14 Amazing Places in the USA — East Edition
A few weeks back I wrote “The 13 Best Places in the USA — West Edition” where I dished on my favorite destinations in the western part of the USA.
I promised I’d talk about some of the amazing places in the USA in the eastern piece of the country.
And I keep my promises.
So if you are looking for some fabulous places East of the Mississippi River, then check out this list.
Again I’m only covering places I’ve personally visited.
There are soooo many more spots I could include on this list so I’ll drop some honorable mentions of places I want to visit at the end of the post.
Are you ready?
But first — a map
So I’ve put all these amazing places in the USA — East Edition — on the handy dandy map below.
This way you can see where these awesome destinations are located.
And yes, you could string some together for a nice road trip — which I’d be happy to help with!
I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on each place but rather give a bit of an overview and why I love it — and why I think it’s worth the time.
Amazing Places in the USA — East
I grew up in the eastern part of the USA so I spent a lot of time as a kid taking vacations in this part of my country.
And, I have to admit, I forget how beautiful it all is and how diverse it is.
So this post really brought back some great memories for me.
Acadia National Park, Maine
I honestly think of all the places on this list, this is probably the one I most want to go back to.
Well, I’d put all of Maine on that list as I think it’s a gorgeous state with so much to offer.
But this national park is really beautiful although quite well-known.
Acadia is in the top 10 most visited national parks so be prepared.
You’ll find forest areas with ponds and bogs inland.
Then there is all this stunning coastline.
Bar Harbor is the main town that is admittedly quite touristy.
My advice is to travel out of season which is what I did, going mid-late October.
Yes, the autumn colors were not as vibrant but the crowds were fewer.
And it was still magnificent.
I’d love to return and spend more time digging into all the pieces of this park and getting out on the trails more.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Another amazing place in the USA is Cape Cod.
Now, many folks from the Boston area or Connecticut or New York visit here every summer.
In fact, it gets very busy here in summer.
I actually visited in early September and this is an excellent time to visit.
It’s still warm enough, but the summer crowds are gone.
My friend’s mom had a house in Barnstable, one of the lesser known towns.
I remember going to Barnstable Harbor around sundown — it was so beautiful.
Sandwich was one of my favorite towns with its quaint downtown area then the boardwalk through the boggy area over to the beach.
I remember seeing the sign for when Sandwich was established — 1639.
It blew me away!
Woods Hole with its light house was another lovely spot and we did visit the famous Hyannis and Hyannis Port with its connection to the Kennedy family.
Because it was a short trip, I didn’t get out further on Cape Cod, but this is one of the places I would definitely return to.
Personally, I think visiting between early September and about mid-October would be wonderful with autumn colors and still warm-ish temperatures.
My tip is to enjoy the inland spots just as much as the harbor towns and beaches as there are some lovely places inland.
Adirondacks, New York
In late August 2018 my nephew got married on the shores of Fourth Lake near the town of Inlet.
This was the first time I traveled to the Adirondacks of New York.
And I loved it.
Because I was simply here for a wedding, I didn’t see much.
But what I did experience — the lake, the trees, the mountains, a wee little town — made an impression.
I had always heard that the Adirondack are one of the most amazing places in the USA with lots of untouched areas.
So I was prepared to be wowed.
And I was.
I would love to go back, dig deeper, get out on some trails.
This is one of those natural American destinations that gets overlooked — by Americans and international visitors alike.
I highly recommend to anyone who is into the great outdoors to put the Adirondacks on your list.
New York City, New York
How can a list of the most amazing places in the USA be complete without New York City?
You know me, I’m not a city gal.
However, when my brother and his wife lived just north of the city, I knew it would be a good opportunity for me to see it.
So we trained in for the day.
It was early December so the city was decorated for Christmas.
We walked — a lot!
And we took the subway too.
I wanted to see Rockefellar Plaza with the tree all lit up.
It was nuts!
But I fell in love with NYC.
Now, it’s not a city I’d live in or even spend a full week in.
I think 4-5 days would be enough for me.
What I love about it is how international it is.
I love hearing the different languages and seeing — and eating — all the food from all over the world.
My hope is to return to take in more — museums, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, a walking tour with history mixed in.
It is an absolutely incredible city!
Hudson River Valley, New York
My brother and his wife actually lived in Chappaqua which is just wee bit off the Hudson and at the far south end of it.
But we took a day trip north and visited a couple of vineyards.
I was blown away by the natural beauty.
Yes, you have the river which provides an awesome backdrop.
But I was surprised by the trees, all the parks — especially state parks — and the quaint towns.
The Hudson River Valley is one of those amazing places in the USA that you just don’t hear about.
I would visit this area again in a heartbeat.
I’d strap on a backpack and hit the trails.
Then I’d visit a winery and try some wine — or cider — as some of the vineyards also make cider and then I would have dinner in one of the restaurants in one of the small towns.
That would be a perfect day!
Washington, DC
It’s been a long time since I visited the nation’s capital, but I love it here.
Having been twice — and just for a few days each time — I know I saw just a wee bit of this incredible city.
There is so much history and so much of who America is wrapped up in this amazing place in the USA.
The White House, the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Archives, the Smithsonian, the Vietnam Memorial and on and on…
If you read the post on Salisbury Cathedral, you know I love old documents so the National Archives is one of my favorite spots.
And while I love all the buildings and monuments and memorials, the one place that continues to stick with me is Arlington National Cemetery.
On my first visit I arrived in time at the tomb of the unknown soldier to see the changing of the guard and the playing of taps.
It’s emotional as hell.
Really all of Arlington is moving — Robert Kennedy’s simple white cross, John Kennedy’s eternal flame, the monument to the Challenger shuttle crew and all those simple white-grey headstones neatly lined up.
*Sigh*
Of course, Washington DC also has amazing restaurants, pubs and shops so you can eat, drink and buy whatever your heart desires.
Seriously, you can’t go wrong with traveling to the capital city of the United States.
So much to do — for everyone!
Outer Banks, North Carolina
If you look at a map of North Carolina look at the northern coast closely and you’ll see all these little islands just off the mainland.
Those are collectively called the Outer Banks.
My experience is with Hatteras which is one of the most southerly of the islands.
And because I was with family, I didn’t experience a lot of the island outside of some nice time on the beach with said family.
But I loved it.
Hatteras has some nice sand dunes as do some of the other islands.
The houses and hotels sit back from the beach a bit, yet you can still rent vacation houses with direct access to the beach that also have oceanfront views.
Each town/island of the Outer Banks has its own unique character — Rodanthe, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Duck.
And there are some protected areas in the Outer Banks with wildlife refuges being at the top of the list.
You can see a lot of birds here.
And there are a few lighthouses on these barrier islands.
So you don’t have to be a beach bum to enjoy OBX.
These islands are truly one of the most amazing places in the USA.
Charleston, South Carolina
It’s been a very long time since I visited this city but it left an impression.
First of all, it’s a beautiful city with its harbor front with gorgeous old homes.
Secondly it has developed a reputation for having some fabulous restaurants.
Lastly, and I think the most important reason, is that this was where the Civil War began.
And I believe Americans always need to remember this awful time in history.
And why this war was fought — the terrible stain on American history that was slavery.
Those reminders of the horrible things in our history are just as important, if not more so, than the wonderful parts of our history.
I was just 17 when I visited Charleston.
It was 1983.
A lot has changed in the USA since then.
I do remember visiting Fort Sumter which is a must for your time in Charleston.
This is where the war between the States began.
Looking back I realize that a lot of the “southern” things and ways were kind of “prettied up”.
I’d love to go back with wider eyes — and a wiser mind.
Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, Florida
When my parents retired in the mid-90’s they started spending some time in Florida in the winters.
They started on the west coast in the Tampa/St Petersburg area.
But in 2002 they migrated to the east coast and to the Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach area.
My dad’s cousin and his wife owned a condo in the area so my folks decided to spend some time each winter in this area.
I was living in Colorado so getting away for 5 or 6 days to the warmth and seeing my folks was ideal.
And I have to admit, I fell in love with the “Space Coast” of Florida.
Now I’ve been to a lot of places in Florida.
But this area seemed a little less built up along the coast than some other cities.
Plus you have the Cape Canaveral Kennedy Space Center right there that you can visit.
On that first visit in 2002 I told my parents that was the one thing I really wanted to do.
While my dad was not thrilled about it, once we got there and began our tour he was loving it.
In 2008 I saw a shuttle go up at about 3am.
My sister and brother had come from Cincinnati and I had come from Colorado.
The 3 of us and my dad — mom had seen a few and was not about to give up her sleep for this — went to the beach with a lot of other people to watch the shuttle light up the sky.
Wowzers!
It was awesome.
I remember seeing a rocket go up as well at about 5 or 6pm on my first visit.
It’s really cool.
So Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach has an incredible beach and the whole space thing going for it.
Plus, because it sits out on this barely attached spit of land, there is the Banana River that sits in between Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral and the mainland.
I actually went kayaking on this once.
It was an awesome experience!
This is really one of the best parts of Florida and one of the most amazing places in the USA.
Siesta Key, Florida
Sticking with the Sunshine State I have to mention another wonderful place in the USA.
This comes down to one of the best beaches in the USA.
And this is Siesta Key.
For this we’ll travel to the west coast of Florida and to the city of Sarasota.
Just off the coast are a few islands.
Siesta Key is one to the south of Longboat Key and St Armands Key.
This barrier island has some of the whitest, softest sand in the world.
It’s truly one of the most amazing places in the USA because it is one of the best beaches in the world.
I was here as a 14 year old with my parents and we stayed for 2 glorious weeks.
I remember the soft sand, the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the most amazeballs sunsets.
There are lots of places to stay and lots of places to eat and drink.
My advice for this spot is to stay for a week — or more.
Enjoy the feeling of the soft sand between your toes.
Play in the surf.
Watch the sun set.
Simply relax.
You’re welcome.
Bourbon Trail, Kentucky
Let’s talk about bourbon.
All bourbon is whiskey.
But not all whiskey is bourbon.
You’ll learn this as you tour one of the many distilleries in Kentucky.
I’m fortunate to live just an hour and a half to 2 hours away from some kick ass distilleries.
Seriously.
This is liquid gold, my friends.
The Bourbon Trail is not an exact trail.
You can choose to visit whichever distilleries strike your taste buds.
I’ve been to Woodford Reserve (5*), Buffalo Trace (5*), Wild Turkey (5*) and Heaven Hill (4*).
Makers Mark, Jim Beam, Four Roses and many others are also on the “trail”.
Tours are typically really well done and yes, you get to taste at the end of tour (yay for tasting bourbon 🥃).
Lexington, Louisville and Frankfurt (Kentucky’s capital city) are the main cities but many of these distilleries are out in the gorgeous rolling hills of Kentucky.
Bourbon country is also horse country which means beautiful, pastoral, rolling landscape.
Little towns such as Harrodsburg or Bardstown make nice alternatives to the larger cities for laying your head after all that bourbon.
I highly recommend the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg as they also do bourbon tastings.
Plus it’s an old house with an incredible history.
For those of you who love bourbon, the Bourbon Trail is a must and one of the most amazing destinations in the USA.
And if you’re not a bourbon fan, my guess is you’ll probably still enjoy the sublime scenery and some of the historical sites such as Shaker Village or Perryville Battlefield (Civil War).
Red River Gorge, Kentucky
Full disclosure: I’ve been here maybe twice (see I can’t remember) on 2 quick trips to photograph and hike a bit.
But I do remember going in autumn one time and hiking back in the early to mid 1990’s when I was in photography school.
It is gorgeous.
Located in eastern Kentucky, this is truly getting into the hills of Kentucky.
There is not much here.
And you will see some extreme poverty here.
So be prepared as it’s pretty eye opening as well as beautiful.
The juxtaposition of beautiful nature against shacks where people still live is a bit jarring.
But sometimes this is what we need, right?
Next to Red River Gorge is Natural Bridge State Park.
So you could easily spend a week and explore this area.
I highly recommend a visit in late September or early October to take in the colors.
There are a lot of trees!
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
I’m reaching waaaaayyy back in the archives for this one.
I was a kid.
I mean like 6 or 7.
But I do have some memories of this national park so I want to share it here.
Mammoth Cave is located in western Kentucky.
I’m telling you, Kentucky has a lot of treasures!
Anyway…
This cave system is impressive as hell.
And I just discovered not only is it a national park but it also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system and has thousands of years of human history and an incredible diversity of animals and plants.
As a kid I remember being pretty wowed by it.
It was summer but we all had our jackets to put on inside the cave.
I do remember a lot of steps!
Stalactites, stalagmites, fossils — it’s all about geology.
I would love to go back here now that I could fully appreciate it.
I think this is one of those under appreciated and amazing destinations in the USA.
Chicago, Illinois
I really like Chicago.
My introduction to Chicago was actually running through it for 26.2 miles.
Yup.
In October 2002 I ran my first marathon — the Chicago Marathon.
It’s a bit of a blur — not because I was fast.
But just because my focus was on surviving.
I do remember the people — complete strangers — cheering me on.
It made me feel good that so many people turned out to make the marathon so special.
To this day I recommend it as a marvelous first marathon.
When my brother and his wife moved to the Lincoln Square area of Chicago I made a visit — 10 years after that run through the city.
I took the L, the above ground train system with my brother from the Mega Bus drop off to their apartment.
I loved the neighborhood they lived in.
It really felt like a little village in the midst of a bigger city.
We explored some of the other neighborhoods of Chicago on my short visit.
I ate amazing sushi, saw a band play in the streets and shopped in some really cool shops.
It was a short visit — too short really.
There is a lot to do in Chicago that I missed.
I’d love to take one of the boat tours through town to learn about the architecture and history.
While cities like New York and San Francisco are definitely awesome, Chicago is a bit more of a true American city.
It’s one of the most amazing places in the USA.
Period.
My list of Honorable Mentions better known as the places I want to visit
This is a long list for sure with some specifics and some less specific destinations.
- Asheville, NC
- Boston, MA
- NH, VT in autumn
- More of Maine
- Finger Lakes of NY
- Upper Peninsula of MI
- St Augustine, FL
- Williamsburg, VA
- Shenandoah National Park, VA
- New Orleans, LA
- Selma, AL (for Civil Rights history)
Thoughts on the Eastern USA
I have to admit that I forget about all the fantastic destinations in eastern USA.
This is where so much of the history of the birth our nation is.
And where much of the Civil War history reminds us of how fragile our democracy is.
There are some wonderful small towns in this part of America.
And there is some incredible natural beauty here.
It’s not as in your face as the American West, but there are still some beautiful destinations East of the Mississippi.
Some of the best beaches are located along the east coast so for beach lovers, spending some time along the shores is a must.
My piece of advice is get dig into some of those off the tourist track spots.
A lot of what is on my list is firmly on the tourist trail.
But there is so much more — so much to see, so much to experience.
If you’re thinking about an eastern USA trip, then do consider using any of the travel planning services I offer to help you plan that trip.
Happy USA Travels!
Please note that Wander Your Way does not recommend travel at this time due to the current global health situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, many destinations and attractions found on this website will not be operating although some places have opened. Please stay up to date using official sources like the WHO and CDC.
I do plan to continue to write about incredible destinations and to offer tips on travel to Europe, so that you will find some solace in these posts — so you dream about travel and learn about travel. This way when we can all travel again, you’ll be ready to go! For now, stay home (or close to home) and stay safe!
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I wish I’d had more of a chance to explore while I was still living out east! I’d love to go to Acadia National Park + the Adirondacks someday + to explore more of the Carolinas. Siesta Key Beach is one of my favorite beaches as well! <3
Siesta Key is such a gorgeous stretch of sand. And I’m with you on Acadia and the Adirondacks. Beautiful!
Some great ideas here, definitely adding to my list for when we can travel overseas again 🙂
The USA will be waiting for you!
I would really love to explore more of the east coast. All of these locations look incredible, and I especially like all of the coastal spots.
Yes, the East Coast has some beautiful destinations for sure.
When things are moving again we are planning an epic road trip! This has given me so much inspiration — there are so many incredible sights to see! Saving for later!!
A road trip would be awesome!
I’m a huge fan of the Hudson River Valley in New York. The food and crafts there are second to none.
I had such a brief visit but I was very impressed. I’d love to go back!!
These east coast destinations are so beautiful! Out of all of them I’ve only ever visited New York City, which is pretty lax of me. Thanks for showing me some fantastic places to travel to when it’s a litter safer.
There are definitely some beautiful places in the Eastern half of the USA. More than we realize!