Trackchasing Tourist Attractions
From the travels and adventures of the
World’s #1 Trackchaser
So what in the world is a “Trackchasing Tourist Attraction”? And if you tell me what it is what’s it got to do with trackchasing? Those are good questions. I love to answer them. Trackchasing for lots of folks is pretty simple. Walk out into the driveway fire up that old Ford and head on down the highway. Buy a ticket, sit in the grandstand, eat a track burger and sit on a board until your butt hurts. Then try to find the old Ford out in the parking lot and drive on back to the barn. Folks, I don’t DO trackchasing that way. First of all, because I live so far away from most of the tracks, I have to hop on an airplane, then rent a brand new car, drive to the track, buy a ticket, sit in the grandstand, eat a track burger and sit on a board until my butt hurts. However, I go one step further. Because I have to travel so far to see virtually every track I visit I want to get a little more “bang” for my travel buck. I’m not just interested in seeing a three-hour racing event and then heading home. I want to see what the local area has to offer. Most of my fellow competitors don’t take the time to see much but the race. I wouldn’t be a trackchaser if I was limited to just seeing the race. However, as they say, you not only have to “talk the talk BUT you have to walk the walk.” Take a look at the list below. These are the highlights of my Trackchasing Tourist Attractions (TTA). By definition in order to qualify as a TTA, I have to have visited the attraction during a trackchasing trip. The event has to have happened after I left the house on a trackchasing trip and before I returned. Yes, it takes a little more time and effort to do it this way. It WOULD be a lot easier to simply show up at the track and then go home without seeing anything the area has to offer. Sorry, I don’t roll that way. I’ll take the extra time and spend the energy it takes to “go see something!”. It’s really simple when you think about it. There’s so much to see and do in our country and the world that I want to use the trackchasing hobby to take me there and the Trackchasing Tourist Attraction to add to the entertainment and education of the trip. Take a look at the list of places I’ve been. How many of those attractions have you had the chance to visit? Now let’s get started. Move up to the top of this page. Right below “World’s #1 Trackchaser” you will see a series of tabs. These tabs separate the Trackchasing Tourist Attractions by geographical region. How many of these places have you visited? What TTAs do you recommend I attend that haven’t made the list yet? ALASKA Alaska Law Enforcement Museum – Anchorage Anchorage Museum – Anchorage Alaska Aces Hockey – Anchorage Alaska Sled Dog Racing Association racing – Anchorage Alaska Sports Hall of Fame – Anchorage Barrow, Alaska city tour – Barrow aka Utqiaġvik Denali State Park Alaska pipeline – Fairbanks II Dice Pawn Shop – Fairbanks Iñupiat Heritage Center – Barrow Trace Atkins concert, Carlson Arena – Fairbanks Chase Field (Diamondbacks vs Oakland A’s) – Phoenix City of Kingman downtown tour – Kingman Grand Canyon National Park (Hermits Rest Route, Rim Trail hike) – Grand Canyon Kingman downtown walking/driving tour – Kingman Walkup Skydome – Flagstaff – World’s largest clear-span timber dome, home to Northern Arizona football and basketball teams AMC Victoria Theatre – Rancho Cucamonga Angels Stadium – (Angels vs. Texas Rangers) – Anaheim Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club – Mission Viejo The Crossings at Carlsbad – Carlsbad Delta Sigma Pi Annual Golf Outing – Various courses in Southern California Empress Pavilion – (both a tourist attraction and a great place to eat dim sum) – Los Angeles Hollywood Walk of Fame – Hollywood Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Game (UCLA vs. Illinois) – San Francisco Pacific Golf Club aka Bella Collina – San Clemente Pantages Theatre – Los Angeles – Dirty Dancing Pantages Theatre – Los Angeles – Phantom of the Opera Petco Park (Padres vs. Philadelphia Phillies) – San Diego Saddleback College, Mission Viejo – annual comedy and magic show San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf Tour – San Francisco Staples Center – Pac-10 Basketball Tournament – Los Angeles Rose Bowl – UCLA Football – Pasadena World’s Tallest Thermometer – Baker COLORADO Clune Arena (college basketball – New Mexico vs. Air Force Academy) – Colorado Springs Coors Field (Rockies vs. Washington Nationals) – Denver Hapuna Beach Golf Club – Big Island Pacific Tsunami Museum – Hilo Mauna Kea Mountain – Big Island IDAHO Crater’s of the Moon National Park – nr Arco Hell’s Half Acres – Lava Trails – Idaho Falls Idaho State Penitentiary Museum – Boise Largest rocking chair in Idaho – Arco Museum of Clean – Pocatello Numbers Hill – Arco MONTANA American Computer Museum (Trip Advisor #1 attraction) – Bozeman Blue Angels Flight Demonstration – Bozeman Central Montana Historical Museum – Lewiston Medicine Rocks State Park – Ekalaka Montana State University campus tour (basketball and football stadium) – Bozeman NEW MEXICO Albuquerque “old town” walking tour – Albuquerque Alien Donut Overlord – Roswell Billy the Kid……his real grave (not much) – Ft. Sumner Cloudcroft city tour – Cloudcraft Cowboy Rukus: giant cowboy cutouts – Vaughn Fastfood Alien – Domino’s, KFC – Roswell Flying Saucer and Alien – Roswell Model Pharmacy – Albuquerque Pan Am Center (College basketball – New Mexico State vs. Western Kentucky) – Las Cruces Robert Goddard Statue and Rocket – Roswell Roswell Welcome Sign – Roswell Route 66 Auto Museum – Santa Rosa Welcome Alien Statue – Roswell White Sands National Monument – nr. Alamogordo Unser Racing Museum (real good!) – Albuquerque Barnum & Bailey Circus – Reno Cirque du Soleil, Bellagio Resort – Las Vegas Danny Gans Show – Mirage Garth Brooks Concert (“best ever!”) – Wynn Resort, Las Vegas Hoover Dam tour – Las Vegas Jay Leno casino show – Reno Las Vegas Golf (all over town!) – Las Vegas “LOVE” Cirque du Soleil, Mirage Hotel – Las Vegas Mama Mia stage production, Mandalay Bay Resort – Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pac-12 Basketball Tournament (UCLA vs. Oregon and Stanford) – Las Vegas Pondersosa Theme Park – Lake Tahoe The Shelby Museum – Las Vegas OREGON Albany, Oregon downtown walking tour – Albany Albany Regional History Museum – Albany Apple Store – Washington Square Mall – Portland Palm Harbor factory home tour – Millersburg Reser Stadium – UCLA at Oregon State football (Bruins win 38-7; met Oregon State bball star Mel Counts) – Corvalis Wildlife Safari – Winston UTAH Bonneville Salt Flats – Bonneville Mormon Tabernacle and church tour – Salt Lake City Rice-Eccles Stadium, University of Utah (UCLA vs. Utah football) – Salt Lake City Utah State Capital tour – Salt Lake City WASHINGTON 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial Monument – Kennewick Everett, Washington City Tour – Everett Gonzaga University campus tour – Spokane Kingdome (Seattle Mariners baseball) – Seattle Mt. Ranier – Ranier Museum of Flight (above aboard the Concorde) – Seattle Pike Place Market (several times) – Seattle Safeco Field (Mariners vs. Boston Red Sox) – Seattle Seaplane ride (actually took two seaplanes in one day to get to the tracks I was visiting – one flight was just eight miles) – Kenmore Whatcom Falls Park (#1 TripAdvisor things to do in Bellingham!) – Bellingham WYOMING “Old Faithful” Yellowstone National Park University of Wyoming campus tour – Laramie Arena-Auditorium (Wyoming vs. San Jose State basketball) – Laramie ILLINOIS Arsenal Island Golf Course (Illinois Cup – Pryce Boeye) – Rock Island Bolingbrook Golf Club (Bob Vorel, Phil Thompson, Mike Skonicki) – Bolingbrook Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions, Soldier Field (Pryce Boeye) – Chicago Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers, Wrigley Field (many many visits to Wrigley) – Chicago City walking tour – Danville Eagle Brook County Club (Pryce Boeye) – Geneva Hawthorne Ridge Golf Club (Pryce Boeye) – Aledo Illinois Cup, Oak Club of Genoa – Genoa Kane County Cougars vs. Burlington Bees, Northwestern Medicine Field – Geneva Kankakee Elk’s Golf Club (Mike Skonicki, Phil Thompson, Roger Kilbride) – St. Anne Makray Golf Club (Mike Skonicki) – Barrington NIU Convocation Center – (College basketball – Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Bowling Green University Falcons) – DeKalb Northern Illinois University campus tour – DeKalb Oak Club of Genoa (Illinois Cup) – Genoa Oakland Cemetery (family cemetery) – Oakland Oakwood Country Club (Golf foursome of Pryce Boeye, Mike Skonicki and Mike Owens former Bradley University star of 1960) – Coal Valley Orchard Valley Golf Course – Aurora Peoria Speedway Hall of Fame (Don’t miss it!) Moonie’s Pub – Peoria Robin Roberts Stadium (Springfield Sliders vs. Quincy Gems) – Springfield TPC Deere Run (Pryce Boeye) – Silvis U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians) – Chicago Western Illinois University campus tour – Macomb INDIANA Assembly Hall – Indiana University basketball arena – Bloomington Botanical Conservatory – Ft. Wayne Giant Santa – Evansville Heyerly’s Baking Company – Ossian Hoosier Gym (one of my all-time favorite TTAs) – Knightstown Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (multiple visits) – New Castle – one of my favorites Indiana State Capitol Building tour – Indianapolis Lucas Oil Stadium Tour – Indianapolis Memorial Stadium – Indiana University football – Bloomington Notre Dame Stadium (UCLA vs. Notre Dame football – we lost a heartbreaker) – South Bend RCA Dome (Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Redskins) – Indianapolis RCA Dome – NCAA Basketball Championship game (UCLA vs. Florida) – Indianapolis The Fort Golf Resort – Indianapolis Victory Field (Indianapolis Indians vs. Toledo Mud Hens) – Indianapolis Walking tour of downtown Ft. Wayne (there’s a lot to see!) – Ft. Wayne IOWA Amana Colonies – Amana (eating and touring) Andy Williams boyhood home tour (personal tour) – Wall Lake Archaeological Archives (home of American Pickers TV show) – LeClair Bass Pro Shops – Altoona Buddy Holly crash site and memorial – site of February 3, 1959 plane crash – near Clear Lake Cresco city walking tour – Cresco Field of Dreams, Dyersville Ice Cream Capital of the World – Le Mars “Illinois Cup” Amana Colonies Golf Club, Amana Iowa Hall of Pride – Des Moines Iowa State Capitol Building tour – Des Moines Knapp Center (College basketball – Drake Bulldogs vs. Bradley Braves) – Des Moines Knoxville Raceway – Late Model 101 Forum – Knoxville National Sprint Car Hall of Fame – Knoxville, Iowa Papajohn Sculpture Park – Des Moines Principal Park (Iowa Cubs) – Des Moines Story City indoor carousel – Story City Surf Ballroom – 2020 democratic presidential “wingding” rally – Clear Lake Surf Ballroom and Museum – site of Buddy Holly’s last performance – Clear Lake University of Northern Iowa campus tour – Cedar Falls West End Architectural Salvage Company – Des Moines KANSAS Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Museum – Abilene Kaufman Stadium – Kansas City – Home of the Kansas City Royals Old Town Movie Theatre – Wichita Prairie Museum – Colby Tractor Supply Store – Hutchinson MICHIGAN Bedford Valley Golf Club – Benton Harbor Bronner’s Christmas Store (one of my all-time favorite TTAs Amazing!) – Frankenmuth Comerica Park (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Detroit Tigers) – Detroit Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum – Grand Rapids Gilmore Car Museum – Hickory Corners Holland State Park – Holland Sand Point Lighthouse & Museum – Escanaba Soo Locks – Sault Ste Marie The Henry Ford – Detroit Timber Ridge Golf Club (one of just 12 5-star public courses in the U.S. – I’ve played four of them) – Lansing Urban Institute for Contemporary Art – Grand Rapids Week-long Michigan Golf trip with brother, Mark MINNESOTA Baker Field at Bill Taunton Stadium (Willmar Stingers vs. Minnesota Mud Puppies – Willmar City of Baseball Museum @ CHS Field – St. Paul CHS Field – (St. Paul Saints vs. Kansas City T-bones), minor league baseball – St. Paul Dakota Night Club – (Rodney Crowell concert) – Minneapolis Franconia Sculpture Park – Franconia Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins baseball) – Minneapolis Largest turkey statue in the world – Frazee Mall of America – Bloomington (several times) – Bloomington Mill City Museum – Minneapolis Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store (with world’s largest soda selection) – Jordan Minnesota’s only covered bridge – Zumbrota Northwest Airlines History Center – Bloomington Nyberg Park – Vining Obama’s Pie Shop – I had pie in the same booth as President Obama did during his presidential campaign – Zumbrota Target Center – (Minnesota Timberwolves NBA basketball) – Minneapolis Target Center – (World Wrestling Entertainment – WWE – Home of WrestleMania) – Minneapolis Target Field (Minnesota Twins vs. Colorado Rockies) – Minneapolis The Lodge on Lake Detroit (spa) – Cameron Lakes Saint Thomas Ice Arena (College hockey – Minnesota State Mavericks (#2 ranked) vs. St. Thomas Tommies) – Mendota Heights I grew up on SPAM! Maybe that’s why I’ve been to their museum three times. Spam Museum tour – Austin (several times) Union Station – Big Boy steam engine departure – St. Paul NEBRASKA Boys Town Tour (multiple) – Omaha College Baseball World Series – Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium – Omaha College Baseball World Series – T.D. Ameritrade Park Omaha (Vanderbilt vs. North Carolina State) – Omaha Dundee Theatre – Omaha Memorial Stadium Tour (no game) – Lincoln Memorial Stadium – college football (UCLA vs. Nebraska – we came back from 3-21 deficit to win 42-21!) – Lincoln Museum of Speed – Lincoln – highly recommended Ward Bond Memorial Park – Benkelman Woodland Hills Golf Course (one of only 12 public 5-star golf courses in the country) – Eagle NORTH DAKOTA Fargo-Moorhead Firecats minor league baseball game – Fargo Jamestown College walking tour – Jamestown Lewis and Clark historical reenactment – near Jamestown National Buffalo Museum – Jamestown North Dakota Heritage Center – Bismarck North Dakota State Capital building tour (private one on one tour) – Bismarck Roger Maris Museum – Fargo Scheel’s – largest sports store in the world (several visits), Fargo OHIO American Sign Museum (a real sleeper!) – Cincinnati American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame – Pickerington Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In Theatre – Ridgefield Great American Ball Park (Reds vs. Miami Marlins) – Cincinnati Huntington Park – Columbus Clippers AAA Minor League Baseball (Clippers vs. Indianapolis Indians) – Columbus Longaberger corporate headquarters (former) – Dresden National Drag Racing Association – Norwalk Nippert Stadium (UCLA vs. Cincinnati football) – Cincinnati Progressive Field (Indians vs. Kansas City Royals) – Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum – Cleveland Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum – Cincinnati OKLAHOMA Chesapeake Energy Arena – NBA basketball (Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings) – Oklahoma City College Softball World Series (Arizona vs. Georgia Tech) – Oklahoma City Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum – Oklahoma City National Softball Hall of Fame – Oklahoma City Oklahoma State University basketball (Cowboys vs. Missouri Western State University) – Stillwater Oklahoma State University football (Cowboys vs. Iowa State Cyclones) – Stillwater University of Oklahoma Football (The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Sooners vs. UCLA Bruins) – Norman SOUTH DAKOTA Bear Country U.S.A. – Rapid City Black Hills State University campus tour – Spearfish So have you ever been to a “Corn Palace”? What a place. I’ve been there more than once. Corn Palace – (several times – very unusual don’t miss it) – Mitchell Hillcrest Golf & Country Club – Yankton Mount Rushmore – near Keystone Sturgis Motorcycle Rally – Sturgis Wall Drug – Wall WISCONSIN American Circus Museum – Baraboo Chequamegon National Forest hike – near Mellon Dick Trickle Memoria – Rudolph Indian Lacrosse Players Statue – La Crosse La Crosse city walking tour – La Crosse Lambeau Field stadium tour – Green Bay National Mustard Museum – Middleton Miller Park (Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs) – Milwaukee Pontoon boat private rental – Fun! – Sturgeon Bay University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Blugolds would be hosting the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh Titans. My schedule allowed me to just skate in before tip-off at Zorn gym. – Menomonie Van Der Geest Dairy Farm – unusual but fun and educational – Merrill What’ Ya Know NPR radio show with Michael Feldman – Madison Wisconsin Automotive Museum – Hartford ALABAMA International Motorsports Hall of Fame – Talladega Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – Prattville and Birmingham St. Cecelia Catholic Church – Jasper Unclaimed Baggage Center (interesting!) – Scottsboro ARKANSAS President William J. Clinton – Hope Visitor Center and Museum – Boyhood home – Hope William J. Clinton Presidential Library Oaklawn Racing (horses) – Hot Springs FLORIDA Airboat tour in Everglades National Park – Cooperstown Bike Week – Daytona Beach Daytona Ocean Center (College basketball – Bethune-Cookman University vs. Florida A&M University) – Daytona Beach Daytona USA – Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway track tour – Daytona Beach Edmund Center (Basketball Stetson University vs. Kennesaw State) – Deland (RC) FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches – Grapefruit league spring training game (St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals) – West Palm Beach Historic Legends North Turn Beach Parade (above with NASCAR legend Leonard Wood) – Ponce Inlet Joker Marchant Stadium – Grapefruit league spring training game (New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers) – Lakeland Marlins Park (Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves) – Miami Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball – Grapefruit league spring training game – St. Petersburg Orlando Jai Alai – Casselberry Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium – Grapefruit league spring training game (Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins – Jupiter Tampa Bay Automobile Museum – Pinellas Park Tropicana Field (Rays vs. Boston Red Sox) – St. Petersburg GEORGIA Calhoun, Georgia Outlet Mall – Calhoun Georgia Aquarium – Atlanta Georgia Tech University campus tour – Atlanta Jimmie Carter Presidential Library and Museum – Atlanta Master’s golf tournament – Augusta NCAA Basketball Final Four, Georgia Dome – Atlanta Plains, Georgia Tour (home of former president Jimmy Carter) – Plains SunTrust Stadium (National League Division Series playoff game – Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers) – Atlanta Turner Field (Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies) – Atlanta World of Coke museum (old and new) – Atlanta KENTUCKY Bill Monroe final resting place, Rosine Cemetery – Rosine Bill Monroe home place – Rosine Bill Monroe (and the Bluegrass Boys) Museum – Rosine Brown Hotel (for a “Hot Brown”) – Louisville Calf roping competition – Union County Fairgrounds – Sturgis Lexington Legends Ballpark (Lexington Legends vs. Long Island Ducks) – Lexington Louisville Slugger Factory tour – Louisville Muhammad Ali Center – Louisville National Corvette Museum – Bowling Green Peerless Whiskey Distilling Tour – Louisville Sassafras Tree (world’s largest – Owensboro’s #1 tourist attraction as rated by TripAdvisor – boyhood home of NSD’s Tim Frost) – Owensboro University of Louisville Basketball (Louisville vs. Seton Hall) – Louisville LOUISIANA Food History Tour (highly recommended) – New Orleans Grambling State University campus tour and the Eddie G. Robinson Museum – Grambling Herby K (home of the Shrimpbuster – this is also a RANLAY Racing Restaurant recommendation) – Shreveport Hurricane Katrina storm damage tour – New Orleans Louisiana State University campus tour – Baton Rouge Mardi Gras parades (multiple visits) – New Orleans New Orleans French Quarter touring – New Orleans Pascal’s Manale – New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Club – New Orleans The National WWII Museum – New Orleans MISSISSIPPI Medgar Evans home – Jackson University of Mississippi campus tour – Oxford Veteran’s Memorial Museum – Laurel MISSOURI Bass Pro Shop, Columbia Budweiser Brewery Tour – St. Louis Busch Stadium (Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates) – St. Louis Branson Touring Here’s the Branson photo album: Branson, Missouri – so much to see and do – Acrobats of China – Baldknobbers – Clay Cooper Country Express (our favorite Branson show to date) – Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede (the world’s most visited dinner attraction!) – Jim Stafford Show – Mel Tillis – Shoji Tabuchi – Six – The Haygoods – The Platters Candy Factory – Phillipsburg Dogwood Canyon Nature Park (owned by Bass Pro Shops’ Johnny Morris) Harley-Davidson Factory Tour – Kansas City Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum & Library – Independence Kansas City Automotive Museum – Kansas City Legends Field – (Kansas City Monarchs vs. Houston Apollos) – Kansas City Millbrook County Club – Springfield Meramec Caverns – Stanton Missouri Sports Hall of Fame – Springfield National World War I Museum and Memorial – Kansas City Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (excellent!) – Kansas City Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art – Kansas City The Money Museum, Federal Reserve Bank – Kansas City Silver Dollar City Amusement Park (rode the “Outlaw Run” roller coaster with an 81-degree vertical fall and three corkscrews) – Branson Shoal Creek Living History Museum – Kansas City Southern Gospel Picnic (saw the Ball Brothers, the Allen family, the Downing family, Pure Heart, Christian Davis and the McKameys!) – Branson Tiffany Greens Golf Club (Senior PGA golf tournament) – Kansas City World’s Largest Gift Shop – Phillipsburg NORTH CAROLINA Aggie Stadium (Football – North Carolina A&T State University Aggies vs. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats) – Greensboro BB&T Field (Football – Wake Forest University Demon Deacons vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack) – Winston-Salem Biltmore Estate – (2 visits – recommended) – Ashville Bryan Park Golf Course with George Robertson – Greensboro Cameron Indoor Stadium tour – Duke University – Durham Dean Smith Center (Basketball – Tar Heels vs. University of North Carolina-Asheville) – Chapel Hill Greensboro Arboretum – Greensboro Hendrick Motorsports race shop tour – Concord NASCAR Hall of Fame – (Absolutely loved it; multiple visits; can’t wait to go again) – Charlotte Penske Racing shop tour – Mooresville Richard Petty Museum – Level Cross Richard Petty Museum (highly recommended) – Randleman Robertson Family Reunion Dinner – Eden Rouse Racing shop tour – Concord State Capitol Building Tour – Raleigh Stewart-Haas Racing shop tour – Kannapolis SOUTH CAROLINA Clemson University campus tour – Clemson Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum – Darlington TENNESSEE 1982 World’s Fair – Knoxville Graceland (Home of Elvis Presley – multiple visits) – Memphis Grand Ole Opry – (several times) – Nashville Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbillt Commodors vs. Loyola – Chicago Ramblers – College Basketball) – Nashville National Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame – Knoxville University of Tennessee campus tour – Knoxville TEXAS Amarillo Area Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum – Amarillo American Airlines Center – (NBA basketball -Mavs vs. Utah Jazz) – Dallas America’s only public bathroom with see-through walls (a must experience) – Sulphur Springs Big Sneaker – Quanah Buddy Holly Center – Lubbock, Texas Cadillac Ranch (don’t miss this) – Amarillo Chrome mustang – Paris Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens – Dallas Eiffel Tower with big cowboy hat – Paris Evergreen Cemetery – Jesus wears cowboy boots – Paris Huge Pair of Legs – Amarillo Jack Sizemore RV Museum – Amarillo Klyde Warren Park – Dallas Lakewood Church (largest congregation in the U.S. – Pastor Joel Osteen) – Houston Large Rubik’s Cube – Chillicothe LBJ Presidential Library – Austin Minute Maid Park tour (home of Houston Astros) – Houston Minute Maid Park (Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) – Houston Muffler Man – Cowboy – Amarillo Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum – Waco Texas State Capital Tour – Austin The Alamo – San Antonio U.S. Border Patrol Museum – El Paso San Antonio Riverwalk – San Antonio Southwest Dairy Museum (exterior only) – Sulphur Springs VIRGINIA Black Dog Salvage (as seen on TV!) – Roanoke Hampton University Convocation Center – (college basketball – Hampton University vs. Norfolk State University) – Hampton Jack Daniel’s Factory Tour – Lynchburg Lane Stadium (Virginia Tech football) – Blacksburg Richmond International Raceway – (I stopped here just to soak up the NASCAR big weekend ambiance, but not to see a race) – Richmond – Scott Stadium – University of Virginia football (Cavaliers vs. UCLA Bruins…of course UCLA won!) – Charlottesville State Capitol Building Tour – Richmond Stonewall Jackson Shrine (Part of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park) – Guinea Station University of Virginia – (college basketball – Cavaliers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels) – Charlottesville Virginia Museum of Transportation – Roanoke Virginia Tech University campus tour – Blacksburg Wood Brothers Racing – (shop tour and museum) – Stuart Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library – Staunton CONNECTICUT Tour of our former “hometown” where we lived for 15 months (1979-80) – Ridgefield MAINE Bath city tour – Bath Belfast – Historic Seaside Village – Belfast Belgrade Lakes Golf Club (one of just 12 5-star public courses in the U.S.) – Belgrade Kennebunkport City Tour (Received a wave from then sitting president George W. Bush – Carol can confirm this!) – Kennebunkport L.L. Bean Corporate Store (many visits) – Freeport Maine State House – Augusta Maine State Museum – Augusta Nubble Lighthouse – York Nunan’s Lobster Hut (a tourist attraction and interesting place to eat) – Cape Porpoise Wiscasset Speedway tour – Wiscasset MARYLAND Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum – Baltimore Orioles Park at Camden Yards (Orioles vs. Chicago White Sox) – Baltimore State Capitol Building Tour – Annapolis MASSACHUSETTS Boston City Tour (North End Neighborhood) – Boston Fenway Park (Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals) – Boston James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (love this place; been there several times) – Springfield Harvard University campus tour – Boston Lavietes Pavilion – college basketball (Harvard vs. Princeton) – Boston Martha’s Vineyard island touring – Martha’s Vineyard Matthews Arena – college basketball (Northeastern vs. Harvard) – Boston Polar Park – (Worcester Red Sox vs. Toledo Mud Hens – International League) – Worcester NEW YORK Barclay’s Center – college basketball (UCLA vs. Georgetown) – Brooklyn Carnegie Hall Tour – New York City Carrier Dome – college football (Syracuse vs. Minnesota) – Syracuse Carolines Comedy Club – New York City Chinatown Food Tour – New York City Christl Arena – college basketball (Army vs. Bucknell) – West Point Citi Field – Major League Baseball (Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies) – Queens Cutco Visitor’s Center – Olean Cornell University campus tour – Ithaca Film Forum – (Movie: Michael) – New York City Fonda Speedway Museum (It’s in a McDonalds!) – Fonda Forest Lawn Cemetery – Buffalo Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin House Tour – Buffalo Ithaca Falls – Ithaca Live with Kelly (TV taping) – New York City Loeb Boathouse Central Park (rowing a boat in the middle of New York City!) – New York City Madison Square Garden – college basketball (UCLA vs. St. John’s) – New York City Matt Brewing Company factory tour – Utica NBT Bank Stadium – Minor League Baseball (Syracuse Chiefs vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders) – Syracuse National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum – (multiple visits) Cooperstown National September 11 Museum and Monument – New York City National Soccer Hall of Fame – Oneonta New York Broadway theatre production – “Chicago” – New York City New York Broadway theatre production – “Memphis!” – New York City New York Broadway theatre production – “Million Dollar Quartet” – New York City New York City tour – (several times) – New York City New York City Broadway Plays (among many) – New York City – August: Osage County – Newsical the Musical – Soul of Shaolin – Speed the Plow – Sponge Bob Square Pants – The Donna Summer Musical – The Marvelous Wonderettes – Waitress New York State Capitol Building tour – Albany Niagara Falls tour – Niagara Falls NYSEG Stadium – Minor League Baseball (Binghamton Mets vs. Hartford Yard Goats) – Binghamton Queen City Ferry Company Riverboat tour – Buffalo Rose Hill Gymnasium – College Basketball (Fordham Rams vs. La Salle Explorers) – New York City (Bronx) Saratoga Race Course – Saratoga Springs. Seeing horse racing was special at Saratoga. However, a gully washer of rain came through canceling one race. I had never seen that happen before or after. Saratoga Race Course (want to go back!) – Saratoga Springs Shea Stadium – Major League Baseball (New York Mets) – Queens State University of New York campus tour – Cortland United States Military Academy – post tour (West Point) U.S. Tennis Open Championships (Arthur Ashe Stadium) – Queens Yankee Stadium (old and new) – New York City (The Bronx) PENNSYLVANIA Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia (Phillies vs. Miami Marlins) – Philadelphia Eastern State Penitentiary – (recommended!) – Philadelphia Heinz History Center – Pittsburgh Latrobe County Club (owned by Arnold Palmer – one of the highlights of my golfing career) – Latrobe Liberty Bell – Philadelphia Little League World Series – Williamsport National Civil War Museum – Harrisburg Philadelphia city walking tour hosted by Louis Skypala – Philadelphia PNC Park Tour (home of the Pirates – got a rare tour of the clubhouse) – Pittsburgh PNC Park (Pirates vs. Miami Marlins) – Pittsburgh Punxsutawney Groundhog Club – Punxsutawney Schenley Park – Pittsburgh United Flight #93 Memorial (multiple visits) – Shanksville RHODE ISLAND Brown University campus tour – Providence Mansion Tour – Newport VERMONT Ben and Jerry’s Factory Tour – Waterbury Lake Champlain ferryboat ride – Grand Isle Quechee Falls – Quechee Vermont Teddy Bear factory tour – Shelburne World’s Tallest File Cabinet – Burlington WASHINGTON D.C. Nationals Park (Nationals vs. Miami Marlins) – Washington, D.C. Smithsonian – Air and Space Museum – Washington, D.C. Smithsonian – American Art Museum – Washington, D.C. Smithsonian – National Museum of American History – Washington, D.C. Smithsonian – National Museum of Natural History – Washington, D.C. Washington D.C. city tour – Washington, D.C. Editor’s note: I still have a lot of work to do to get my Trackchasing Tourist Attractions updated for my foreign travels! I am WAY behind on posting our foreign travel adventures ANDORRA ARGENTINA Buenos Aires city bus tour – Buenos Aires Hippodrome Argentino de Palermo (horse racing) – Buenos Aires Pacifico Shopping Mall – Buenos Aires Panoramic Lunch Cruise” (on board the Humberto M.) – Buenos Aires Recoleta Cemetery – (permanent home of Eva Peron (think Evita) – Buenos Aires San Telmo street market – Buenos Aires Tango night – Buenos Aires AUSTRALIA Australia Zoo (Owned by Steve Irwin family) – Beerwah, Queensland City Botanical Gardens – Brisbane, Queensland Gloucester Park harness racing – Perth, Western Australia Lyric Theatre (Mary Poppins) – South Brisbane, Queensland Melbourne city walking tour – Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne Cricket Ground (seating capacity 100,024!) – Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne New Year’s Eve celebration (fireworks from 30 commercial building rooftops at once!) – Melbourne, Victoria Motor Museum of Western Australia – Perth, Western Australia Platypus Bay cruise – Platypus Bay, Queensland River Cruise – Brisbane, Queensland St. Paul’s Cathedral – Melbourne, Victoria Sydney Opera House (multiple) – Sydney, New South Campbell Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell National Park – Princetown, Victoria Yarra River boat cruise – Melbourne, Victoria AZERBAIJAN Baku City Tour – Baku Baku Ferris Wheel – Baku Baku International Tourism Film Festival – Baku Heydar Aliyev Center – Baku BAHRAIN BARBADOS BELGIUM BELARUS Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum – Minsk Belarusian State Circus – Minsk Palace of Sport – FIBA Basketball World Cup Basketball (Spain vs. Belarus) – Minsk Mir and Niasviž castles all-day tour – Outside of Minsk National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater (ballet performance) – Minsk BOLIVIA Bus rides across Bolivia – Potosi – Uyuni Circo (Circus) Hermano Gasaui – Santa Cruz Cotoca City Tour – Cotoca La Paz City Tour – La Paz Moon Valley tour – La Paz Motodromo Quito Cardona track – Motorcycle racing – Santa Cruz Potosi City Tour – Potosi Salar de Uyuni salt flats Witches Market – La Paz BRAZIL BULGARIA CANADA Barkerville – Barkerville – British Columbia BC Place – Vancouver (BC Lions vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders – CFL football) – British Columbia Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg (Manitoba Moose vs. Chicago Wolves ice hockey) – Manitoba CN Tower tour – Toronto, Ontario Cornish Water Wheel – Quesnel – British Columbia “Evil Dead, the Musical”, Diesel Theatre – Toronto – Ontario Green Gables – Cavendish – Prince Edward Island Heritage Corner – Quesnel – British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame (I held the Stanley Cup!) – Toronto – Ontario Huble Homestead Historic Site – Summit Lake – British Columbia Jasper National Park – Jasper – Alberta Ken Reid Conservation Area – Lindsay – Ontario Macbeth – The Citadel Theatre – Edmonton – Alberta Maritime Museum of the Atlantic – Halifax – Nova Scotia Mount Robson Provincial National Park – Fraser – Ft. George – British Columbia Mr. PG – Prince George – British Columbia Niagara Falls – Niagara Falls – Ontario Quebec City walking tour – Quebec Rogers Center aka, SkyDome tour – Toronto – Ontario Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary Flames vs. Arizona Coyotes, NHL ice hockey) – Calgary – Alberta St. Lawrence Market – Toronto – Ontario Stanley Park walking tour – Vancouver – British Columbia The Maid of the Mist – Niagara Falls – Ontario The Old Fraser River Bridge – Quesnel – British Columbia Toronto Blue Jays baseball, Rogers Centre – (New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays) – Toronto – Ontario Whirlpool Golf Course – Niagara Falls – Ontario CHILE Saltos del Laja Waterfalls – near Los Angeles CHINA Hong Kong city tour including restaurants, subways, farmer’s markets, Symphony of Lights laser light show, ferryboat rides, Ngong Ping cable car, Temple Street Night Market, a theatre production of Cinderella and much more including our share of Dim Sum Macau, China city tour including ferryboat ride via Turbojet from Hong Kong to Macau, Macau Tower visit, Macau Casinos tour (great), St. Paul’s Church and the Macau Grand Prix Museum COLUMBIA Downtown Bogota walking tour COSTA RICA CROATIA CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK Copenhagen city tour (via boat), Copenhagen Copenhagen city tour (via bus), Copenhagen Little Mermaid – Copenhagen Royal Palace (changing of the guard) – Copenhagen Shell game by con men along Copenhagen city streets – Copenhagen Tivoli Gardens (amusement park), Copenhagen ECUADOR Teleferico – Quito Old Town – Quito Teatro National Sucre (opera) – Quito Otavalo Marketplace – Otavalo EL SALVADOR ESTONIA FINLAND Arctic Ice Bar – Helsinki Kiasma Contemporary Museum of Art, Helsinki FRANCE City touring & overnight stays – Honfleur Caen Memorial Museum – Caen Disneyland – Paris Eiffel Tower – Paris Omaha Beach – Normandy Palace of Versailles – Paris Paris City Tour – Hop on and hop off bus and boat – Paris Paris Museum of Modern Art – Paris GEORGIA GERMANY City tour hop on hop off bus (for hours) – Frankfurt Classic Remise auto museum (one of the very best) – Dusseldorf English Theatre of Frankfurt – Frankfurt – Rain Man Occupy Frankfurt tent city – Frankfurt Overnight train ride Frankfurt to Vienna, Austria (an outstanding cultural experience!) – Frankfurt GREECE 53rd annual Thessaloniki Film Festival, Thessaloniki GUATEMALA Antigua city walking tour – Antigua Filadelphia coffee plantation – Antigua La Antigua Art Galery – Antigua Santo Domingo Hotel – Antigua GUYANA Tours all over Guyana in South America. The highlight was spending time in the local home of a native Guyana family HUNGARY ICELAND Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa – Reykjavik All-day driving tour of Iceland INDIA Amber Palace (ride the elephants!) – Jaipur Agra Fort – Agra Buddh International Circuit (most tracks are not TTAs…but this was India) -Noida Chand Baori Step Well – Abanieri City Palace Tour – Jaipur Elephant Village – Jaipur Humayun’s Tomb – New Delhi India overall driving tour….you absolutely MUST get a driver and enjoy the trip – India India Gate (changing of the guard) – New Delhi New Delhi train station – New Delhi “Old Delhi” city tour – New Delhi Raj Mandir movie theatre – Jaipur Samode Palace Hotel (Dunbar Hall, the most beautiful room in Rajasthan) – Rajasthan Taj Mahal – Agra INDONESIA All-day (behinds the scenes) tour of Jakarta, Indonesia – seaport, slums, mosque, President Obama’s grade school IRELAND Ring of Kerry drive Waterford Crystal Factory Tour & Showroom Visit, Waterford ITALY JAMAICA JAPAN Green Plaza Shinjuku Capsule Hotel – Tokyo Japanese Central League baseball game in the Nagoya Dome (indoors) featuring the Chunichi Dragons – Nagoya Motopia Theme Park (Ferris wheel ride) – Suzuka Riding the “Shinkansen” Japanese bullet train from Nagoya, Japan to Tokyo LATVIA LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MALTA MEXICO Lucas de Galves market – Merida, Yucatan Merida – Guided city walking tour – Merida, Yucatan Mexican Riviera Cruise – Baja California Mexican Riviera Holland America Cruise (on the way to ice track in British Columbia!) Mexico City Tour (www.turibus.com.mx) – Mexico City MONACO Monaco Top Cars Collection MOROCCO Fantasia Marrakesh dinner show (I rode a camel!) – Marrakesh Marrakesh old town medina tour – Marrakesh NAMIBIA Etosha National Park (outstanding!) – Wildlife animal safari National Museum of Namibia NETHERLANDS Amsterdam Red Light District tour – (Carol loved it!) – Amsterdam Heineken Brewery Tour – Amsterdam NEW ZEALAND Bill Richardson Truck Museum – (excellent) – Invercargill Blokarting – Mt. Maunganui Christchurch city tour – Christchurch Interislander Ferry Ride from North Island to South Island (round-trip) Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World – Auckland New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame – Dunedin Sky Tower – Auckland South Island coastal driving tour NORWAY Homenkollen (host to FIS Nordic Ski Championships) – Oslo Norwegian Maritime Museum – Oslo Oslo Grand Highlights Tour – Oslo Oslo Opera House – Oslo Vigeland Sculpture Park – Oslo Viking Ship Museum – Oslo PANAMA Panama Canal Tour – Panama City Panama City Old Town Tour – Panama City Panama National Soccer Championship – Estadio Rommel Fernandez stadium (Deportivo Arabe Unido vs. FC. Plaza Amador) – Panama City PERU Nicolini Vintage Auto Museum, Lima Magical Water Circuit, Lima “Carmen” Teatro Municipal de Lima Peru, Lima PHILIPPINES Hop on Hop off bus – Manilla city tour – Manilla Mall of Asia tour and fireworks show – Manilla POLAND QATAR Qatar Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar ROMANIA RUSSIA Moscow Circus – Moscow Moscow City Tour – Red Square – Moscow Moscow Symphony Orchestra SENEGAL Goree Island all-day tour – Dakar This is the Kermel Market in downtown Dakar. It’s famous for fruits and vegetbles. Many tourist sites also warned that this could be a dangerous place for tourists. Kermel Market – Dakar SINGAPORE SLOVAKIA SOUTH AFRICA Johannesburg city tour – Johannesburg Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park wild animal park overnight safari SOUTH KOREA Korean National Folk Museum -Seoul National Palace Museum of Korea – Seoul Seoul 5-hour City Tour – Seoul Traditional Korean Restaurant lunch – Seoul SPAIN Barcelona, Spain City Tour – Barcelona SRI LANKA Sri Lanka Elephant Orphanage – Rambukkana Kandyan Dance Show – Kandy Royal Botanical Gardens – Kandy Full afternoon of lunch and visiting in the home of my driver’s sister, Chandra in Sri Lanka Temple of the Tooth – Kandy Negombo Fish Market – Negombo SWEDEN City Hall – Stockholm Gamla stan (old town) – Stockholm Hovet Stadium (ice hockey – Djurgarden vs. Rogle) – Stockholm Jumbo Stay (overnight stay aboard a retired Boeing 747 airplane) – Stockholm Oresund Bridge (longest road and rail bridge in Europe, $55 U.S. to cross one-way – Malmo Royal Swedish Opera – Stockholm St. James’s Church – Stockholm Stockholm Metro – Stockholm Stockholm winter sightseeing cruise – Stockholm Vasa Museum – Stockholm SWITZERLAND TAHITI Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia stay and island tour THAILAND Touring Bangkok for three days before seeing my 1,300th-lifetime track in Pattaya, Thailand and then spending a day in Hong Kong on my way back from Thailand. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO TURKEY Basilica Cistern (a favorite) – Istanbul Basilica of St. John ruins – Selcuk Blue Mosque – Istanbul Byzantine Hippodrome – Istanbul Ephesus tour – Ephesus Grand Bazaar – Istanbul Hagia Sophia – Istanbul Nomad’s – Turkish belly dancing – Istanbul Topkapi Palace tour – Istanbul Whirling Dervish performance – Istanbul UKRAINE Chernobyl nuclear disaster tour – (one of our very best tours) – Pripyat National Opera of Ukraine – Kiev UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Dubai Mall (largest in the world) – Dubai Mall of the Emirates (indoor ski mountain) – Dubai Desert Safari – dune bashing/Arabic buffet dinner/camel ride – Dubai UNITED KINGDOM Beatles Magical Mystery Tour – Liverpool Buckingham Palace – London Conwy Castle – Wales Caernarfon Castle – Wales Imperial War Museum – London Puffin Island – Wales Stones in his Pockets – London Theater District – London The Wizard of Oz, Palladium Theatre – London Million Dollar Quartet – Noel Coward Theatre – London URUGUAY ZIMBABWE Victoria Falls National Park Tour (Victoria Falls waterfalls) – Victoria Falls Wild Animal Safari (including dinner in the bush) – Victoria Falls Zambezi River Canoe Trip – Victoria Falls Zambezi River Sunset Cruise – Victoria Falls
ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA
HAWAII 
NEVADA 
Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame – Goshen
3 comments
Quite a list! I’ve seen a few of these attractions. I’m guessing that most of your followers have not seen The Corn Palace, nor taken the hydrofoil ferry boat from Hong Kong to Macau, but I have done both of those.
Russ, you are certainly correct! I doubt many people have even BEEN to both South Dakota and Hong Kong/Macau let alone viewed the Corn Palace and ridden the hydrofoil ferry. Randy
Another possible goal: some guy passed thru ATL recently. His goal is to sing the National Anthem at every MLB stadium. In some cases the team won’t allow it, so he steps onto the field and sings along with the real singer.