The United States, being a very large country, has a great number of tourism destination spots throughout. You could potentially spend your entire life exploring this great country and still miss a great deal of it.
Travelling the extensive interstate highways of the United States is a very American tradition and permanent residents are of course encouraged to take to the road and see the many beautiful sites of the 50 states and territories.
It’s hard to say which sites are more popular or iconic than others, but the places listed below are perennial favorites of tourists.
New York City, New York
One of the most iconic cities of the United States is New York City, the largest, and arguably, the most important city in the country.
The sights to see and activities within the five boroughs (the city’s divisions) are literally endless.
Broadway offers year-round musicals and plays that are internationally known and internationally impactful.
Monuments and landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Central Park and Times Square draw millions of visitors every year from every country in the world.
New Orleans, Louisiana
An old city, with a wealth of cultural diversity, New Orleans sits near the Mississippi River Delta on the Gulf of Mexico. It is an old city that was originally settled by French missionaries and settlers, who greatly affected the city’s character for all of time.
During Mardi Gras, the city turns into one very large party where everyone is invited to have scads of fun before the traditional austerity of Lent (A Catholic tradition, derived from the French roots of the city) set in.
Delicious foods are yet another draw to “The Big Easy” with Po’Boys, Muffulettas and Beignets being particularly characteristic of its mixture of cultures.
The Grand Canyon, Arizona and Utah
The Grand Canyon is a fascinating geologic phenomenon caused by the flow of the Colorado River over the course of millennia. The coursing and intense waters have carved out an absolutely immense rift in the earth. It is a mile deep in some places and several miles wide at its greatest.
Visiting the Grand Canyon is a great American tourism destination and there are many things to do there: donkey rides to the bottom of the canyon, camping, Native American cultural events and even rafting. However, the popularity of the Grand Canyon means that the wait-list for rafting through this section of the river is a decade long!
The Pacific Coast Highway, California
Not so much a destination, but a route to adventure, the Pacific Coast Highway is a path to discovering the beauty of the West coast of the United States.
The highway (often just called the PCH) stretches from San Diego to nearly Oregon and is almost entirely alongside the coast of California.
Travelling this historic road means that you can visit such famous places as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Big Sur all in the same trip!