The Best license plate in America: A Complete Bucket-List Checklist

Spot All 50 State Plates

Here is the deal: you do not have to go anywhere. The plates come to YOU. Every car on the road is from somewhere. Most are from your state — boring. But keep watching, and sooner or later a plate rolls past from a state you have never been to. That is the whole game. When you spot a new one, find its page, tick the box, and write down where you were when you saw it. Then read about it. By the end of the summer you will know all 50 capitals and nobody will have made you learn them. Hawaii and Alaska are the hard ones. Almost nobody drives those cars to the mainland. If you find either, you have done something most people never do.

New England

Site	Location	Nickname
Maine	Augusta	The Pine Tree State
New Hampshire	Concord	The Granite State
Vermont	Montpelier	The Green Mountain State
Massachusetts	Boston	The Bay State
Rhode Island	Providence	The Ocean State
Connecticut	Hartford	The Constitution State

Mid-Atlantic

Site	Location	Nickname
New York	Albany	The Empire State
New Jersey	Trenton	The Garden State
Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	The Keystone State
Delaware	Dover	The First State
Maryland	Annapolis	The Old Line State
Virginia	Richmond	The Old Dominion
West Virginia	Charleston	The Mountain State

The South

Site	Location	Nickname
North Carolina	Raleigh	The Tar Heel State
South Carolina	Columbia	The Palmetto State
Georgia	Atlanta	The Peach State
Florida	Tallahassee	The Sunshine State
Alabama	Montgomery	The Yellowhammer State
Mississippi	Jackson	The Magnolia State
Tennessee	Nashville	The Volunteer State
Kentucky	Frankfort	The Bluegrass State
Arkansas	Little Rock	The Natural State
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	The Pelican State

The Midwest

Site	Location	Nickname
Ohio	Columbus	The Buckeye State
Michigan	Lansing	The Great Lakes State
Indiana	Indianapolis	The Hoosier State
Illinois	Springfield	The Prairie State
Wisconsin	Madison	The Badger State
Minnesota	Saint Paul	The North Star State
Iowa	Des Moines	The Hawkeye State
Missouri	Jefferson City	The Show-Me State

The Great Plains

Site	Location	Nickname
North Dakota	Bismarck	The Peace Garden State
South Dakota	Pierre	The Mount Rushmore State
Nebraska	Lincoln	The Cornhusker State
Kansas	Topeka	The Sunflower State
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	The Sooner State
Texas	Austin	The Lone Star State

The Mountain West

Site	Location	Nickname
Montana	Helena	The Treasure State
Idaho	Boise	The Gem State
Wyoming	Cheyenne	The Equality State
Colorado	Denver	The Centennial State
Utah	Salt Lake City	The Beehive State
Nevada	Carson City	Home Means Nevada
Arizona	Phoenix	The Grand Canyon State
New Mexico	Santa Fe	The Land of Enchantment

The Pacific

Site	Location	Nickname
Washington	Olympia	The Evergreen State
Oregon	Salem	The Beaver State
California	Sacramento	The Golden State
Alaska	Juneau	The Last Frontier
Hawaii	Honolulu	The Aloha State

Planning Tips

Plate designs change, and every state runs several series at once — specialty, veteran, university, vintage. The designs noted here are the standard-issue plate. If what you see does not match, you have found a specialty plate: still counts. Big highways are better than little roads. Cars on a highway came from far away. Parking lots are cheating, and cheating is allowed. Rest stops, national parks and big stadiums are full of cars from everywhere. Walk the rows. Check the moving trucks and the rental cars. They are almost never from here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most famous states in America?

This checklist spans the country. Standouts include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, among others — each chosen as a memorable stop worth the trip.

Is this a printable checklist I can use on a trip?

Yes. The Triptyka license plate Passport is an instant printable PDF — a curated checklist grouped by region, a detail page for each stop, suggested routes, and achievement badges to earn.

When is the best time to visit states?

It depends on the site and the season. Many are best in spring or fall, and hours change through the year — always confirm opening times and admission before you go.

How do I keep track of the states I've visited?

A printable license plate passport makes it easy — check off each one as you visit, log the date and your notes, and watch your progress add up.