South Dakota
Why you should go: Because you love unfettered Americana and natural beauty in equal measure. South Dakota is only a flyover state if you look at it from 30,000 feet. On the ground, it is full of emerald green hills, free-roaming buffaloes and Native American traditions. Plus, there’s a thriving craft beer and cocktail scene — looking at you, fast city – with enough gastropubs and breweries to provide plenty of pit stops between all the nature viewing activities you will be doing. To get started, go to Badlands National Park for an overview of Tatooine. The Pinnacles Overlook offers particularly stunning sunsets, especially when the coyotes come out to serenade the orange to purple sky. Or, if getting lost in an unlimited area of forest is more your speed, there’s Custer State Parkwhere you can expect to see bighorn sheep and bison up close.
why you should go right away: After a seemingly endless winter to start the year, this is your sweet, Americana-soaked summer road trip destination you’ll one day tell your grandkids about. Yes there is Mount Rushmore, which is definitely worth about 15 minutes of your time. To be frank, you’d better be hiking crazy horse: The face of the legendary Oglala Lakota warlord is carved into a cliff some 6,000 feet above sea level, and unlike our deceased presidents, you can gape at his imperious mug up close. There is also the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, August 3-12, in which a rush of Harleys smashes through the Black Hills, unleashing clouds of exhaust just minutes from Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park. — Sam Blum
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