Jeez, that sounds awesome.
Nah, Indiana is where you get sweet corn and cantalope. In late July and early August from farm stands next to houses with a tin can and an honor system. Oh my goodness, that’s heaven. Indiana sweet corn is the best corn in the world.
The upper coast of Texas
Partake of a shrimp and/or crab boil
Eat real barbecue- slow-smoked brisket(with sauce ONLY on the side for you Philistines)
Wet your feet in the warm Gulf waters - even in November
See the beautiful pink glow as the sun shines through the wings of a flock of roseate spoonbills as they take flight
in Lancaster ca do go to crazy ottos diner and try to leave hungry (ya cant )
And go down town and marvel at the mid sized town pretentiousness aka “The BLVD experience”
There’s a ton of stuff within 2 hours of me, from Point Reyes up north to Big Sur in the south. Just a few worth mentioning beyond those two:
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Park
Oakland Museum of California
Computer History Museum
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Various Redwood Parks
Pinnacles National Park
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Point Lobos
Navarre.
The food. It is possible to have a bad meal, but if it happens, we all collectively and profusely apologize.
Cool old architecture: Roncesvalles (also get some of the local cheese), Eunate, Artajona, Olite (check out the fridge at the castle! And it’s “at”, it was available for public use), the cathedral in Tudela are some of my favorite spots. Leyre and Oliva are two other famous monasteries. If you come to Tudela pay a visit to the tourist office, the lady in charge is family and can provide information on nearby locations as well (including in other provinces, but shhh, this is supposed to be a secret).
Varied landscapes: ni provincia ni región / Navarra es un continente / con desiertos y poblados / y con hayas entre nieves. Not a province nor a region / Navarre is a continent / with deserts and towns / and beeches in the snow. Yes, we don’t have a beAch any more, but that’s merely an accident of politics which we may remedy any of these centuries 
Bardenas, the Pyrinees, the midlands… all look different. We have two small but relatively spectacular canyons very close to each other (the river is the same in fact, the Salazar): granitic Arbayún and clay Lumbier.
Specially if you’re with kids, Taconera in Pamplona and Sendaviva near Tudela are very popular. Taconera is a park that’s got some local animals (if they haven’t been removed in a fit of ecologism) and Sendaviva is one of those modern zoo places, count on spending the day.
Things you are NOT required to try:
Walking to Santiago. It’s a bit far, takes a while.
Walking around any of our towns in stiletto heels. Boot heels are fine; sneakers or walking shoes are better. Oh: if you’ve got problems finding comfortable, pretty shoes, visit the shoe store in Tudela’s Concarera street (on your right as you go from the tourist office to the cathedral).
Running with the bulls. Very, very, very specifically: do not do this if it’s your first morning in town. Do not do it if you’ve never seen one of our bulls before. Do not do it if you’re wearing bad shoes or if you’re under the influence of anything other than tiredness. Our medical system and possibly your relatives will be happier. Thank you.
Hang-gliding.
If you want to spread out a bit, other interesting locations nearby include Bilbao (if you like paintings don’t miss the Museo de Bellas Artes; there is a small store in Jardines street whose hams and cheeses ought’a be illegal, people will often bump into each other right there because they’re both looking at the store), San Sebastián, Saragossa (the Seo or Cathedral and the Basilica del Pilar are next to each other and quite different; if you’re from the Americas, search for your flag in el Pilar), Tarazona, Arnedo… Bayonne, the two St. Jeans, Biarritz…
PA has Knoebel’s Grove Amusement Park
It’s a KGB training center; its how everyone in Eastern Europe thinks we live having seen old reruns of Leave it to Beaver. The carousel still has a brass ring, the bumper cars are the old 350lb Lusse’s that allow you to knock the body jewelry out of punks, and your pet is al welcome as you are as long as its on a leash and under control. Buy a wristband, individual tickets, or walk around all day for free and take in the shows and museums. Yes – they have museums. The food almost always wins the international award for park food (Dollywood edged them a year or two but not often) and they have several world-class coasters. This isn’t some dinky little place – its over 60 rides and attractions basically in a wooded forest. Not far off rte 80 near Williamsport it is a MUST if you are ever within 300 miles.
Olympia, WA, only has a handful of musts in my opinion;
- Get a burger and fries with goop at Eastside Big Tom
- Have a slice of pizza and a pint of Olympia at Old School Pizzeria
- Get a pizza with cashews (and/or “the Jake”) at Dirty Dave’s Gay '90s
- Drink a sip of water from the public well downtown
- See the statue of Governor Rogers at Sylvester Park (inspiration for the statue of Jebediah Springfield in The Simpsons)
- Be downtown at 5 PM on a weekday when the Fish Tale brewpub blows the steam whistle from the old Olympia brewery
- Pay your respects to Kurt Cobain at Mud Bay where his ashes were scattered, and maybe pose for a selfie in front of the Airbnb on Pear Street where he lived just before Nirvana got big
No trip to Seattle, the capital of Norwegian America, is complete without lutefisk.
If you’re in CT for some reason (maybe your car broke down between NYC and Boston) you need to have some New Haven style pizza at Frank Pepe’s. The real, original one on Wooster St, New Haven, it’s the best. Have breakfast at O’Rourke’s Diner in Middletown. If you’re a beer fan try just about any brewery that isn’t Stony Creek. If you’re interested in maritime history check out Mystic Seaport, there’s plenty of interesting stuff there.
Also, stay out of Waterbury. Seriously. Even the good parts of town aren’t worth seeing.
ETA: Also, I selfishly add, don’t stay too long in Branford. I liked it just fine before it became a “destination”.
Hawaii – Oahu
First, as much as possible, get out of Waikiki. It’s fine for the evenings (it’s actually more interesting at night). But you really need to head West (Leeward) or North/Northeast (Windward) to see and enjoy Oahu.
Polynesian Cultural Center – Touristy, pricy and a bit kitschy, but a nice overview of the different Pacific Islanders. A bit of behind the scenes trivia. I used to think that all the performers were really from the Islands they represent. I had a friend who was from Western Samoa and she said she used to be a Tahitian dancer performer or whatever else they needed at the time. All the performers and I believe all the staff are either current or former Bingham Young University students and alumni.
I’ve never been, but I heard that HA: Breath of Life evening show and luau is really good.
Bishop Museum - Focusing on the history of the Hawaiian Islands in the main exhibit hall and the last time I went about 10 years ago, they had an incredible one man stage show about the overthrow of the Hawaiian Government. Also, be sure to visit the Planetarium for Wayfarers (be sure to catch the longer 50 minute show), which chronicles the voyage of the Hōkūleʻa and crew, who followed the ancient route from Tahiti to the Hawaiian Islands in a period authentic canoe.
Hawaii’s Plantation Village – A recreation of the plantation homes and lives of the multi-national immigrants who often planned to return home, but for various reasons (both positive and negative) stayed in Hawaii. Be sure check or schedule to have a guided tour as the placards on the houses offer minimal information. Also, be sure to check there isn’t a special event going on. The last time I visited with my friend on the weekend, it was an open house fair with cultural foods for sale. It was nice as you could just walk around, but there were not tours offered.
If you don’t have the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center, book one with Germaine’s Luau or even better visit Highway Inn or Haile’s Hawaiian Foods. You won’t get all the entertainment, but you’ll definitely get all the flavor! Oh, and please give poi a try. Yes, it’s gray and sticky, but really doesn’t taste like library paste! If you get through a bowl of fresh poi, ask for one that’s ‘day old’ . The slight sourness adds a bit of dimension to the flavor.
Which leads to food.
Loco Moco – The beauty of most local food is it’s simplicity. A hamburger patty and a fried egg on a bed of sticky white or fried rice, topped with brown gravy over everything. Sometimes there’s grilled or raw onions added, but that’s it! My favorite is from LikeLike Drive Inn with fried rice.
Zippys Bento – Fried chicken, teriyaki beef, fried fish, takuwan (pickled Japanese long turnip) on a bed of rice in a box. You can substitute anything, sometimes for an extra charge, but what I’ve listed is the classic. The great thing is that most Zippy’s are open 24 hours and other than the breakfast items and daily specials, everything else on the menu is available any time. Also, the bento tastes room temp so you can get an extra one for late night munchies.
Sometimes they’ll have special promotional bentos to benefit various organizations. These can include Portuguese sausage (linguisa), mochiko chicken (deep fried chicken coated with rice flour) or Korean chicken, deep fried or grilled with a Korean style sauce.
Zippy’s Chili – Ask almost anyone who has moved from Hawaii what food they miss most and Zippy’s Chili will likely be high on the list. I once asked a co-worker who was from Texas how it compared to Texas chili, and she said it wasn’t anything like the real thing, but she did like it!
Leonard’s Malasadas – Portuguese donuts without the hole. You can get malasadas from other bakeries, but they’re not like Leonard’s. Light, airy and sugary, best when they’re piping hot out of the oil. They now have filled malasadas, but try the original first.
Local Style Buffet – I’m waiting on responses from the buffet thread since most of the high end dinner buffets have closed, but there are a number of good mid-priced local buffets for lunch. Ask the front desk for a recommendation and a typical lunch buffet will have Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean inspired dishes. Sushi and other Asian style seafood is usually also offered.
Matsumoto Shave Ice - The heavenly version of sno-cones. Light airy shaved ice with Matsumoto’s handmade syrups. My favorite has always been plain strawberry, but you could get rainbow which is multiple flavors on the mountain of ice.
Where pray tell? I sorta kinda knew capital of Norway in America, but about the only thing I’ve ever seen is the Norwegian Retirement Home near the Woodland Park Zoo.
I’m not a sightseer, but the Nu’uanu Pali lookout is a must visit location. It offers a panoramic view of Windward Oahu, but for me the real magic is that this was the site of the battle that won King Kamehameha the union and dominance of the Hawaiian Islands. Every once in a while I’ll look at the mountains and imagine Kamehameha standing there and knowing that he had united all the land (without the encumbrance the modern buildings) he could see in every direction!
Tahoe. Ski The Face. Ski The Lake. Bonus points if you do them both the same day.
Funny thing about that is you have to dress more for the lake part.
I was initially stumped on what is “uniquely” my city/state/region, then realized this Saturday is the culmination of Hate Week, when U. of Michigan comes to Columbus to play Ohio State in the grand football grudge match to determine who’s the class of a mediocre conference.
To have a unique experience, buy a ticket and come to the game dressed in the most over-the-top Michigan regalia you can find, sit in an O.S.U. fan section and scream “Buckeyes Suck” and other fond expressions of appreciation for the locals. You’ll have something to talk about for a long time. 
Region: far northern coastal California, near Eureka
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With all due respect to blondebear I live among the “various redwood parks.” The must see thing is to drive Avenue of the Giants.
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For those architecturally inclined a drive around Eureka will show you more well-tended victorian-era homes than you’ve ever seen in your life. Special nod to the Carson Mansion and the Pink Lady across the street.
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While there are plenty of good eateries around here I wouldn’t say any are “must try.” Nor is there any regionally specific food.
My parents grew up in Indiana, so I have a lot of relatives there. Whenever we would visit, we would always get pizza from Pizza King. I always associate rectangular pizzas with paper thin crust with Indiana (though it could be a midwestern thing).
Saskatoon, SK
You must try saskatoon berry pie. Also, saskatoon berry jam, saskatoon berry pancakes, and possibly other methods of combining saskatoon berries with pastry. Best if made with wild berries, though you may need local connections to obtain such. The domesticated variants are nearly as good, though.
Also, Baba’s Homestyle Perogies drivethrough. The perogies are good though not quite of Ukrainian grandmother quality, but seriously, when else are you going to have an opportunity to get perogies at a drivethrough. Never, that’s when.
In particular, try the white clam pizza, which is their most famous one. Also, the oven is this enormous thing that’s about eight or ten feet deep, so it’s interesting to watch them use pizza peels with really long handles move the pizzas into and out of the oven.
A nearby town called Milford is where lobster rolls were invented so try one somewhere nearby. If you’re into PEZ, the American headquarters and factory are nearby and have a museum and gift shop. If you’re into architecture, New Haven actually has quite a few buildings by well-known architects, including Paul Rudolph and Louis Kahn. Philip Johnson’s Glass House is in a small city less than an hour to the west.
Aside from that, try not to die of boredom while in Connecticut, and remember that New York and Boston are easily accessible via train or highway.