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America’s been called a lot of things: beautiful, majestic, wild, and great. It’s all those and more.
Whether you’re driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, whale watching in Cape Cod, or waiting for Old Faithful to erupt in Yellowstone National Park, the United States is full of incredible surprises.
From the east coast to the west and everywhere in between, we’ve found 50 trips everyone should take in the United States.
Hike along a section of the Appalachian Trail.
View cutting-edge art at Art Basel Miami Beach.
Wait for Old Faithful to erupt in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park.
Cut through fresh powder on skis or a snowboard in Aspen or Vail, Colorado.
Drive up to the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii and watch the stars come out from the observatory.
Watch minke, finback, and humpback whales glide through the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco on the Pacific Coast Highway (aka California State Route 1).
See a live country music concert at the Bluebird Cafe or Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Watch the sunset from Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse in Maine’s Acadia National Park.
Feel the terror as you look down 4,770 ft. into the base of the Grand Canyon from the glass-bottom Skywalk platform.
See a Cirque du Soleil performance in Las Vegas.
Take an iconic American road trip down Route 66.
Cheer on cowboys at a classic American rodeo, like the National Western Rodeo in Denver, Colorado.
Explore architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece and home, Fallingwater, in rural southwestern Pennsylvania.
Stroll above the New York City streets on the High Line.
Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco to Sausalito.
Visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
Sample Korean tacos, artisanal cupcakes, and other street foods in Portland, Oregon, where vendors line up their food carts in “pods.”
Traverse the Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona, in a rugged jeep.
Party in Austin, Texas, during the South by Southwest (SXSW) music, film, and tech festival.
Indulge in a once-in-a-lifetime meal and try the $295 tasting menu at French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s three Michelin-starred restaurant in Napa Valley, California.
Marvel at Niagara Falls, where approximately 3,160 tons of water flows over the falls every second.
Source: Niagara Falls Facts
Take a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride in Beaufort, South Carolina, under Spanish moss-draped oak trees.
Tailgate on the Ole Miss campus at the Grove on game day.
Get cultured — for free! — at a Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C., like the National Air and Space Museum.
Admire the ancient adobe buildings of Taos Pueblo, a 1,000-year-old community outside Taos, New Mexico.
Drive through New Hampshire’s famous covered bridges and see the fall foliage.
Crack open a steamed blue crab at one of Baltimore’s excellent crab houses.
Stare at your reflection in Cloud Gate,” a giant bean-like sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park.
Get lost on the grounds of the extraordinary Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
Cruise down the Mississippi River in a classic steamboat.
Catch a wave on one of Oahu, Hawaii’s stunning beaches.
Play a round of golf at Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Course, home of The Masters (you may have to befriend a member).
Take a cruise in Alaska and look for orcas.
Spend a night at Georgia’s The Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club, which we ranked as the best hotel in America.
Learn more about the best hotels in America >
Climb the sand bluffs at Sleeping Bear Dunes for the ultimate view of Lake Michigan.
Watch the Chicago Cubs play from a “Wrigley rooftop.”
Pose for a photo at Four Corners Monument, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet.
Go wine tasting in Napa Valley, California.
Cheer on the racers at the Indy 500, an annual race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.
Explore Washington State’s San Juan Islands in a sea kayak.
Don a big hat at the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky.
Marvel at the wild ponies of Assateague Island, which is split between Maryland and Virginia.
Stroll down the boardwalk in Seaside Heights and take in the beautiful Jersey Shore.
Camp out in the wilderness of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters.
Bundle up and sport a cheesehead hat at a Green Bay Packers game in Wisconsin.
Embrace your inner child at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Honor our founding fathers and go visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Follow the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, stopping at distilleries along the way to sample new bourbons and whiskeys.
Look for moose in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Prefer to see the world?
100 Trips To Take In Your Lifetime >
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