Throughout the Louisiana Purchase series, the writers have been asked to name must-see places in their states. Here are their responses.
By Times Staff Writer
Published May 30, 2004
MONTANA
Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road, cross the Continental Divide or hike the glacial wilderness - with bells on your boots, to warn the grizzlies you're coming. Make reservations at one of Glacier National Park's historic hotels or hike into the backcountry's Sperry Chalet. Park information: 406 888-7800 or www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm Reservations: www.glacierparkinc.com
COLORADO
The downtown heart of Denver, the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, offers the chance to enjoy views from the Capitol, paintings in the Denver Art Museum, artifacts at the Colorado History Museum, high tea at the 111-year-old Brown Palace Hotel, shopping on the 16th Street Mall, book-browsing at the Tattered Cover and baseball and brews in LoDo Lower Downtown. Toll-free 1-800-233-6837; www.denver.org
NEBRASKA
Play wagon-train pioneer and follow the Platte River from east to west. Or view it south of Omaha, where the Platte meets Nebraska's eastern boundary, the Missouri River.
NORTH DAKOTA
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nearly 70,500 acres of ruggedly handsome badlands and is the state's top tourist attraction. This is where Theodore Roosevelt pursued his ranching ventures in the 1880s. 701 623-4466; www.nps.gov/thro/
ARKANSAS
Blanchard Springs Caverns, near Mountain View in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests, ranks among America's most underpublicized natural attractions. Strictly protected by the U.S. Forest Service since opening to visitors, it remains a "living" cave, its formations still growing. 479 968-2354; www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ozark/index.html
LOUISIANA
New Orleans has a high concentration of museums, nightlife, different styles of architecture and world-class restaurants. Don't miss the French Quarter, Jackson Square and the Cabildo, where the Louisiana Purchase territory was transferred from Spain to France and then from France to the United States. www.neworleansonline.com
WYOMING
Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are top attractions in Wyoming. You can see Grand Teton in a day and Yellowstone on a second day, but to truly experience the area's history, wildlife and natural beauty, plan at least three days in the parks. Yellowstone information: 307 344-7381 or www.nps.gov/yell Grand Teton information: (307) 739-3300 or www.nps.gov/grte
SOUTH DAKOTA
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, in the northern Black Hills near Keystone, was blasted and carved over 14 years. The four faces are most impressive in the pinkish light of dawn and sunset. South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development: 605 773-3301 or www.travelsd.com
MISSOURI
Don't miss the Gateway Arch and and the Museum of Westward Expansion in St. Louis. www.explorestlouis.com/
MINNESOTA
Split Rock Lighthouse, on the north shore of Lake Superior, was completed in 1910. In area, Lake Superior is the biggest freshwater body in the world. 218 226-6372; www.mnhs.org/places/sites/srl/
TEXAS
There's a saying about how there's Austin and then there's the rest of Texas. The capital city is a liberal stronghold in a conservative state and the place made famous by Rick Linklater's film Slacker. www.ci.austin.tx.us/
NEW MEXICO
At El Rancho de las Golondrinas, volunteers in period costume re-create the Spanish colonial way of life. The open-air museum originally was an 18th century way station on the Camino Real. It is set on 200 acres in a farming valley south of Santa Fe. 505 471-2261; www.golondrinas.org/about.html
OKLAHOMA
The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City displays a large collection of Western art that helps define the truth around the legend. 405 478-2250; www.cowboyhalloffame.org
KANSAS
In Lucas, Samuel P. Dinsmoor built from locally quarried limestone his stone log cabin, then proceeded to surround it with a Garden of Eden: concrete sculptures from the Bible - Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel - as well as political commentary. Dinsmoor is buried in a concrete crypt and can be viewed by the hardy for a small fee, though he's been dead for almost 70 years. Nearby is the Grassroots Art Center. Garden of Eden: 785 525-6395 or www.garden-of-eden-lucas-kansas.com/index.html Grassroots Art Center: home.comcast.net/ymirymir/.
