US Must-Sees

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Going to have a couple of months travelling around the US later this year (August-October) and just looking for ideas of what people would recommend seeing/doing over there. Only real things on the agenda right now is starting in NC, visiting NYC (have some friends there I've promised to visit) and flying out of LA.

Thinking about visiting Washington DC, as how could a politics student pass up an opportunity to visit places like the Lincoln Memorial, the US capitol, the white house, etc.

At the end of the day though, it's really more the nature / outdoors side of things that I'm interested. Any good hikes and walks that people would recommend? Any good(, non-touristy) sites that one should visit?

What other must-dos would you recommend for someone visiting the US for the first (and probably last for many, many years) time? Heh, with a limited budget

 

New England is always nice, especially if you hit it during the fall foliage. I can speak more for the West, though. California has lots of great natural sights. You could take a drive up the coast highway to Monterey or even farther if you have the time. The high Sierra is also quite nice. Closer to L.A. there are mountains, although they are not quite as nice as the Sierra Nevada. The central coast of California is very beautiful and is worth the 4-6 hour drive. The only problem is that you'll have to plan on driving for at least an hour or two just to get out of the metro area (depending on where you are staying, of course).

 

The Smithsonian museums in DC are well worth the visit. The Air & Space museum in particular is awesome.

I'll second Dinsdale's recommendation of California. Monterey is very nice (and has a very good Aquarium) and Yosemite is probably the nicest spot in the mountains to visit. Sequoia National Park is also very cool.

 

If you go to the Washington Monument, take the walking tour down. You get the history, and the state stone tour that way, and some of the stories are amusing... the States were not always so united...LOL
I'll add recommendations for the Smithsonian museums... they are worth going to see. They are time consuming, though.
While I have not vacationed in NC, there are plenty of parks and natural trails, and the scenery is quite pretty.

 

In NC, the coast has some nice state and national parks and interesting lighthouses. The mountains also have wonderful parks - Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited in the country, though, so you might want to aim for the state parks or the national forest areas.

There are some nice walking trails around the NC state capitol that used to be railroad routes.

However, if you are coming in the summer, be warned the whole state, even the mountains, tends to be very hot and humid in the summer.

 

If you're going to end up in LA, I highly recommend that you get there by way of the Grand Canyon, in Arizona. Truly a magnificent spectacle!

Alternatively, you could get to LA by flying from the east into Seattle, then driving down the Coast highway. A slight detour will take you to Mt. St. Helens and the Columbia Gorge, and the Oregon Coast is just amazing. Near the Oregon-California border is a small town called Gold Hills, where there's a place called the Oregon Vortex. Definitely worth two hours out of your life!

 

Well let's see here...

During the winter, Utah is famous for its ski resorts. There are a dozen or so in northern Utah. In spring and early summer, when the temperature is under 100 degrees, Zion’s Natl. Park and the Arches Natl. Park are nice places to visit. Both these places are in Southern Utah... Zion is near St. George, which is about a 5 hour drive from Salt Lake City. Arches, is further... it's still about 5 hours from Salt Lake City, but it's about 5.5 hours from St. George.

If you find yourself in California during the summer, head south to Orange County for the beaches. I have no love for any of the beaches in LA County...but places like Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach are where I spent most of my summers when I lived there. I don't know how traffic is in New Zealand, but be prepared to sit if you find yourself on any Southern California freeway. If you want an extreme thrill, go to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Of all the amusement parks I've been to, this Six Flags is by far the best! You *won't* be disappointed.

Speaking of amusement parks, stay away from Disneyland. I can't speak for Disney World in Florida since I've never been there, but Disneyland is a waste of time and money...but most of all, it's just not fun unless you're under 6 years old.

My family used to be members of a place called R-Ranch in the Sequoias. It's In the Sequoia Natl. Park and if you like giant trees and hiking through forests, this is the place for you. About 50 miles north of the ranch, you'll find the biggest tree in the world, the General Grant tree. I remember going there as a kid...it was an awesome camping trip.

Oh, and if you want to throw money away on gambling, strippers, booze, and all things "sinful" make a stop in Las Vegas. There's always something to do in the 'City of Sin'.

 

New York: Yankee's Game. This is the last year in Yankee Stadium. Plus the usual... Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island.

Washington DC: Wow. Where to start.... I'd look on-line at the Smithsonian and decide what you want to see. I spent three days there and still didn't see everything. Most memorable were touring the mint and the capitol, and visiting the Air and Space Museum. The American History Museum was also great.

If you can venture a little east of Washington DC, there is Mammoth Caves. You can book a six hour spelunking tour. Great fun. This is somewhat close to the Great Smoky Mountains Park mentioned by revmav -- which is also close to the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Great tour, unfortunately it's in a dry county (very disappointing).

Out West. If you can get over to Arizona definately see the Grand Canyon -- it will take your breath away. You can stay in Flagstaff or at the canyon if you book far enough in advance. You can also put your name on the list in the morning to see if a vacancy will open up that evening at the canyon. If you want to hike to the bottom, you must have reservations to stay the night (18 miles each way with a mile change in elevation makes it a tough one day hike). The Grand Canyon Skywalk looks awesome. Going east ~35 miles of Flagstaff gets you to the Meteor Crater -- not much to look at, but it's interesting and close. Much further east is Monument Valley, the Painted Desert, and the Petrified Forest.

After (or before) the Grand Canyon, head a little west and go to VEGAS BABY! That could be a thread all by itself. When crossing the border between Arizona and Nevada, take a moment to really look at Hoover Dam -- it's considered by many to be an engineering marvel of this century.

Take in an earthquake or two while in California -- I can tell you from personal experience that you should be above the 25th floor to get full effect. Actually, I second the motion for Sequoia National Park. The Redwoods up by San Francisco are also spectacular (and you would get to see the Golden Gate Bridge).

If you want extreme amusement parks, stop in the little town of Sandusky, Ohio -- Cedar Point is better than any other place I've ever been (including Magic Mountain).

 

Thanks for all the suggestions! Really love the look of Zion’s National Park and Sequoia National Park.

 

Now for the advice of a fellow New zealander..... Of the things I have personally visited in the USA, if I was to restrict myself to natural attractions:

1. The Grand Canyon. Will blow your mind. Hike down and back up for the hike of your life. Splash out for the helicopter ride to really take your breath away.

2. Sequoia Park. Those trees don't look so big. Until you get up close and get your perspective straight. They're massive!

3. Monument valley. You will feel like you're in a Roadrunner cartoon!

4. YOsemite national park. The most photogenic landscapes around. Flick through an Ansel Adams book before going, then try and take better photos!

5. Breckenridge. Beautiful ski area in Colorado, but there are loads of others. Although the appeal of a ski area is diminished somewhat in the summer.

Other than that I have to put in a word of defence for Disneyland, which I disagree with Kitrax on. Disneyland is fantastic. I have been there three times and intend to go back one day with my kids.

 

Heh, I'm afraid I'm going to listen to Kit on that one. Really not a big fan of those sort of places. But if you weren't to restrict yourself to natural attractions?

 

Well, Manhattan is really the main man-made destination I would rate in the USA. There is just so much crammed on to that island, and you get the most amazing sense of deja vu when you realise just how much TV and film must be shot there, for you to be so very familiar with it all. Amazing place.

Las Vegas is amazing too, but for completely different reasons.

 

You're *afraid* that you'll have to listen to me? Geeze...I guess that says something about me...

Gah! How did I forget about Yosemite?!?! Back when I was a Boy Scout, my troop did a 50 mile hike though Yosemite. Great place to visit if you want some nature...though, you won't be alone…there were few places where we couldn't see or hear people on our hike.

 

If you want to hit the population trail, Washington DC, New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago. Miami and Seattle might be good, too. Each place has it's strengths and fun places to go.

 

If you are heading to the Grand Canyon, which you should, I would suggest heading south from there and going through Sedona, AZ (just south of Flagstaff and on the way to Phoenix). Absolutely beautiful. The drive between Flagstaff and Phoenix takes you from evergreen-covered hills/mountains to cactus laden desert. It's quite the transition.

 

One thing I noticed whilst in America is just how MASSIVE everything is. The cars, the buildings, roads, streets, people. Everything is just supersized.

Plus, it's easy to put on loads of weight in America. Most places you can pay like, 5 or 6 dollars (which is like 3 quid - nothing) and get all-you-can-eat and everything is fatty. I asked for a salad in one place and even that was covered in a greasy looking fatty dressing. Even the drinks aren't kind to you. Most places do free refills on drinks, you just pay for the cup then get what you want. I had about 5 cups of cola in one place before I realised I was getting hair on my teeth, and visibly getting fatter! The portions are huge as well.

Having said that though, its a great place to visit. The people are friendly and welcoming (unless that's just for British people) and there's loads to do. I want to go back to America, and will do as soon as I have the money. I'd love to spend about a year or two there, just travelling around. Buy a camper van or something and just bum across the whole of America.

Just watch your waistline whilst there - it's easy to get fat!

 

Heh, well looks like I might be spending half a year or so in Costa Rica afterwards, so the fattening up in the states might do me a bit of good