USA Holidays

Ways to See the USA

When planning USA holidays, you may decide to concentrate on one particular area, such as Florida, or New England in the Fall. Another popular option is to do a coast-to-coast trip, usually from east to west. You can do this by rail, or alternatively by Greyhound Bus, which is less comfortable but enables you to get more off the beaten track -- or you can hire a car, which gives you even more freedom. But however you organise your trip, you'll barely scratch the surface of all there is to see.

Where to Start

A favourite starting point for USA holidays is New York City, the buzzing financial, cultural and entertainment capital, and for many people the symbol of America. There's enough here to keep you busy for weeks, but if you only have a few days, you will at least want to explore the attractions of Manhattan and Central Park, and cruise round the harbour. A great alternative starting point is Boston, Massachusetts, one of America's founding cities and rich in history, where you can walk the fascinating Freedom Trail, linking the historic sites that tell the story of the nation's beginnings.

Boston is also the gateway to New England, the group of eastern states where America's history began. The area is especially popular in autumn (called Fall in USA) because of the amazing colours of its foliage, which people travel from all over the world to see. But New England has plenty of other delights - the pretty centuries-old villages, the rocky peaks of the ancient Appalachian Mountains, the enchanting coastline studded with islands and bays, and New Hampshire's hundreds of lakes.

Further west there are more lakes in the Great Lakes region, less visited by tourists yet abounding in natural beauty, with rocky promontories, rugged cliffs, towering dunes and thousands of encircling lagoons. Dense forests provide pristine habitats for a variety of fascinating creatures including moose, black bear and white-tailed deer. The dramatic drop of the Niagara River as it flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario forms the thunderous Niagara Falls, one of the planet's most majestic and awesome spectacles.

Fabulous Parks

One of the most exciting ways to see America is by visiting some of its spectacular National Parks. There are more than 400 across the country, ranging from the world-renowned ones like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon to the less well known like the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, but all providing unique and extraordinary experiences. Most of them need a stay of several days to appreciate them fully, although they say that at Yosemite in California you can see more natural wonders in one minute than you can see in a whole day anywhere else -- including El Capitan, Glacier Point, and the famous Mariposa Grove of towering sequoias.

One state that is especially known for its fabulous National Parks is Utah, and one of the best known is Zion, with its orange-red rock walls, slot canyons and hanging valleys towering 2,000 feet above Zion Canyon in the centre. You can trek to the Emerald Pools or the Weeping Rocks, and at the Canyon Overlook at sunset you behold the entire canyon glowing with effervescent light. Another of Utah's extraordinary parks is the Arches, with its literally thousands of natural arches, towers, bridges and needles creating a mysterious and other-worldly feel.

The Wonderful West

As you travel west you find rising before you the mighty peaks of the Rockies, with their scenic mountain cities, like Denver, Colorado, and the volcanic geysers, lakes and canyons of Yellowstone National Park. To the south are the deserts and red rocks of Arizona, where you can marvel at the Grand Canyon - however many pictures you have seen, nothing prepares you for the vastness, the majesty or the phenomenal beauty of this colossal chasm. Then once you reach California, the Golden State, the richness before you is overwhelming - the balmy climate, the stunning Pacific Coast, the sensational scenery, superlative cities like San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco. It truly is a land of dreams and you could spend weeks here alone.

This is only a small selection of the delights that USA holidays have in store for you. Nobody has seen the whole of America, not even people who live there, so you just need to relax, take it slowly and savour all the beauty and wonder of every new experience. Making the choice can be bewildering, but the one thing you can be sure of is that wherever you go, you'll meet friendliness, helpfulness and the warmest of welcomes.