What are some of the greatest places to visit in the USA, either natural or manmade.?

Question

I am planning on a trip around the good ole USA next year and thought you might have some ideas.
Besides the Grand Canyon and driving up from Big Sur. All of which I intend to do.

I am planning to cross Canada heading east to Quebec where I have family, then on down to east coast of USA. From there it is wide open.
I am very familiar with the Oregon coast and WA as well as Anacortez area.
All great ideas from all of you. Thank you.
I will be coming back along the west coast back to Alberta.

Answer 1

do big sur then san fran. then drive through and explore yosemite national park...leave the park through tioga pass and head south through owens valley on the eastern side of the sierras. spend a night in bishop ca.. now drive on down to death valley ca.. HOT and loaded with interesting geological facts and amazing history. head east through the mojave desert and see the hoover dam and drive onto las vegas and spend a night. head east to flagstaff AZ then south to a town called sedona where hundreds of western movies were filmed. beautiful town! stay a few nights, regroup, stroll the town, have some of the best mexican food and take a swim in the oak creek. grand canyon is only about an hr. or so north and a pretty ride so that is an option as well. leave there and head south for phoenix and don't miss pecos pete's for a great steak dinner cooked over mesquite and don't wear a tie or the waiter will cut it off and it will join the thousands that adorn the walls and ceiling. stay a night in phoenix to digest this great meal then head west for san diego ca.. when you get to yuma az. check out the territorial state prison on the colorado river. it is an historical state park. arriving in san diego, between old town, sea world, the san diego zoo, cruising north up the pacific coast highway to the mission at san juan capistrano, south to tijuana for a walk across the border into a foriegn country...there are more things to do and see there than carter has peanuts. cross the bridge to coronado and sit on the beach in front of the hotel del coronado, or better yet spend a night at the "hotel del" and have the sunday brunch. make sure you have a triple a book and maps for the states of az. and ca. before you begin your trip... lots of useful information. have a great time where ever you decide to go.

Answer 2

Some of my favorite places to visit and revisit include:

New Mexico: it really is the "Land of Enchantment." From standing inside the great kiva at the Aztec Nat'l Monument in Aztec, NM to shopping for native jewelry in the main square in Taos to fine dining in La Plazuelita restaurant in the La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe to cruising all the cool, funky stores in the historic Old Towne of Albuquerque to just wandering aimlessly enjoying every panorama that spreads out from the Sandia Mountains...New Mexico is an alternative reality that you will cherish if you are open to other cultures.

A trip around the country is not complete without prolonged exploration of the great Pacific Northwest. From Yachats in southern Oregon to Anacortes, WA...the Northwest coast is stunningly beautiful. The people are friendly. And, they really do have some of the best coffee in the universe. If you make it as far north as Anacortes, do take the ferry across to the San Juan Islands...they are gorgeous!! I love Orcas Island best with all the funky shops and eateries in its chief town, Eastsound. Each of the San Juan Islands is unique and if you can, try to see them all. You can also take the ferry over to Vancouver, B.C. if you want just a taste of something international.

In the Northwest, I cannot speak highly enough of Snoqualmie Falls: they are beautiful. Just down the road from the falls is Fall City, WA: Fall City Dogs has absolutely the best hot dog that I think I've ever eaten east or west of the Mississippi.

Next, if you find yourself in Oregon, you MUST drive through the Columbia River gorge...natural beauty extraordinaire. If you note the exit to Maryhill, WA get off the freeway and cross the Columbia to Maryhill, WA to see the Stonehenge Memorial. It is a full scale replica and also a tribute to the men from that community who died in WWI. Once back on the freeway, continue your travel along the gorge to Hood River, OR: it's a nice place to stop for a night or two, there are some good restaurants there, and there is a lot to do, especially if you're an outdoors person.

Every state has some place you will enjoy; the tricky part is always learning where to go before you've already passed it.

Answer 3

The space needle, Seattle, WA
Puget Sound, Seattle and surrounding areas, WA
Mt St Helens, WA
'The Gorge' and Multnomah Falls, Columbia River, OR/WA
Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR
Crater Lake, Southern OR
Napa Valley, CA
Redwood Forest, Northern CA
Seven Mile Drive, off the 101 south of San Francisco, CA Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA
Santa Barbara Mission, CA
Santa Monica Pier, CA
Mulholland Drive, LA CA
Laguna Beach Cliffs, CA
Carlsbad Caverns, CA
Saguaro National Parks, Tucson, AZ
Architecture of Santa Fe, NM
the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas
Mariana Caverns, FL
Stone Mountain, GA
White Beaches of Panama City, FL
Las Vegas, NV - at night.
Hoover Dam, NV
Monument Valley, UT
Four Corners, UT, CO, AZ, NV
Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, UT
Red Rocks, CO
Breckenridge, CO
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket, MA
Freedom Trail Walk, Boston, MA
Witch Trial Museums, Salem, MA
Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, MA
Newport Mansions, Newport, RI
Yale University Libraries, New Haven, CT
Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT
USS Nautilus (world's 1st nuclear sub), Groton, CT
Changing leaves in fall, NH & VT
Maple Syrup farms, NE US
Empire State Building, NYC, NY
Broadway Show, NYC, NY
Niagra Falls, NY

Answer 4

Edinburgh, Scotland frequently, Northumberland, the Lake District. The west u . s . a ., places like Marlborough, and all that, others can call names for that section. The Royal Armory in Leeds is a techniques extra interesting than you would anticipate, they have each and every of the equipment which couldn't be displayed in the Tower of London. i assume you should take a go searching London, possibly a Sunday at each and every end so that you may reduce the site visitors and crowds. i'm afraid i am going to't recomend the south east except that, I lived there from January sixth 1986 to the December twenty first 1997, certain, i changed into counting. i wager Cambridge is fairly interesting too, yet then Durham is possibly extra so. there is plenty to make certain in Britain, the persons who dedicate 2 or 3 days in a ecu excursion to make certain "each and every thing" in Britain continually reason some mirth. i wish you relish your visit, yet when you are a Republican you may opt to save that to your self ;-)

Answer 5

You should:
1. Walk around New York
2. Visit Boston
3. Spend time in Yellowstone Park
4. Visit the museums in NY, Boston, etc.
5, If you go during Autumn, a drive from Boston to Maine!
6. Niagara Falls
7. Hollywood
8. Disneyland or Disney world
9. Yosemite
10. Basketball, Baseball and Football matches

Answer 6

If you plan on visiting the east coast, stop in Philadelphia. There is plenty to do and see, including loads of historic sites. You could do the 'Rocky' steps at the art museum, and South street is impressive, as is Penn's landing.

Naturally Washington D.C. could keep you busy for days. The Vietnam veterans memorial wall is always touching to see.

The Carolinas have some nice beaches, and of course Florida has great beaches, and everyone needs to be a kid and do Disney at least once in their lifetime.

Sounds like your planning a dandy Freyja. Hope you have plenty of time, stop by for a coffee if you can!

Answer 7

The Olympic Peninsula, Washington State. Actually, all of western Washington is fantastic. That's where I grew up. But whats so unique about the Olympic Peninsula is the Ho Rain forest - a temperate climate rain forest. Everythin is dripping with green. A couple hours away is the ocean. You don't want to go in the water because its too cold. But seeing the craggy rocks jutting out into the ocean, the drift wood tangled on the beaches (drift trees!) at places like La Push - its like jumping into an Ansel Adams photograph.

Answer 8

Check out the small places too, that are only known perhaps within certain states. :-)

Here'sa few ideas for 4 states :-)

KENTUCKY

Fort Campbell< Kentucky home of the 101st Airborne

Mammoth Cave—More than 365 miles it is the longest known cave in the world!

Maker’s Mark—Bourbon Whiskey handmade in Loretto, Kentucky.

Colonel Harland Sanders Café & Museum--Kentucky Fried Chicken founder.


http://www.kytourism.com/

http://www.tourky.com/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fort-campbell.htm

http://www.nps.gov/maca/home.htm

http://www.ohwy.com/ky/c/cohasaca.htm




MAINE

L.L Bean Flagship store in Freeport Maine

Scenic Byways-- Only 95 roads in the U.S.A. are designated as National Scenic Byways & Maine has 4 of them!

Lighthouses—There are more than 60 lighthouses along Maine's craggy Down East peninsulas.

Covered Bridges—There are 9 covered bridges in Maine


http://www.visitmaine.com/home.php

http://www.llbean.com/shop/retailStores/freeportFlagshipStore/retail.html#flagship

http://www.visitmaine.com/category/act_sightseeing_byways.php

http://www.lighthousegetaway.com/lights/maine.html

http://www.visitmaine.com/category/act_sightseeing_bridge.php


OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum: The outdoor symbolic memorial is free and open 24 hours a day, while the very well done Memorial Museum (located in the former Journal Record Building next door) can be visited for a small fee.

Bricktown in Oklahoma City, home to Toby Keith’s Bar & Grill, Bass Pro Shop, many other attractions.

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Fort Sill, Lawton, Oklahoma—From this fort the most famous American frontier scouts embarked to battle the Native Americans, such as "Buffalo Bill" Cody and "Wild Bill" Hickock. The 19th Kansas Volunteers and the 10th Calvary, widely known as the African American Buffalo Soldiers, conducted scouting expedition of their own. The fort served as home to several displaced
Indians tribes, and it housed prisoners of war as well, such as the Apache and Kiowa. Geronimo was imprisoned there, later died there & is buried in the Apache cemetery located on Fort Sill.

http://www.oklatourism.gov/

http://www.travelok.com/hot_deals/coupons.asp

http://wikitravel.org/en/Oklahoma_City

http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/

http://www.bricktownokc.com/

http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/index2.html

http://www.redriverhistorian.com/fortsill.html


WEST VIRGINIA

The Appalachian Mountains are the oldest Mountains in the U.S. They stretch from Alabama to Canada. West Virginia is the only state that lies wholly within the Appalachian Mountain range.

The New River is the 2nd oldest river in the world (the Nile River in Africa is the oldest). It begins in the Blue Ridge Mountains (part of the Appalachians) of North Carolina and has the distinction of flowing North rather than south as most rivers on the east coast do. It flows north into Virginia, then into West Virginia where it turns west & merges into the Kanawha River. The Kanawha flows in the Ohio River and then empties into the great Mississippi River.

The New River Gorge National Park is located in West Virginia, where the river flows through the gorge and beneath the “New River Gorge Bridge” which is the world’s 2nd longest steel arch bridge. It’s also the 2nd tallest bridge in the U.S.

http://www.westvirginia.com/

http://www.dgif.state.va.us/fishing/rivers/new_river/

http://www.nps.gov/neri/home.htm

http://www.nps.gov/neri/bridge.htm

Answer 9

Carlsbad Caverns is cool, but remote. Yosemite National Park. San Francisco, Chicago's Miracle Mile, Sanibel Island Florida, Charleston South Carolina is a nice town, San Diego rocks, New Orleans is still a lot of fun, Las Vegas is a must see (Stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, it has the best pool atmosphere).

Answer 10

A whale watching boat trip off the coast of Massachusetts (spring through late summer). Or, try to come through New England in the fall (Mid October ideally) when the leaves are turning.