*1
Alabama -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Alabama is the state
with the highest percentage of people
who speak English as their first
language.

|DATA:| For some history, visit Helen
Keller's birthplace in Tuscumbia. The
world's largest cast iron statue of a
man is displayed here in the form of the
Roman god, Vulcan. Take the plunge into
Bankhead Tunnel, the nation's longest
underwater tunnel for cars.

|OTHER DATA:| Alabama has more boats per
person than any other state: one boat
for every two people.
*2
Alaska -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Anchorage uses more heat
than any other U. S. city.

|DATA:| Want to go as far north as you
can in the U. S.? Travel to Point
Barrow. Want to go as far west as you
can? Go to Mount Wrangell. Or chill out
in Prospect Creek, which had the lowest
temperature in the U. S.: -80 degrees F.
Peek at some baby seals at the seal
rockeries. You can really go "wild" in
Alaska; it's 97 percent rangeland.

|OTHER DATA:| Mount McKinley, at 20,320
feet high, is the highest peak in North
America.
*3
Arizona -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The world's largest
rosebush is in Tombstone. It was planted
in 1885 by a Scottish bride.

|DATA:| The most popular natural
attraction in the U. S. is the Grand
Canyon. It's 217 miles long, four to 13
miles wide at the brim, and nearly a
mile deep. Phoenix leads the U. S. in
sunshine with 213 sunny days a year. No
wonder it leads in air conditioner use,
too!

|OTHER DATA:| The Navaho reservation
that Arizona shares with New Mexico is
the largest reservation in the U. S.
*4
Arkansas -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Arkansas leads the
nation in the production of broilers:
9-12-week-old chickens.

|DATA:| Go spelunking (caving) in
Blanchard Springs Caverns and see
beautiful formations. Warm up at Hot
Springs National Park, in springs that
are 143 degrees. In late autumn, don't
be surprised if Arkansans start acting
"quackers." They're preparing for the
World Championship Duck Calling Contest
at Stuggart!

|OTHER DATA:| Arkansas produces more
soybeans than any other state.
*5
California -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The tallest tree on
Earth is a 362-foot-high California
redwood.

|DATA:| Visit Hollywood, the capital of
the movie-making world. Another high
point is Mount Whitney, the highest
point in the U. S. south of Alaska. For
a low point, visit Death Valley, the
lowest point in North America. Then hop
to Croaker College, where frogs learn
tricks like weight-lifting.

|OTHER DATA:| The oldest living things
on Earth are a group of 4,600-year-old
pine trees in Inyo National Forest.
*6
Colorado -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The world's highest
suspension bridge crosses Royal Gorge
(which is more than 1000 feet high) and
the Arkansas River.

|DATA:| Visit Colorado's Mile-High
Stadium to see the Denver Broncos play
football, about a mile above sea level.
For a closer look at the mountains,
travel to Rocky Mountain National Park
to hike its 300 trails. Too lazy? Hire a
llama to carry you through the rough
spots.

|OTHER DATA:| Colorado has no boundaries
formed by water.
*7
Connecticut -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Nutmeggers have more
cars per person than any other state.

|DATA:| Visit the Seaport Museum in
Mystic, a town built to look like a
small whaling village. Explore Gillette
Castle, built by silent film era star
William Gillette in 1919. Other hot
spots: the Nut Museum, where you can see
an eight-foot nutcracker, dinosaur
tracks, and the Peter Paul factory,
where Mounds and Almond Joys are made.

|OTHER DATA:| Connecticut is home to
movie star Paul Newman.
*8
Delaware -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Delaware has the world's
largest chicken frying pan, a ten-foot
skillet used for the Delmarva Chicken
Festival in Dover.

|DATA:| Visit the historic houses and
gardens of Winterthur and Odessa. Take
the ferry across the mouth of the
Delaware River to Cape May, New Jersey,
and back. Or play in the surf at
Rehobeth Beach.

|OTHER DATA:| Twin bridges span the
Delaware River to link Delaware and New
Jersey.
*9
Florida -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Florida has the most
residents over age 65.

|DATA:| To the east is NASA - Kennedy
Space Center, where space shuttles are
launched. To the west at Sarasota is
Ringling's Museum of the Circus and
Circus World. To the south is the
Everglades, the nation's third largest
national park. In the middle? Walt
Disney World and Epcot Center, of
course!

|OTHER DATA:| Florida is the setting of
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' book "The
Yearling."
*10
Georgia -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Stone Mountain is the
world's largest body of exposed granite.
It's 1,686 feet high.

|DATA:| Visit the Peanut Museum in
Plains, home of former President Jimmy
Carter. If you're a girl scout, see the
Scout National Center in Savannah. Or
try white-water rafting on the
Chattanooga River, which falls at an
average of 490 feet per mile.

|OTHER DATA:| Georgia was the setting of
the book and film "Gone With the Wind."
*11
Hawaii -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Hawaiians are expected
to live longer than other Americans --
an average of 73 years.

|DATA:| Visit Haleakala, a dormant
volcano, or active ones at Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park. (You'll lava
it!) Mount Waialeale, with 460 inches of
rain each year, is the wettest spot in
the world. Islanders say rainbows are
born here. Don't miss Lanai. It's owned
by Dole and is the world's largest
pineapple plantation.

|OTHER DATA:| The southernmost point of
the U. S. is the island of Kalae.
*12
Idaho -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Hells Canyon is the
deepest canyon in North America: 7,900
feet deep.

|DATA:| If you really want to get away
from it all, Idaho is the place for you.
Idaho's Rocky Mountains can take you
above the clouds. If that's not high
enough, visit Crater of the Moon
National Park, where NASA's Apollo
astronauts trained to moonwalk. For a
more down-to-earth experience, visit
one of Idaho's gorgeous gorges.

|OTHER DATA:| Sun Valley, Idaho's best
known resort, is famous for skiing.
*13
Illinois -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Chicago, known as the
"Windy City" isn't as windy as New York,
San Francisco, and other cities.

|DATA:| "Refrigerator" Perry of the
Chicago Bears and his teammates are
here. Moving south, pass through the
Spoon River Valley for views of
beautiful farms and villages. Then shop
till you drop at the Woodfield Mall, the
largest in the U. S.

|OTHER DATA:| Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo
is well known in the U. S., with nearly
5 million visitors each year.
*14
Indiana -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| More basketball fans
live in Indiana than in any other state.

|DATA:| Visit the Children's Museum in
Indianapolis, one of the most famous in
the U. S. Then visit the Indiana Dunes
National Lakeshore, where you can
pretend to be lost in the Sahara. Better
yet, climb Mount Baldy (13,500 feet) to
view Lake Michigan. In July, go to the
Circus City Festival in Peru--where all
the performers are from Peru!

|OTHER DATA:| American's most famous car
race, the Indy 500, is held here.
*15
Iowa -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Iowans borrow more
library books per person than people in
any other state.

|DATA:| Can't stay up late enough to
watch Johnny Carson? Do the next best
thing: visit his birthplace! Then look
up the U. S. National Hot Air Balloon
Championships. Watch for Albert, the
world's largest concrete bull. He's 30
feet tall, and weighs 45 tons.

|OTHER DATA:| Iowa has the world's
largest coffee pot. At 125 feet high, it
would hold 640,000 cups of coffee!
*16
Kansas -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Kansas has the most
motorcycles per person in the U. S.

|DATA:| Don't miss Dodge City, once home
to wild-westers Wild Bill Hickok, One-
Eyed Jake, Toothless Neil, and Doc
Holliday. Sound like a bunch of
"stinkers?" You're right--the term
originated here. For a different kind of
wildlife, visit Microzoo, home to tiny
animals and bugs.

|OTHER DATA:| "Kansas Boy" by Ruth
Lechlitner is a famous poem about a
Kansan "who never saw the sea."
*17
Kentucky -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The nation's most famous
horse race, the Kentucky Derby, is held
here.

|DATA:| Mammoth Cave has 300 miles of
explored passageways, 200-foot-high
rooms, blind fish, and Echo River, 360
feet underground. Visit Lincoln's
birthplace or beautiful Cumberland Gap.
In September, eat and dance your way
through the Kentucky Fried Chicken
Bluegrass Music Festival.

|OTHER DATA:| "Bluegrass" music features
instruments like the fiddle, banjo,
mandolin, and guitar.
*18
Louisiana -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The Lake Ponchartrain
No. 2, linking New Orleans and
Mandeville, is the world's largest
bridge. It's 29 miles long.

|DATA:| Foot-stomping Dixieland jazz is
heard all over New Orleans. In Rayne,
the Frog Capital of the World, things
are always hopping. In the winter, put
on a costume for Mardi Gras, the yearly
party. This state is home to the most
French-speaking people in the U. S.

|OTHER DATA:| Louisiana has the most
Democrats in the U. S.
*19
Maine -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Maine has more library
books per person than any other state.

|DATA:| Maine's forests are home to
lumberjacks, bears, and moose. On the
coast, see the world's largest lobster
trap. Visit Acadia National Park, one of
the nation's prettiest. Maine's coastal
islands are home to artists, writers,
animals, and birds. Some say ghosts of
pirates, like Captain Kidd, live
here, too.

|OTHER DATA:| West Quoddy Head is the
easternmost point in the U. S.
*20
Maryland -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The oldest naval ship
afloat, the U. S. S. Constellation, is
docked in Baltimore. It was built in
1797.

|DATA:| Visit Fort McHenry, which
inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Baltimore's Aquarium and Harborplace
Market are favorite tourist spots. Take
a walk on the boardwalk in Ocean City,
or go fishing. Deep ocean canyons
offshore hold fish galore.

|OTHER DATA:| Assateague Island is home
to wild ponies made famous in "Misty of
Chincoteague," by Marguerite Henry.
*21
Massachusetts -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Boston has more doctors
than any other city.

|DATA:| Get historical: visit Boston's
Old North Church, where lanterns were
hung to tell Paul Revere that the
British were coming. See how the
pilgrims lived at Plymouth Plantation.
Hear music in the west at Tanglewood, or
watch sea gulls in the east on Cape Cod.

|OTHER DATA:| See it but don't say it:
visit Lake Chaubunagungamaug!
*22
Michigan -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The world's largest tire
is in Detroit.

|DATA:| Michigan is divided into two
peninsulas--Upper and Lower, which look
like a mitten. They're separated by the
straits of Mackinac which link two of
the great lakes, Michigan and Huron.
Michigan is a great place for water
sports. The National Ski Hall of Fame is
here, too.

|OTHER DATA:| Sleeping Bear Dunes in
eastern Michigan includes a sand pile
2 1/2 miles wide.
*23
Minnesota -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| Moorhead is the coldest
city in the U. S., with 54 zero-degree
days and 181 days below 32 degrees each
year. BRRR!

|DATA:| The U. S. Ice Hockey Hall of
Fame is here, as is the world's most
famous ball of twine, which weighs in
at 5 tons. Minnesota's thousands of
lakes make it perfect for rafting,
boating, and ice fishing. In January,
bundle up and watch the All-American
Sled-Dog Championship in Ely.

|OTHER DATA:| Northwest Angle is the
northernmost point in the contiguous 48
states.
*24
Mississippi -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| The historic interstate
trail starts in Mississippi. It's the
Natchez Trace Parkway, as old as 8,000
years.

|DATA:| Don't miss the birthplace of
Elvis Presley. For more history, visit
Vicksburg National Monument, site of one
of the most important battles of the
Civil War. Go to Biloxi for the Annual
Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the
Fleet, a 300-year-old ceremony.

|OTHER DATA:| Every June, you can be
within spitting distance of the National
Tobacco Spitting Contest in Raleigh.
*25
Missouri -- Fun Facts

|DID YOU KNOW:| St. Louis' Gateway Arch
is the tallest monument in the U. S.

|DATA:| During Tom Sawyer Days in
Hannibal, kids can take part in the
National Fence-Painting Contest. Better
yet, get someone else to do it for you,
in Tom Sawyer style. For rip-roaring
times, visit the American Royal Rodeo
Livestock and Horse Show in Kansas City.
Can you canoe? Ozark Streams are a great
place to do it.

|OTHER DATA:| Missouri shares its
borders with eight states.