By: Matt Meltzer
Credit: Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism (edited)
Even the most travelled Americans have a few gaps in the "where I've been" map, especially when we're talking about missing states. It's a big country out there and clocking all 50 is a bucket list accomplishment. But which ones get passed over the most? We pulled data from each state's tourism board to determine the 12 with the fewest number of annual visitors, and then polled locals as to what we're missing out on by not spending more time there.
Credit: Flickr/Rennett Stowe
12. Arkansas
Annual visitors: 25.8 million
Why you should visit: Let's start with the obvious: the opportunity to make endless Monica Lewinsky/cigar jokes as you stand in a replica of the Oval Office at the Clinton Presidential Library. After that, you can visit Bill's boyhood home in Hope, or Johnny Cash's in Dyess.
If Civil War reenactment is more your jam, Historic Helena on the Mississippi Delta was occupied by Union soldiers and was the site of an 1863 battle; it was also a safe haven for runaway slaves. Or, if you're more interested in civil rights than civil war (although they're obviously connected), Little Rock High School was home to the first public-school integration in 1957.
But since Arkansas is the Natural State, the biggest reason to visit is the outdoors. Hot Springs National Park is one of the 20 most visited in the country and home to Bathhouse Row, where you can get your aromatherapy on in a natural hot spring. Past that, there's America's first national river, the Buffalo, where you can whitewater raft through limestone bluffs, as well as the caverns at Devil's Den and Blanchard Springs.
Credit: Flickr/Shannon
11. Alabama
Annual visitors: 24.3 million
Why you should visit: You gotta figure that the 14 annual home football games played at Auburn and Alabama keep the Iron State out of the bottom 10 in terms of visitors. But SEC football and crazed fans aside, there are plenty of other reasons to visit.
Starting with the fact that you can drink in two states at once at the Flora-Bama bar near Orange Beach. Or participate in its famous annual mullet toss (fish, not hair). Or, if you're not into throwing fish and/or drinking on the beach, you can explore 35 miles of gorgeous coastline, most notably, Gulf Shores -- it's the prettiest place in the state and home to the annual Hangout Music Festival.
In terms of history, there are landmark sites from the Civil Rights movement all across Alabama, including the Civil Rights Institute and the famous 16th St Baptist Church in Birmingham, and the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma. There's also baseball history -- the oldest stadium in America is Rickwood Field in Birmingham.
Finally, any idea where the largest space museum in America is? Cape Canaveral, Houston, Washington, DC? Nope... it's in Huntsville! The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is the best attraction in the state and home to the famous space camp.
Credit: Flickr/Nic McPhee
10. North Dakota
Annual visitors: 24 million
Why you should visit: While most of the visitors to North Dakota these days are in the oil industry, 120 years ago the state had one very important guest: Theodore Roosevelt. And he loved his time on the badlands so much he: a) bought a ranch and moved there, and b) was inspired to grow our national park system by signing the Antiquities Act. Eventually, his property became part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Today, North Dakota has 63 national wildlife refuges and 13 state parks, and offers visitors the chance to see not only an albino buffalo, but the world's largest buffalo in general -- Dakota Thunder -- at the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown.
But buffalo aside, we know what you really want to talk about: college hockey. Perhaps the only sport in the state that's nationally relevant -- unless you consider fracking a sport -- the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux are among the top programs in the country. And they play in perhaps the most lavish arena in the college game. The marble-floored, leather-seated Ralph Engelstad Arena cost $104 million and might be the best atmosphere in the sport on a college level.
Credit: Flickr/Kenneth Lu
9. Mississippi
Annual visitors: 22 million
Why you should visit: Tupelo's Neon Pig Cafe's Smash burger straight-up won our Best Burger in America tournament. But if ground-beef tourism isn't your raison d'etre, there's still plenty to do in the Magnolia State.
Let's start with Elvis' birthplace, it's also in Tupelo. From there, you can walk up to three different music trails -- through cotton fields, churches, train depots, and nightclubs -- to learn about the roots of blues and country music. And finally, Mississippi is also home to three of the five driving trails on the Americana Music Triangle, a 1,500-mile highway route through five states with historical stops related to pretty much a million types of music from the region, including blues, jazz, country, rock & roll, R&B/soul, gospel, Southern gospel, Cajun/zydeco, and bluegrass.
When you can't talk about Buddy Guy anymore, there are also 26 miles of pristine water and white sand beaches in Mississippi, without anywhere near the number of tourists or tacky T-shirt shops you'd find in Florida. And, unlike the other beach towns on the Gulf, Biloxi and Gulfport have casinos. While you're there, hit the Beau Rivage for the best nightlife in the state, or head to the Walter Anderson Art Museum in nearby Ocean Springs.
Credit: Flickr/Ken Lund
8. Nebraska
Annual visitors: 19.1 million
Why you should visit: "Sure," you say. "The College World Series might be the best multi-day event in sports. But they use aluminum bats and my alma mater barely even had an intramural softball team." It's still worth hitting, without a doubt. But for reasons to visit Nebraska other than college baseball or Warren Buffett, allow us to suggest...
Football. The redded-out Memorial Stadium in Lincoln has sold out every game since 1962 and, despite the program's recent struggles (see ya, Bo!), the fans remain some of the most intense and spirited in the sport. Also, unlike in most big-time stadiums, they're polite to visitors.
If you'd prefer to participate in sports rather than watch them, Nebraska is one of the top destinations in the world for quail and pheasant hunters; the annual One Box Hunt in Broken Bow draws celebrities and top hunters every October and is considered one of the most revered hunts in the country.
Finally, you can't exit Nebraska without a visit to Chimney Rock or Scotts Bluff National Monument. Both are tall million-years-old stone monuments created when prairie winds carved away the natural rock.
Credit: Flickr/Martin de Lusenet
7. Rhode Island
Annual visitors: 19.2 million
Why you should visit: Quahog isn't real, before you read any further. So your dreams of visiting Spooner St will have to be put on hold until some theme park decides to erect its own version -- like Universal did with Springfield.
Peter Griffin aside, you should still visit Rhode Island. Not only can you venture back to a day when the 1% did cooler things with their money than making it rain by taking the cliff walk through Newport's historic mansions, but during the summer you can ironically dress up like F. Scott Fitzgerald and tailgate at the weekly polo matches. Seriously. It's a scene.
Rhode Island also boasts 40 miles of coastline (it's not called the Ocean State for nothing), and some of the warmest water in New England. If you're still hanging in Newport, Second Beach is your move for a day at the beach.
To round things out, you've got the Pawtucket Red Sox (or Pawsox) -- a fun minor-league alternative to Fenway -- 10 breweries and distilleries (remember, it's the smallest state), a burgeoning, underrated restaurant scene in Providence, and, oh yeah, Del's Frozen Lemonade. Do NOT leave without trying a Del's.
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