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Ten Reasons to Visit the United States : Other News 
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Ten Reasons to Visit the United States
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raiting (0/0) Most tourists who plan a vacation in the U.S. immediately think about Disney World in Florida and New York City. But the real treasures are less popular. Here’s a list of 10 reasons to visit the U.S. that most people never consider. Access to Nature Every country has areas of natural beauty, but in many countries it is difficult to access and enjoy the natural world. Sometimes these beautiful areas become tourist traps or are so remote that only the bravest adventurer would dare enter. But Americans have done a good job of developing inroads to the natural wonders of North America without destroying the environment. This means that visitors can safely hike, fish, climb, bike and camp in the most spectacular wilderness areas in the world, usually for free. The U.S. government has established 391 national parks that are located in every state (except Delaware). The most famous parks are in the west—places like Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Yosemite National Park. Rocky Mountain National Park has 416 million acres of wilderness area and more than 60 mountains that are at least 12,000-feet high. But all this wild beauty is easy to access. More than 355 miles of hiking trails in the park are well-marked with signs and free trail maps. So whether you visit places like the Grand Canyon in Arizona, or the beaches of North Carolina, or the Redwood Forest of California, visitors should make every effort to enjoy one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. Washington, D.C. Whereas New York is expensive and crowded, Washington is spacious, beautiful, organized, and cheap. Activities in Washington are inexpensive because the best museums are funded by federal tax dollars. This means that you can see the best art in the world at the National Gallery of Art for free. You can spend an entire day in the National Air and Space Museum and not pay a dime (except for food). There is the free Museum of Natural History, which houses everything from fossils to gems. Beyond the museums, there are many things to do in Washington and the nearby region. Children will enjoy the National Zoo. There are the Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson monuments. Getting around Washington, D.C. is simple. The city has an excellent subway system that is easy to understand, safe, clean and inexpensive. The train will take you to all the sights without the need for a rented car. Aspen Ideas Festival For the past four years, the Aspen Institute has gathered the most influential thinkers in the world to hold open forums and lectures about the most important topics of our times. Held each summer in the beautiful mountain town of Aspen, Colorado, the festival covers topics ranging from global commerce to religion to education to the future of medicine. Organizers call the event a “week-long summer university for the mind.” Sporting Events No other country in the world invests so much in sports as the U.S. Almost every city in the U.S. is a place to watch some of the best college and professional athletes in the world play in some of the most spectacular sports stadiums imaginable. Don’t underestimate the college games. College football, for example, can be an exciting way to spend an afternoon in stadiums that holdup to 80,000 people. Live Music and Concerts Whether you prefer classical, Jazz, or rock music, all major American cities offer opportunities to hear live music in beautiful indoor and outdoor environments. The New Orleans Jazz Festival happens each year in April and the Newport Jazz Festival (in Rhode Island) takes place every August. Both have a long tradition of bringing the best in this music genre to the stage. There are too many classical music festivals to list. For those interested in American folk and country music, a good stop is Nashville, Tennessee. You should remember to look for the many great concerts that happen in small pubs and restaurants. For example, in Baltimore there is an old section of town called Fell’s Point that was a center for ship building 200-years ago. Fell’s Point has about 50 small pubs where amateur and professional musicians play folk, jazz, blues, and rock music. One of the most famous is Bertha’s Mussel House. California Wine Country Some of the best wine in the world comes from Northern California’s wine country. Visitors can tour this beautiful part of the U.S. for reasonable rates. Most wineries are open to the public for educational tours and wine tasting. Some wineries also offer a cozy and romantic place to stay with gourmet meals. One example is the Vintners Inn & Ferrari-Carano Winery. Here guests can stay in a room that overlooks the 92-acre vineyard and then have a private tour of the winery followed by a private tasting in a luxurious tasting room. Golf Golf in the U.S. is not just for the rich. There are many public courses in almost every city that don’t charge high prices to play on an excellent course. Most of them rent equipment. However, getting access to the best courses in the U.S., such as Augusta (the course used for the Master’s Tournament), can be very difficult. American History Sites Scattered along the East Coast are cities, large and small, that were once the birthplace of America. Boston and Philadelphia are locations that offer many educational tours. Throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania, not to mention many southern states, there are good tours of Civil War battlefields that help interested visitors learn about that part of America’s past. One must-see town is colonial Williamsburg, Virginia where actors dressed in colonial-era clothing bring the Revolutionary War to life. The city has many other historical and educational activities for people of all ages. Great Amusement Parks If you want some adventure, most cities in the U.S. have safe and clean amusement parks with some terrifying rides. One of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world is located in Jackson, New Jersey. Called “Kingda Ka,” it uses hydraulics to launch a train from 0 to 128-miles per hour in three seconds. Then the coaster takes people up 456 feet (same as a 45-story building) and then sends them roaring 418-feet down the track. See Bizarre and Weird Places Americans are known for building strange monuments along U.S. highways. In Baker, California you’ll find the world’s tallest thermometer, which is 134-feet high. In Lamar, Colorado you can stop in at a gas station made from petrified wood. Over in Darwin, Minnesota you might want to see the largest ball of string in the world. It weighs 17,400 pounds and has a diameter of 12 feet. Francis Johnson spent 39 years making the ball. Rural America is the best place to find weird stuff. By Glenn McMahan for RusUSA.com Other articles in Other News:  Readers' CommentsNo comments Add your commentary |
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Ten Reasons to Visit the United States : Other News