There are so many incredible places to vacation in the United States that choosing where to go can sometimes be the hardest part.

Our family has traveled all over the country, from Alaska to Hawaii and from the rocky coast of Maine to Southern California. We’ve taken road trips, explored national parks, spent weekends in big cities, and returned to some destinations again and again.

And after all that traveling, there are definitely places that stand out.

These are 27 of the best vacations in the US, including iconic destinations everyone should see at least once and a few places I think deserve more attention.

1. Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is one of those places that absolutely deserves its reputation. We’ve visited a lot of national parks as a family, and there really isn’t anywhere else quite like it.

Of course, you’ll want to see Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring, but some of our favorite moments in Yellowstone have been simply driving through the park and watching for wildlife. Bison regularly wander surprisingly close to the road, and you never quite know what you’ll see around the next corner.

Give yourself at least a few days here. Yellowstone is enormous, and trying to squeeze it into a single day means spending far too much of your visit in the car.

Best for: Wildlife, geothermal features, and a classic national park vacation.

2. Maui, Hawaii

Maui is an easy choice if your idea of a great vacation includes beautiful beaches but you still want plenty to do away from the sand.

The Road to Hana is one of the island’s most famous experiences, with waterfalls, rainforest, and incredible coastal scenery along the way. Haleakal? National Park gives you a completely different side of Maui, while snorkeling, swimming, and simply spending time at the beach can easily fill the rest of your trip.

What I like about Maui is that you can make it as relaxing or as busy as you want. Spend one day exploring the island and the next doing absolutely nothing but enjoying the beach.

Best for: Beaches, tropical scenery, and families who want relaxation mixed with adventure.

3. New York City, New York

I’ve lived near New York City for more than 25 years, and I’ve taken my kids into the city more times than I could possibly count. And I still don’t think you can ever really run out of things to do.

For a first trip, you’ll probably want to see Central Park, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and at least one of the major museums. But don’t spend the entire vacation racing between famous attractions. Pick a few neighborhoods to explore, eat somewhere you’ve never tried before, and see a Broadway show if you can.

New York is especially good with older kids and teenagers because they can start choosing what they want to see and create a trip around their own interests.

Best for: Families who want museums, Broadway, food, iconic attractions, and nonstop things to do.

4. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is one of those places where pictures really don’t prepare you for how enormous it is. You can see it a hundred times in photographs, but standing at the rim and looking across the canyon is completely different.

For a first visit, the South Rim is the easiest place to start. There are viewpoints all along the rim, hiking trails, and plenty of places where you can simply stop and take in the scenery. You don’t have to hike down into the canyon to appreciate it.

Try to stay for sunset if you can. Watching the colors change across the canyon was one of my favorite parts of visiting.

Best for: Incredible scenery and a bucket-list national park vacation.

5. Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is one of my favorite cities for a long weekend because you can see quite a bit without feeling like you need to race around.

The historic district is the star. Walk along the Battery, see the colorful homes along Rainbow Row, wander through the Charleston City Market, and leave plenty of time for simply walking the streets. Charleston is one of those cities where wandering around is part of the experience.

The food is another reason to come, and if you want some beach time, you can easily add Sullivan’s Island or Folly Beach to your trip.

Charleston also works particularly well as a couples’ getaway, but there is plenty to do with kids, especially if your family enjoys history.

Best for: History, food, beautiful architecture, and a relaxed long weekend.

6. Pacific Coast Highway, California

If you prefer road trips to staying in one destination, driving the California coast should be on your list.

The Pacific Coast Highway takes you past some of the most beautiful scenery in California, but the best part is being able to stop along the way. Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur, and Santa Barbara can all become part of the vacation rather than simply places you drive past.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to cover too much distance every day. This is a road trip that’s better when you give yourself time to pull over at viewpoints, explore the coastal towns, and change your plans when you see something interesting.

Best for: Coastal scenery, small towns, and one of America’s classic road trips.

7. Orlando, Florida

Orlando is the obvious choice for a theme park vacation, but after visiting many times with our kids, I think the key is not trying to do everything in one trip.

Walt Disney World alone can fill an entire vacation, and Universal Orlando is worth several days, especially as kids get older. Add water parks, resort pools, restaurants, and all the other attractions around Orlando, and it’s very easy to exhaust everyone by trying to squeeze too much in.

Build in some downtime. Some of our best Orlando trips have been the ones where we weren’t racing from park opening until the last fireworks every single day.

Best for: Theme parks and a classic family vacation.

8. Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks

Southern Utah is one of the most spectacular places in the United States for a road trip. The Mighty Five—Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands—are close enough to combine into one incredible vacation, but each park looks completely different.

Zion and Bryce Canyon are probably the two I’d prioritize on a shorter trip. If you have more time, though, driving through all five gives you everything from enormous sandstone arches to narrow canyons and some of the strangest rock formations you’ll see anywhere in the country.

You don’t have to be a serious hiker to enjoy this trip, either. There are scenic drives, overlooks, and shorter trails throughout the parks.

Best for: National parks, hiking, and an unforgettable Southwest road trip.

9. Vermont

I’ve visited Vermont in every season, but if I had to choose just one time to go, it would be fall.

The mountains turn red, orange, and gold, small towns decorate for the season, and even driving from one place to another becomes part of the vacation. Woodstock and Stowe are two of the most popular towns, but some of my favorite Vermont days have been spent driving through smaller towns and stopping whenever something looked interesting.

Vermont isn’t only a fall destination, though. We’ve visited for skiing, Christmas festivities, summer trips, and even fly fishing. It’s a completely different vacation depending on the season.

Best for: Fall foliage, scenic drives, and classic New England towns.

10. Glacier National Park, Montana

Glacier National Park has some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country, and driving Going-to-the-Sun Road is an experience all by itself.

The road crosses the park through mountains, valleys, waterfalls, and overlooks where you’ll want to stop constantly for pictures. There are also trails for a wide range of abilities, along with beautiful lakes and plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife.

Summer is the easiest time for most families to visit because snow can keep parts of the park inaccessible well into the year. Even during summer, mountain weather can change quickly, so bring layers.

Best for: Mountain scenery, hiking, wildlife, and outdoor adventure.

11. Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is one of those cities where you don’t need a packed itinerary. In fact, I think you’ll enjoy it more if you don’t have one.

The historic district is filled with beautiful squares, enormous oak trees covered in Spanish moss, historic homes, and streets that practically beg you to wander around. Forsyth Park is worth seeing, but leave time to explore the smaller squares and side streets, too.

Savannah also has a slightly quirky side, with ghost stories and plenty of local legends mixed in with all that history. And if you want to add a beach day, Tybee Island is close enough to make that easy.

Best for: Historic architecture, walkable streets, food, and a slower city vacation.

12. San Diego, California

San Diego is one of the easiest places in California to recommend for a family vacation because you get a little bit of everything.

There are beautiful beaches, Balboa Park, museums, waterfront neighborhoods, and, of course, the San Diego Zoo. You can spend one day sightseeing and the next at the beach without driving halfway across the state.

The weather is also a huge part of San Diego’s appeal. It’s one of those destinations that works during times of year when many other parts of the country aren’t particularly appealing.

Best for: Families who want beaches and attractions in the same vacation.

13. Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is an obvious choice for country music fans, but you don’t have to love country music to have a good time here.

The Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame are two of the biggest attractions, and you’ll hear live music practically everywhere you go. Broadway is packed with honky-tonks and can get pretty wild at night, so families may prefer exploring it earlier in the day.

But Nashville is more than Broadway. There are great restaurants, interesting neighborhoods, museums, and plenty to fill a long weekend.

Best for: Live music, food, and a fun weekend getaway.

14. Alaska

Alaska is unlike anywhere else I’ve traveled in the United States. Everything feels bigger—the mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and even the distances between places.

A cruise is one of the easiest ways to see Alaska for the first time, especially if you want to experience the coastline and glaciers. But after doing both the cruise and an Alaska land tour, I think the interior deserves just as much attention. Traveling by train through Alaska and spending time around Denali and Fairbanks showed us a completely different side of the state.

If you have enough time, I’d combine the two rather than choosing between them.

Best for: Glaciers, wildlife, incredible scenery, and a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

15. Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is one of my favorite cities for families because you can experience an enormous amount of American history without spending the entire vacation inside museums.

Walk the Freedom Trail and you’ll pass some of the most important historic sites in the city while also exploring Boston itself. Quincy Market, Boston Common, the North End, and the waterfront are all easy to work into the same trip.

Boston is compact enough that you can see quite a bit in a few days, which also makes it a great long-weekend destination.

Best for: American history and a walkable city vacation.

16. Washington, DC

Washington, DC is one of the best sightseeing vacations in the country, especially considering how many of its major attractions are free.

The Smithsonian museums alone could fill several days, and families can choose the ones that actually interest their kids rather than dragging everyone through every museum. Add the monuments, memorials, National Mall, Capitol, and other historic sites, and there is an incredible amount to see.

I would resist trying to do everything. Pick a few museums, spend time outside exploring the monuments, and save something for another visit.

Best for: Museums, American history, and families looking for lots of free things to do.

17. Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is one of those famous American destinations that really does deserve to be seen in person.

The best way to understand the sheer power of the falls is to get close to them. Take the Maid of the Mist boat ride and plan on getting wet, then see the falls from the overlooks in Niagara Falls State Park.

If you have passports with you, you can also cross into Canada and see the falls from a completely different perspective.

You don’t need a week here. Niagara Falls works particularly well as a stop on a longer New York road trip or as a short vacation on its own.

Best for: A bucket-list natural wonder and a short family getaway.

18. Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is enormous, so the biggest mistake you can make is planning your trip as though everything is close together.

Instead, choose the parts of LA your family is most interested in and build your days geographically. You might spend one day around Hollywood, another along the coast in Santa Monica, and another visiting a museum or theme park.

We’ve found plenty to do in Los Angeles with kids, but it’s especially fun with older kids and teens who recognize the movie studios, landmarks, neighborhoods, and places they’ve seen on screen.

Best for: Movies, pop culture, beaches, and families with older kids or teens.

19. Maine

Maine is one of my favorite places for a classic New England vacation, especially in the summer and early fall. The rocky coastline, lighthouses, small towns, and seafood make the trip feel completely different from a beach vacation farther south.

Acadia National Park is an obvious highlight, but I wouldn’t make it the only reason to visit Maine. Spend time exploring coastal towns, stop at lighthouses, eat lobster rolls, and leave room in your itinerary for places you discover along the way.

Maine is particularly good for a road trip because the drive really is part of the vacation.

Best for: Coastal road trips, lighthouses, seafood, and New England scenery.

20. Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cape Cod is the kind of place where our family can settle into vacation mode pretty quickly. There are beaches, little towns, seafood restaurants, bike trails, and plenty to do without needing a complicated itinerary.

Each part of the Cape has a slightly different feel, so where you stay matters. Provincetown is lively and fun to explore, while other towns are quieter and better if your main goal is spending time at the beach.

Summer is definitely the most popular time to visit, but it’s also when the Cape feels most like the classic New England beach vacation people imagine.

Best for: Beaches, seafood, and a relaxed New England summer vacation.

21. Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is one of the best big-city vacations in the country, especially during the warmer months when you can really enjoy the lakefront.

Millennium Park and the famous Bean are easy places to start, but Chicago also has some fantastic museums. The Museum of Science and Industry and Field Museum are especially good with kids, and an architecture boat tour is one of my favorite ways to see the city.

And, of course, you need to try some Chicago food while you’re there. Deep-dish pizza may be touristy, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it.

Best for: Architecture, museums, food, and a big-city trip that works well with kids.

22. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is another city where American history doesn’t feel confined to a museum.

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are the obvious places to start, but there’s much more to see. Walk through the historic district, visit Reading Terminal Market, and give yourself time for some of the city’s excellent museums.

Philadelphia also works really well for a short trip. You can see a surprising amount over a long weekend without feeling like you’ve barely scratched the surface.

And yes, you should probably eat a cheesesteak while you’re there.

Best for: American history, museums, and an easy long-weekend city break.

23. Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is small enough for a weekend getaway but has enough to do that it still feels like you’ve gone somewhere special.

The enormous Gilded Age mansions are what make Newport really distinctive. The Breakers is the most famous, but there are several mansions you can tour if your family enjoys history and architecture. The Cliff Walk gives you views of both the mansions and the rocky Rhode Island coastline.

Leave time to walk around downtown and the harbor as well. Newport has that classic coastal New England atmosphere that makes you want to slow down and stay awhile.

Best for: Mansions, coastal scenery, and a romantic or family weekend getaway.

24. Seattle, Washington

Seattle is a great introduction to the Pacific Northwest because you get a real city vacation surrounded by water and mountains.

Pike Place Market is a must, and it’s worth doing more than stopping for a picture of the famous sign. Wander through the market, watch the fishmongers, try something to eat, and explore the surrounding waterfront.

The Space Needle is another classic first-time stop, but some of the best parts of Seattle are simply exploring its neighborhoods and enjoying the views of Puget Sound.

Seattle is also a great starting point if you want to turn your vacation into a larger Pacific Northwest road trip.

Best for: Food, waterfront scenery, city sightseeing, and a Pacific Northwest vacation.