An Ocean, Palmetto, and Dairy State

Little Rhody is the smallest state in the USA measuring out to be approximately 40 by 30 miles which if I'm not mistaken is about the same size as the DFW metroplex. Can that be right? Well, they may be small but they still have plenty to do!

In Newport, there are several mansion that we can tour. One of them is the Astors' Beechwood Mansion. Here, we will step back in time to the Victorian period and apply of a job as a maid or footman as another maid or the butler takes us on the Victorian Servants Tour. Experience is required. There are any number of tours we can take, so check out the list and let's go. I'm leaning towards the Train Tour.

If we had up to Providence, we'll visit the Roger Williams Park Zoo or the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. We should definitely visit WaterFire Providence to see the award-winning by Barnaby Evans. It's spectacular!

There is still much to explore in Rhode Island but we still have two more states to discover so let's pull up the anchor and sail to South Carolina.

Welcome to the Palmetto State. South Carolina's beaches look like they are to die for! Hilton Head Island is a very popular tourist destination and from the pictures I can certainly see why. The rolling and most perfectly green golf courses and the white sandy beaches our picturesque. We can relax in a spa or take a cruise to watch for dolphins.

I love architecture so our next stop is infamous Charleston. You have to say it with a southern draw! Most of Charleston has preserved the historical architecture of it's city and there's a story to go along with every building it seems. Of course, they have been renovated and changed to fit the time of the renovation but the core is still there. Let's check in to The Battery Carriage House Inn. The house has had many owners since 1843 and lots of stories to tell with each owner. The home was wrecked by hurricane Hugo in the 1990's but restored by it's current owner. Rooms 3, 8 and 10 have some ghost stories surrounding them and while we're there we'll find lots of activities to occupy our time. Golf, boating, tours, museums, plantation tours and so much more. Harleston Green was the first golf course in America, established in 1786 in Charleston. It's no longer there but South Carolina has built many more beautiful courses. Fore!

There are five pages of festivals! Surely we can find one or ten that we want to jump in and have some fun. Have we been to a watermelon festival yet? It's this weekend in Pageland, SC. Or what about an Okra Strut? I love fried okra but only fried. It's coming up in September.

There's a lot of South Carolina undiscovered here. Chime in and tell us what you love about South Carolina! But now, we're off to Wisconsin.

We are now visiting our last state to touch the Great Lakes area. When I think about Wisconsin I think about two cities. The first being Green Bay with the cheese heads cheering for the packers. The second being Milwaukee because I grew up watching these ladies:

AAAAAAA!!!!! I was in love with that Henry Winkler fellow! Milwaukee loved the Fonz to because they're putting up a bronze statue of him in August. Okay, so what else can we discover about Milwaukee. The Wisconsin State Fair starts on July 31st. That might be fun. Or, we can catch a Brewers baseball game. Or a brewery tour. You must be 21. But before we get our brew on, we have to check out Harley-Davidson. The Harley-Davidson company was founded in Milwaukee over a 100 years ago. Let's discover our wild side!

Next, we must put a piece of plastic cheese on our head and go to Packer Country. We only wear the cheese at the game, right? The games in Green Bay look like they're tons of fun and many of them look like they're freezing cold. You guys are die hard fans! I love that about you.

But after all this traveling today, I really want to slow down and relax. A beautiful spot to do that is the Green Bay Botanical Gardens. They're open year round so you can capture each season and there will be plenty to explore in the 47 acres. They offer gardening classes which I could really use.

Well, our time is up today and I know Wisconsin has a lot more to offer than just Milwaukee and Wisconsin. So, join us and tell us what you love about Wisconsin! Shoot, I was supposed to include some dairy information... know of any dairy farms?

Fun facts for the three states are:

Rhode Island: state flower is the Violet, state tree is the Red Maple and the state bird is the Rhode Island Red.

South Carolina: state flower is the Yellow Jessamine, the state dog is the Boykin Spaniel and the state bird is the Carolina Wren.

Wisconsin: state flower is the Wood Violet, the state dog is the American Water Spaniel and the state bird is the Robin.

All Rhode Islanders report to the Oceanside Deck, all South Carolinians report to the Golf Deck, and all Wisconsinites report to the Cheese Deck on Friday, July 18th to tell us what makes your state the Taste of USA!