What does Great American & All Fifty mean? Well, first, it’s the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, DC. And All Fifty means promotion of visiting all fifty states! And that doesn’t mean visiting all 50 states’ booths at this event! The All Fifty Club obtained a presence at the event that ran from June 25th to July 10th, 2026. Therefore, it’s another opportunity to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the USA. Of course, the All Fifty Club will answer questions about how to accomplish the feat and host quizzes and discussions about visiting America. Here’s the All Fifty Club link.

Once again, I’m still planning to update this fair soon. I expected to visit most of the pavilions during breaks between shifts, which I was mostly able to do, but we were extremely busy!

As The Driveby Tourist, I volunteered at the All Fifty Club pavilion from Saturday, June 27th, through Wednesday, July 1st. Here’s The Driveby Tourist’s (Link) take on visiting All Fifty. I encourage you to visit as many states as you can. (That’s IRL, not just at the fair!) You’ll have a great experience! Be sure to strike up conversations with locals during your visits. Most are proud of their state and will tell you more about what to see there. Just remember the Great American & All Fifty experience!

All Fifty Club

The All Fifty Club encourages all to visit all 50 states and celebrates with those who do. The Club was founded in 2006 by Alicia Rovey to help travelers track, share, and celebrate the milestone of visiting all 50 U.S. states. Alicia and many of “us” volunteers were on hand to answer questions and support our own activities within the pavilion.

And let’s get on with the Great American Fair!

Again, the fair (on the National Mall, between the Washington Monument and the US Capitol) runs for 16 days. And each state had some level of representation along with six territories, such as Puerto Rico and Guam. Due to politics, some states declined to participate. Some of them had last-minute stand-ins, like tourist groups from their state. Others just had an empty pavilion.

A great story was about Donna from Massachusetts. She didn’t want her state to go unrepresented so she showed up with a few “props” from her state and staffed the booth for many hours during the fair.

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More about the states and territories coming soon. (Maybe? When? What?)

(This will be a summary…eventually!)

Classic Rock Recollection

“I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash

I’ve been everywhere, man
I’ve been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I’ve breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I’ve had my share, man
I’ve been everywhere

I’ve been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota
Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota
Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma
Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma
Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo
Tocapillo, Baranquilla, and Perdilla, I’m a killer

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I’ve been everywhere, man

Written by: Geoff Mack
(Originally written for Australia and since adopted for the USA, New Zealand, Canada, Europe (many versions), and even Texas!

#thedrivebytourist