My general feeling is that it has to have involved some sort of stop. Gas, food, an attraction.
A few are more lenient, only one leans more restrictive.
I admit that my personal rule is rather restrictive. I wonder if anybody says you have to do more than have an overnight stay to claim that you have visited a state. I had driven through Delaware many, many times before I finally started counting it after I went to a wedding there.
Yeah. More than once.
I've spent a weekend in Newport as a quickie getaway vacation. The family rented a house on the shore for a week one summer. I've run a couple of downtown 5ks in Providence where I thought it would be fun to stay in a nice hotel in town the night before. Rhode Island is lovely!
My requirements are less stringent. I haven't had an overnight stay in South Dakota, Wisconsin, nor Montana. I've passed through them and made sightseeing stops on multiple occasions.
My counter example would be someone who lives in NC and has been to Virginia thirty times, say to Roanoke, but always returns home. Have they never been to Virginia to the extent it counts?
92 right now, massive gin and tonic looms, it's medicinal in this weather, probably even tax deductible!
"It's half an inch of water, and you think you're gonna drown"
Last night, we finished a bottle of wine that had been a gift to Sister Anne and BiL Wayne. The label said "It's what's inside that counts". The wine is bottled in a very heavy glass bottle called a Shiner. It is then etched to be a commemorative bottle. If there is a flaw in the etching/painting, they slap the paper label on it and, I think, donate it to fundraisers. When we finished the bottle, I decided to soak it to remove the label and see what was underneath. It was actually a commemorative bottle that has meaning to our family. We are going to see if we can get some additional bottles.
i'm pretty strict - an airport layover or interstate rest stop doesn't count. Need some sort of activity / meal. I did a little consulting gig in Providence - not bad. I like small airports like Providence, ILM, and AVP - easy to get in and out or meet someone. Sorry I didn't get to see a PawSox game...