In My Mom Era

There are ten more places on my list, and somehow they range from ancient stone pueblos to a museum about funerals to a tiny piece of France just off Canada. This is exactly why I love making these lists: you never know which curiosity will send you down the next rabbit hole.

Tomorrow I turn FORTY. And apparently the best way to celebrate is by finding forty places I’d love to visit, even if I have no idea when we’ll get there. Welcome back to my wildly expanding travel wishlist!

Missed the beginning? Catch up with 40 for 40 Places — Part One and Part Two.

Sometimes I find a city because of its history. Sometimes it’s a museum, a dinosaur, or an amusement park. Sometimes a name catches my eye and Google Maps sends me somewhere entirely different from where I thought I was going. Here are places 21–30, and the actual reasons I chose them.

21. Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is on my list because of its civil rights history—not because I need another random city to check off. I want to see the 16th Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, and take the kids somewhere that helps us confront important, difficult American history. I already went deeper in my Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument article. This is a place to learn, reflect, and remember.

There’s a difference between reading about history and standing where it happened. I want to walk through the Civil Rights District slowly, rather than treating it like a quick stop between meals. The 16th Street Baptist Church and Kelly Ingram Park are places where the stories deserve time and attention.

And with the kids, I want those conversations to continue long after we leave. Travel can be silly and spontaneous—believe me, ours usually is—but it can also give us the opportunity to learn about courage, injustice, and the people who fought to change things.

22. Grand Forks, North Dakota

DINOSAURS. Specifically, University of North Dakota fossil-preparation sessions involving Edmontosaurus and Triceratops fossils. Actual fossil work! I need to check age requirements before imagining all five kids participating, but this is the discovery that put Grand Forks on my map. Then I found the North Dakota Museum of Art, Devils Lake, and Grahams Island State Park. One dinosaur rabbit hole, and suddenly I have an entire North Dakota itinerary.

I mean, someone says I might be able to watch actual dinosaur fossils being uncovered and prepared, and suddenly I’m looking up the drive to NORTH DAKOTA. This is the kind of research detour that makes perfect sense to me and probably no one else. LOL.

Edmontosaurus and Triceratops aren’t just names on a museum plaque when you can see the painstaking work involved in studying their remains. I’d love for the boys to see the science happening in real time. The public sessions and age rules would need checking before a visit, especially with the little ones in tow.

And because I apparently cannot stop at one attraction, I’d add the North Dakota Museum of Art and then make time for the scenery around Devils Lake and Grahams Island. We could turn a fossil obsession into a much bigger adventure. That’s how these lists get out of hand.

23. Houston, Texas

You’d think NASA was what grabbed my attention. NOPE. It was the National Museum of Funeral History. Funeral customs, mourning, remembrance, and how societies have approached death over time? Of course I want to explore that. And because we’re not driving all the way to Texas for just one museum, I’d also head to Galveston for its island history, architecture, and beaches.

Yes, I’m the person who finds a museum dedicated to funeral history and immediately thinks, WE HAVE TO GO. But think about it: every culture has traditions around death, remembrance, grief, and celebrating a life. The way those traditions change over centuries is fascinating.

I’d want to explore the museum’s exhibits at my own pace and see what they reveal about the people and societies behind those customs. This is exactly the sort of place that would make me come home with about thirty new books to add to my TBR.

Then there’s Galveston, close enough to make a second chapter of the trip: historic buildings, Gulf Coast views, and another excuse to get lost on streets we haven’t seen before. Museums and a coastline? That’s a perfectly respectable family vacation.

24. Madison, Wisconsin

This one became a whole architecture-and-family-attractions rabbit hole. House on the Rock first: that enormous, wonderfully bizarre collection and its extraordinary carousel. Then Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacobs House (a private residence to appreciate respectfully, not a public tour) and Taliesin near Spring Green. Add Henry Vilas Zoo—free admission!—and Picnic Point on Lake Mendota. Historic architecture, eccentric collections, animals, and a little outdoor time. SOLD.

House on the Rock looks like someone took a fever dream, filled it with collections, and built a tourist attraction around it. Have you SEEN the carousel? I don’t even know where to look first. It’s extravagant, bizarre, and absolutely the sort of thing that makes me open seventeen browser tabs.

Then I fell down the Frank Lloyd Wright rabbit hole. The Jacobs House is important architecturally, but because it’s a private home, I’d admire it only from appropriate public areas rather than treating it like a museum. Taliesin, meanwhile, offers an opportunity to explore Wright’s work through a visitor experience.

And let’s not forget the kids. A free zoo is always going to catch my attention when we’re traveling with five children. Henry Vilas Zoo and a walk out toward Picnic Point would be a lovely change of pace after all the architectural gawking. I’d probably still be talking about that carousel over dinner, though.

25. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, France

FRANCE. OFF THE COAST OF CANADA. How did I not know more about this? Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is a French overseas collectivity near Newfoundland. The thought of reaching a piece of France from Atlantic Canada sent me straight down a geography rabbit hole. I’d want to learn about the islands’ history and culture, not just say I crossed another border.

I can practically hear myself announcing to Ty that I found a way to visit FRANCE while we’re exploring the Canadian Atlantic coast. Not mainland France, obviously, but a genuinely French place with its own history, everyday life, and character.

That’s what hooked me: the geography of it all. A small group of islands so close to Newfoundland, yet culturally and politically tied to France. I’d want to learn how that history shaped the communities there, wander the streets, and try the local food.

Getting there would require actual planning—transportation, schedules, and all those practical details that I usually discover after falling in love with a place. But isn’t that half the fun?

26. Newfoundland, Canada

Newfoundland gets its OWN spot, not just a mention on the way to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. I want the fishing villages, coastlines, national parks, and Norse history at L’Anse aux Meadows. And this is the kind of place where I dream about taking four to six weeks, not a rushed weekend. Imagine how many unexpected stops we’d find!

Four to six weeks. That’s how long I keep imagining we’d need, and even then I’m sure we’d leave with a list of things we missed. I don’t want to fly in, take one pretty photograph, and call it done. I want time to follow the coast and pull over whenever something catches our eye.

The fishing communities, rugged cliffs, colorful houses, and sheer scale of the landscape all appeal to me. And L’Anse aux Meadows? A Norse archaeological site in North America? You know that alone could keep me occupied for hours.

I picture a slow-moving family road trip, the kids discovering little places we never planned to see, and me announcing, ‘Just one more stop!’ for the fifth time that afternoon. Newfoundland deserves its own adventure, not just a ferry connection on the way somewhere else.

27. Belfast, Maine

I saw Belfast on the map. My brain said Ireland. Google Maps said MAINE. Naturally, I investigated. Historic downtown, Penobscot Bay, maritime history, and nearby Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport. Then I noticed the lighthouses. SO MANY LIGHTHOUSES. I want their architecture, their keepers’ stories, and their history. All because a place name tricked my brain.

Ireland is always lurking somewhere in my brain, so of course a town called Belfast caught my attention. Then I realized it was in Maine, and instead of closing the map, I kept zooming in. That’s how you know a place has me.

I love the thought of old waterfront buildings, a harbor shaped by generations of maritime work, and a museum that tells the stories of people who lived and worked along the coast. The Penobscot Marine Museum in nearby Searsport would be high on my list.

And then come the lighthouses. The buildings are beautiful, but what I really want are the stories: the storms, the keepers, the families, the ships, and the long nights watching the water. I’d happily build an entire coastal drive around them. The lighthouse pictured below is Portland Head Light, farther south in Cape Elizabeth—a little extra Maine inspiration.

28. Berlin, New Hampshire

I didn’t choose Berlin because it shares a name with a German city. I found Story Land in Glen, then Santa’s Village in Jefferson, and immediately started looking for somewhere between them to stay. Enter Berlin! Fairy-tale rides, Christmas fun, and a base for exploring the White Mountains. Yes, that’s how I plan vacations. LOL.

Here’s the truth about how Berlin made the list: I was looking at Story Land and Santa’s Village, trying to figure out how we could work both into a trip with the kids. Naturally, that meant opening a map and looking for places to stay. One search led to another, and suddenly I was researching Berlin.

That’s my favorite kind of travel planning. A town that starts out as a practical dot between two attractions becomes somewhere I want to know more about. Add the White Mountains and the possibility of scenic detours, and now we’re talking.

I can already imagine the chaos of five kids after a full day of rides, followed by me insisting we stop to see something historical on the drive back. Ty would probably not even be surprised. LOL.

29. Cortez, Colorado

This could be an entire archaeological vacation. Lowry Pueblo and Sand Canyon Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Yucca House National Monument, and of course Mesa Verde National Park. Ancient communities, stone architecture, kivas, and the chance to learn about the ancestral places that remain meaningful to living Pueblo peoples. These are only a FEW of the places I’d want to explore.

THIS is the kind of destination where I’d need to build in extra days, because every archaeological site would lead me to another. Lowry Pueblo, Sand Canyon Pueblo, Yucca House, Mesa Verde—each offers another piece of a much larger history.

I’d want to learn not only how these communities built and lived, but also how archaeologists interpret the places they left behind. And it’s important to remember these aren’t simply stories of a vanished people: descendant Pueblo communities are very much alive, and their connections to these ancestral places matter.

Can you imagine walking among those stone structures and trying to understand the centuries of human life they represent? I could spend a whole day reading every sign. The children might have other opinions about my pace, but we’d figure it out. LOL.

30. Spokane, Washington

Spokane started with Riverfront Park, its waterfalls and carousel; the historic Campbell House; and Manito Park. Then I added The Viking restaurant, the Jundt Art Museum at Gonzaga, the Bing Crosby House Museum, Sunset Junction and its railroad connections, and the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. EIGHT stops, and I haven’t even been there yet. This is what happens when you give me a map and an internet connection.

Eight stops. EIGHT. And I started out thinking this would be a quick look at one city. Riverfront Park grabbed me with its waterfalls, historic carousel, and that enormous red wagon playground. That’s already a pretty compelling argument for a family visit.

Then came the Campbell House, because I cannot resist an old house with a story; Manito Park for its gardens; the Jundt Art Museum; and the Bing Crosby House Museum. Suddenly we’ve got architecture, art, music, and a whole lot of walking.

Somewhere in there I’d want to eat at The Viking, explore the railroad-related history around Sunset Junction, and make time for the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. I’d probably find three more places while looking up parking. Spokane, you’ve been warned.

Thirty Down. Ten to Go.

Dinosaur fossils in North Dakota. Funeral history in Texas. Frank Lloyd Wright in Wisconsin. A little piece of France off Newfoundland. Lighthouses in Maine. Santa Claus in New Hampshire. Ancient Pueblo sites in Colorado. And more Spokane attractions than I can count without opening another tab.

I haven’t visited these places yet. This is the research, the dreaming, and the glorious rabbit-hole phase—and I love it. Sometimes all it takes is asking “What’s THAT?” and suddenly I’ve found another adventure.

Have you been to any of these places? What would YOU add to the itinerary? Because clearly I need more ideas. LOL.

Until the next rabbit hole,
Kelly
In My Mom Era