USA
Last Updated: Nov. 11, 2009
Capital: Washington DC
Currency: US Dollar
Language: English
Visas: Travel Visa Information
The USA (United States of America) offers a massive diversity across this country of over 300 million people. From the hectic chaos and savvy chic of big cities like ‘The Big Apple’ New York, to the simply indescribable landscapes and scenery of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Niagara Falls, to wild nights in Las Vegas to relaxing on the beaches of California and star spotting in Hollywood. The ‘land of the free’ has surprises at almost every turn.
World Famous Cities and Sites
The major cities of the US are icons and inspirations immortalized in art, music, TV, movies and music. It’s almost imposable to travel anywhere in the world and not see references to these modern wonders.
New York’s skyline, the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Times Square to name but a fraction of what ‘city that never sleeps’ has to offer may well make it the most famous city in the world.
Washington DC, home of the Pentagon, the Whitehouse and Capital Building, monuments and memorials as well as the Smithsonian Museums is a modern day Rome while in the north you can find Chicago’s mighty Sears Tower on the shores of Lake Michigan and Cleveland’s Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.
California alone presents a whole host of sights and delights, the least which include Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego while it’s not only the cities but other cultural icons like the Las Vegas Strip, Route 66, Mt Rushmore, the Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland and Hollywood sign are known the world over.
National Parks & Natural Wonders
Perhaps the aspect of the United States that is least well known is its simply world class natural wonders.
The States has areas of forests, mountains, deserts and wilderness of awesome and emotive natural beauty with the most famous most amazing being the the Grand Canyon in Arizona. On the other end of the scale are the huge, soaring Rocky Mountains while the lush, green forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountains around Bass Lake contrast with natures sculpture gallery in the deserts of Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion and Monument Valley.
The largest and oldest of all Americas natural reserves is Yellowstone while Yosemite National Park is simply awesome while the Badlands National Park of South Dakota is totally different yet again.
Niagara Falls, on the border between the US and Canada are also some of the most famous falls in the world.
Theme Parks
Disneyland in Anaheim is a must for big kids at heart while the trills of big roller coasters can also be found nearby Knotts Berry Farm. The Disney adventures continue at Orlando’s Disney Worlds in Florida.
Sports
The Americans are sports crazy. The United States is home to some fantastic Professional and College sporting teams going to a game is a must for any sports nut. NBA Basketball(official site) is widely popular with teams like the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, LA Lakers. Major League Baseball (official site), the National sport, with games featuring the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Anaheim Angels among many, many others are always cheap and accessible while gridiron Football with the NFL’s (official site) Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins also goes off. Ice Hockey too often draws packed houses to see teams like the Anaheim Ducks, LA Kings, New York Rangers hit the ice in the NHL (official site).
Food
Most famous for the hamburger and french fries you will find a huge diversity of food across the United States from the Mexican specialties of California to the steaks of Texas and the mid-west, Creole cooking in New Orleans, Famous New York Pizza and hotdogs, Chicago style sub-sandwiches, ball-park hot dogs, great seafood around Boston.
Although not widely known outside of the US, there are usually local specialties and variations in almost every region of the States.
The Americans are well known for their huge serves of everything and you can almost be guaranteed to be filled to the brim at almost every meal.
Drinks and Alcohol
The US is the home of Coca Cola but this is just one of the myriad of flavors of ‘soda’ available nation-wide.
The legal drinking age is 21 across the whole country. This age restriction is taken seriously and enforced in bars and clubs across almost everywhere.
Beers like Budweiser, Busch, Coors Light (light beers are light in calories, not alcohol)and Sam Adams are popular the whole country over while the Napa Valley, just outside of San Francisco in California has gained a reputation the world over as producing some excellent wines.
The US is also home to Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and a whole host of liquors and spirits.
Beaches
For iconic US beach scenes, the stuff ‘Baywatch’ is made of, you cannot go past California while in Pensacola provides a tastes of Florida beach fun and the Pacific island of Hawaii rounds out best of the beaches.
Sports
Baseball, Basketball, Gridiron and Ice Hockey are just the start of plethora of sports the US is famous for!
Places Contiki Visits in the USA
East Coast
- Annapolis – Home of the US Naval Academy
- Boston – ‘Bean town’ – Drenched in US history
- New York – The Big Apple
- Philadelphia – ‘City of Brotherly Love’ and ‘Birthplace of the Nation’
- Washington DC – The Capital, the Whitehouse, amazing monuments and museums
Florida and The South
- New Orleans – Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras and the Swingin’ South
- Orlando – The Mecca of theme parks
- Pensacola – Beach, Beach, Beach
- Raleigh – North Carolina, History in the State Capital
- Savannah – Georgia, the true south
- St Augustine – Americas oldest city
Hawaii
- Hawaii – Snorkel, swim, surf, Waikiki, Pacific paradise and island culture
Colorado, Nevada, Utah & Arizona
- Bryce Canyon National Park – Spectacular desert scenery
- Cortez – The Rocky Mountains
- The Grand Canyon and Kanab – ‘Grand’ is too small a word
- Las Vegas – Bright lights, the Vegas Strip, a playground for adults
- Phoenix – Capital of Arizona
- Salt Lake City – Utah, Olympic city and Mormon capital of the world
- Zion National Park – Cliffs, canyons and amazing desert stone formations
The North
- Chicago – Super city of the north
- Cleveland – Home of the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame
- Cody – Wyoming, Gateway to Yellowstone
- Madison – Rocking University town and capital of Wisconsin
- Milwaukee – One of the brewing capitals of the USA
- Mt Rushmore – The famous 4 presidents faces on the mountainside
- Niagara Falls – Huge rushing waterfalls
- Sioux Falls – More beautiful waterfalls
- Yellowstone – Wildlife, Lakes, canyons and ‘Old Faithful’
Texas and New Mexico
- Albuquerque – The Wild West
- Amarillo – Cowboy County
- Dallas – The best of Texas
West Coast and California
- Anaheim – Disneyland and our West Coast base
- Bass Lake – Sierra Nevada Mountains
- Los Angeles – Hollywood, Santa Monica, the land of the stars
- San Diego – ‘Americas Finest City’
- San Francisco – The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz
- Santa Barbara – The best the Californian coast has to offer
- Yosemite National Park – El Capitan and spectacular granite formations
Add a Comment Comments (23)
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I love America! More power! God bless America!
Tennessee Individual Health Insurance
Explorer1156888
posted 8 days ago
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You HAVE to visit New York. It is an AMAZING city. Entertainment, bars, restaurants, people watching – it’s a blast
Explorer1156478
posted 11 days ago
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When I think of America, guess which three things come to find?
American food
American wine
American sea beaches (and by relation, the hunks out there too, LOL)There are some unique stuff you could find only in this country! :)
marthagfy96
posted 23 days ago
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see bands for free? That’s good we can save few bucks rather than watching them for free.
Dexter Denver
posted 24 days ago
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If you’re looking for non stop action and a sizzling city then New York is great city for you. It truly is a city that never sleeps. That includes night bars, clubs, great restaurants and you can find good smooth jazz live shows as well. It is a bit expensive but you don’t need to get a hotel in the center…because the transportation is incredible.
Trevon Wright
posted 24 days ago
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Forgot to mention that LA still remains my fav ;)
Patricia
posted on Oct. 16, 2009
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Why just beer? I would say that US has some of the best varieties of wine available. And yes, when it comes to some jazz music, New Orleans is the place to visit!
Patricia
posted on Oct. 16, 2009
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Florida is my favourite. Although 48 I went to Disney, Epcot etc. Great fun with my kids.
Explorer1153894
posted on Oct. 15, 2009
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Vans or RV’s are my preferred mode of travel. Every State in the USA has it’s own hidden little vacation spots that seem to be the preferred destination of the locals and slip out of site of the tourists. So it’s tough to find out about them if you are not acquainted with the local geography. For example there are some nice little beaches in South Orange County or North of Ventura in California that get nowhere near the hype of the larger better known places.
Explorer1145282
posted on Jul. 31, 2009
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I’ve got to go the US soon otherwise my other half will leave me! Whats the place with the huge trees?
Goalkeeper GlovesExplorer1138200
posted on Jul. 28, 2009
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American food – yum – it all sounds good to me! But why is it so hard to find a meat pie in the US?
At least they don’t eat guinea pig though!
Explorer1144721
posted on Jul. 27, 2009
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Don’t forget the Hip Hop spots in towns you would never expect, like Nyack New York. Check out Jimmy’s!
Explorer1142107
posted on Jul. 07, 2009
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I live in Beverly Hills and tend to forget how lucky I am!
What does an anxiety attack feel like
anxi3ty
posted on Jun. 18, 2009
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We were lucky enough to travel around America by train. Going by train really makes you appreciate the huge size of the country. We actually travelled 10,000 miles in 4 weeks first class. It was not expensive as the pound dollar was so good. I would recommend this to anyone; it was simply a trip of a lifetime. We did, New York → Niagara → Buffalo → Chicago → Seattle → Vancouver → Sanfransisco → Chicago → Washing DC and finally back to New York! John, UK - Utility Warehouse
Explorer1139152
posted on Jun. 10, 2009
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That’s very good information about the United States of America. I always dream of going to U.S.A someday and visit New York City which is one of my favorite cities in U.S.A. I would also like to add that I love America and American people.
Regards, Ramesh,Car lease
Car lease
posted on Jun. 01, 2009
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There are still so many states I have to explore. Last time I visited the states I visited California. San Franaciso is so vibrant and expressive. I wasn’t keen on the food though.
MrCoote123
posted on May. 17, 2009
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I have to say if you want to get away from the noise and just want to relax, then there is no place like the mountains in Colorado. The best time to visit is during the fall when it’s spectacular.
Scottwpp
posted on May. 04, 2009
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I agree with you Mike, Zion National Park rocks! So incredibly beautiful. A great place to recharge your batteries, so to speak.
Explorer1132650
posted on Apr. 23, 2009
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The beautiful United States of America is the best place on earth to visit and I guarantee you will find something new and exciting every single trip you go on. 3d games
Explorer1132633
posted on Apr. 23, 2009
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hi all
Explorer1131865
posted on Apr. 16, 2009
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The US is holds many options when it comes to travel options. It is great to go off the “beaten path” and experience the things you will never read about in guide books or most likely see on a travel show. From New York to the National Park system there are things that will satisfy the most diverse interests.
Explorer1130019
posted on Apr. 01, 2009
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Get outside your beer comfort zone! The U.S. has more variety of beer than any country in the world, so no matter what kind of beer you like, there is a undiscovered brew waiting for you in America…
JordanAllen
posted on Feb. 27, 2008
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If you love live music, Memphis and New Orleans are two places to see raw, unpretentious blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Many times, you can see these bands for free!
JordanAllen
posted on Dec. 17, 2007
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