United States Travel Guide

New York City is a destination unlike any other in the United States. Manhattan alone contains more world-class art, food, theater, architecture, and pure energy than most countries. The Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the High Line, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Broadway, and the Brooklyn Bridge are the icons — but New York's neighborhoods (Greenwich Village, Williamsburg, Harlem, Chinatown, the Upper West Side) each contain entire worlds. The food scene spans every cuisine and every budget, from dollar slices of pizza to the world's most sought-after tasting menus. Times Square at midnight, the Brooklyn Bridge at dawn, and the skyline from the Staten Island Ferry are New York experiences that stay with you.

California is almost a country in its own right — an $800 billion economy with a climate that ranges from alpine to desert, a coast that stretches 1,100 miles, and two of America's great cities at each end. San Francisco is compact, hilly, and intellectually vibrant — the Golden Gate, Alcatraz, the Mission District burritos, and the drive up Highway 1 to Point Reyes. Los Angeles is sprawling, sun-drenched, and perpetually surprising: the Getty, Venice Beach, the Hollywood Hills, and a food scene shaped by Mexican, Korean, Japanese, and Californian-fusion influences. In between: the wine country of Napa and Sonoma, the giant sequoias of Yosemite, Death Valley's otherworldly landscapes, and Big Sur's dramatic coastal cliffs.

The United States national park system is one of the great gifts of American government — 63 parks and hundreds of monuments and recreation areas protecting the most dramatic landscapes on the continent. The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a mile-deep chasm that defies comprehension in photographs and overwhelms in person. Yellowstone in Wyoming contains half the world's geothermal features — geysers, hot springs, and bison herds. Glacier in Montana borders Canada and offers Going-to-the-Sun Road as one of the world's great scenic drives. Zion and Bryce Canyon in Utah are otherworldly sandstone landscapes. The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina are the most visited park in the system. With an America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80), all parks are free for a year.

The American South is a region with its own music, food, accent, and pace of life. New Orleans is one of the world's great party cities and one of the most culturally distinctive places in the US — Mardi Gras, jazz on Frenchmen Street, po'boys and beignets, and the French Quarter's Creole architecture. Nashville has evolved from country music capital to one of America's most dynamic food cities while keeping the honky-tonks on Broadway alive. Memphis gave the world blues, soul, and rock and roll at Sun Studio and Beale Street. Charleston, South Carolina is a gracious city of antebellum mansions, battery views, and some of the South's best restaurants. The Mississippi River, the civil rights trail, and the Gulf Coast beaches complete the picture.

Hawaii is unlike anywhere else in the United States — a Pacific archipelago of eight main islands, each with its own character. Oahu has Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, and Pearl Harbor. Maui offers the Road to Hana, Haleakala Crater, and some of the best whale-watching in the Pacific (December through April). The Big Island has active volcanoes, black sand beaches, manta ray snorkeling, and the dramatic Waipio Valley. Kauai is the greenest and most dramatic — the Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, and Hanalei Bay are among the most beautiful landscapes in the US. Hawaii is expensive by US standards but offers value compared to equivalent international beach destinations. The aloha spirit — genuine warmth and hospitality — makes every island feel welcoming.