Which State Is The Bestest

[Frogboy]

Hi everyone,

I was talking to frog-girl and we have thought about travelling to the states for some time now. However, we are not that keen on doing the usual touristy things and going where everyone else seems to go (NY, California, Disney World/Florida). We always prefer things slightly off the beaten track. Our holidays are usually a mixed bag of visits to museums/landmarks, theme parks, beaches, walks in the countryside, nights in pubs/bars/restaurants and the occasional visit to the theatre.

We love nice scenery and a good bit of culture. I'm very much an adrenaline junky so somewhere with a bit of action is always nice. Anythoughts on where two little brits can go to find a nice piece of america thats not full of tourist crap?

Many thanks

Froggie

x

[babyvr6]

Can you be a bit more specific as what you're wanting out of this vacation? I recommend Sandusky Ohio for Cedar Point amusement park, that should satisfy the junkie in you. However, there isn't much else in the midwest.

[Wet_in_NKY]

If you are a fan of open country, beautiful horses, and a pretty good nightlife, come to KY. Lexington is surrounded by beautiful country, horse parks, and good golfing, while the city offers a great nightlife. Louisville has some great history to it, while again offering a good nightlife. And Northern KY, near Cincinnati, Ohio, has a great nightlife while still offering the goodies of Cincinnati without the traffic. (good art museum, the underground railroad museum, EnterTRAINment Junction (the worlds largest indoor model train display,) Kings Island (large regional theme park,) History Museum, and this is a short list.) Newport, KY also offers a walking tour featuring hideouts from Al Capone and others!

Oh and if you do come to Northern KY, get in touch! I live in Northern KY, and can take ya on a tour or two!

[Frogboy]

Ok, specifics... hmmm,

I guess we want to see "real" america. Not some overpriced tacky charade of what most brits seem to think is america. We're both really easy going and we're quite happy to take in local culture. I'm not too fussed about doing specific things on holiday (i.e, i don't "have" to go to theme parks). We'll happily go with the flow.

We both like good food, good music, good people and general merryment. We don't want to end up somewhere designed for tourists, but then we don't want to end up somewhere where there is nothing to do.

Example being if someone wanted to come to england to experience our "culture", I would recommend the north (Yorkshire and possbly Cumbria) or the Southwest (Devon and Cornwall) as they have plenty of thigs for visitors to do, but they are also very real in their Englishness. You can drink a pint in a proper pub, walk in the countryside, go to museums of both natural and social history etc. I would never recommend London as it's too fake, over priced and is designed as a tourist "trap".

Hope that makes sense (it's 11:30pm over here and I'm very sleepy so apologies if it doesn't make sense!)

Froggie

[Frogboy]

If you are a fan of open country, beautiful horses, and a pretty good nightlife, come to KY. Lexington is surrounded by beautiful country, horse parks, and good golfing, while the city offers a great nightlife. Louisville has some great history to it, while again offering a good nightlife. And Northern KY, near Cincinnati, Ohio, has a great nightlife while still offering the goodies of Cincinnati without the traffic. (good art museum, the underground railroad museum, EnterTRAINment Junction (the worlds largest indoor model train display,) Kings Island (large regional theme park,) History Museum, and this is a short list.) Newport, KY also offers a walking tour featuring hideouts from Al Capone and others!

Oh and if you do come to Northern KY, get in touch! I live in Northern KY, and can take ya on a tour or two!

Thats the sort of thing I'm talking about! I would never have thought about Kentucky. Sounds ideal!

We're gonna try and get over in the summer sometime so If we decide on KY, I'll definately be in touch!

Froggie

[tenderheart]

actually there is a lot of really fun things to see in California that is not normal tourist type stuff. Such as the Serra Nevada Mountains, the petrified forest, wine country (napa valley or some vineyards in Santa Barbara) In fact you can plan a trip up the west coast line into the pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington) there is beautiful scenery the entire way. I really don't know what you are looking to do though. If you gave me a little more info I could give you other restorts that are little known in the sawtooth mountains perhaps like this place:

http://www.redfishlake.com/

Here's a whole gallery: http://www.sawtoothcamera.com/guest.html

But I dunno if this is what you want or not.

[sarah_ab]

roadsideamerica.com

its a catalogue of all the 'off the beaten track' type things in every state, you can search by state, or they have an option where you can put in the roads you want to travel and it will show you all sorts of quirky fun things to do... check it out, have fun.

[Honu]

Hawaii is touristy, but for good reason. The scenary can't be beat nor can the climate. You have to get the hell out of Waikiki, but that's the only place to find a hotel on the island of Oahu. While there (my island) you have access to every type of Asian food at every cost point. I've lived in Korea and the best Korean food is in Hawaii! The big island has horses, snow and the best coffee in the world. The neighbor islands have more pristine scenary, but the hotels get very touristy. For action, try surfing, SCUBA diving or hiking to the waterfalls. There are also helicopter tours.

I currently live in Florida and it has both it's tourist side and it's local side. There is some surf on the east coast as well as shuttle launches. Further south are the citrus groves and gators in the swamps. Here on the west coast are Gulf beaches and shelling. In the center of state is hunting and fishing.

As has been said, thank you for considering a visit to the United States. It is a very large and diverse country and you can even go to a well known tourist area and see something different than your freinds back home. Each region, state and locality has its attractions and drawbacks. The drawback of any established tourist destination is the cost. You could always stay at a dude ranch out west. Then there is what I want to do some summer - spend a week at a guitar camp!

[Yvhuce]

You could always come to Kansas and visit the Little House On the Prairie or where we kicked the Dalton gang's asses... And if you head toward western Kansas, there's some guy out there who makes big metal sculptures and puts 'em out in the field. Praying Mantis, Buffalo, and other stuff, if it's still there (we haven't been out that way since my great grandma died)...

[redneck diaper boy]

Florida is the holiday capital of the world. I would suggest the Orlando area. Orlando has a good public transportation system as well.

Taxes are low in Florida. The sales tax in only 7.5 percent. Florida is a right to work state so the cost of doing business in less than parts in the Northern USA. The hotel tax is around $16 per night

Petrol is cheap here as well. Right now it can be has for $2.58 per gallon. The only place that it is less expensive in Georgia.

Hi everyone,

I was talking to frog-girl and we have thought about travelling to the states for some time now. However, we are not that keen on doing the usual touristy things and going where everyone else seems to go (NY, California, Disney World/Florida). We always prefer things slightly off the beaten track. Our holidays are usually a mixed bag of visits to museums/landmarks, theme parks, beaches, walks in the countryside, nights in pubs/bars/restaurants and the occasional visit to the theatre.

We love nice scenery and a good bit of culture. I'm very much an adrenaline junky so somewhere with a bit of action is always nice. Anythoughts on where two little brits can go to find a nice piece of america thats not full of tourist crap?

Many thanks

Froggie

x

[Bettypooh]

Hi everyone,

I was talking to frog-girl and we have thought about travelling to the states for some time now. However, we are not that keen on doing the usual touristy things and going where everyone else seems to go (NY, California, Disney World/Florida). We always prefer things slightly off the beaten track. Our holidays are usually a mixed bag of visits to museums/landmarks, theme parks, beaches, walks in the countryside, nights in pubs/bars/restaurants and the occasional visit to the theatre.

We love nice scenery and a good bit of culture. I'm very much an adrenaline junky so somewhere with a bit of action is always nice. Anythoughts on where two little brits can go to find a nice piece of america thats not full of tourist crap?

Many thanks

Froggie

x

I've traveled much of the USA and there's no way to see it all in under a year, even avoiding every tourist city North and South Carolina go from the coast to the mountains with lots of nice sights and folklore if you avoid the main highways. The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most scenic wooded mountain drives in the US. Pretty darn cheap in these parts too The "Great Plains" areas are unbelievably vast flatlands- you can literally drive for hours without a single curve in the dead-straight roads. After the second day of it you might find a single tree very exciting indeed Traveling westward the Rocky Mountains loom huge as they jut straight up out of nowhere. Hwy 50 through Nevada and Utah is "The Loneliest Road In America"- desert with only telephone poles to interrupt your vision once you leave the mountainous part. One part is over 120 miles between people- top off your gas tank! You might even get 'buzzed' by USAF fighter jets there- this is where they train. Do not miss the Grand Canyon, even if you only fly over it on a clear day- pictures and words cannot come close to reality here- it's absolutely breathtakingly overwhelming in scale The Hoover Dam is pretty big too but I don't think you can stop your car on it and look down like you used to The Royal Gorge suspension bridge in CO isn't for those with vertigo as it defines "high" and "deep" at the same time- if you go there seek out Bishop's Castle nearby for a taste of American eccentricity Any of the National Parks will showcase the land, some are very interesting: Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Yellowstone, Sequoia (where the Redwood trees redefine "tall" and you can drive right through a living tree), Everglades (shows what a real swamp looks like) and that's just a start. As geography goes, we've got it all in one place or another and usually on a very spectacular scale

The bigger cities all have Museums and sights about their history. Smaller towns will have far less but more "real people" if that's your interest. I like Charleston SC- yes it's touristy but it's interesting nonetheless. San Francisco CA is much the same. The Napa Vally in CA is beautiful in the summer with vineyards and good vino galore. Lake Tahoe is exquisite in the spring and summer and a snowbird's delight in the winter. The same goes for the Shenandoah Vally on the other side of the US. Once again this is just the small list- there's not enough bandwidth on this site to mention it all

I'd suggest that you 'classify' your touring- check out the specific things you're interested in and see the geographical highlights in the areas you'll be in, taking in one or two of the grander geographical features even if it's a bit out of the way. I'll give the same advice to Americans here who haven't seen our Country yet- this place is amazingly marvelous if you'll take the time to see it You're cheating yourself if you don't!

Bettypooh

[lilJester]

st louis missouri has alot to offer, as does branson. But the rest of the state is pretty much dead. NY is pretty nice for a visit. but st louis has three museums, nice zoo, landmarks landmarks landmarks... Also chicago is a nice place to stop and visit they have alot of museums as well.

[M 90]

Unless you have a particular interest in corn, cattle and/or great plains that stretch as far as the eye can see don't waste your time coming to my podunk state.

Although one great thing about Nebraska is that if you want a great slab of meat you ain't going to find one better in any other state. Because in my state the steak you have for dinner is so fresh that it was most likely walking around mooing earlier that morning. Hence the company "Omaha Steaks", yeah that's named after Omaha, Nebraska, the city I live in.

[Frogboy]

Thanks folks... Some really helpful info there!

We aren't looking to cover a lot of ground and take in as much of America as possible. The general idea would be to find a nice place with plenty of things to do within a couple of hours drive and spend a week or two exploring. We really aren't bothered by the touristy souvenir side of life, i.e we would never buy the I (heart) NY t-shirts, or get the postcard from the top of the Empire State Building. We are much happier in a small museum that tells us about something significant that happened in that area; an example would be, in Cornwall, everyone goes to "Lands End" to get their photo taken with the infamous sign post (googe search to see what I'm on about). We both hated lands end as it was full of bus loads of tourist buying up all the cheap plastic crap and flocking like sheep to the sign post. Lands End has no valuable info to offer, it's just a monay making scheme that people go nuts for. Instead of lands end, we went to a little museum about submarine telegraphy in Porthcurno, which was amazing and really interesting... It taught us a lot about how important the telegraph communications were during the height of the British Empire and through WWII. The musuem was completely dead compared to lands end (despite being less than 30min apart) even though it has a lot more to offer than a crappy sign post next to a mediocre pub with over priced food.

I guess we're looking for somewhere that has things to do, but doesn't pander to the tourist and whore itself out for the money. Somewhere real, with real people and real culture. Wet_in_NKY made KY sound perfect i.e, lots of stuff to do locally with a good bit of culture mixed in too. I would never in a million years have thought about holidaying in KY, which is kinda the purpose of this thread!

At some point in the future we intend to do a massive coast to coast road trip in a big RV (talking in 10-15years perhaps when little ones are all growd up) and we will be doing florida (disney etc) in 5 or so years when tadpole is old enough to appreciate it (and possibly had a little sister/brother), so for the time being, we just fancy a nice couple of weeks in "real" america where we can learn about the history and culture of a truly fascinating country!

Cheers folks

Froggie

[Bettypooh]

Thanks folks... Some really helpful info there!

We aren't looking to cover a lot of ground and take in as much of America as possible. The general idea would be to find a nice place with plenty of things to do within a couple of hours drive and spend a week or two exploring. We really aren't bothered by the touristy souvenir side of life, i.e we would never buy the I (heart) NY t-shirts, or get the postcard from the top of the Empire State Building. We are much happier in a small museum that tells us about something significant that happened in that area; an example would be, in Cornwall, everyone goes to "Lands End" to get their photo taken with the infamous sign post (googe search to see what I'm on about). We both hated lands end as it was full of bus loads of tourist buying up all the cheap plastic crap and flocking like sheep to the sign post. Lands End has no valuable info to offer, it's just a monay making scheme that people go nuts for. Instead of lands end, we went to a little museum about submarine telegraphy in Porthcurno, which was amazing and really interesting... It taught us a lot about how important the telegraph communications were during the height of the British Empire and through WWII. The musuem was completely dead compared to lands end (despite being less than 30min apart) even though it has a lot more to offer than a crappy sign post next to a mediocre pub with over priced food.

I guess we're looking for somewhere that has things to do, but doesn't pander to the tourist and whore itself out for the money. Somewhere real, with real people and real culture. Wet_in_NKY made KY sound perfect i.e, lots of stuff to do locally with a good bit of culture mixed in too. I would never in a million years have thought about holidaying in KY, which is kinda the purpose of this thread!

At some point in the future we intend to do a massive coast to coast road trip in a big RV (talking in 10-15years perhaps when little ones are all growd up) and we will be doing florida (disney etc) in 5 or so years when tadpole is old enough to appreciate it (and possibly had a little sister/brother), so for the time being, we just fancy a nice couple of weeks in "real" america where we can learn about the history and culture of a truly fascinating country!

Cheers folks

Froggie

Try Charleston SC Summer days can be stiflingly hot there but Spring is OK. Lots to do and see, lots of local cooking, and decent night-life. "Real" people can still be found there complete with that old-fashioned famous 'Southetrn Hospitality' Savannah, Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and Columbia are within a few hours drive. If you're interested a few people here on DD are in that area and could tell you a lot more. It's one of the few places I've been that I'd go back to see more of

Bettypooh

[WallaWalla]

Ok, specifics... hmmm,

I guess we want to see "real" america. Not some overpriced tacky charade of what most brits seem to think is america. We're both really easy going and we're quite happy to take in local culture. I'm not too fussed about doing specific things on holiday (i.e, i don't "have" to go to theme parks). We'll happily go with the flow.

Dallas, TX represents America in all of it's convenience and horror. Megalithic roadways, haphazard city planning, a drivethrough for everything, Six Flags(the first one actually), and it's a metroplex, so you will get to see suburbs stretching for as far as the eye can see in every direction. You might actually come off with a rather hellish impression of America if you visit there though.

If you end up in Texas at all for some reason, stick to Austin and San Antonio. They have a mix of historical landmarks, themeparks, everyday living, and mexican food like nothing you've ever had in the UK. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of Texas is not a desert either, this area is actually rather hilly with a lot of rivers in it. There are a ton of awesome(and very affordable, less than $9 and entree) restaurants with outdoor seating that are a blast in the spring months. Austin is, shockingly enough, a pretty liberal place and you can spot a lot of weirdos walking around in broad daylight if you know where to look, so that's kinda icing on the cake. Tons of live music as well, probably 10 shows around town a night bare minimum on any given night of the week.

I honestly don't think there is a unified American culture though to be honest with you. The East Coast, West Coast, Southeast, Texas, Southwest, and Midwest are all rather different culturally. You are just going to get a different experience if you visit a place like Wisconsin as opposed to California. Not that I am saying that it is the difference in night and day or anything. But, it's a really big country, so it's got a lot of regions in it. The really significant similarity is that we all watch the same TV and we can all buy the same things no matter where we live.

That being said, you are going to run into more tourist traps on the East and West coasts, because those are the places which draw the most people in.

[PrincessDragonette]

Some really good advice being posted in this thread, the main theme I totally agree with though, there isn't any "one" America. It's so big here, the culture vairies from state to state and region to region. As a generalization the northeast states will offer something more akin to what you're used to, decent pubs, lots of well-rooted culture and historic sites, Atlanta and Dallas/Ft. Worth are going to be very close to "America", huge, hectic and everything available anytime. I second the San Antonio motion, very pretty city, the Riverwalk area is lots of fun and you have some open country around for walks and even some very cool historical sites. I personally love it in the western region, Wyoming and Montana, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. Big open space, peaceful and gorgeous country but I think that's out of the scope of what you're looking for here. I would consider Charleston, as has already been mentioned, very authentic town and everything is close, even the beach (you mentioned that). Just keep in mind the distances, it's 3000+ plus miles from coast to coast (depending on where), I have a British friend that has been living here for years and he is still constantly amazed at how big it is.

If you ever get around to planning your RV trip, feel free to contact me, I'm a long haul truck driver in the states and there is hardly a stretch of road that I don't know . I can give you lots of pointers on which ares to see and which to avoid.

BettyPooh I'm impressed, I hadn't met anyone that has driven that stretch of US 50, I love that road!

Hwy 50 through Nevada and Utah is "The Loneliest Road In America"- desert with only telephone poles to interrupt your vision once you leave the mountainous part.

[Frogboy]

Wow, I love all the responses... loads of great advice (I've been pricing up flights etc! although I wont be booking until next month).

I appreciate that the USA is a very very big place and consequently the lifestyle and culture will vary massively from one place to another. Despite the UK being small in comparison, there's parts of the country where I can't understand the local accent let alone their customs, despite being as english as a warm pint of beer in a cosy pub after having fish and chips on a seaside promenade! I fully expect the same to be true in America. I just didn't want to end up somewhere where I'm going to have little plastic models of the relevant tourist attractions thrust under my nose left, right and centre!

I love hearing about how each part of the states has it's own personality... and I will admit that Kentucky is tempting me the most at the moment!

Thanks again for the input... I really appreciate it!

Froggie

Oh and wellpadded... thanks for the offer. As I said, the RV trip probably wont be for 10, maybe 15 years (one of those pipe-dreams), but if we're both still about on here then I'll be in touch! A few lads from work are looking at hiring a container and shipping their motorbikes over to the states so they can tour on them and I'm seriously tempted to join them. They're probably going to do route66. Oh and I love big american trucks! When I do make it over to the states, I so want my picture taken next to one!

[diamondback6881]

One place that I don't think anyone has touched on is Washington DC. It can get really touristy, but there is no better place to visit if you want to learn about the history of the US.

The majority of the museums are free(every Smithsonian museum), just about every government building is open for a free tour. I'm not sure if you would be able to tour the White House because you aren't US citizens(someone correct me if I'm wrong). Even for a US citizen, we have to write to our congressman/woman six months in advance to get tickets. I haven't toured the WH in 10 years, so the policy could've changed.

Arlington National Cemetery is absolutely spectacular. Very sobering seeing the cost of war. The other monuments are great as well. The Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, the Iwo Jima Memorial, etc. etc.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is really cool if you want to see how our currency is made. (Coins are minted in either Philadelphia or Denver)

Mount Vernon is right outside DC is Alexandria, VA and is really cool. Well worth seeing.

Ford's Theatre is very neat.

The DC Metro system(subway, tube, whatever you want to call it.) is phenomenal. Very quick and easy to get around.

There are 3 airports you can fly into to get to DC. One is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is the closest to DC. You can take the Metro into the city and to a hotel. Dulles International Airport is 26 miles from DC and is about a 40 minute drive in non-rush hour traffic. The third is Baltimore-Washington International Airport. I've never flown into BWI, so I'm unsure of how far it is from DC.

[PrincessDragonette]

Oh and wellpadded... thanks for the offer. As I said, the RV trip probably wont be for 10, maybe 15 years (one of those pipe-dreams), but if we're both still about on here then I'll be in touch! A few lads from work are looking at hiring a container and shipping their motorbikes over to the states so they can tour on them and I'm seriously tempted to join them. They're probably going to do route66. Oh and I love big american trucks! When I do make it over to the states, I so want my picture taken next to one!

Well, if I'm still driving I can hook you up with that . Probably even a short ride if you're interested. If you do the motorbike thing you have to go to Sturgis, South Dakota. Beautiful country and if you go during the rally you will not believe how many bikes are there. It gets amazingly crazy, I personally would go another time, but then, I'm afraid of people lol.

[baby-dandan]

Hey, if you are in the area why not come visit the great state of Utah! We have beautiful national parks, awesome ski resorts and fantastic places for hiking, biking and camping. Our State hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, so of course there are venues for ice skating, ski jumping, bobsledding and much more! My favorite place has always been Moab,Ut. I love camping, mountain biking, hiking and there's no better place to do that then Moab! If you are into 4x4 rock crawling, they have one of biggest rocking crawling gatherings in the nation if not the world. My brother built up an 1987 Dodge Ram Charger with 32" tires, a built in air compressor so he can deflate or inflate the tires, a roll cage, and a C.B. radio. So come join us!

[Repaid1]

Ehhh... as a member of the U.S. armed forces I have been to every state of these United States, and I could chime in. But as some have mentioned some states that I would totally avoid then I'll be nice. Not only have I been to every state but have traveled extensively through most of them, in some of the farthest reaches away from the touristy traps.

I won't name the one's to stay away from, because they in their own right probably do have their own little piece of Americana. But as far as the part of America, having stayed in what I consider the better places in their own right. You just can't beat southern hospitality. Unfortunately those to have gone the way of the tourist traps. Word got out.

So my vote is grab the last little bit of it left, stick with Tennessee or Kentucky. Or if your really game New Orleans or Alabama. Yeah..people call us Rednecks or country hicks, but the food is out of this world. You will find what I consider the real America as it was... The people who don't have much but what they do have is shared. A complete stranger will invite you to their home for a meal. They will show you the "hot spots" a local kind of thing.

If you do take the Kentucky trip, your about a hour and a half from me and Mommy and we would be happy to show you the Heart of Ohio. It's a potpourri of different cultures. Northern Kentucky people are basically Ohioans as far as mentality. I find them as close as it gets to "Home Grown" as I am very familiar having lived there quite a bit. Most of Columbus here is made up a diverse group from most of the surrounding states.

We have quite a bit of everything just as the Kentucky side, while Kentucky tends to be a bit more laid back. The people tend to like you or not, not alot of in between. While with a car and a day or two you could travel most of the upper south, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana..might even get to kiss the bricks at the home of the Indy 500. Your half a day from New york. My vote is to stay with the Kentucky thing. The country side is fantastic..hills, valleys and ohh yeah Moonshine. Pubs or taverns around there and here are a family kind of atmosphere. Pretty much what I have experienced from traveling over on your side of the pond.

Everything is realistically cheap with our economy. You can go from lobster to soup and everything in between. Night life can be had or had not depending on your mood. Fast or slow within minutes drive. Just plain what I like about America. While I love this country, It's a nice place to visit. But I do like the things you folks offer. BTW Fish and chips over here is to be avoided. Nothing like over there. Now if you want Chicken wings..we can show ya how to get them done!

[Frogboy]

Cheers repaid.

I went on a night out with the company my dad works for in Ireland and a lot of the folks were from Kentucky! They were really lovely people. They always asked about my family and how they were doing (and genuinely seemed interested!). We all went to the dog track and had a brilliant time. That and the glowing reviews it's gotten on here means we're leaning towards making KY our choice of holiday destination.

I wouldn't expect any country to do fish and chips like the brits do... lol... but I do love chiken wings! I can never get enough of them!

wellpadded... Thanks for the offer! I definately take you up on that if I cross paths with you whilst stateside! I'm still not sure if I'm coming over on the bike or not yet. My poor little triumph needs a considerable amount of work and I doubt she'll be ready in time... but then there's always next year!

Thanks again for all your input folks! I sense a legendary holiday looming and it's in no small part credited to you folks!

Froggie

xx

[meghan_baby]

Ok, specifics... hmmm,

I guess we want to see "real" america. Not some overpriced tacky charade of what most brits seem to think is america. We're both really easy going and we're quite happy to take in local culture. I'm not too fussed about doing specific things on holiday (i.e, i don't "have" to go to theme parks). We'll happily go with the flow.

That "overpriced tacky charade" is America.

[DL88]

This thread reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1jK11T2ZhM

The moral of the story is, don't go to Delaware. My op. is go to Texas, you'll love it.