Careful -- this is only locally optimal! You can do better :). [1] is the proven globally optimal solution of a very similar problem from one of the foremost experts in the TSP, Bill Cook at U of Waterloo. It is solvable in less than a second on your iPhone [2] -- yes your iPhone can solve a TSP to "true" optimality.<p>[1] <a href="http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/tsp/usa50/road.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/tsp/usa50/road.html</a><p>[2] <a href="https://twitter.com/wjcook/status/575762813345480705" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/wjcook/status/575762813345480705</a>
Very curious about the decision metric for "major landmark" here. The San Benito County mark, for example, leads you to a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, and the major point for Delaware is just Delaware. Neither of those seem to fit a reasonable metric for a major landmark.
If you're wondering why the route has some 'strange' segments (why get off I-10 to head down Orlando way if you're going to drive to Jacksonville later?):<p>The link goes to the "Major U.S. landmarks" road trip.<p>Other trips (including across Canada, South America, and Europe) are listed here: <a href="http://rhiever.github.io/optimal-roadtrip-usa/" rel="nofollow">http://rhiever.github.io/optimal-roadtrip-usa/</a>
The cable car museum? Ok, that makes sense for SF.
<a href="http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/info.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/info.html</a>