Where to Go

While Travelling: Fun / Educational / Spiritual Things to Do, Places to Eat

The following is a list of travel spots and things to see or do (or eat) while on deputation or furlough. There are fun places, educational places, eating-out places, and many spiritual places (parts of our spiritual heritage). It can be very tough on the field, with no opportunity of taking a vacation with the family. So, here are some things to create a memory and enjoy your time as a family travelling through the United States. These are only pointers collected from several missionaries and others. You can ask suggestions from folks at the churches you are going to be at for what they would recommend in their areas—especially ask what they like near them to eat, that would be unique to the area. We have been able to have amazing meals we would have never known existed! We will also take your suggestions on places you would recommend - just send us an email through the "Contact Us" page. However, make sure through all this, you do not lose a burden about your mission field, where God wants you!

Alabama:

Alaska:

  • Katmai National Park - see grizzlies eat salmon

Arizona:

  • The Bible Museum – 2000 N. Litchfield Rd, Goodyear - Open 365 days a year (in a hotel) where you can see old English translations first hand, first editions
  • Sedona – beautiful landscape (ride the Pink Jeep tours); but, beware of the occultic groups there (even witches and Satanists)
  • Grand Canyon National Park – A must see! Be sure to see the Havasu Falls while you are at it.
  • Monument Valley
  • O.K. Corral in Tombstone (near Tuscon)
  • Many, many places for amazing hikes or mountain bike rides (a really beautiful state!!!)
  • Canyon De Chelly on the Navajo Reservation
  • Antelope Canyon

Arkansas:

California:

Los Angeles:

San Francisco:

  • Golden Gate Bridge
  • Pier 39 - restaurants & shopping, try the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl!
  • Jelly Belly Factory - San Francisco area - Free tours!
  • Cable cars on the ridiculously steep streets

Colorado:

  • Royal Gorge Bridge – highest bridge in the U.S. (955 feet) (14th in the world)
  • Four Corners Monument (AZ, NM, CO & UT)

Denver:

Connecticut:

Delaware:

  • Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk - should probably go in the off season so people won't be immodestly dressed

Florida:

  • Homossassa Springs, FL – one of the best places to see manatees
  • Kennedy Space Center - Cape Canaveral
  • National Naval Aviation Museum - Pensacola
  • Safari Edventure - Miami - hands-on wildlife park
  • Everglades National Park - be sure to climb the Shark Tower
  • Florida Keys - the drive from Miami to Key West is amazing

Orlando:

  • Discovery Cove - part zoo, part aquarium: dolphins, otters, tropical birds
  • Legoland Florida
  • Old Town – south of Orlando (a little tourist spot: rides, good food, nice shops)
  • Scriptorium Center for Biblical Antiquities at The Holy Land Experience

Georgia:

  • World of Coca Cola—Atlanta
  • Savannah Historic District - beautiful with Spanish moss
  • Tank Town USA - Morganton - anniversary gift idea for the husband, perhaps??

Hawaii – has anyone gone there for deputation??

  • USS Arizona Memorial - Honolulu

Idaho:

  • Interstate 90 scenic drive across the panhandle

Illinois:

  • Dinosaur - on cliff from Indians from Dr. Hovind video
  • Good Books - 2456 Devonshire Road, Springfield - Secondhand theology books - write for catalog

Chicago:

  • Billy Sunday burial place - Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IL Cook County, Plot: Lot 106, Section 32
  • Pacific Garden Mission - 1458 S. Canal St. - Producers of radio drama Unshackled!
  • Navy Pier - 600 E. Grand Ave. #113
  • Gino’s East Pizza - 633 N. Wells St.
  • Moody Memorial Church
  • Museum of Science and Industry

Indiana:

Iowa:

  • Grace College and Theological Seminary - Winona Lake - Billy Sunday Papers (Collection 61 & 29) at Morgan Library (microfilm)
  • National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium - Dubuque

Kansas:

  • Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead - Overland Park - designed to depict a family farm
  • Boothill Museum - Dodge City - old west town and museum, Dodge City Days in early August
  • Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States - Lebanon
  • Kansas Barbed Wire Museum - La Crosse - see the crow's nest made of barbed wire!

Kentucky:

Lousiana:

  • National WWII Museum - New Orleans (stay away from the French Quarter - wicked!!)

Maine:

  • Lobster Shack Restaurant on Two Lights Rd. - Cape Elizabeth

Maryland:

Massachusetts:

  • Newburyport (40 min. N of Boston) – burial place of George Whitfield (under caretaking of Old South Presbyterian Church)
  • Northfield – birth place and gravesite of D.L. Moody - 32 Moody St. (directions here)
  • Old North Church, Boston, and other American Revolution landmarks
  • Boston Tea Party Ships & Musuem
  • Plymouth Rock
  • Cape Cod
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Springfield

Michigan:

  • Bearing Precious Seed & Local Church Bible Publishers - Lansing
  • Scriptorium: Center for Christian Antiquities - Grand Haven
  • Henry Ford Museum - Dearborn

Minnesota:

  • Mall Over America
  • Drive a Tank - Kasota - anniversary gift idea for the husband, perhaps??

Mississippi:

Missouri:

St. Louis:

Montana:

Nebraska:

  • Old Market in Omaha
  • Henry Doorley Zoo - Omaha - largest indoor rainforest and desert
  • Strategic Air and Space Museum – Ashland
  • Chimney Rock National Historic Site
    • The Archway – museum of Oregon trail, Pony Express
  • North Loup Popcorn Days - end of August

Nevada:

  • Red Rock Canyon - 30 min from downtown Las Vegas
  • Titanic Artifact Exhibition - Las Vegas
  • Hoover Dam

New Hampshire:

New Jersey:

  • Silverball Pinball Museum
  • Thomas Edison National Historic Park – West Orange
  • Barnegat Lighthouse on Long Beach Island

New Mexico:

New York:

  • Baseball Hall of Fame - 25 Main Street, Cooperstown
  • Niagara Falls (they say the Canadian side view is better…)

New York City:

  • Junior’s Restaurant - best cheesecake in NY! Brooklyn, Grand Central and Times Square locations
  • Central Park - bike riding, roller blading, horse drawn carriages, ice skating in the winter
  • National 9/11 Memorial & Museum
  • The Statue of Liberty

North Carolina:

  • The Pit - 328 W. Davie St., Raleigh - whole hog barbecue
  • Krispy Kreme factory - Winston Salem
  • Waldensian Heritage Museum, and Trail of Faith - Valdese
  • Wake Forest University Library - Winston Salem - NC Baptist Historical special collection
  • Liberty – Baptist History: Shubal Stearns graveside and church he started
  • Guillion’s Christian Bookstore – Statesville and King
  • Mt. Airy – town Andy Griffith show was modeled after (if you are into that old show)
  • Kitty Hawk – first flight spot and museum, Wright brothers
  • Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - Outer Banks

North Dakota:

  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park
  • North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (if you’re real redneck…)
  • Enchanted Highway - from Regent to Dickinson - scenic 32 mile drive (world's largest scrap metal sculptures)

Ohio:

  • Bearing Precious Seed - Milford
  • Fellowship Tract League - Lebanon - they have a workday every Tuesday for churches and anyone that wants to help
  • Air Force Musuem – Dayton
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame - Canton (if you're into that...)
  • Graeter's Ice Cream - Cincinnati - making and selling ice cream since 1870
  • First Church - Oberlin. The church that Charles G. Finney pastored for 37 years in the 1800s. Certainly not doctrinally sound anymore since they are associated with sodomites (go on an off-day for mere spiritual heritage purposes).

Oklahoma:

  • Pops (specialty soda pops) - NE of OKC, just E of Edmond - 660 W. Highway 66, Arcadia

Oregon:

Pennsylvania:

  • Shady Maple Smorgasbord near New Holland (Penn. Dutch cooking)
  • Sturgis Pretzels - Lititz
  • Hershey’s Chocolate Town USA, Hershey
  • Gettysburg Battlefield
  • Tabernacle reproduction - Lancaster
  • Sight and Sound Theater - Lancaster

Philadelphia:

  • Reading Terminal Market - 50+ stores of food and shopping
  • MUST TRY: Roast Pork Italian sandwich - with Broccoli rahb, swiss cheese, & Italian dressing (from Tony Luke’s!!!)
  • Independence Hall and Liberty Bell
  • Please Touch Museum - for toddlers on up to adults

Rhode Island:

  • International Tennis Hall of Fame - Newport (if you're into tennis...)
  • Cliff Walk in Newport

South Carolina:

South Dakota:

  • Mt. Rushmore - 13000 S. Dakota 244, Keystone
  • The Badlands National Park
  • Corn Palace - Mitchel - unique corn murals

Tennessee:

Texas:

Utah:

Vermont:

  • Ben & Jerry’s - Waterbury
  • Route 100 - scenic drive, especially beautiful in fall colors

Virginia:

  • Monticello - former home of President Thomas Jefferson

Washington D.C.:

  • Museum of the Bible - opening 2017 - Green’s (Hobby Lobby)
  • International Spy Museum
  • Smithsoniam Museums (Air & Space, American History, [BEWARE of evolutionistic and humanistic slant in the Natural History museum])
  • You can go paddle boating in the Tidal Basin past all the monuments; it would be especially good to see all the cherry trees in bloom on the National Mall
  • Library of Congress
  • National Archives Musuem – Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Magna Carta
  • Monuments - Lincoln / Jefferson / Washington / WWII Memorials (etc.)
  • Ford's Theatre
  • Arlington National Cemetery

Washington (state):

  • Chihuly Garden and Glass - Seattle, below the Space Needle (get a combo ticket)
  • Pike Place Market - Seattle - farmer's market

West Virginia:

  • Babcock State Park Grist Mill
  • New River Gorge Bridge (on the WV state quarter [$.25]) – third highest road bridge in the U.S.

Wisconsin:

  • Several old fashioned drive-in diners - La Grander's (Lake Wissota), Ardy & Ed's (Oshkosh), The Milty Wilty (Wautoma), Rudy's (La Crosse)
  • Dane County Farmer's Market - Madison - on Saturdays

Wyoming:

  • Yellowstone National Park - see Old Faithful geyser
  • Grand Teton National Park
  • Cheyenne Frontier Days - in July - rodeo, air show, pancake breakfast

In Case you Get a Chance

  • Amusement Parks: Cedar Point in OH, Carowinds, Six Flags, Knotts Berry Farm
  • Weird Places: Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditoriums, Aquariums
  • Any zoos, especially state zoos (Phoenix’s and San Diego's are great, St. Louis' is free), or aquariums (Charleston, SC; SeaWorld)
  • State Fairs - definitely an Americanism (be careful of when they’re open or not)
  • National parks - 4th graders (and their parents) can get a free National Park pass (click here for more). Getting a regular National park pass is still pretty reasonable and covers three adults (no entry fee for 15 and younger) for a year. Also, folks over 62 can get the annual pass for a fraction of the regular cost. Plus, it may be helpful to start getting adapted to the mission field! There are missionaries in Papua New Guinea that got used to living in the rough by camping at national parks and such, preparing themselves ahead of time, while saving a bunch of money that way as well, not having to stay in hotels.

Fun Goals While Travelling

  • Get a Christmas ornament from each place/state that you visit
  • Get a fridge magnet from each state or well-known city

Redeeming the Time

  • You should see if there is a church planter in the states/areas you are going through to see if you can help go door knocking with them while there. Or, do that at any church at which you are candidating for support. Utilize your time for the Lord!!