North America attractions

Located in the remote southwestern corner of Alaska, Katmai National Park is one of the world’s best places to view brown bears in their natural habitat. In summer, they gather in the streams to feast on the abundant salmon. The bears are accustomed to humans so you can view them safely up-close for an unforgettable viewing experience.

The College Football Hall of Fame—also called the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame—is a modern museum honoring the greatest players of college football in the US, past and present. Anchoring the center of Atlanta’s Centennial Park District, the museum holds dozens of interactive exhibits featuring players, teams, uniforms, and history—plus virtual reality games and an indoor football field.

The historic RCA Studio B is where Nashville’s legendary music scene began, making it a must-see for lovers of country music and its history. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this Tennessee studio is credited as being the epicenter of Music City and the place where the Nashville Sound originated. Visit the studio where thousands of songs—including many platinum hits—were recorded on a tour from the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Few landmarks in the Hawaiian Islands convey their eclectic history like this state park, home to the ruins of a star-shaped basalt fort. Designed by a German doctor in 19th-century European style, for both Russian overseers and King Kaumualiʻi of Kauai, and built using local materials, the fort sits across the river from the town of Waimea. A short walking trail around the structure offers views of Waimea Bay and the surrounding landscape.

Of the Charleston area plantations, Middleton is best known for its gardens—widely considered the oldest landscaped gardens in the country. The sprawling 110-acre (44-hectare) site also encompasses working stableyards with heritage-breed livestock and a historic House Museum with rotating exhibits. Once a prosperous rice plantation, Middleton Place is now a National Historic Landmark that honors both the Middleton family and the enslaved people whose labor shaped the land.

An entertainment hub in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, LA Live is a premier destination for live performances, dining, dancing, and more. From nightclubs to bowling to professional sports, LA Live is a go-to location for premier events. It may even look familiar: LA Live's Microsoft Theater is known to host star-studded award shows.

Queen’s Quay Terminal is a residential, entertainment, and shopping center on the harborfront of Toronto, Ontario. Built as a warehouse facility in the 1920s, the terminal was revitalized in the 1980s as a multipurpose complex featuring upscale shops and restaurants. The lakeside setting offers views of the Toronto Islands.

Located on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, Indian Canyons is the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and is made up of three canyons: Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon, and Murray Canyon. The canyons attract hikers with more than 60 miles (95 kilometers of trails.

Opened in 1799—and then called the East India Marine Society—Salem's Peabody Essex Museum (PEM is one of the oldest continuously-operating museums in the US. The museum's sizable collection makes it one of the region's largest art institutions. Holdings include curios from mariners traveling the globe, plus historic homes and gardens.

As one of the oldest cities in the United States, Charleston is known for its deep history. The Charleston Museum, which marquees itself as America’s First Museum, is a great first stop for a broad overview of Charleston’s past, featuring exhibits ranging from Lowcountry dinosaur skeletons to niche Revolutionary War artifacts.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is the leading and largest music hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and hosts some of the best performances in southern California. Once the setting of the Academy Awards, the hall is a top Los Angeles cultural landmark and currently serves as the home of the LA Opera and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center.

With more than 3,500 animals and upwards of 750 species, the San Antonio Zoo is home to many of the world’s creatures. Walk the zoo's winding paths to encounter giraffes, lions, elephants, tigers, pelicans, hippos, crocodiles, and other creatures in habitats designed to be engaging for both you and the animals.

Try street food, pick up souvenirs, and do some people-watching at Palapas Park (Parque de las Palapas), which buzzes with locals, live music, food vendors, and shopping stalls. At this central plaza in downtown Cancún, you get an authentic look into Mexican culture that you can’t find at the nearby beaches and resorts. Come hungry, as street food options range from freshly fried empanadas to cheese-topped elotes (grilled corn on the cobs).

Right on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Milwaukee Art Museum is one of the largest art museums in the nation—with perhaps the most striking architecture of them all. Though the museum’s 25,000 works have plenty of appeal, you’ll also want plenty of time to explore the grounds, imagining the museum’s shiplike structure setting out to sea.

Ancient people in the Utah desert produced rock art for thousands of years, painting or inscribing images into the boulders and cliffs. A handful of important rock art sites are located along Highway 279, a Utah Scenic Byway outside of Moab. With easy site access and a gorgeous setting, this is a great place to start exploring rock art.

Along the Big Island’s lush Hamakua Coast, the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is a gorgeous rainforest nature preserve that promotes education, ecology, and simple time in nature. The beautifully maintained living museum hosts thousands of native Hawaiian and international plant species, river-fed streams and waterfalls, easy paths for walking, plus a variety of wildlife, including birds, crabs, mongooses, and fast-moving geckos.

Cabo San Lucas may be known for its beaches, but the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range serves up opportunities for adventure beyond the sea. Located in the south of the Baja California peninsula, visitors flock to the region for hiking, the chance to spot rare birds, horseback riding, and climbing, while surrounded by the beauty of the Sierra de La Laguna Biosphere Reserve. As you walk through its oak and pine forests, you’ll pass hidden waterfalls, thermal pools, and dramatic rock formations.

Situated on Atlanta's Westside, on the former Atlantic Steel Mill site, Atlantic Station is a popular spot for dining, shopping, and people-watching. The neighborhood also has plenty of entertainment options, with a movie theatre, a bowling alley, and live events ranging from sports games to Cirque du Soleil performances.

Utah’s This is the Place Heritage Park commemorates the arrival of Mormon pioneers who settled in the Salt Lake City valley in 1847. Experience activities such as train and pony rides, blacksmithing, and gold panning at the 450-acre (182-hectare) park’s Heritage Village, which also displays restored structures and hosts events.

Playa Palancar is a laid-back beach where you can swim, snorkel, or just relax in a hammock under the coconut-palm trees. It’s one of Cozumel’s most beautiful beaches, with fine white sand and access to an outstanding coral reef just offshore. For a relaxing beach day away from the crowded tourist spots, there’s no better place.

A popular base camp for visitors to the Grand Canyon, the small town of Williams is nestled in the pine trees of northern Arizona, offering endless access to timeless outdoor adventures. Set along historic Route 66, the town has an eclectic Wild West persona, complete with a historic downtown, the beloved Grand Canyon Railway train depot, wood-boarded saloons, and Americana-style shops and restaurants galore.

Just across the river from downtown Ottawa, Gatineau Park—a 139-square-mile (361-square-kilometer) swath of lake and wood-dotted parkland—offers nature escapes near the city. With a vast network of hiking, cycling, and cross-country ski trails, as well as lakes, waterfalls, and swimming beaches, it’s a veritable outdoor playground.

The extensive Salvador Dali Museum is home to the largest collection of works by the famous Spanish surrealist outside of Europe. Visitors to the St. Petersburg highlight can view key works from every stage of Dali’s career as well as exceptional pieces from every medium of his artistic endeavors—oil paintings, original drawings, prints, sculptures, and photos—along with manuscripts and an extensive archive of documents.

Hard Rock Key West is in the center of the island action on Duval Street. It serves up American fare and features plenty of rock ’n’ roll memorabilia—similar to the chain’s other locations, but here it's with a tropical twist. When you dine al fresco on the patio, enjoy a hearty helping of ocean breeze along with live entertainment.

Kendall Square has served as a transit hub for travelers venturing between Boston and Cambridge for centuries: In 1793, it provided the first direct wagon route between these cities. Today tech firms and offshoots of nearby MIT call Kendall Square home, and travelers will find plenty of accommodations, restaurants, and shopping here.

A must-see for fans of Lucy Maud Montgomery’sAnne of Green Gables books, this farmhouse once belonged to Montgomery’s relatives and served as the inspiration for the “Cuthbert farm” in her novels. Today the whitewashed dwelling is furnished as described in the books, with multimedia exhibits covering Montgomery’s life and works.

Wailea Beach is a picture-perfect stretch of soft white sand and calm turquoise water nestled among upscale resorts on Maui’s south shore. Voted one of America’s best beaches, it’s perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and spotting sea turtles or humpback whales in season. Wailea Beach offers a mix of luxury and natural beauty, whether you’re strolling the beachfront path, lounging under a cabana, or catching the sunset over neighboring islands.

Inside the Department of Commerce Building, the White House Visitor Center offers interactive exhibits, a large-scale model of the White House, and both permanent and temporary exhibits on the history and significance of “The People’s House.” Free to visit, it’s an ideal companion experience to a tour of the White House (which must be reserved well in advance), as well as a stand-alone stop.

The San Diego Museum of Man explores the meaning and mysteries of human culture, from ancient Egypt and native Californian Kumeyaay people to the history of beer making and cannibalism. Interactive exhibits take visitors through thousands of years of anthropology, all inside a landmark Spanish colonial building in Balboa Park.

A U.S. National Historic Landmark District, Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo was founded in the early 1900s and is one of just three Japantowns in the country. The compact neighborhood in downtown LA is home to cultural attractions, shops selling Japanese goods, and dozens of restaurants serving sushi, ramen, and other Japanese and Asian fusion cuisine.