50 States 5 000 Ideas Where to Go When to Go What to See What to Do

A perfect 5000 state travel. I’m retired and I wanted a little bit of history on each state and it’s very jampacked with more information and more places to go than you could possibly imagine. It’s very thorough and. Perfect for young /ol timer travers around the USA. Read more

I bought this book for my daughter and son-in-law as part of their Christmas present. They were excited to receive it as they want to start taking their kids on road trip vacations. It is laid out well. I am now looking at other National Geographic books such as this one for me and my husband. They make great gifts for people who love great vacations and road trips. Read more

I purchased 50 States: 5000 Ideas during what I consider a deeply responsible phase of adulthood, which is to say I have not left my house since Covid and feel morally validated by that choice. I am in my thirties, so I am both online enough to know better and tired enough to believe my personal anxiety counts as public service. I did not buy this book because I wanted to travel. Travel is, objectively, a problem. It spreads germs, encourages frivolity, and rewards people who are too comfortable with uncertainty. I bought it so I could be informed—so I could say things like, “I’ve read about it” when people ask why I never go anywhere. Unfortunately, 50 States: 5000 Ideas refuses to stay in its lane. The book is aggressively enthusiastic. Every state apparently has multiple reasons to exist, which already felt like an editorial choice. Instead of warning me about crowds, unpredictability, or the emotional labor of being around strangers, it kept highlighting “possibilities.” Trails. Food. Roads. Encounters. The tone suggested that the country is not only survivable, but interesting, which I found dismissive of my lived experience. I want to be clear: I read this book critically. I sighed. I paused to reflect on how irresponsible it was to encourage curiosity in a post-Covid world. I mentally drafted several Instagram captions about how “travel looks different for everyone.” But page after page, the book persisted in framing movement as meaningful rather than reckless. The Texas entries were the worst offenders. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, they lingered on long distances, quiet towns, and the meditative nature of getting there. One section described traveling by bus as a way to really see the country—sitting with people from all walks of life, watching the land change mile by mile. This felt like a personal attack. I do not like buses. Buses are uncontrolled environments filled with other people’s choices. And yet, I found myself—purely out of intellectual curiosity—looking up Greyhound routes. This was not a desire. This was research. Several minutes later, I had booked a ticket to Texas. I am not thrilled about this. I am nervous, hyper-aware, and already exhausted by how brave I will have to explain this is. I have prepared sanitizer, headphones, and a long list of disclaimers for anyone who asks how I’m doing. But the book made a compelling case that staying frozen is not the same thing as being thoughtful—and I suppose I believe in growth, as long as it’s uncomfortable and well-documented. I still think most people travel too casually, and I reserve the right to complain the entire way there. But 50 States: 5000 Ideas did something no government mandate or inspirational quote ever could: it convinced me that leaving my house might be an act of principle. Four stars. One star deducted for making me go to Texas. Read more

When a friend indicated that after many worldwide trips, she would like to travel more in the USA, I decided to give her this book. And what a book is! It has so much information about what to see and do in each state, and provides amazing photos. It serves as a travel guide, and an impetus to see the country, whether one drives or flies. The book comes in hard cover or spiral bound. I thought the spiral would be lighter, and it is. But the spiral is flimsy. The book that arrived had the spiral a bit untangled at the end, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t put it back in place. I would suggest to get the hard cover version. It will probably last longer than this spiral version. Read more

I bought this as a gift for my first grade grand child.......she and her mom can look at the pics and write-ups and plan future vacations. It's a nice, thick book.....lots of pics......... Read more

The book we got was kind of weird as it looked like it was a used one. But my daughter lived it and is already planning their next vacation. Read more

This book covers the US and Canada, but is limited on information. They give you something to look up, but little to nothing about it. There is a great amount of information not mentioned. Read more

Lots of great info to help you plan your trips Read more