I live in Springfield, MO, first time I've seen a recommendation to visit here. The wildlife museum, Wonders of Wildlife, is closed for renovations. I don't know if there's a planned date to open. Bass Pro is still open and has a museum with stuffed animals.
I like a lot of Weslinder's suggestions -- big American cities are just not that fun to visit compared to big European cities. The unique small town oddities and the National Parks are hard to beat. If you can get to Big Bend (TX), Crater Lake (OR), or just about anything in the mountains of Montana, I'd highly recommend those as well.
The best places in the US are by far the national parks. They are absolutely spectacular. You should pick up a national parks pass for like $80 which will get you into every national park in the US. Some of the more memorable places I visited were: Monument Valley Devil's Tower Mt. Zion NP Grand Canyon NP Everglades NP Mammoth Cave NP Wind Cave NP Yellowstone NP Joshua Tree NP Yosemite NP Crater Lake NP Olympia NP Redwood NP (look for a hike called "Fern Canyon" -- this was the best thing I have ever done in my entire life) Mesa Verde NP Big Bend NP All of these places are so different and so incredible. Stay away from the big cities. We only went there to watch baseball games. Have fun!
I'd say that there are four notable exceptions to the big US cities aren't that great for tourists statement. He's going to two of them - New York and San Fran. If he can figure out a way to fit in Washington and New Orleans, he will have seen them all.
Everyone should go to Glacier National Park once in his life. Here are some pics I took a couple of years ago:
I'm indeed very excited to go to the parks. I've seen so many different pictures an heard about them that it just looks breath-taking! Thanks to everyone for the info, thanks to Weslinder aswell for that precious information. I'm probably not going to swing by Texas, well atleast not so much inside of it because since I lived there 10 years I pretty much have seen all of it. Austin, Dallas, San An, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth.. We've been considering making a stop in DC aswell, I hope we can for the 4th of July because I heard it was very beautiful! I'll be sure to make some sort of thread about the Rockets summer camp aswell if I get there in time!
Aren't the glaciers dying? I watch so many things nowadays on many different channels about global warming, and the first thing that is brought up is before and after pictures of glaciers. It's a pretty dramatic sight.
What if there are no glaciers though? Won't I be getting jipped? I don't like getting jipped, I've never gotten jipped in my life other than a few instances with fast food where I jipped them right back.
Also, they have like frggin' awesome mountains that dive into lakes and stuff. I ain't never seen no glacier there.
