My East Coast Bucketlist

There are so many incredible things to see and do on the East Coast that I’m totally overwhelmed, and the abundance of things to do out here is why we didn’t hesitate to move to New England when we were given the chance to do so. I’m starting locally by exploring Connecticut, and branching out from there in a series of weekend trips. Robin and I will be able to see new states and tons of new cities we’ve never visited together. Of course, once the border to Canada re-opens (I’ve heard rumours that it should be open by mid-summer), we will explore our neighboring country as well. As we explore the East Coast and New England, I’ll update this East Coast Bucketlist with links to the places we’ve visited and the posts I’ve written about each destination. I hope you’ll follow along on our adventure!

*Denotes capital cities

Connecticut

Our new home state has so much natural beauty, and we’ve barely even scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in the state! Here are a few places I can’t wait to visit in our new home.

Bluff Point State Park
Chester
Darien
Essex
Guilford
Greenwich
*Hartford & West Hartford
Kent
Long Island Sound
Milford
Mystic
New Canaan
New Haven
Old Greenwich
Old Lyme
Old Saybrook
Pachaug State Forest
Ridgefield
Stonington
Storrs
Westport

Delaware

I’m not going to lie to you, I know next to nothing about Delaware, aside from the fact that it was the nation’s first state. Honestly, I don’t know anyone who has ever visited this state, nor have I ever seen anyone’s vacation photos from Delaware, so can we even be sure it actually exists? I’ll need to go visit this mysterious state to verify, and I’ll report back ASAP. Assuming Delaware is in fact a real place, here’s where I’d like to visit! (Just kidding Delaware, you’re the best!)

Cape Henlopen State Park
*Dover
Fenwick Island
New Castle

Florida

Robin and I have visited Florida a few times together, but there’s still so much more we’d love to see in the sunshine state!

Amelia Island
Destin
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Key West
Fort Lauderdale
Marco Island
Miami
Naples
Orlando
Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, & West Palm Beach
Pensacola
Sarasota
Siesta Keys
*Tallahassee
Tampa
Universal Studios
Walt Disney World

Georgia

I’m positive that Georgia has the cutest driver’s licenses in the nation. Don’t believe me? Just Google it and see all that fruity goodness for yourself! A friend in college had a Georgia license covered in peaches and I’ll admit I was a bit jealous, as my Michigan license only had the Mackinac Bridge on it. I digress… There’s so much to see and do in Georgia that we are heading there very soon to dive in, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us!

*Atlanta
Amicalola Falls State Park
Augusta
Brunswick
Helen
Jekyll Island
Lake Lanier
Macon
Marieta
Pine Mountain
St. Simons Island
Savannah
Sea Island

Maine

Visiting Maine has been on my bucket list for years, as it’s where some of my family is from! Here are some of the places I’m most excited to visit in Maine.

Acadia National Park
*Augusta
Bar Harbor
Bath
Baxter State Park
Camden
Cape Elizabeth
Freeport
Frenchman Bay
Greenville
Kennebunkport
Monhegan Island
Mount Desert Island
Penobscot Bay
Portland
Rockland
York

Maryland

I’m going to dust off my crab munching bib and make the trek over to Maryland as soon as possible. You know your girl loves her fresh crab, and Maryland is one of the very best places in the world to enjoy ocean spiders, so obviously, this entire coastline is a must-visit for me!

*Anapolis
Assateague Island National Seashore
Baltimore
Bethesda
Chesapeake Bay
Potomac
Rehoboth Beach
Rock Hall

Massachusetts

I’m so excited to spend our summers in Massachusetts! My family is from MA, so it will be like going back home, plus I may be able to see some of my family while we explore the state. There are so many places I can’t wait to visit in MA, I really think it’s going to be one of my favorite states in the country!

Barnstable
The Berkshires
Brewster
*Boston & Boston Harbor Islands State Park
Cambridge
Cape Cod & Cape Cod National Seashore
Chatham
Eastham
Edgarton
Falmouth
Gloucester
Hyannis
Martha’s Vineyard
Nantucket
New Bedford
Orleans
Plymouth
Rockport
Salem
Sandwich
Truro
Wellfleet

New Hampshire

One of our neighbors back in Michigan was from New Hampshire, and she always told me about how much she loved hiking and biking through her home state, and that she really, really missed autumn in New Hampshire. I’m hoping to visit this autumn and see the gorgeous golden oranges for myself (and for you too, of course!). In the winter, I want to visit the New Hampshire Ice Castles too, which are a manmade, much more intricate version of the Eben Ice Caves we hiked last year. There are so many things on my East Coast Bucketlist about New Hampshire, these are just a few!

*Concord
Franconia
Hampton Beach
Lake Winnipesaukee
New Castle
Portsmouth
White Mountain National Forest

New Jersey

AKA “Joisey”, as my friends from the area, call it. The Garden State has so much natural beauty and fun nightlife to offer visitors, I’m excited to see it for myself one day soon, and to cross it off my East Coast Bucketlist!

Cape May
Hoboken
Long Beach Island
Newark
Princeton
Rumson
Scarsdale
Short Hills
*Trenton

New York

I’ve only ever been to New York City for New York Fashion Week, so I hope to branch out and see more of the city, and more of New York State in general.

The Adirondack Mountains
*Albany
Bronxville
Finger Lakes
Fire Island
The Hamptons
Lake Champlain
Lake George
Long Island
Montauk
New York City
Niagara Falls (US Side)
Sag Harbor
Seneca Lake
Tarry Town

North Carolina

I’ll be visiting North Carolina for the first time later this month, and I can’t wait! Although we won’t be able to spend much time there during this visit, I hope to visit my sister who lives here soon.

Asheville
Black Mountain
Charlotte
Great Smokey Mountains National Park
Highlands
Manteo
Outer Banks
*Raleigh

Rhode Island

My husband and I just visited Rhode Island for the first time this past weekend as we visited Newport, and we completely fell in love with this beautiful coastal area. I am already dreaming of our next visit to this gorgeous, coastal peninsula.

Block Island
Bristol
Jamestown
Narragansett
Newport
Portsmouth
*Providence
Richmond
Warwick
Watch Hill
Westerly

South Carolina

We are finally visiting South Carolina soon, after our trip being rescheduled 3 times in the last year and a half. I’m so excited to visit this beautiful state where a lot of our readers are from! There’s so much to see and do in historic South Carolina, and I’m so excited to see some of it for myself soon, and finally cross it off our East Coast Bucketlist.

Bluffton
Charleston
*Columbia
Greenville
Hilton Head Island
Kiawah Island
Mount Pleasant
Myrtle Beach
Sullivan’s Island

Vermont

Autumn colors, maple syrup, scenic hiking trails, strangers who treat you like family, and wooden covered bridges are just a few of the wonderful things that come to mind when I think about Vermont and all there is to do in the green mountain state.

Brattleboro
Burlington
Grand Isle
Green Mountain National Forest & Blueberry Lake
Killington
Lake Champlain
Manchester
*Montpelier
Peacham
Shelburne
Stowe
Stratton
Warren
Whitingham
Woodstock

Are there any places you recommend I add to my East Coast Bucket List? We want to see and do as many wonderful things as we can in our new home coast in the coming years, so please let me know if you have any recommendations!

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