Destination weddings are great, but what happens when your guests have downtime in between the loved-up festivities? You and your partner-to-be can’t play tour guide to everyone. After all, you’ll both be busy with wedding preparations, and you know, tying the knot. Even if you opt for a local wedding, you’re likely to invite a few out-of-towners who are unfamiliar with the area. So what can you do to help your guests navigate the area surrounding your wedding venue? Create a paperless, easy-to-make virtual wedding guide! Whether your guests are looking for lodging options, restaurants, a quick stop at a grocery store, fun things to do, or wedding day location logistics, a virtual wedding guide is a great tool to ensure your wedding goes smoothly.

View Hawaiian Wedding Guide in a full screen map

Just like a map of your location and favorite places, a wedding guide can help guests navigate the area surrounding your venue and take some stress off your shoulders. So keep reading for instructions on how to make your own virtual wedding guide for your friends and family.

Determine What to Do in the Surrounding Area

The first step of creating a virtual wedding guide is to determine what there is to do in the area surrounding your wedding venue. It’s helpful in your mapping endeavors if you already know all about the nighttime scene, unique hikes, or famous botanical gardens of the area. Perhaps you’ve already mapped your highlights from hiking, geocaching, or walking around the area! However, unfamiliarity with the area shouldn’t stop you from creating a virtual wedding guide. Turn to Google to help you determine what places to add to your wedding guide.

For example, if your wedding venue is the beautiful Haiku Mill located in Hawaii, enter that into Google Maps. Here, you can select the “Nearby” option to see the restaurants, hotels, bars, and pubs near the venue you may want your guests to know about. Then, jot them down! A spreadsheet is a perfect place to keep track of all the spots your guests might like to check out.

Create a Spreadsheet and Copy & Paste into the Mapping Tool

Now you can go ahead and add all of the amazing places you discovered to a spreadsheet. You’ll want to use column headings like the name of the location and “type” or “category.” These group-able categories (like restaurants, hotels, or fun thing to do) will come in handy later. Of course, don’t forget to note the address of these places since we’re going to be plotting them on a map! Below is an example of our spreadsheet:

Location	Address	Type
Haiku Mill	250 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Wedding Venue
St Rita’s Church	655 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Fun Things To Do
Twin Falls	6280 Hana Hwy, Haiku, HI 96708	Fun Things To Do
The Gardens	800 Haumana Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Fun Things To Do
Ho’okipa Beach Park	Hana Hwy, Paia, HI 96779	Fun Things To Do
Haiku Market	810 Haiku Rd #143, Haiku, HI 96708	Grocery
Fukushima Store	815 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Grocery
Pauwela Store	375 W Kuiaha Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Grocery
Haiku Plantation Inn: Maui Bed and Breakfast	555 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Hotel
Bamboo Valley Inn	1444 W Kuiaha Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Hotel
The Inn At Mama’s Fish House	799 Poho Pl, Paia, HI 96779	Hotel
Maui Adventure Villa	190 Kaokoa Way, Haiku, HI 96708	Hotel
Kaiholo Hale	25 Kaiholo Pl, Paia, HI 96779	Hotel
Veg Out	810 Kokomo Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Restaurant
Colleen’s At the Cannery	810 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Restaurant
Nuka	780 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Restaurant
Maui Kombucha	810 Kokomo Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Restaurant
Mediterranean Grill	810 Haiku Rd #1, Haiku, HI 96708	Restaurant
Bailey’s Café	810 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Restaurant
Kings BBQ	810 Kokomo Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Restaurant
Mangala Yoga	810 Kokomo Rd #102, Haiku, HI 96708	Wellness
Three Treasures Inc.	718 Haiku Rd, Haiku, HI 96708	Wellness
MALIE DAY SPA	810 Kokomo Rd #201, Haiku, HI 96708	Wellness

Now that you’ve gathered the exciting places guests can visit in a spreadsheet, simply copy and paste your data into our map-making tool for a wedding guide that looks something like this:

Guests Can Calculate Distances Between Important Locations

With your new paperless wedding guide your guests can calculate the distance between two markers on the map. To enable this option, right click on your map and select “Edit Map.” Then, scroll down and click “Validate and Set Options.” Next, select “Show Advanced Options.” Check the box for “Calculate (straight line) distance from first address” and note your preferred units of measurement. Finally, click “Make Map,” and you’re good to go!

Since this is a wedding guide, we recommend the first address (from which the map will now automatically calculate distances) be your wedding venue. After all, it is the most important point on a wedding map! Now, if Uncle Bucky intends to stay at the Inn At Mama’s Fish House, he’s easily able to see it’s 2.47 miles away from the venue.

Moreover, your guests may want to calculate the distance from a marker on the wedding guide other than the first address. And with BatchGeo Pro, they can easily do that! Measure on the fly with the measuring tool (it looks like a ruler!) in the top left corner of your wedding map. Using the measuring tool, drag a line between any two markers on the map and BatchGeo will let you know exactly how far apart they are. As when we calculated distances from the first address, you’re able to toggle between units of measurement with the measuring tool. To do so, click the scale on the bottom right of your map to switch between feet and meters. The measuring tool and the option to calculate distances from the first address are available with the Advanced Mode in BatchGeo Pro which opens up more opportunities for data insight.

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Now that a virtual wedding map solved the problem of playing tour guide to your wedding guests, you’ve got more time to move — literally — on to other ways maps can help with important relationship milestones: moving in together.

This map has got everything you need to make the most financially-informed decision about moving. Then, once you’ve identified the new city or state with the best rent prices, you can apartment hunt visually with a custom map or even make an open house map if you and your spouse are looking to buy a home.

Many of us in the U.S. take pride in our home state or the state in which we currently reside. After all, we’re not likely to move to a state we absolutely despise unless a job opportunity outweighs the negatives. And trust us, each state certainly has its negatives. From preventable hospitalizations and the smallest increase in newborn life expectancy to dismal unemployment rates and a future $223 million going towards preventing rising sea level damage, we’re shining a light on some of the darkest state statistics. The map helped us identify regions of the U.S. with the worst health as well as which side of the nation, East versus West, faces similar issues.

View The Worst Statistic About Your State in a full screen map

Take a look at the map above for the different categories of negative state statistics including natural disasters, environmental negatives, and crime levels. Then read on for the fascinating trends you can pull from the data.

The South Could Be Healthier

Using the map grouping feature to group by health, it’s clear the South’s health struggles rise to the top. Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia all face health-related concerns serious enough to be considered the worst fact about these Southern states.

State	Details
Alabama	Alabama has fewer than 85 mental health providers per 100,000 people, the least of any state and well below the national average of 212.8 mental health providers per 100,000 people.
Arkansas	Nearly a quarter of state adults report having fair or poor health, compared to 16.0% of Americans.
Kentucky	Preventable hospitalizations are a sign of poor health habits and a suboptimal medical system. Kentucky has an estimated 76.56 preventable hospitalizations per 100,000 Medicare enrollees, the highest of any state.
Oklahoma	Between 1980 and 2014, life expectancy at birth improved by only 3.4 years in Oklahoma, the smallest improvement of any state and less than half the 7.2 year national increase.
South Carolina	Just 54.2% of South Carolina residents have access to places for physical activity like park parks and recreation centers, the smallest share of any state.
Tennessee	According to the CDC, 9.8% of Tennessee adults have a major cardiovascular disease of some kind, compared to the national prevalence of 6.9%.
Texas	In Texas, 17.3% of the population lacks health insurance, the highest uninsured rate of any state.
West Virginia	West Virginia’s 35.5% adult obesity rate is the highest of any state. The national obesity rate is 28.0%.

Unhealthy Outliers: South Dakota and Montana

South Dakota and Montana also make an appearance on the map when you group by health issues. South Dakota’s government spent just $1,022 per capita on health in the most recent fiscal year, the lowest of any U.S. state. In fact, New Mexico spends over three times as much as South Dakota on health. Plus, the national average for state health spending is $1,884 per capita.

As for Montana, the state has the highest suicide rate of any state at 26 incidents per 100,000 people. And while rising suicide rates aren’t new, between 1999 and 2016 Montana saw a 38% increase in suicides. To put it in perspective, the national average increased by 25%. The National Alliance on Mental Montana’s executive director suspects the state’s high suicide rate is because of Montana’s particular residential makeup. Many gun owners, Native Americans, and military veterans call Montana home. Unfortunately, these folks are at high risk of suicide. Additionally, as is the case in Alabama, Montana doesn’t have enough mental health care providers for their population and Montana recently faced further mental-health budget cuts. This seems counterintuitive since Montana’s residential makeup and ruralness resulting in geographic isolation, high rate of heavy alcohol consumption, and lack of daylight during the winter are all linked to depression.

Financial Woes of the Eastern United States

It appears that more than other region, the Eastern United States struggles financially. If you group the map by finances, the right side of the nation including Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, and Virginia all light up with a financial-related issue. For example, both Connecticut and Illinois struggle with debt. The average credit card debt in Connecticut is $7,258, the highest of any of the mainland U.S. states. Illinois also has a history of debt. In fact, Illinois’s debt is so serious that the state itself is at risk of a financial crisis or even bankruptcy. In its most recent fiscal year, the state had $244.9 billion in obligations and just $28.8 billion in assets.

When it comes to real estate, Indiana has something in common with the only non-Eastern state struggling financially: Hawaii. The cost of living in Hawaii is 18.4% higher than the average cost of living nationwide. Indiana’s real estate dilemma? Its home values. Indiana homes are some of the least
valuable in the nation as most are worth
less than $142,000. The typical home
nationwide is worth $217,600.

The Eastern U.S. Also Battles Environment & Transportation Issues

The Eastern United States battles another bad trend or two. If you group the map by both environment and transportation, it’s apparent the East also has trouble with these categories. Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Ohio all face environmental issues. Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island struggle with roadside transportation.

Environmentally-speaking, just 2.4% of Delaware’s energy comes from renewable sources, one of the lowest shares of any U.S. state. Nationally, 11.7% of energy production comes from renewable non-hydro sources. New Jersey is one of the least environmentally friendly states as nearly all residents live in high ozone areas. Air high in ozone can be harmful to health. Maybe New Jersey should also be classified as an Eastern state that is not ideal for those seeking optimal health. Also not great for health: the air pollution problem in Ohio. The average daily concentration of PM2.5, a harmful substance, is the highest concentration of any state. Lastly, North Carolina has over 300 miles of coastline that is susceptible to damage from rising sea levels. By some estimates, rising sea levels could cost $223 million per year by 2080 in southern North Carolina alone.

As for transportation, 48.7% of Marylanders drive to work by themselves for more than 30 minutes each day, the highest of any state. We too noted this on our map of the U.S. city commute times. But it’s not too shocking Maryland has such a high solo commuter rate. This can be attributed to Washington D.C.’s infamous gridlock. On the other hand, residents of Pennsylvania likely opt out of driving as often since Pennsylvania has the highest gas tax. And we hear the roads in Rhode Island are pretty beat up.

Does the West Even Struggle?

So what do the Western states even struggle with? Unlike when we found that the West faces the most extreme high and low temperatures in the U.S. and the most NBA finals wins per team and opportunity, we don’t see many trends with the worst state statistics in the West. However, that doesn’t mean these states don’t have negatives. Washington and California face weather and natural disaster-related problems. Arizona and Colorado both have serious racial disparities they need to address. There are also a couple of Western states with negative lifestyle-related facts. Take Nevada’s sky-high divorce rate for example — though, who doesn’t get married and subsequently divorced in Vegas nowadays? Further lifestyle negatives include Utah’s lack of social spaces and Idaho’s lack of children in preschool. Other Western state stats: New Mexico’s got lots of crime while Oregonians and North Dakotans love their drugs. We guess the West’s trend is that they don’t have any trends.

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Once you recover from seeing the worst statistic about your state laid out clearly on a map, check out some more popular maps related to the worst statistic categories like how to map local crime data online, different drinking ages around the world on a map, or the most disastrous natural disasters mapped. Then, make a map of your own. Just enter the spreadsheet information you want mapped into our data-mapping tool and you too can delve into the world of insight opportunities.

Calling all foodies! We mapped 10 of the most highly-rated restaurants in 25 U.S. cities known for their cuisine. From Atlanta to Washington D.C., check out the top 10 restaurants, their Yelp rankings, and the type of food that lands them on the map. We note the eight most common types of cuisine and more tasty trends, like the many vegan and vegetarian establishments and how food trucks are taking over the scene. Plus, we identify a steakhouse chain that is sure to be a highly-rated winner in three cities. We’ll also show you how easy it is to find the highly-rated steakhouse or other of restaurant nearest you.

View Best Restaurants in Major Foodie Cities in a full screen map

Fortunately, it doesn’t always cost an arm and a leg to eat out at a high-quality establishment. You can sort our map above by the price you’re willing to pay for dishes from Yelp’s highly-rated restaurants. Each dollar sign represents a range. There are 121 highly-rated restaurants on our map that Yelp classifies as “Inexpensive” ($) and 118 that are “Moderately expensive” ($$). Only eight of the highly-rated restaurants on our map are “Pricey” ($$$) and three of which Yelp deems “Ultra High-End” ($$$$.)

Common Cuisines

Popular types of food for highly-rated restaurants include:

• American food like burgers, hotdogs, and delis
• Coffee & Tea
• Mediterranean food like Greek, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern cuisine
• Italian food like pizza
• Vegan & Vegetarian
• Desserts & Bakeries
• Japanese food like sushi and poke
• Food trucks

However, there are many more types of food that highly-rated restaurants serve. Use the map to see them all, from the less common but equally yummy Vietnamese food to Asian Fusion, Armenian food, or a good Cuban meal.

Tasty Trends — Vegan, Vegetarian, & Highly-Rated Food Trucks on the Rise

Who said vegan and vegetarian food is subpar? There are many vegan and vegetarian places that make the list of highly-rated restaurants. Filter the map by vegan and vegetarian options to see for yourself the 21 plant-loving restaurants that beat out even the highest-rated omni-establishments.

Like vegan and vegetarian-centered restaurants, food trucks cooking up delicious and highly-rated food in the confines of small spaces are on the rise. Traditional brick and mortar restaurants in Austin, Texas are especially susceptible to being overtaken by top-tier food trucks. Eight out of Austin’s 10 most highly-rated restaurants are food trucks. The map can show you the rest of the highly-rated food trucks in the U.S. You’ll even find the additional information section includes the specific cuisine of each food truck.

What’s Cookin’ in Atlanta, Houston, and San Antonio?

If you’re planning a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, hit up Flat Shoals Avenue, for three of the best restaurants in the city. In addition to the three highly-rated restaurants on Flat Shoals Avenue, Atlanta is one of the three cities where Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse is highly-rated. This restaurant chain ranks #2 in Atlanta, and #4 and #7 in Houston and San Antonio, Texas, respectively. But before you stop on by the Brazilian Steakhouse in one of these major foodie cities, note that it will cost you some serious cash. Yelp classifies this chain as Pricey ($$$).

You can also visit a Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse in Chicago. However, Chicago must have many other more highly-rated options than Chama Gaucha seeing as it doesn’t make it into the top ten most highly-rated in the Windy City. In fact, when we tried to identify this chain’s rank in Chicago, we gave up after it didn’t appear in Chicago’s top 350 highly-rated restaurants.

Find the Highly-Rated Restaurant Nearest You

Now that you have access to a map of the most highly-rated restaurants like the Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse chain, it’s time to find the highly-rated restaurant nearest you. The search box in the top right corner of the map can guide you to your closest 4 or 5-star restaurant.

Just type your city, ZIP code, or full address into the search box and hit enter.

Even more useful, you can narrow your search by the specific type of food you want to try, or even by your ideal price range. Before you search with your location, utilize our grouping feature to filter the map. Then search for the highly-rated restaurant nearest you with those specifications. The results of your search will only include what you elected to show.

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Want to get even more information about your city’s foodie hotspots? Make a map like ours, but include more than 10 of your city’s highly-rated restaurants. Then whip it out the next time you can’t decide where you want to eat.

It’s simple. Just copy 25 or 30 of Yelp’s restaurants in your area, like San Diego. Be sure to go to “All Filters” and sort by “Highest Rated.” Then, paste the data into a spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets. While you’re at it, check out our popular post about advanced excel skills and formulas. Once you’ve gathered your city’s restaurant data, you can format your spreadsheet using headers like restaurant, rank, food type, and of course, the location! The final step is to simply copy and paste your easily formatted spreadsheet data into our location data mapper.