Over the years I have had the opportunity to travel around the United States and I have had a lot of great experiences. From my traveling, I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of worthwhile places to visit (some more well-known than others).These are twelve of my favorite places I have ever visited (in no particular order):

1. Topsail Island, North Carolina

I have been to Topsail many times, and every time I look forward to the same thing: finding shark's teeth on the beach. On most days, you can find anywhere between 20-40 shark's teeth. All you have to do is search the sand as the water crashes upon the shore.

I also enjoy how empty the beaches are. There are not a lot people, and most of them are spaced far apart. Topsail is also great because it is reasonably priced compared to other beaches.

2. Waikiki, Hawaii

I had the privilege to visit Hawaii back in 2006, and Waikiki was one of my favorite parts. Basically, one side of the main street is a variety of shops and restaurants, and the other side is the Pacific Ocean. I loved being able to go out on the beach and see hula dancers and tiki torch lightings. It was just so pretty and exciting.

3. Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay, Florida)

Busch Gardens combines two of my favorite things (amusement parks and zoos) in one place.They have a large variety of animals mixed in with all of the rides. As I rode on the roller coasters, I could see animals everywhere. Also, because of its location, the park is able to stay open year around. I visited on New Years Day (2013) and was able to wear shorts and a tank top.

This is also the place where I was able to add three new animals to my list of animals that I have pet. There was an exhibit where you could feed and touch kangaroos and wallabies. I also was able to touch an emu, although it was a lot less friendly.

4. Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

Cedar Point is my favorite amusement park because of all of the roller coasters. I have been on most of the roller coasters there except some of the newer ones because I haven't gone in a while. My favorite coasters are the Millennium Force, Raptor, and Top Thrill Dragster. I still want to ride the Maverick, GateKeeper, and Valravn.

Another thing that I like about Cedar Point is its location and view of Lake Erie. You can see the lake from most of the coasters and many of the rides. It is just an overall great place to visit.

5. Everglades Alligator Farm (Homestead, Florida)

On my first trip to Florida, my family visited this alligator farm, and it was definitely the highlight of the trip. I got to hold a baby alligator, and it was so cool. The place had tons of alligators of all ages everywhere. I also got to go on my first air boat ride through the Everglades. It was a lot of fun, and I got to see a lot of wildlife on the boat ride.

6. Emerald Hollow Mine (Hiddenite, North Carolina)

My family visited here a while ago, and I had so much fun looking for gemstones. It is a relatively cheap place to visit, and there are three different places you can mine: sluicing from buckets, digging in the creek, or going into the mine. There are more than 60 natural gemstones that you can find here, and you get to keep whatever you find. My family did the sluicing and digging in the creek and found some emeralds, rubies, and other gemstones.

7. Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary (Indian Shores, Florida)

This bird sanctuary was just a place that we stopped by on our last day of vacation. There were hardly any people at the place, and you could get really close to the birds. It was great to stand next to birds such as pelicans and owls because you just don't normally get to see them that close up. The birds were ones that were rescued after having been injured, so it was nice to see these animals have a second chance at life.

8. Rolling Hills Water Park (Ypsilanti, Michigan)

There are so many things to do at this water park such as the wave pool, water slides with and without tubes, a lazy river, and more. You get to do a lot here for the price of admission, and it is a great way to spend a warm day. Also, they have really good churros at the snack bar.

9. North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

This is a very large aquarium that has great value for the price. There are so many things to see, and the facilities are clean and kept nice. They have great viewing areas into the tanks, so it is not too crowded to see into the different exhibits. They also have touch pools that are included with the price of admission. You can touch sting rays, sea urchin, horseshoe crabs and other sea creatures.

10. Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan)

During my senior year of high school, I got to go on a field trip to this art museum. It was so much fun to explore, and I liked that there was so much to look at. I have been to a few other art museums, but I liked this one best because it is not as overwhelming as the Art Institute of Chicago but more to look at than the Toledo Museum of Art.

11. Aihualama Trail and Waterfall (Manoa, Hawaii)

On the island of Oahu, the trail takes you through a tropical rain forest and ends with a waterfall. The trees tower over you and the plants are huge. There are also tropical flowers and pineapples along the trail. There are many parts where the trail drops off, so it is important to stay on the path. There was a sign there that said, "To continue past this point of the trail could result in injury or even death."

On the day my family visited, I accidentally wore flip flops which were not the best walking shoes. The trail was muddy and I ruined my shoes, but the experience was well worth it.

12. The Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago, Illinois)

I love how large the Field Museum is and how many exhibits there are. My favorite part of the museum is the Egyptian area. It is fun to go down into the Egyptian tomb and look at all of the artifacts from ancient Egypt. All of the animal dioramas are neat to see as well because they have so many different species.