The bucket list-worthy destinations to visit in America, according to US-loving travel experts
All eyes are on the USA as the country gears up for the elections and whether you're a follower of politics or not, one thing's for sure: the States are home to incredible places that make for bucket list-worthy holidays to America.
Need help choosing the perfect place for a Stateside break? We've rounded up the best holidays to America to take this year and next.
An excellent location for a dream holiday, the US is home to an array of once-in-a-lifetime experiences to experience at least once. If you like your long-haul holidays with a good dose of culture, natural scenery and fantastic food, you've come to the right place, as these American holiday ideas give you the top ways to experience a trip across the pond.
There's New York for its shopping, theatres and TV and film appeal; Florida for its world-class beaches, theme parks and 230 days of sunshine; and New England, the place to go leaf peeping and soak up the autumn colours.
From foodie New Orleans to the historic Capital Region, these are the most amazing holidays to America to add to your wish list.
Be wooed by wilderness and wildlife in Alaska
Known as the Last Frontier, America's largest state covers vast swathes of wilderness, towering mountain ranges and country-sized glaciers. If you want adventure, Alaska's rules are always go big or go home.
With a coastline longer than the rest of the US mainland joined together, Alaska is a prime cruise destination. Many cruises depart from Vancouver and wind through the Inside Passage, a 500-mile-network of fjords and glaciers along the Pacific Coast. Make sure to stop at Ketchikan, home to three tribes of Northwest Coast Native Americans, and Skagway, an old frontier town from the Klondike Gold Rush era.
More a cosy mountain town than a buzzing metropolis, Alaska's state capital Juneau is another popular stop on the cruise route. Wander down Historic South Franklin Street, lined with 1900s buildings, and grab a brew at the Red Dog Saloon, a proper swing-door saloon bar.
Spend an afternoon hiking the Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska's most famous glacier, and spot the resident black and brown bears. The town's marine life-rich waters also attract humpback whales in their thousands between April and August. It's one of the world's few places where you can witness bubble net feeding, where humpbacks gather at the surface to feed on shoals.
Lying 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle is Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest city. At 65 degrees north latitude, it's one of the best places to catch the Northern Lights – but only in autumn and winter. April to August is Midnight Sun season, when the city sees up to 22 hours of sunlight a day. A big draw to Fairbanks is its proximity to the Denali National Park. It runs the full gamut of Alaskan scenery – tundra, glaciers, mountains and spruce forest – which keeps the territorial locals; grizzly and black bear, moose and caribou, happy.
Good Housekeeping has a 16-day Alaska tour, including a cruise through the Inside Passage and a train ride on the Rocky Mountaineer.
Food and music in New Orleans
Jazz has been associated with The Big Easy, as New Orleans is affectionately known, since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is believed to have evolved from the rhythmic music of Africa. Later, musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, who were born in New Orleans, made jazz famous with their musical talents.
Today, you still hear music emanating from almost every doorway in the famous French Quarter (Le Vieux Carré), the city’s oldest neighbourhood. Many French words and names are in evidence here – New Orleans was originally founded in 1718 as part of the French colony of Louisiana, although France sold it to America in 1803 in what was known as the Louisiana Purchase.
If you want an authentic taste of jazz in the city, head to Preservation Hall, established in 1961, which offers a platform to local musicians, while Fritzel’s has daily performances from 12.30pm. The latter is on Bourbon Street, which in the 1950s and 1960s was associated with illegal gambling dens and brothels and is now the lively epicentre of Mardi Gras, on 4th March next year.
Beyond all that jazz, there’s plenty more to discover. Take an old-fashioned steamboat down the Mississippi river (or combine the two with a jazz cruise on the Natchez). Tap into the city’s spooky side with a visit to St Louis Cemetery No. 1, or the Voodoo Museum.
Be sure to try some local dishes, too. Gumbo is a thick chicken, pork or seafood stew served over rice; jambalaya is not dissimilar to paella; a po’boy is French bread stuffed with anything from catfish to roast beef; and beignets are puffs of dough dusted with icing sugar. Bon appétit, as they say here.
Good Housekeeping has a nine-day Deep South tour, combining New Orleans with Memphis and Nashville.
The new face of New York
Ta-ta, Times Square; sayonara, Upper West Side: it’s time to step off the usual New York City tourist trail and embrace parts you’ve never been to. First up, Hudson Yards, an ultra-modern development located to the west of Manhattan.
A testament to contemporary urban planning, it’s home to innovative buildings such as The Shed, a cutting-edge cultural centre, and Edge, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere at 1,100ft. Step out on to its glass flooring for a bird’s eye view of the city below.
Nearby Little Island is a unique park by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, built on the remnants of Pier 55 on the Hudson River. Down on the Lower East Side, check out the New Museum, with its bold architecture and thought-provoking exhibitions (reopening in early 2025) and, on Essex Street, the International Center of Photography.
Over in Brooklyn, Bushwick is taking over from Williamsburg in the cool stakes. Look out for its huge street murals and innovative contemporary galleries and performance spaces such as House of Yes.
Further afield lies Queen’s, another of NYC’s five boroughs. One of its districts, Astoria, offers a vibrant diversity of cultures, traditions and cuisines. Don’t miss the Kaufman Arts District, which covers several blocks starting from the Kaufman Astoria Film Studios on 36th Street (several scenes from the TV series Succession were shot there). It’s lined with galleries such as the Museum of the Moving Image, as well as restaurants and bars.
Hallet’s Cove, a recently developed area on the waterfront, is perfect for a deli picnic – a great way to keep costs low. You can also save money with a Sightseeing Pass (from around £28 a day), which gives you access to more than 150 attractions in the city.
History in the Capital Region
All eyes will be on the federal district of Washington DC come inauguration day next January, when the next US President will be sworn in, in frontof the US Capitol building. You can feel the weight of history in the US capital – from the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall to the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education and research complex. Stay in style at The Morrow Hotel in NoMa (the area north of Massachusetts Avenue), near buzzy Union Market. Georgetown, dating back to 1751, is worth a visit for its boutiques, independent coffee shops and restaurants.
But there’s much more to the US Capital Region than DC – it also includes the mountain ranges ofVirginia and the beaches and waterfronts of Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. Just 30 minutes from Washington is Middleburg, Virginia, aka horse country, with its rolling hills, wineries and picket fences. Try an equine communication (‘horse-whispering’) class at the Salamander Middleburg Resort, where the horses help teach guests to live in the moment.
In Middleburg itself, try the plumpest, juiciest oysters at the King St Oyster Bar, and follow in the footsteps of President John F Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, by having a drink in the Red Fox Tavern. Heading west, the Shenandoah National Park (with more than 500 miles of hiking trails) and the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia are a two-hour drive.
Or bypass DC and head east, crossing the border into Maryland,to visit the US’s largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay. Stay at the Kent Island Resort, a plantation-style house in 220 acresof gardens on the water’s edge. Look out for ospreys and river otters, and try the famous blue crab. It’s about as far away from politics as you can get!
Leaf peeping in New England
There’s nowhere better to see autumn leaves turn glorious shades of blazing red, coppery orange and golden yellow than New England.Boston, one of America’s safest and most walkable cities, has a relatively short flying time from the UK (just under seven hours). That, plus the fact that the city centre is only a 15-minute drive from the airport, means even a weekend break is possible, but it’s well worth hiring a car to explore the hills, valleys and coastline of the region’s six beautiful states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Treat yourself to a stay at the five-star Four Seasons Boston and raid the secret sweet vault on each floor for sightseeing snacks. Elegant rooms overlook the Public Garden – America’s oldest – where Japanese maple trees line a pretty lagoon. It’s picturesque at any time of year but glorious in the fall (late September through to November).
Spot the Ivy League university students from Harvard and MIT studying in the Boston Public Library (don’t miss the John Singer Sargent murals); followThe Freedom Trail to learn about America’s fight forindependence; visit one of the many art galleries (the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is brilliantly quirky); or enjoy a jazz brunch at The Beehive, not far rom where actor Mark Wahlberg grew up (he owns a burger chain in the city called, you guessed it, Wahlburgers).
Beyond Boston, you’ll pass familiar-sounding place names such as Cambridge, Winchester and Manchester as you head north to the White Mountains. Drive the 34.5-mile Kancamagus Highway (called ‘The Kank’ by locals) between Lincoln and Conway, for magical scenic views. The friendliest place to stay is the Adair Country Inn in Bethlehem, where you’ll be welcomed like one of the family and treated to delicious meals, wine tasting and cooking classes.
Visit in winter and ski on Mount Washington, or go in early spring to see maple tapping in aptly named sugar shacks – try a Maple Experience at The Rocks Forest Reserve. The Lakes region, centered around Lake Winnipesaukee, is beautiful in all four seasons, with watersports, boat rides and sandy beaches in summer. Visit Meredith for shopping in Mill Falls and stay at the Center Harbor Inn overlooking the water.
Visit Newport's Gilded Age mansions
If you love HBO’s The Gilded Age, written by Julian Fellowes (it’s like his US Downton Abbey), you’ll love Newport, Rhode Island, where much of it is set.
This elegant resort is where the high society of America’s Gilded Age – the Astors, Kennedys, Roosevelts and Vanderbilts – built summer ‘cottages’ in the late 19th century.
These include The Breakers, a 70-bedroom home modelled on an Italian Renaissance palace; Marble House, with 500,000 cubic feet of marble inside and a Chinese tea house by the ocean; and Rosecliff, modelled after Versailles.
Go on a Newport Mansions tour and stay at the Brenton Hotel overlooking the harbour.
FLIGHTS TO RHODE ISLAND WITH EXPEDIA
Beyond the theme parks in Florida
Mickey Mouse and the Sunshine State tend to go hand in hand, thanks to Walt Disney World Resort, one of Orlando’s many major theme parks. But while it’s great for a family holiday, there’s so much more to Florida than a friendly rodent with big ears. If you’re looking for some grown-up winter sun, head south down the Atlantic coast to a sophisticated little enclave knownas The Palm Beaches. This cluster of small, stylish seaside towns stretches from Boca Raton up to Tequesta, with Palm Beach itself being the most famous.
If you’re coming by car, you’ll reach this small town via a picturesque road with views of the ocean on one side and increasingly elaborate mansions on the other. The reason Palm Beach attracts attention is because one of those mansions is Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s 1920s-era Florida home. You can see the 62,500sq ft estate as you drive past but, unless you’re invited in or are a member of the exclusive Mar-a-Lago club, you can’t go inside.
But Trump isn’t the area’s only famous resident; singer Rod Stewart, actor Sylvester Stallone and designer Tommy Hilfiger have also made this rarefied area their home.Florida has 230 days of sunshine a year on average, not to mention clean, golden beaches and upmarket shopping – Worth Avenue in Palm Beach is more established than 5th Avenue in New York.
Go on a walking tour with historian Rick Rose to hear how the area attracted designers from Givenchy to Halston, Pucci and Oscar de la Renta, whose clothes were bought from here by the likes of Judy Garland and Jackie Onassis.
At around £850 a night, The Breakers is too pricey for most budgets, but is worth popping into for a cocktail at sunset. And there are plenty of more reasonably priced hotels in the area, including the Royal Inn Hotel in Royal Palm Beach, as well as great restaurants such as the Surfside Diner.
WEST PALM BEACH FLIGHTS WITH VIRGIN
Cowboy culture in Austin
If you’re looking for cowboys, Texas is the state to find them in. In the 18th and 19th centuries, during the Frontier era, their job was to herd cattle, care for horses and work the ranches. And while you won’t find John Wayne, Gene Autry or Clint Eastwood there today (most Westerns were actually shot elsewhere), you can still experience cowboy culture on one of the State’s 250,000-odd ranches. Head to the Lone Star Ranch, just 20 minutes outside Austin, the fourth-biggest city in Texas (after Houston, San Antonio and Dallas), to ride a not-so-lonesome trail through a beautiful nature reserve and try your hand at tomahawk throwing, archery or clay-pigeon shooting.
Want to look the part? Head to the legendary Allens Boots on South Congress Avenue for beautiful embroideredboots, silver-buckled belts and Stetsons. Austin is a Democrat-leaning pocketin a mostly Republican state and its ‘Keep Austin Weird’ slogan encapsulates this liberal ethos. It’s also said to have the most live music venues per capita in the USA. Country music legend Willie Nelson has a long association with the city, and other celebrities who have homes here include Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock.
It’s also a bit of a tech hotspot these days, with companies including Tesla, Google and Meta having established a presence here. Austin is also the kind of place where you can let your hair down after a hard day in the saddle. The best place to do that is in ‘Dirty 6th’, a stretch of historic 6th Street known for its live music, hip bars, food trucks and restaurants.
Ease your hangover and cool off at the popular swimming spot in the heart of Zilker Park, and once you’ve worked up an appetite, seek out some of the country’s best BBQ. Be prepared to queue for smokey brisket, ribs, pulled pork and more at the likes of Franklin
Barbecue, Iron Works Barbecue, or Terry Black’s.
Star-spotting in Los Angeles
One could say that Los Angeles is a tale of two cities, yet there’s more to this Californian icon than the beaches (from Malibu to Santa Monica) and the famous Hollywood Hills. Of course, no visit to the home of the film industry is complete without a tour of Hollywood itself. There’s a tick list of must-sees including the TCL Chinese Theatre, where movie stars’ hand and footprints line the street; the 1.3mile-long Walkof Fame, which celebrates actors with brass tipped stars; and Griffith Observatory, as immortalised in the film La La Land, with its glittering views across the city below.
Stay at The Thompson, which oozes glamour all the way up to its rooftop pool and Côte d’Azur-inspired lounge, Bar Lis. Mid-century-modern rooms have terrazzo bathrooms, glitzy glass wardrobes and, in many cases, postcard views of the Hollywood sign. On the same block is Mother Wolf, a grandiose Italian-style bistro loved by stars including Michelle Obama, Beyoncé and Jay-Z for its superb pasta. Further around the block you’ll find Ka’teen, a palm-filled paradise that transports guests to the Yucatán Peninsula, with tacos, breakfast burritos and its celebrated flan brûlée pancakes.
If old-school Los Angeles is Art Deco Hollywood mansions, then new-school must be Downtown LA. The central business district of the city remains a corporate empire, yet is also home to art galleries (The Broad boasts two of Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms), famous architecture (such as the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall) and a host of intriguing eateries (many of them at Grand Central Market).
Nearby, you’ll find the Moxy – a 380-room hotel with sweeping views across the urban sprawl. The decor is simple but slick, and it’s an affordable option for those seeking trend-led design without the extortionate prices. There are a staggering 12 different dining options between this and its sister AC Hotel, which shares the building. For sushi, there’s Lucky Mizu, or try the glamorous alfresco Mother of Pearl for oysters and ceviche. Qué Bárbaro is a South American live fire grill, while Maison Kasai offers theatrical Japanese teppanyaki.
Want to continue the night? Try Sinners y Santos, a cathedral-inspired nightclub, or Mr Wanderlust, a piano bar and jazz lounge. If this all sounds a bit Vegas, it is, but done in the most polished, la-la land way. And isn’t that Los Angeles in a nutshell?
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