Great boon for exploring the state
926455
Having grown up in the Chicago area and having vacationed frequently in Wisconsin as a youth, there's no part of Wisconsin I haven't visited. However, a few years ago when my wife and I decided to take a trip to northern Wisconsin, we bought a Wisconsin Atlas and Gazetteer. This turned out to be a great boon to our explorations. This atlas show all the roads, including some that aren't much more than dirt paths as they wind through the backwoods. And it includes all the major topographical features, such as creeks, the tiniest of lakes, swamps, and the like.
784599
This books provides fun facts and is a great resource when planning a vacation to an unknown place. And for us, although we currently live in Columbia, we've only been here for 3 years so there are lots of undiscovered treasures as well as unknown facts about this city that we learned. For example, although I work just over a block away from the South Carolina State House, I had no idea that the dome has over 44k pounds of copper as part of its makeup. I bet there are long-time residents who didn't know that.

When we received the book and I started flipping through it my 7-year old was leaning over my shoulder and started reading as well. So the facts and information are relevant to people of all ages.

It's a quick read, if you're interested in browsing it from cover to cover, or you can pull it out periodically, and re-learn some state facts.

Reviewed for Arms of a Sister blog
915948
I have found the Delorme atlas and gazetteers an invaluable aid over the years, and I always make sure I have one before do any serious exploration of a state. If all you're planning on doing is driving through the state on an interstate or major highway, a regular road atlas will do fine. But for anything more the Delorme gazetteer is what you'll need. I've had the opportunity to spend time in Oregon (a beautiful state, by the way), and having the gazetteer has allowed me to find secondary and back roads to access out-of-the-way places, such as small lakes and ponds and even little hamlets that I would otherwise not have known existed. Plus, this gazetteer shows hiking trails and trailheads, which, for someone like me who enjoys accessing places on foot, is definitely a benefit. And because the maps are topographical, I can get a good idea of the terrain beforehand, which allows me to anticipate how rugged the terrain will be and allows me to plan accordingly.
2478054
There's a lot of information packed in to this small book. I'm a native Californian, but that doesn't mean I don't need extra help when traveling. This book is for the Pacific Coast Highways which I'm familiar with, of course. We can all look at our GPS, but it's nice to have a good old fashioned map at times. A pull out map is included along with help on planning your trip, road trip ideas and destination information. There are suggestions for places to eat, sleep, highlights and don't miss sections. Recommended.
1083652
This book has been our guide for the last five years since we moved back to Utah. Many of our family trips and weekend activities have been based around the great stuff in this book! Having grown up in Utah and returned to it, this book has helped me be a tourist in my home state and enjoy all its history and natural wonders. It's been a go-to gift as well. Thanks for a great publication!
3883230
I've lived in New Hampshire/Mass./Maine my whole life, but when you live somewhere you forget about all the "to do" ideas and locations within an easy drive. You take them for granted, and never even notice.

So this book would be as ideal for a long-time resident of a region, as much as a tourist who is planning a trip. I was surprised by a lot of the 'touristy' things I've let pass me by - but thanks to this book, the effort of locating and coordinating short trips would be pretty easy. I already know the area's "infrastructure," like roads and directions, so this book provides the specific details.

Obviously, it's also great for tourists planning a first-time trip. You do sort of need your own ideas so you'll know what to look for. It's organized by region, not activity, but that's probably the best way.

One potential problem (with any book like this) might be keeping it current. Portsmouth, NH has a lot of restaurant turnover, for example, and it's likely that venues listed in the book will have changed names or closed in a year or so. But, restaurants are just a small part of the book anyhow.

Plus, it limits the content to just a few restaurants, when most of these communities have many more than that. Focus on a handful is fine - but an index of another dozen or more would be a good addition. And, they ALL wouldn't change names or whatever, so it would just add to the comprehensiveness (but the book can only be so long, so it's always a tradeoff).

Definitely a useful resource that we hope to use for some new travel/activity ideas right in our backyard.
1436564
We bought this before a trip to the redwoods.  It was extremely helpful in finding the hotels, making restaurant suggestions, finding gas stations and points of interest.  It has made me more confident in driving into an unfamiliar area and wondering if I'll be able to find my destination.
4237390
When my wife and I began our project of visiting every county in Nebraska a few years ago we bought the Nebraska Atlas and Gazetteer. This has been an invaluable tool ever since. Not only does it show all the highways and county roads in detail, but it also shows many natural features, including even the smallest rivers and creeks, hills, ponds, and the like. In exploring the various counties we've been able to take various shortcuts from one place to another using the county roads, something that would have been difficult otherwise. I highly recommend this for anyone who is adventurous enough to leave the main highways and enjoy the backroads of this wonderful state.
2893840
This guide was the most helpful one we took on our recent trip to Montana (south central and southeastern parts of the state).  The suggested drives took us along roads we might not have found on our own (including some dirt roads that we managed just fine in our Subaru rental) and the landscape we passed through was stunningly beautiful.  Although the focus of the book is definitely driving, it also had good suggestions for day hikes along the way and for places to stay.  (We especially loved the Grand Hotel in Big Timber!)  It made me want to try other guides in this series.  Highly recommended.
4171280
Found a older copy at our library and liked the format, details and maps. Got my own updated copy for highlighting and making notes.
It's more than worth the money:
Sights are well described, come along with lots of mini maps for a better orientation. Specific information for better preparation (e. g. just 4x4 road, bring mosquito repellant, no kiosk, bathrooms...). Makes it really easy selecting best sights and find favorite activities for a great vacation. Format comes in pretty handy and therefore will definetely join us on our vacation.
3236538
Great book - given as gift. Can hardly wait to use on our next travels around the state.
1475892
I love this book. I have found things I never knew were in the state. And, believe me, I'm a major booster of SD! I've traveled there, or through there, probably 15-20 times. Great place, reasonably priced (except around Bike Week in Sturgis, First full week in August), lots to see and do.
4389241
Very interesting and enjoyable reading...as a WA state resident it is particularly useful as I travel about the state, providing a fun guide to some of the less known attractions...
380235
I got this for my mother and she loves it. The map is large and good print quality. The quarters fit right in. If you're careful, you can remove quarters from the map with minimal damage. She liked that it has two spots for each quarter, so you can collect both mints. It is also very informative, as it tells you which national park is for which state and what year they will be released.
4528597
I wish I had more time to read this book before going on my vacation this year, but we did pull out some helpful hints from the book.

It provided some good feedback on local restaurants, as well as some kooky out of the way attractions we really enjoyed. I would definitely recommend it for your southwestern getaway.
4159953
"Knowing Where You're Going: New York City" has colorful maps and plenty of pictures. In this book you will learn about interesting places like "Poet's House," a library containing over 50,000 poetry books. So much for poetry being dead!

What I also like about this book is the little information tidbits. Also you will find out about gourmet food stores, kayaking, museums, zoos, ice skating rinks, open air theaters and even castles.

The maps are all color coded. Like the shopping districts are highlighted with purple and safe streets are outlined with heavy black lines.

So whether you like to travel or want to buy this as a gift for a friend it is a book to treasure.

~The Rebecca Review
1800348
Gave as a gift to my parents who were planning a cross-country road trip.  Every place they stopped they checked this book for nearby scenic drives. They really enjoyed the ones they took.  This is a great resource.