A little closer.
Before you even go.

Some trips start with a flight. Others start with a free afternoon and a road you haven't taken before. If you're heading to Eagle River, leave a little room in the day. Take a walk by the water. Find a place for lunch. Or follow a quiet road and see where it leads. You don't have to fit everything in. Pick one thing you're looking forward to, and let the rest unfold around it. That's the idea behind WTDO: a little help finding your way, and more time to enjoy being there.

Begin in Chicago near Adams Street and Michigan Avenue. A Route 66 trip becomes more interesting when you slow down for a town like Pontiac and learn what the old road meant to its businesses. But you don't have to cover the whole route to enjoy it. Choose a stretch. Leave room for lunch, a walk, and a stop you didn't plan. Use current maps for driving; the historic alignments changed over time. The point isn't to collect every mile. It's to come home with a few stories of your own.

New Orleans sounds different when you leave room for the people making music now. Pick a neighborhood performance from a current venue calendar, plan a local meal nearby, and keep the journey curious beyond the familiar postcard streets. Before you go, check the start time and how you'll get back. Then give yourself permission to linger. A good evening doesn't need six stops. Sometimes it's one meal, one performance, and a conversation you weren't expecting. Start with something that interests you. Let the city offer the next chapter.

Begin on Mystic Seaport's waterfront with the Charles W. Morgan, then give Hartford's Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe sites a day of their own. Connecticut's story doesn't end there. Look for interpretation by Indigenous communities too. Before setting out, check each site's current hours and admission details. Leave time between visits, rather than turning the day into a race. Choose a story you're curious about and follow it a little further. You don't need to see everything to leave with a different understanding of a place.

Let’s explore Colorado. Colorado changes elevation quickly. Build each day for its actual altitude, weather, and the story you want to explore. Add Denver culture, a mountain-town meal, or a scenic rail day between park visits. A few starting points on this page are Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, and Black Canyon. Open the guide for the details that interest you. Use Plan My Trip when you’re ready to bring your choices together.

Let’s explore Rocky Mountain, Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park's 415 square miles (265,807 acres) encompasses a spectacular range of mountain environments. From meadows found in the montane life zone to glistening alpine lakes and up to the towering mountain peaks, there is something for everyone to discover. Begin with a lower elevation trail or scenic stop suited to your altitude. Open the guide for the details that interest you. Use Plan My Trip when you’re ready to bring your choices together.

Let’s explore Black Canyon, Colorado. Big enough to be overwhelming, yet still intimate enough to feel the pulse of time. Come see some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. Open the guide for the details that interest you. Use Plan My Trip when you’re ready to bring your choices together.

Let’s explore Wisconsin. Wisconsin moves easily between lake mornings, lively city weekends, forest roads and friendly small towns. Start with the kind of trip you want—not a list you have to finish. A few starting points on this page are Northwoods, Door County, Wisconsin Dells, and Milwaukee. Summer belongs to the water. Fall brings color and quieter roads. Winter opens a different Wisconsin, while spring rewards travelers who do not mind discovering places before the crowds arrive. Open the guide for the details that interest you. Use Plan My Trip when you’re ready to bring your choices together.