I've seen all 50 states. I didn't expect to love these 5 — now, they're among my favorites.

Wisconsin has some lovely views and trails. MarynaG/Shutterstock

• I've been to all 50 states. I didn't think I'd love some of them — visiting changed my mind.
• Alabama is a wealth of information when it comes to civil-rights history.

When trying to visit all 50 states in the US, some are easy to check off.

You can hit a half-dozen in the Northeast or mid-Atlantic just by driving a few hundred miles on I-95. Other states pull you in with bucket-list destinations, like New Orleans in Louisiana or the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

And some, like California and New York, are must-sees even if you're not trying to visit all 50. But a few states require more planning, especially if they're hard to reach or their attractions aren't well-known.

These five states were among the last I saw on my quest to visit all 50 states. I didn't expect to love them, but they're now among my favorites — and here's what I recommend doing there.