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It’s nearly impossible to capture the appeal of travelling the United States of America. Jaw-dropping national parks, dreamy beaches, red deserts and snow-capped mountains set the stage for a country that feels like 50 in one. With gargantuan metropolises dotting the landscape from coast to coast, and an abundance of friendly communities along the road, the diverse delights of the US are so wild, so whimsical, that they really must be seen to be believed.
The USA is a big country, so there’s a lot of ground to cover no matter how long your holiday. Many opt for the classic road trip as a timeless way to experience America from the skyscrapers of New York or Chicago to the barren stretches of Monument Valley and the American West, and countless bus routes service these popular paths as well. Beach-lovers can enjoy sweeping across scenic coastal highways from LA to Seattle, or down the East Coast through idyllic North Carolina en route to tropical Miami. While air travel can transport you across the continent in no time, the romantic history of a rail journey draws in travellers every year, whether they’re rolling along from Boston to New York to Washington, D.C., or departing Chicago with their sights set on California.
There’s no shortage of things to do in New York, with an ever-expanding selection of live entertainment, fine food, nightlife, arts and shopping, but don’t look past the historic charms and sporting heritage of nearby Boston, or the stately grandeur of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Music-lovers will want to take a pilgrimage to Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. A trip to New Orleans – the birthplace of jazz – offers a taste of the American South, with famously flavourful seafood and top-shelf drinks, while neighbouring Texas is renowned for its larger-than-life cowboy culture and major festivals like Austin’s SXSW. A night in Vegas is sure to dazzle, and a stay in LA affords visitors access to California’s best beaches alongside the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. For those seeking adventure, the Pacific Northwest’s innumerable trails, beaches, mountains and parks are matched only by the charming city atmosphere of stylish Seattle, Washington and proudly weird Portland, Oregon.
Nature enthusiasts will be hard-pressed to find the time to visit all of America’s most magnificent national parks, but some spots are absolute must-sees. Sprawling Yellowstone is a wonderland of wildlife, from coyotes and grizzlies to moose and elk, but the geothermal features are the real showstopper thanks to the impressive spout of Old Faithful geyser and the rainbow-ringed pools of Grand Prismatic Springs. On the west coast, the towering redwoods of Yosemite are a camper’s dream, while the desert landscapes of Utah’s ‘Mighty 5’ are a popular pilgrimage alongside Arizona’s iconic Grand Canyon. In northeast New England, Acadia National Park in Maine is the perfect place to witness the fiery colours that come with the changing of the leaves.
