30 things before 30: 16-30

I saw this list the other day on Away.com and loved it 30 things to do before you turn 30!

I'm heading towards my 26th birthday, so I thought it'd be fun to see which ones I've done.
This is the second half of the list, to see the first half, go here.


16. Have one iconic Americana experience: Think Dollywood, Graceland, and Branson.
-I've never been to any of these places, and literally didn't know what Branson was until an episode of the Simpsons.

17. Go to at least one of the Smithsonian museums: The world's "largest museum and research complex" includes 19 museums, galleries, and parks—the majority of which are free.
-Some day, and hopefully some day soon!

18. Summit a mountain.: I'm not talking Everest, but you should by now have stood on a mountain peak high enough that you're worried about getting back down.
-I've never summited a mountain before. Perhaps that will be my goal this summer, if it ever warms up enough for the snow to melt.

19. Be able to name your top five dream vacations: It's OK if one of them is "home."
- 1.back to Scotland and see Stonehenge while I'm in the UK., 2. Fly to somewhere in Europe and just take trains to whatever city we feel like, 3. Machu Picchu, 4.I've heard Prague is just amazing, 5.I used to think I never wanted to go to India, but now I'd love to go there.

20. See a game at a classic ballpark: If Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, or Joe Dimaggio hasn't played in it, it doesn't count.
-I've only ever been to minor league games.

21. Visit a neighbor to our north or south: There's a hall pass to be had for out of the continent, but by 30 you should have crossed at least one landlocked border.
-They don't know it yet, but our Canadian friends are going to take us to Banff National Park.

22. Do something so adventurous that it requires a doctor's visit: Whether it requires a series of preventative vaccines before or a cast/splint/cream after, the goal here is that the adventure at hand was so extreme that you need to seek the advice of a trained professional.

-I'm gonna say the many doctors appointments I had to qualify to join the Peace Corps count. Especially since I caught Dengue Fever while in Cambodia.
23. Save pennies to go somewhere you really want to go: It doesn't have to be extravagant, but you should have to work for it.

-We saved our monies to pay for out Scotland trip, but I'm currently saving my pennies to hopefully go to the Grand Canyon for my birthday.

24. Go to New York City: Eat a slice of pizza, stand in the middle of Times Square, and ride the Subway to somewhere, anywhere. This trip is made even better if you can't afford a decent hotel and book a hostel instead.

-New York was my favorite part of my honeymoon. I'd love to go back.

25. Sleep under the stars: In your backyard, in a tent on safari in Kenya, or in the camping pit of an organized event—be extra proud if your experience was made significantly more successful by a can of bug spray.
-I've definitely slept in the backyard under the stars, and we bought our mosquito net back from Cambodia just so we could sleep out under the stars when camping.

26. Eat an iconic city meal: Options include a cheesesteak in Philly, clam chowder in Boston, deep-dish pizza in Chicago, crabs in Baltimore, gumbo in New Orleans, BBQ in Memphis, and a beer in Milwaukee.
-Seeing as I've never been to any of these cities, I can't claim this one yet.

27. Know all of the best places to take tourists in your home city: Philly's LOVE Park may be just a point of congestion to locals, but trust me, your mother will love it.
-I feel like I could be a pretty good tour guide for Salt Lake.

28. Have one close encounter with a wild animal: If this means you don a wetsuit and slip into a tank with dolphins, so be it. But let's aim for something in the wild if at all possible.

-When we went to Yellowstone for my birthday back in 2010 we were charged by an elk in our campsite and a bear came running at our van, chasing after someone. He stopped on the side of the road, stood up with his claws in the air with all of us open mouthed, and then he turned around and walked into the forest.

29. Parachute out of something that is working perfectly fine, for no legitimate reason: The obvious choose here is an airplane, but I'll accept others as long as they're moving.
-Hal and I almost bought a groupon for prarchuting out of a plane. I'm SO bummed we didn't buy it. I've wanted to do this for a long time.

30. Know a dance well enough that you could keep up with the locals: Tango with Argentinians, Salsa with Cubans, Kathak in India, do a jig with the Irish, or line dance in Kansas.
-How did I never get a video of Hal and I khmer dancing? It's not too hard to know how to do and they get a kick out of it if you start to add stuff in, but dancing around at a wedding was always good times.


I've done at least 16 of the 30 and 20 of them if I'm stretching it. Well, I have just over 4 years to finish the list! How close are you?