The best places to visit on vacation depend on you, your interests and your background. The United States is so large and so diverse that you can spend a lifetime seeing everything the country has to offer.
What delights you the most? Do you like to relax on an ocean-swept beach? Can you spend days browsing through museums? Are historical landmarks your particular interest? Or do you want a taste of adventure in the great outdoors? You could choose a vacation spot based on your love of history, your interest in archaeology, your hobbies, your fascination with architecture, crafts, or your religious background.
Let your vacation budget and the free time you have guide you in your choice of a vacation spot. Locations near home or in an outdoor setting will be ideal if you want to save money. A stay-cation is also sensible, because your vacation spot is your home town, with its local sites and attractions you have always planned on visiting. Wherever you travel, you can stay at an inexpensive hostel to save money or or you can splurge on a five-star hotel.
How do you narrow down the myriad choices for vacation? For some people, the ideal vacation getaway will be a luxury setting, a resort, a cruise, a bed and breakfast, a spa, or a shopping destination. Other people choose a vacation spot that provides sports, hiking and camping. You'll have an active vacation if you go to sites with a ski resort, a golf center, a lake for boating and fishing, a scuba diving for underwater treasurer or a major league sports town. For nature lovers, a budget vacation at a National Park or a State Park, or hiking the Appalachian Trail, will be memorable. Some families will enjoy their time at a big theme park, a historical site, or a zoo, some place where both grownups and children will enjoy themselves.
Why not spend your vacation getting to know your country and all it has to offer. Let me tell you the most popular vacation destinations.
By far the most popular destination is New York City, because it offers such a broad selection of sights like Times Square, Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, and deluxe shopping.
Believe it or not, Las Vegas, Nevada is the second most popular destination. And there's lots to do in Vegas besides the casinos, shows and resort attractions. Lake Mead and Hoover Dam are in this area, too.
Get acquainted with the capital of your country, Washington D.C., the third most popular vacation destination. Tour the unique Smithsonian museums and see your government in action.
Fourth on the list of most popular vacations is Boston, Massachusetts, with Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Paul Revere's house, landmarks of famous patriots and the Revolutionary War.
You already know about the Disney theme parks. Children and grownups love the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida and Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California.
San Francisco, California, provides the exciting activities of a large city, early missions, and Golden Gate Bridge on an ocean coast.
Niagara Falls, New York, is a scenic wonder where many honeymoons are spent.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee draws vacationers. Gatlinburg is a busy gathering spot in Tennessee. It's a manageable drive for people who live in the Midwest.
The Grand Canyon and the Colorado River in Arizona is a place you have to visit at least once. There are waterfalls and camping in the Canyon where the Havasu Indians still live.
And may I suggest a few unusual vacation destinations that could intrigue you.
Would you enjoy antiquing in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country?
Get your party hat for Mardi Gras, jazz and the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Not only is Salem, Massachusetts, famous for its witches, but there's plenty of colonial history to learn about.
If you like horses, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Kentucky Horse Park will engage you.
My final suggestion comes from friends who just finished driving Route 66 across the country to visit the unique roadside attractions.
