Your Personal Guide to America's Mystical Heart

🐈‍⬛🐦‍⬛🌙🔮🕸🦇🦉👻✨👻🦉🦇🕸🔮🌙🐦‍⬛🐈‍⬛

Every state holds secrets. Ancient mysteries, hidden gems, quirky museums, and magical places that most travelers never discover. The 50 States Before 50 travel itineraries are your key to unlocking America's most enchanting destinations. I’ve been fortunate to travel to many places in my lifetime - and I am always inspired by what I see. Now, you can travel along with me – by armchair or by air. Whether you're planning your next road trip or simply want to explore from the comfort of home, these carefully researched itineraries reveal the mystical side of America that guidebooks miss. From Salem's witch houses to Sedona's energy vortexes, from the Mothman Museum to Powell's Books – we've mapped the places where wonder lives. Every weekend is an opportunity for magic.

Can't afford that cross-country adventure right now? That's perfectly okay. Some of the most meaningful journeys happen when we give ourselves permission to dream. Choose a state, light a candle, put on the corresponding fragrance, and let your imagination carry you to places that feed your soul. This is about more than travel – it's about creating sacred space in your life for curiosity, wonder, and the kind of deep rest that comes from engaging with beauty. Take a moment. In our rushed, always-connected world, these itineraries are an invitation to slow down. To read about a cryptozoology museum in Maine and smile. To discover that Nebraska has something called Carhenge and feel delighted by human creativity. To learn that there's a castle in New Hampshire and let that knowledge spark something joyful in your heart. Because exploration is a state of mind, not a bank account balance.

You deserve to dream about beautiful places. You deserve weekends spent discovering that Oklahoma has a museum dedicated entirely to skeletons, that Wisconsin has a house that defies physics, that every state – even the ones you think you know – holds surprises that can shift your entire perspective on what's possible in this wide, weird, wonderful country of ours. Your armchair can be a magic carpet. Your living room can be a portal. Your imagination can take you anywhere these itineraries lead, and the journey will be exactly as real and meaningful as you allow it to be.

Adventure is always available to those who seek it – whether it's across the continent or across the room.

50 States Before 50: Monthly Travel Itineraries

A Mystical Olfactory Journey Across America - October 2025 to October 2026

🎃October 2025: New England Gothic Launch🎃

"Salem's Autumn Spell" - The Journey Begins

Featured States: Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont

Massachusetts - "Salem's Autumn Spell"

Weekend 1 (Oct 3-6): Salem Halloween Kickoff

Friday: Arrive Salem, check into Hawthorne Hotel, Edward Gorey House (Yarmouth Port)
Saturday: Salem Witch Museum, Witch House, ghost tours, fragrance launch event
Sunday: Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Maritime Historic Site
Monday: Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Concord), Lizzie Borden House (Fall River)

Maine - "Cryptid Coast"

Weekend 2 (Oct 10-13): Mysterious Maine

Thursday: Drive to Portland, International Cryptozoology Museum
Friday: Desert of Maine (Freeport), Norumbega Castle (Camden)
Saturday: Wells Antique Center, lighthouse hopping along coast
Sunday: Return via New Hampshire border, prep for next leg

New Hampshire - "Castle in the Clouds"

Weekend 3 (Oct 17-20): Mountain Mysteries

Thursday: Castle in the Clouds (Moultonborough), Mystery Hill (Salem)
Friday: Searles Castle (Windham), Madame Sherri's Castle Ruins (Chesterfield)
Saturday: Saint-Gaudens Historic Site (Cornish), antique shopping Keene
Sunday: Vermont border crossing

Vermont - "Wilson Castle Elegance"

Weekend 4 (Oct 24-27): Autumn Finale

Thursday: Wilson Castle (Proctor), Shelburne Museum
Friday: Cold Hollow Cider Mill (Waterbury), maple syrup farms
Saturday: Vermont Country Store (Weston), Waitsfield Antique Center
Sunday: Halloween prep! DO YOU HAVE YOUR COSTUME?
✨👻☠️🦷🧙‍♂️🧚‍♀️💃🦄🦉🦇🕷🕸HAPPY HALLOWEEN!✨👻☠️🦷🧙‍♂️🧚‍♀️💃🦄🦉🦇🕷🕸

🦃November 2025: Mid-Atlantic Mysteries🦃

Following Literary Ghosts & Urban Legends

Featured States: New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

New York - "Sleepy Hollow Legend"

Weekend 1 (Nov 1-3): Hudson Valley Halloween Aftermath

Friday: Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Washington Irving sites
Saturday: Olana State Historic Site, Hudson Valley antiquing
Sunday: Brooklyn Flea Markets, NYC literary sites

Connecticut - "Gillette's Whimsy"

Weekend 2 (Nov 7-10): Thanksgiving Prep Week

Thursday: Gillette Castle State Park, Mystic Seaport
Friday: Mark Twain House (Hartford), Barnum Museum (Bridgeport)
Saturday: Union Cemetery (Easton) ghost hunting, Castle Craig
Sunday: Rhode Island border

Rhode Island - "Gilded Age Newport"

Weekend 3 (Nov 14-17): Smallest State, Biggest Mansions

Thursday: The Breakers, Ochre Court tours
Friday: Tennis Hall of Fame, Wickford Antique Center
Saturday: Benefit Street (Providence), mansion hopping
Sunday: New Jersey pine barrens bound

New Jersey - "Pine Barrens Mystery"

Weekend 4 (Nov 21-24): Thanksgiving Mystery

Thursday: Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton), Edison Historical Park
Friday: Pine Barrens expedition, Jersey Devil hunting
Saturday: Columbus Farmers Market, Ripley's Atlantic City
Sunday: Pennsylvania crossing

Pennsylvania - "Mütter Museum Curiosity"

Thanksgiving Week (Nov 25-30): Medical Mysteries

Tuesday: Mütter Museum (Philadelphia), Eastern State Penitentiary
Wednesday: Fallingwater (Mill Run) day trip
Friday: Renningers Antique Markets (Adamstown)
Saturday: Pennhurst Asylum, Gettysburg ghost tours

🎄December 2025: Southern Gothic Christmas🎄

Holiday Haunts & Plantation Mysteries

Featured States: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida

Virginia - "Poe's Raven"

Weekend 1 (Dec 6-8): Literary Gothic

Friday: Edgar Allan Poe Museum (Richmond), Colonial Williamsburg
Saturday: Natural Bridge, Scott Antique Markets
Sunday: North Carolina mountain bound

North Carolina - "Biltmore Estate Elegance"

Weekend 2 (Dec 13-15): Mountain Christmas

Friday: Biltmore Estate Christmas decorations, Asheville exploration
Saturday: Black Mountain College Museum, High Point furniture browsing
Sunday: South Carolina low country

South Carolina - "Angel Oak Mystery"

Weekend 3 (Dec 19-22): Christmas in Charleston

Wednesday: Angel Oak Tree, Magnolia Plantation Christmas lights
Thursday: Charleston City Market, Old Charleston Jail tours
Friday: Unitarian Church Graveyard, antique shopping King Street
Saturday: Georgia border crossing

Georgia - "Pasaquan Vision"

Christmas Week (Dec 23-29): Visionary Holiday

Monday: Pasaquan (Buena Vista), Marshall Forest fairy houses✨🧚‍♀️
Tuesday: High Museum (Atlanta), Oakland Cemetery
Wednesday: Christmas Day in Savannah alternative
Thursday: Lakewood 400 Antiques Market prep
Saturday: Florida bound for New Year's

Florida - "Cassadaga Spirit"

New Year's Week (Dec 30-Jan 5): Spiritual New Beginning

Monday: Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp readings
Tuesday: Coral Castle (Homestead), Weeki Wachee Springs
Wednesday: Salvador Dalí Museum (St. Petersburg)
Thursday: New Year's Eve St. Augustine ghost tours👻
Saturday: Webster Westside Flea Market, Devil's Den diving

❄️January 2026: Deep South & Gulf Mysteries❄️

Surviving Winter in Warm Places

Featured States: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky

Alabama - "Sloss Furnace Phantom"

Weekend 1 (Jan 3-5): Industrial Ghost Stories

Friday: Sloss Furnaces ghost tours, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Saturday: Unclaimed Baggage Center (Scottsboro), Ave Maria Grotto
Sunday: Mississippi Delta bound

Mississippi - "Delta Blues Spirit"

Weekend 2 (Jan 10-12): Blues Pilgrimage

Friday: B.B. King Museum (Indianola), Delta blues trail
Saturday: Rowan Oak (Oxford) Faulkner pilgrimage
Sunday: Vicksburg National Military Park, Cotton District

Louisiana - "Voodoo Queen's Garden"

Weekend 3 (Jan 17-20): MLK Weekend Mysticism

Friday: New Orleans arrival, French Quarter mystical shops
Saturday: Voodoo tours, Magazine Street antiquing
Sunday: Preservation Hall, Museum of Death
Monday: Backstreet Cultural Museum, courtyard brunches

Tennessee - "Bell Witch Legend"

Weekend 4 (Jan 24-26): Country Music & Poltergeists

Friday: Bell Witch Cave (Adams), Nashville honky-tonks
Saturday: Country Music Hall of Fame, Ruby Falls (Chattanooga)
Sunday: Graceland (Memphis), Orpheum Theatre ghost tours

Kentucky - "Bourbon Barrel Séance"

Weekend 5 (Jan 31-Feb 2): Derby Dreams in Winter

Friday: Kentucky Derby Museum, bourbon trail sampling
Saturday: Mammoth Cave National Park underground tours
Sunday: Louisville Antique Mall, thoroughbred farm visits

💝February 2026: Midwest Heart & Soul💝

Valentine's Day Americana

Featured States: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin

Ohio - "Rock and Roll Phantom"

Weekend 1 (Feb 6-8): Music City Memories

Friday: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland), lakefront exploration
Saturday: American Sign Museum (Cincinnati), Ohio State Reformatory
Sunday: Springfield Antique Show prep, Indiana crossing

Indiana - "Medical Museum Curiosity"

Valentine's Weekend (Feb 13-15): Curious Romance

Friday: Medical History Museum (Indianapolis), West Baden Springs Hotel
Saturday: House of Clocks Museum (Nappanee), Shipshewana Flea Market
Sunday: Illinois bound via scenic route

Illinois - "Graceland Cemetery Gothic"

Weekend 3 (Feb 20-22): Chicago Winter Gothic

Friday: Graceland Cemetery, International Museum of Surgical Science
Saturday: Congress Plaza Hotel haunted stays, Cahokia Mounds
Sunday: Frank Lloyd Wright Home, Randolph Street Market

Michigan - "Great Lakes Mystery"

Weekend 4 (Feb 27-Mar 1): Late Winter Lake Effect

Friday: Henry Ford Museum (Dearborn), Detroit Heidelberg Project
Saturday: Mackinac Island winter beauty (if accessible)
Sunday: Wisconsin cheese trail begins

Wisconsin - "House on the Rock Wonder"

Early March (Mar 1-2): Transition Weekend

Saturday: House on the Rock (Spring Green), Taliesin architecture
Sunday: National Mustard Museum, Antique Archeology prep

🌪️March 2026: Great Plains & Prairie Winds🌪️

Spring Awakening on the Prairie

Featured States: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota

Missouri - "City Museum Wonder"

Weekend 1 (Mar 6-8): Urban Playground

Friday: City Museum (St. Louis) adult playground exploration
Saturday: National Museum of Toys and Miniatures (Kansas City)
Sunday: Wilson's Creek battlefield, River Market Antiques

Kansas - "Prairie Wind Prophet"

Weekend 2 (Mar 13-15): Infinite Horizons

Friday: Museum of World Treasures (Wichita), Carry Nation Museum
Saturday: Lucas Grassroots Art Capital tour
Sunday: Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper experience

Nebraska - "Carhenge Vision"

Weekend 3 (Mar 20-22): Spring Equinox Roadside Art

Friday: Carhenge (Alliance) pilgrimage, Ash Hollow Fossil Beds
Saturday: Museum of American Speed (Lincoln)
Sunday: Brownville Antique Mall, Iowa cornfield preparations

Iowa - "Covered Bridge Memory"

Weekend 4 (Mar 27-29): Rural Poetry

Friday: Covered bridges of Madison County tour
Saturday: National Mississippi River Museum (Dubuque)
Sunday: What Cheer Flea Market, Minneapolis bound

Minnesota - "Spam Museum Surreal"

April Transition (Apr 3-5): Nice Midwest Ending

Thursday: SPAM Museum (Austin), Stillwater Antiques
Friday: Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis)
Saturday: Museum of Questionable Medical Devices
Sunday: Great Plains reflection, content creation

🌵April 2026: Mountain West & Desert Spring🌵

High Altitude Adventures

Featured States: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota

Colorado - "Stanley Hotel Séance"

Weekend 1 (Apr 3-5): High Altitude Haunting

Thursday: Denver Antique Row, Buffalo Bill Museum (Golden)
Friday: Stanley Hotel (Estes Park) ghost tours and mountain air
Saturday: Bishop Castle (Rye) architectural folly
Sunday: Riverdale Cemetery paranormal, Wyoming bound

Wyoming - "Devils Tower Mystery"

Weekend 2 (Apr 10-12): Cowboy Mysticism

Friday: Devils Tower National Monument spiritual hiking
Saturday: National Museum of Wildlife Art (Jackson)
Sunday: Fossil Butte National Monument, Montana prairies

Montana - "Big Sky Mystique"

Weekend 3 (Apr 17-19): Last Best Place

Friday: Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman) dinosaur dreams
Saturday: Little Bighorn Battlefield, Miracle of America Museum
Sunday: Great Northern Antique Mall, Dakotas preparation

North Dakota - "Enchanted Highway"

Weekend 4 (Apr 24-26): Metal Sculptures & Prairie

Friday: Enchanted Highway world's largest sculptures
Saturday: Plains Art Museum (Fargo), Fort Abraham Lincoln
Sunday: Antique Alley (Valley City), South Dakota minerals

South Dakota - "Corn Palace Wonder"

May Transition (May 1-3): Agricultural Art

Thursday: Corn Palace (Mitchell) annual redecoration prep
Friday: Badlands National Park fossil hunting
Saturday: Prairie Edge Trading Co. (Rapid City)
Sunday: Great Plains conclusion, desert preparation

🏜️May 2026: Desert Southwest & Sacred Sites🏜️

Ancient Wisdom & Modern Mysteries

Featured States: Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, California

Utah - "Spiral Jetty Meditation"

Weekend 1 (May 1-3): Earth Art & Salt Lakes

Thursday: Natural History Museum (Salt Lake City)
Friday: Spiral Jetty (Rozel Point) meditation retreat
Saturday: Antelope Island bison watching
Sunday: Gardner Village shopping, Arizona desert bound

Arizona - "Sedona Vortex"

Weekend 2 (May 8-10): Vortex Energy & Red Rocks

Friday: Sedona vortex meditation, crystal shopping
Saturday: Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix), Mystery Castle
Sunday: Jerome Ghost Town exploration, Biosphere 2

New Mexico - "Loretto Chapel Miracle"

Weekend 3 (May 15-17): High Desert Miracles

Friday: Loretto Chapel (Santa Fe), Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Saturday: Bandelier National Monument ancient ruins
Sunday: Madrid Ghost Town, Tent Rocks mystical hiking

Nevada - "Virginia City Ghost"

Weekend 4 (May 22-24): Silver Rush Ghosts

Friday: Virginia City historic preservation, Goldfield Ghost Town
Saturday: Nevada State Museum (Carson City), Clown Motel (Tonopah)
Sunday: Antique Mall of Las Vegas, California dreaming

California - "Mission Bell Reverie"

Memorial Day Weekend (May 25-31): Golden State Finale

Monday: Musée Mécanique (San Francisco), Winchester Mystery House
Tuesday: Museum of Jurassic Technology (LA), Rose Bowl Flea Market
Wednesday: Point Reyes Lighthouse, Nitt Witt Ridge (Cambria)
Thursday: Venice Beach psychics, Queen Mary ghost tours
Friday: California missions tour, Magic Castle (Hollywood)

🌲June 2026: Pacific Northwest Pilgrimage🌲

Timber, Tech & Mystical Mists

Featured States: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska

Washington - "Fremont Troll Magic"

Weekend 1 (Jun 5-7): Urban Legends & Coffee Culture

Friday: Fremont Troll, Georgetown Castle, Museum of Flight
Saturday: Pike Place Market vintage exploration, Chihuly Garden
Sunday: Manresa Castle (Port Townsend) ghost tours

Oregon - "Powell's Bookstore Paradise"

Weekend 2 (Jun 12-14): Literary Heaven

Friday: Powell's City of Books marathon browsing
Saturday: Oregon Vortex (Gold Hill), Crater Lake National Park
Sunday: Saturday Market (Portland), McMenamins Edgefield hauntings

Idaho - "Craters of the Moon"

Weekend 3 (Jun 19-21): Lunar Landscapes

Friday: Craters of the Moon National Monument otherworldly hiking
Saturday: Old Idaho Penitentiary (Boise), Idaho Botanical Garden
Sunday: Boise Saturday Market, Alaska preparation logistics

Alaska - "Aurora Mystique"

Summer Solstice Week (Jun 22-28): Land of Midnight Sun

Monday: Anchorage arrival, Museum of the North (Fairbanks)
Tuesday: Hammer Museum (Haines) bizarre collections
Wednesday: Sitka National Historical Park cultural immersion
Thursday: Anchorage Market & Festival, wilderness preparation
Friday: Aurora viewing preparation (seasonal limitations noted)
Saturday: Midnight sun celebration, cosmic contemplation

🤠July 2026: Lone Star & Oil Boom States🤠

Everything's Bigger Philosophy

Featured States: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia, Maryland

Texas - "Cadillac Ranch Vision"

Independence Weekend (Jul 4-6): Artistic Freedom

Friday: Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo) patriotic pilgrimage
Saturday: National Museum of Funeral History (Houston), Menil Collection
Sunday: First Monday Trade Days (Canton) massive flea market

Oklahoma - "Osteology Museum Wonder"

Weekend 2 (Jul 11-13): Scientific Curiosity

Friday: Museum of Osteology (Oklahoma City) skeletal education
Saturday: Price Tower Arts Center (Bartlesville) Frank Lloyd Wright
Sunday: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Tulsa Flea Market

Arkansas - "Eureka Springs Enigma"

Weekend 3 (Jul 18-20): Ozark Mysteries

Friday: Crystal Bridges Museum (Bentonville), Thorncrown Chapel
Saturday: War Eagle Cavern underground tours
Sunday: Eureka Springs Victorian spiritualism, vintage stock shopping

West Virginia - "Mothman Prophecy"

Weekend 4 (Jul 25-27): Appalachian Cryptids

Friday: Mothman Museum (Point Pleasant), Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Saturday: Mystery Hole (Ansted) gravitational anomaly
Sunday: Harpers Ferry historic haunting, Tamarack Arts Center

Maryland - "Visionary Artist's Dream"

August Transition (Aug 1-3): Baltimore Visions

Friday: American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore) outsider art immersion
Saturday: National Museum of Dentistry, Edgar Allan Poe House
Sunday: Hunt Valley Antiques, Delaware preparation

🌊August 2026: Eastern Seaboard Finale🌊

Coastal Conclusions & Delaware Valley

Featured States: Delaware, Washington DC (District), Hawaii (Preparation)

Delaware - "First State Phantom"

Weekend 1 (Aug 1-3): Understated Elegance

Friday: Nemours Mansion & Gardens, Delaware Art Museum
Saturday: Winterthur Museum decorative arts
Sunday: Spence's Bazaar vintage market, DC preparation

Washington DC - "Bonus Capital District"

Weekend 2 (Aug 8-10): Power & Monuments

Friday: Smithsonian Institution marathon (choice museums)
Saturday: Georgetown antique shopping, memorial exploration
Sunday: Political ghost tours, Hawaii logistics planning

🍂September 2026: Pacific Northwest Homecoming🍂

Hawaii - "Night Marcher's Trail"

Final State Weekend (Sept 11-18): Penultimate Paradise

Saturday: Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace royal history
Sunday: Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Center tropical scents
Monday: Night Marchers site research, Manoa Falls mysticism
Tuesday: Honolulu Academy of Arts garden courtyards