Canyon National Recreation Area with Oregon and Washington, but its grandeur is breathtaking enough to be one of the state's most stunning natural attractions. And with a height of nearly 8,000 feet, it owns the title as the nation's deepest.

You know Chicago as the city of big buildings and big shoulders, but the Windy City is also home to more than two dozen beaches and each summer they fill up with sunbathers, volleyball players and beach bar lovers.

The famous Indiana Dunes don't just stay in one place. Nope, when the wind blows, these mountains of sand get a case of itchy feet, with the largest dune in the park Mt. Baldy moving an average of 5-10 feet per year.

In addition to offering tours to baseball fans and film fans alike, the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville is now available to be stayed in as a vacation rental. Including the field, too! This means that you and your team can completely and faithfully re-create the magic the Kinsella family experienced for yourself.

Take a road trip to Lebanon to be at the geographical center of the contiguous United States before heading downtown to pick up some souvenirs (hey, it says so on the sign). If the small chapel near the site looks familiar to you, it may be because it was featured in a 2021 Super Bowl ad for Jeep that starring Bruce Springsteen.

Cumberland Falls is one of the country's prettiest waterfalls and in addition to a wealth of natural beauty, it's home to a rare phenomenon: a moonbow. This "lunar rainbow" happens when moonlight shines off the mist of the falls and it's one of the only places in the country where it happens regularlyrly.

The USA's longest bridge-and the world's longest bridge over water-is Southern Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Connecting Meterarie and Mandeville, the span helps make your entrance into New Orleans from the North Shore a grand one.

Home to the nation's easternmost point at West Quoddy Head, Maine always sees the rays of a new day's sunrise before anyone else. Depending on the time of the year and position of the sun, the first traces of light to hit the USA either fall at West Quoddy Head, Cadillac Mountain or Mars Hill.

Back in the day-which in this case is 15-20 million years ago-Southern Maryland was covered by a shallow and warm sea. When the water receded it left behind a veritable gold mine of fossilized relics, with a huge chunk being left in the area that is now Calvert Cliffs State Park. Visit the park to dip your toes in the sea and seek out a shark tooth, a commonly found fossil.

Visit Boston's Mary Baker Eddy Library in order to experience the sensation of seeing the planet from the inside out. It's all thanks to the kaleidoscopic three-story globe called The Mapparium, which visitors can walk straight through.

No matter where your travels take you in the Wolverine State, the soothing waters of the Great Lakes are within reach. In fact, nowhere in the state is further than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes, a characteristic that helps Michigan own the most freshwater coastline in the United States.

Nope, Minnesota has way more. In fact, there are just over 11,800 lakes that have a size of 10 acres or higher. And if you're wondering, while the Gopher State is positively swimming with bodies of water, Alaska is actually the state with the most lakes.

Proving that sometimes you can improve on Mother Nature, the superb stretch of beach from Biloxi to Henderson Point is, in fact, the nation's longest manmade beach.

Yes, it's true. You won't find more fountains in any other city in the country than Kansas City, Missouri. The city's fountain count, which at last tally came in north of 200, is second only to Rome.

If you didn't find peace and quiet in Yellowstone, then stop by the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas in Arlee for a space perfect for mindful relaxation and reflection. Here, you will find eight spokes of 125 white buddha statues dedicated to international peace and a serene atmosphere like nowhere else in the state.

Coming in at over an acre-and-a-half, the Lied Jungle at Omaha's excellent Henry Doorly Zoo is the largest indoor rainforest in the USA. Inside, you'll meet monkeys, pygmy hippos, macaws as you explore a faithful recreation of global rainforests.

The Hoover Dam isn't just a feat of engineering in itself, the water it's holding back has become a wonder in its own right. That's because the damming of the Colorado River at Hoover Dam creates Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir. Both the dam and the lake make excellent day trips from Las Vegas.

It has been nearly 20 years since the Granite State's beloved "Old Man of the Mountain" rock formation collapsed, but that doesn't completely mean you can't lay eyes upon him. Visit the creative Profiler Plaza in Franconia Notch to view a re-creation of this stony profile using an interactive sculpture.

Coming in at over four miles, the Atlantic City Boardwalk is the planet's longest seaside promenade. Walk from one end to the other to take in the festival of life on display or get there early in the morning in order to tour the boardwalk by bicycle.

Tracing its roots back to 1610, Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in North America, but head to nothern New Mexico for even richer history. Specifically Taos Pueblo, a multi-story adobe abode that has been occupied by a local Native American community for over 1000 years. The site is currently closed to visitors but is expected to re-open at some point soon.

Could you imagine the Statue of Liberty any other color than her current green? Well, millions of Americans from the past certainly could have, because they saw her in her original shade of copper brown. What went down to change her from brown? A type of oxidation that occurs when copper interacts with water and air.

It may not be a household name, but the Tar Heel State's 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell (called Attakulla in Cherokee) is the tallest peak east of the Mississippi River. Hike to the top as part of a road trip on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway.

Come to North Dakota for the natural splendor of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the excellent agritourism and, (checks notes) to see the world's largest scrap metal sculpture. In the western section of the state, you'll find a quirky roadside attraction made up of sculptures called the Enchanted Highway, with the one called Geese in Flight being the owner of the world record.

The long-shuttered Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield isn't just any old pretty, decaying face. No, it had a famous close-up as a shooting location for the iconic film The Shawshank Redemption and each year it hosts one of the nation's best haunted houses.

With over 200 bodies of water that were built by hand, Oklahoma is the land of plenty when it comes to lake-based recreation. The so-called "Big Three" are Grand Lake O' The Cherokees, Lake Tenkiller and Lake Eufaula, with the latter being home to over 100,000 surface acres and 600 miles of shoreline.

The nation's most famous body of water inside a collapsed volcano isn't just any old lovely lake. No, with a depth of 1,943 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. Drive around Rim Road for a scenic road trip you'll never forget.

This photogenic cobbled alley also happens to be the country's oldest continually inhabited residential street. Visit to walk in the footsteps of famous former residents and learn more about this special place whose history dates back to the 1700s.

The flag out front says it all: established 1673. Long before those pesky thirteen colonies even thought of declaring independence, Newport locals were quaffing beers at the White Horse Tavern. This gives it a claim to being the oldest bar/restaurant in the USA.

People who have visited Barbados and Charleston often comment on the striking similarity of the two-and they're right. The British founded both Bridgetown in Barbados and Charleston were around the same time and in addition to architecture, the two cities also share many cultural characteristics.

Not only were the original plans for the sculptures supposed to include the president's bodies down to their waist, but there was also talk of a massive panel that would have listed American territorial acquisitions. In addition, there was once a bill introduced in Congress that would have added Susan B. Anthony to Mount Rushmore, but it never came to fruition.

One of the nation's most visited houses, Graceland attracts fans of Elvis and curious tourists alike. But did you know The King didn't give the estate its famous moniker? No, it was named by the previous owners in honor of a relative who was the original owner of the land.

The highest legal speed limit in America is 85 MPH and it can be found on a rural section of toll road between Austin and San Antonio. Put the car on cruise control, slap on some tunes and watch the Central Texas landscape go rushing by.

It's safe to say that if it wasn't for movie director John Ford, the world may never have heard of Monument Valley, much less associated it with the adventure and wide-open spaces of the American West. He shot multiple movies here, with Stagecoach and The Searchers being two of the most well-known.

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House sits on top of the international border between the US and Canada, meaning it's located in both Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec. And there are no passports required to visit. When open, you are allowed to cross the borderline marked on the floor while you're there, you just can't head out a different door than you came in.

The Appalachian Trail stretches from nearly 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine, making it one of the world's most legendary hiking trails-and Virginia owns more than anybody. The State contains nearly 550 miles of the trail, including the panoramic views of McAfee Knob.

The most famous sight on the Seattle skyline has a secret in its design that's hiding in plain sight: it's a she. Yes, this futuristic structure was inspired by a wooden sculpture called "The Feminine One", which features a female form with her arms stretched upwards to the sky.

After seeing the Glade Creek Grist Mill in all the photos and social media posts about West Virginia, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was just a prop and its milling days were behind it. But you'd be wrong. Visit to pick up some buckwheat flour or cornmeal that has been ground right on the spot.

Not to be outdone by Kansas and its claim to owning the center of the Lower 48, the Badger State boasts of owning the piece of land that is the center of the Northwest Hemisphere-the precise place where the 45th Parallel of Latitude intersects with the 90th Meridian of Longitude, which means it's one-quarter of the way around the world from Greenwich, England and halfway between the North Pole and Equator. . After you've seen it, head to the town of Wausau for a complimentary token that gives you membership into the 45x90 Club.

It may look impregnable and scaling it may not seem like something that's legally allowed, but Devil's Tower can be climbed, with several thousand people doing it each year. In fact, Ddue to its unique hexagonal columns, the tower is regarded as one of the finest crack climbing spots in the country.