Cities of USA Bucket List

Visit New York City, the most populous city in the United States. See the Statue of Liberty (iconic symbol of freedom, gifted by France in 1886), walk through Central Park (843-acre urban park with lakes, trails, and the Bethesda Terrace), explore Times Square (bustling commercial hub known for its bright billboards and Broadway theaters), and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (one of the world's largest art museums with over 2 million works).

Visit San Francisco, a vibrant city in California. Ride the historic cable cars (the last manually operated system in the world), walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (iconic 2.7 km suspension bridge with views of the bay), explore Alcatraz Island (former federal prison with tours of its notorious cells), and see the Painted Ladies (row of Victorian houses at Alamo Square, famous from TV shows).

Visit Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world in Nevada. Walk the Las Vegas Strip (4.2 km of iconic resorts like Bellagio with its fountain shows and Venetian with gondola rides), see the Fremont Street Experience (historic downtown with a 460-meter LED canopy and zip line), and catch a Cirque du Soleil performance (acrobatic shows at venues like The Mirage).

Visit Washington DC, capital of the United States. Explore the National Mall (home to the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument), see the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, tour the Smithsonian museums like the Air and Space Museum (largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft), and walk through the historic Georgetown neighborhood (cobblestone streets and waterfront views).

Visit Boston, one of America's oldest cities. Walk the Freedom Trail (2.5-mile path past 16 historic sites like the Paul Revere House and Old North Church), explore Harvard University (founded in 1636 in Cambridge), see the Boston Public Garden (first public botanical garden in the U.S. with swan boats), and catch a game at Fenway Park (iconic baseball stadium home to the Red Sox).

Visit Los Angeles, a sprawling city in Southern California. Explore the Hollywood Walk of Fame (over 2,700 stars embedded in sidewalks honoring entertainment figures), see the iconic Hollywood Sign (45-foot-tall letters on Mount Lee), stroll along Venice Beach (famous for its boardwalk, street performers, and Muscle Beach outdoor gym), and visit the Getty Center (art museum with panoramic city views and gardens).

Visit Chicago, the Windy City on Lake Michigan. See the city from the Skydeck at Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower, with glass ledges extending 1,353 feet high), explore the Art Institute of Chicago (home to Grant Wood's American Gothic and Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte), stroll along the Chicago Riverwalk (lined with restaurants and public art), and catch a game at Wrigley Field (historic baseball stadium built in 1914).

Visit Miami, a vibrant coastal city in Florida. Explore the Art Deco Historic District in South Beach (largest collection of 1920s-1930s architecture in the US), stroll through the Wynwood Walls (outdoor street art museum with large-scale murals), and enjoy Cuban cuisine in Little Havana (try a cafecito and watch domino games at Maximo Gomez Park).

Visit New Orleans, a vibrant city in Louisiana known for its unique culture. Explore the French Quarter with its historic architecture and lively Bourbon Street, listen to live jazz at Preservation Hall, try beignets at Café du Monde, and experience Mardi Gras parades with elaborate floats and costumes.

Visit Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest. See the Space Needle (iconic 184-meter observation tower built for the 1962 World's Fair), explore Pike Place Market (historic public market with flying fish and original Starbucks), and visit the Museum of Pop Culture (dedicated to contemporary popular culture, with exhibits on music, sci-fi, and video games).

Visit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's second-largest city. Ride the Duquesne Incline (historic funicular with panoramic views of the city's three rivers), explore the Andy Warhol Museum (largest museum dedicated to a single artist in North America), see dinosaur fossils at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and catch a game at PNC Park (baseball stadium with a classic design and riverfront setting).

Visit Atlanta, the capital of Georgia in the United States, known for its history, culture, and attractions like the Georgia Aquarium and Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.

Waikiki beach, the Pearl Harbor memorial and the Diamond Head crater hike.

The Mile High City, the gateway to the Rockies, with Red Rocks amphitheatre and a craft beer scene.

Food carts, Powell’s bookshop, more breweries than any other city and the Columbia Gorge nearby.

Rainbow Row, Fort Sumter where the Civil War began and Lowcountry cooking.

Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum, the Arts District and Texas barbecue.

Barbecue burnt ends, the jazz district at 18th and Vine and 200 fountains.

The Motown Museum, the Henry Ford, Art Deco skyscrapers and a comeback story.

Music City: the Grand Ole Opry, honky-tonks on Broadway and hot chicken.

The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the Rocky steps at the art museum, and a cheesesteak.

Temple Square, the Great Salt Lake and the greatest snow on Earth an hour up the canyons.

The heart of America's wine country: 400 wineries, the Wine Train and hot-air balloons at dawn.

Graceland, Sun Studio where Elvis recorded, Beale Street blues and the Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel.

The live-music capital: SXSW, bats under the Congress bridge and breakfast tacos.

Adobe architecture, the Georgia O’Keeffe museum and the oldest state capital, at 2,100 metres.

Moose in the suburbs, the Tony Knowles trail along the inlet and the road to Denali.

Saguaro cacti in the Desert Botanical Garden and Camelback Mountain at dawn, before the heat.

The Walker sculpture garden, the Mississippi falls and lakes inside the city limits.

The Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry where the anthem was written and Chesapeake blue crabs.