USA Sights And Activities

Even this book’s more than one thousand pages can’t do justice to the vibrant, diverse offerings of the US. No two trips are the same, and visitors who travel to several regions may feel like they’ve visited different countries. Nevertheless, there are a few common themes that should be a part of any thorough exploration.

• Best Spots To Show Off Your Birthday Suit: The dippin’ is skinny at Austin, TX’s Hippie Hollow , while the prowl is clothing optional at Cougar Hot Springs in Eugene, OR.
• Most Unappetizing Beer Names: South Carolina’S Mullet, And Louisiana’S Funkybuttjuice Definitely Rank Among The Nation’S Finest Name-Impaired Beverages.
• Best Fakes:  Tour five continents in a day, from a miniature Eiffel Tower to New York City to the Egyptian pyramids, on The Strip in Las Vegas, NV (p. 755). Ogle a replica of Jerusalem at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, FL . See the Mississippi River in miniature at the Mud Island River Park in Memphis, TN ; only 3hr. away, a model Parthenon perches in the “Athens of the South,” Nashville, TN . Can’t make it to Italy? Head to Presbyterian Memorial Church in St. Augustine, FL, the spitting image of St. Mark’s Cathedral.
• Best Gators: Make friends with America’s scariest reptiles in places like Natchitoches, LA ; the Everglades, FL ; St. Augustine, FL ; and Myrtle Beach, SC .
• Best Alternative To A Glass: Enjoy A “Beer Boot” At The Essen Haus In Madison, Wi.
• Best Opportunities For Multi-Tasking:   At Soapbox, a “laundro-lounge” in Wilmington, NC, you can party and do your laundry at the same time . Lace up your bowling shoes and pray for a strike at the Boone, NC Bowling Center’s weekly “Christian Cosmic Bowling” night .most likely to have pirates:The José Gasparilla’s crew of buccaneers invades Tampa, FL in the first week of February . Alexandria Bay, NY, hosts an annual Pirate Week (p. 139), while an altogether different kind of pirates play ball at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA .
• Best Reenactments:  Listen to Pilgrims narrate the tale of the Mayflower at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA . At Saloon #10 in the gambling town of Deadwood, SD, the shooting of outlaw Wild Bill Hickok is reenacted several times a day . Get your American heritage fix in Colonial Williamsburg, VA.
• Best Places To Catch Some Rays: Show off your tan among spring-breakers and NASCAR drivers in sunny Daytona Beach, FL , or see and be seen on eclectic Venice Beach, CA . To run with a different crowd, join the wild ponies in Assateague, MD .

• Must-See Cities

No visitor should pass up the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, the round-the-clock excitement of New York City, or the multicultural metropolis of Miami. Nonetheless, the curious traveler should also ...more

• College Towns

America’s colleges, from sprawling state universities to tiny liberal arts academies, have engendered unique communities with youthful vitality and alternative spirit. Ann Arbor, MI , is the epitome ...more

• Americana

America boasts the biggest, smallest, and zaniest of almost everything. Kitschy roadside attractions dot the country’s dusty roads, putting on public display a vast and truly baffling material culture ...more

• Baseball Stadiums

The Great American Pastime is enshrined in its ballparks, where baseball zealots cheer on their favorite teams. Nothing beats catching a game on a balmy summer evening. The oldest ballpark still in use ...more

• National Parks

From haunting red buttes to endless caves, the national parks of the United States protect some of the most phenomenal natural scenery in the world. While much of the land’s beauty can be seen ...more