West Palm Beach, Florida, institution for four decades, Rapids Water Park is home to 35 water slides that cater to everyone from thrill-seekers to families with small children. There’s a slide with 360-degree loops in total darkness and flume slides that drop riders down the ultimate vertical plunge, plus a wave pool and kid-size slides.
On the northeast side of Kauai, these falls along Kapa‘a Stream rank among the most beautiful on the island—and the least visited. Enclosed by dense tropical foliage, the area’s cinematic scenery even appeared in Jurassic Park. However, the falls are difficult to access; there’s no official trailhead, and the route crosses private land where locals discourage casual hikers.
A family favorite on hot summer days, San Diego's Aquatica water park features splashy attractions for all ages. Twisting waterslides and a 500,000-gallon (2.3-million liter wave pool offer adrenaline-packed thrills, while a lazy river and kids play area are ideal for younger swimmers.
Branson’s main thoroughfare, the 76 Strip, is packed with live music venues, eclectic restaurants, and over-the-top family attractions. By day, it’s the place to explore amusement parks, quirky museums, and roadside stops. After sunset, the strip is aglow with a dazzling array of illuminated signs, perfect for a nostalgic road trip.
The ritziest of San Diego’s seaside suburbs, with a Tudor aesthetic that somehow doesn’t feel out of place, Del Mar boasts restaurants, galleries, high-end boutiques, and a horse-racing track where locals and visitors gather in the summer for races and other events.
Just outside downtown Anchorage, the Alaska Zoo provides a safe haven for orphaned, injured, and endangered animals. The zoo features a wide variety of animals native to Alaska including gray wolves, polar bears, Dall sheep, moose, and caribou, as well as more exotic species like alpacas, Amur tigers, Tibetan yaks, and Bactrian camels.
Founded to commemorate Beaufort’s role in the Reconstruction era, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park is filled with historical sights that offer visitors insight into the period and its significance. The park consists of four locations around Beaufort—Brick Baptist Church, Penn Center, Downtown Beaufort, and Camp Saxton—and hosts a variety of free events to enhance your experience.
Transport to a time of knights, kings, and queens at Medieval Times in Dallas, a unique dining and live-action experience that’s entertaining for the whole family. Enjoy a four-course feast included with your ticket while you watch sword fights, jousting from horseback, and even falcons in flight.
One of the region’s loveliest nature escapes, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, Pennsylvania, invites visitors to immerse themselves in its verdant habitats. Sprawling across 134 acres (54 hectares) and comprising everything from woodlands and ponds to wetlands and meadows, this protected nature park is home to 700 of the state’s 2,000 native plant species, plus diverse birds and insects.
At the gateway to Northeast Portland you can find one of the funky-chic shopping districts that Portland is famous for. North Mississippi Avenue offers a hipster-friendly assortment of trendy boutiques and restaurants. Find plentiful cheap eats, satisfy your sweet tooth with artisan ice cream, and sip cocktails at a local pub.
Home to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA), the Athenaeum in Alexandria serves as a gallery, performance space, and rental venue. The neoclassical Greek Revival building features 24-foot-high (7.3-meter) coved ceilings, enormous windows, ornate woodwork, and four towering Doric columns on the outside. Once a bank, factory, and church, the building is one of two surviving examples of this style of architecture in Old Town.
Stretching for over 16 miles (25 kilometers) along the Tennessee River, the Chattanooga Riverwalk is the city’s premiere outdoor green space. This paved path offers access to river views, shady benches for picnics, and space for a long run or cycle (bike rental stations are available, too). The Riverwalk also makes it easy to reach Chattanooga attractions like the Tennessee Aquarium and Hunter Museum of American Art on foot.
Dating back to 1755, Portland, Maine's Tate House Museum is the only existing example of pre-revolutionary architecture open to the public. In its heyday, it was the residence of Captain George Tate, a senior mast agent in the British Royal Navy, though it's now a museum, complete with period furnishings, an herb garden, and a gift shop.
Located between the historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods, Freedom Park is considered the Central Park of Charlotte. Spanning 98 acres (40 hectares), this popular park includes a 7-acre (3-hectare) lake, green spaces, walking and biking trails, sporting fields and courts, a demonstration garden, bandshell, and concessions.
The Grand Strand comprises 60 miles (100 kilometers) of uninterrupted sandy beach along the South Carolina Coast. A majority of the area’s 14 million annual visitors come for the boardwalks, beaches, amusement parks, and mini golf courses of Myrtle Beach, while Murrells Inlet serves as the region’s culinary capital.
Plaza Civica—or Plaza Civica de la Patria—is Ensenada’s central square, a swath of grass and short walking paths flanked by the waterfront on one side and Federal Highway 1 on the other. A massive Mexican flag typically flies over the plaza, where you can see statues of Benito Juarez, Miguel Hidalgo, and Venustiano Carranza—some of Mexico's most important historical figures.
One of three main airports in the San Francisco Bay Area (the others being San Francisco International Airport and San Jose International Airport), Oakland International Airport (OAK) welcomes visitors on most major airlines in the US, as well as a few international airlines.
Enjoy all the fun and games of a classic seaside amusement park at Morey’s Piers and Beachfront Water Parks on the Jersey Shore. Spanning 18 acres (7.3 hectares and stretching for six beach blocks, Morey’s is made up of three amusement piers and two beachfront water parks, offering more than 130 rides and attractions.
The coaster at Goats on the Roof takes riders through the Tennessee forest at 30 mph (50 kmph). But since you’re the one who gets to pull the brake—the carts only fit one or two people—you get to decide your speed. At just a foot or so off the ground, the coaster traces the hillsides, offering fast-paced, up-close views of Smoky Mountain nature you can’t get anywhere else.
Fringing Squam Lake in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is an environmental park that spotlights the area’s rich wildlife. Visitors immerse in nature by seeing live animals along the main nature trail, taking lake cruises, and enjoying bloom-filled gardens, guided programs, and other activities.
Home to the largest collection of Civil War artifacts west of the Mississippi, the Texas Civil War Museum boasts everything from weapons used on the battlefield to Victorian-era dresses. The museum displays artifacts from both the Union and Confederate sides of the conflict and highlights the role Texas played in the Civil War.
One of Albuquerque’s most delightfully distinctive tourist attractions, the American International Rattlesnake Museum is an entertaining facility, home to one of the world’s largest collections of live rattlesnake species. As well as learning about these venomous reptiles, visitors can see tortoises, Gila monsters, insects, and more—it’s a great choice for budding herpetologists.
Comprising jagged rocks, reef, and ocean, this protected ecological reserve showcases a wide range of Pacific marine wildlife. Nutrient-rich tidal flows support an assortment of plants and animals, from sponges and sea stars to sea lions, seals, and killer whales, while a rocky islet hosts a historic 19th-century lighthouse.
One of America's favorite dinner attractions, Medieval Times Buena Park puts on an evening spectacular filled with pageantry, dramatic horsemanship, breathtaking swordplay, and romance. Guests feast on a 4-course banquet served without silverware in a mock 11th-century Spanish palace, complete with red tile roofs and palm trees.
Just steps beyond downtown Milwaukee, Marquette University is one of the city’s foremost educational institutions, established in 1881. A Catholic–Jesuit university, it’s also one of the more prominent—and largest—private colleges in the United States. With more than 11,000 students and an endowment of nearly $1 billion, its legacy reaches across the globe.
Housed within a converted turn-of-the-century building, Monterrey’s 3-story Glass Museum (Museo del Vidrio) offers an insight into the history of Mexican glass manufacture and the European glass industry. Highlights include the working factory, glassblowing demonstrations, and the century-old traditional stained-glass workshop.
This 37-acre (15-hectare) James Island plantation, dating back to 1851, is today a Gullah/Geechee heritage site that offers an honest look at what life was like for the enslaved and emancipated African Americans who worked here. Besides the Georgian-style plantation home, the site also includes slave quarters, a cotton gin house, and a Gullah cemetery.
Nestled in rural New Hampshire, the family-owned Zorvino Vineyards produces award-winning grape and fruit wines in a stunning 80-acre (32-hectare) estate framed by New England forest. Visitors come to the winery, vineyards, bistro, and wood-beamed barn for everything from wine tastings and tours to hand-crafted menus and special events.
Marvel at over 800 species of jellyfish at Mexico’s largest jellyfish exhibition and admire seahorses, octopuses, and clownfish in one of several saltwater tanks at Mazatlán Aquarium (Acuario de Mazatlán). Ideal for families and animal lovers alike, there are also daily live animal shows, an onsite marine museum, botanical garden, aviary, and more.
Ocean Breeze Waterpark offers family-friendly fun in sunny Virginia Beach. Splash in the wave pool, get thrilled on the park's 30 water slides, or just lounge with the family at a kid-friendly water playground. Beat the heat at the seasonal, outdoor waterpark.
