Attractions

The best places to visit in Arizona are the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Monument Valley, with Saguaro National Park, Tucson, and Phoenix rounding out a first trip. Northern Arizona holds the big canyon scenery, central Arizona has the red rocks, and the south offers desert parks and old mining towns. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons. Arizona is big, and most of its headline sights need a plan before you arrive. Some need a guided tour, some need a permit won months ahead, and since 1 January 2026 a few carry a new surcharge for international visitors. This guide groups the 15 best places by region, so you can see what sits close together, and it flags the booking and fee traps that trip people up. Quick picks: which Arizona place fits your trip? If you want… Go to Book ahead? The one must-see Grand Canyon National Park Lodging, yes Red rock scenery and easy hikes Sedona Parking pass or shuttle Slot canyon photos Antelope Canyon, Page Guided tour required An iconic overlook Horseshoe Bend, Page No, parking fee Navajo landscape and culture Monument Valley Guided tours advised Cities, food and art Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson Restaurants, resorts A bucket-list hike Havasupai or The Wave Permit, months ahead Quiet and underrated Chiricahua, Bisbee No Northern Arizona: canyon country 1. Grand Canyon National Park The Grand Canyon is Arizona’s most famous sight, and the Colorado River carved it into several distinct areas you can visit. Most people head to the South Rim, where Mather Point, the Bright Angel area and the Desert View Drive viewpoints make a good half day or full day. The Desert View entrance on the east side often has shorter lines than the main south entrance. Entry is $35 per vehicle, or $20 per person on foot or by bike, according to the National Park Service. New for 2026: visitors who are not U.S. residents, aged 16 and over, pay an extra $100 each, or hold the $250 America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass. The fee applies to commercial bus tours too, and it is based on the date you enter the park. Bring a passport, state driver’s license, or green card if you want to show U.S. residency. 2. Antelope Canyon Antelope Canyon, near Page, is a narrow sandstone slot canyon with smooth, wave-like walls, and it sits on Navajo Nation land. You can only enter on a guided tour run by Navajo-owned operators, so book before you travel. There are three main areas: Upper Antelope Canyon, known for its light beams and flat walking path, Lower Antelope Canyon, and Antelope Canyon X. Light beams in the upper canyon are strongest around midday in the warmer months, and operators charge more for those slots. A traveler’s 2026 account put prime-time tours at roughly $120 to $160 per adult including a Navajo permit fee, so check current prices with the operator. Expect rules on bags and selfie sticks. Tours are short, so build the rest of your Page day around Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell. 3. Horseshoe Bend Horseshoe Bend is a sharp U-turn of the Colorado River about five miles south of Page. The overlook is a short walk from the parking lot, roughly 1.2 miles round trip, on a hardened path. There is no entrance fee, but the City of Page charges for parking, reported at about $10 per standard vehicle. The America the Beautiful pass does not cover it, because the lot belongs to the city and not the National Park Service. Parking on US-89 is prohibited, so use the lot. Go early or near sunset for softer light and fewer people, and keep your phone and kids well back from the edge. The overlook sits inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, so the same visit pairs easily with Lake Powell. 4. Monument Valley Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park straddles the Arizona and Utah border and is best known for its towering sandstone buttes. It is run by the Navajo Nation, so it is a chance to learn about Navajo culture as well as see the scenery. Sunrise and sunset are the best times to photograph the buttes, when the red rock turns deep orange. Plan to drive the valley loop or join a Navajo-guided tour that reaches areas private vehicles cannot. Fees and tour options are set by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation department, so check their site before you go. Because the valley is remote, fill your tank and carry water, and book lodging well ahead in peak months. 5. Havasupai (Havasu Falls) Havasupai is famous for turquoise waterfalls inside a canyon near the Grand Canyon, on the Havasupai Reservation. It is not part of Grand Canyon National Park, and the Havasupai Tribe sets its own rules. Every visitor needs a reservation, because there is no day hiking. Reservations are made through the tribe’s official website, and recent seasons have opened in early February. The hike to the village of Supai is about eight miles, with the lodge in town and a campground beyond it. Treat this as a serious trip: reserve early, train for heat, and book only through the tribe’s own site. Helicopter rides also run, but they use a daily waiting list instead of reservations. 6. The Wave (Coyote Buttes North) The Wave is a swirling sandstone formation in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, near the Utah line. The Bureau of Land Management limits entry to 64 people a day, and permits are awarded by lottery. The advance lottery runs each month, four months before your date. If you miss it, a daily lottery handled through an app covers visitors who are in the area. The suggested route is a strenuous 6.4-mile round trip with no marked trail, so you need navigation skills and a permit that comes with a photo guide. Permits cannot be sold or transferred. If you do not win, Coyote Buttes South is a separate permit area, though

The top 10 attractions in Florida are Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, Kennedy Space Center, Everglades National Park, Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park, St. Augustine, South Beach in Miami, the Gulf Coast beaches of Clearwater and Siesta Key, and Weeki Wachee Springs. They cover theme parks, space history, wilderness, islands and beaches, and most can be grouped into four regional trips. Most “best of Florida” lists name the same places and stop there. This one adds what readers actually need to decide: 2026 costs where we could verify them, how long each stop takes, and which attractions sit close enough to share a trip. Prices change often, so confirm anything you plan to book on the official site. Quick comparison Attraction Region Verified cost (2026) Plan for Walt Disney World Orlando Magic Kingdom 1-day ticket $139 to $209 before tax 3 to 5 days Universal Orlando Resort Orlando Varies by date, check the official site 2 to 3 days Kennedy Space Center Space Coast $77 adult, $67 child (ages 3 to 11) 1 full day Everglades National Park South Florida About $35 per vehicle for 7 days, plus a nonresident fee for some visitors Half to full day Key West Florida Keys Free to walk; sights charge separately 1 to 2 days Dry Tortugas National Park Florida Keys Ferry roughly $235 to $250 per adult 1 full day St. Augustine Northeast Varies by site 1 to 2 days South Beach Miami Beach access varies, check locally Half day or more Clearwater and Siesta Key Gulf Coast Varies, parking is the main cost Half day or more Weeki Wachee Springs Gulf Coast Varies, check the official site Half day 1. Walt Disney World, Orlando Walt Disney World is four theme parks, including Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, plus water parks and resorts near Orlando. It is also the most expensive item on this list. In 2026, a one-day, one-park Magic Kingdom ticket ranged from $139 to $209 before tax, while Animal Kingdom ranged from $119 to $184. Disney prices tickets by date and by park, so the same day can cost different amounts at different parks. The ticket is only part of the bill. Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Disney’s paid line-skipping option, was reported at up to $45 per person at Magic Kingdom on peak days. Multi-day tickets lower the cost per day, so a short trip of one day is the worst value. Plan at least three days if Disney is your main goal, and book the quietest dates your schedule allows. 2. Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando Universal Orlando is the main alternative to Disney and leans toward thrill rides and film franchises. The resort includes Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Epic Universe, which opened in 2025. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the best-known draw, with areas in more than one park. Universal also prices by date, and we could not verify a single reliable figure for 2026, so check the official ticket calendar before you budget. A practical way to choose between the two resorts is to decide what your group wants. Families with younger children often lean toward Disney, while groups who prefer faster rides often lean toward Universal. If you have a week, many visitors split it between both, spending their first days at one resort and the rest at the other. 3. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Space Coast Kennedy Space Center sits about 45 miles east of Orlando, roughly a 45 to 60 minute drive, which makes it the easiest full-day trip from the theme park area. One-day admission was $77 for adults and $67 for children ages 3 to 11 in 2026, and children under 3 were free. Admission includes the bus tour, which stops at the Apollo/Saturn V Center and takes about three hours. Highlights include Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Rocket Garden. The last bus leaves 2.5 hours before closing, and entry ends one hour before closing, so arrive when the gates open at 9 a.m. Rocket launches can close the visitor complex at short notice, so check the launch schedule before you go. 4. Everglades National Park, South Florida Everglades National Park covers about 1.5 million acres across Monroe, Miami-Dade and Collier counties. The main entrance is in Homestead, and the park is open 24 hours a day. An entrance pass covers everyone in a private vehicle for seven days. The fee was $35 per vehicle after the 2024 increase, though the park’s own FAQ may still show an older figure, so confirm on the National Park Service site. International readers should read the fine print. The park’s fee page says nonresidents aged 16 and older pay a $100 fee on top of the standard entrance fee, unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass. For a one-time visit, that changes the math. Airboat rides are run by three authorized operators along the Tamiami Trail: Coopertown, Everglades Safari Park and Gator Park. 5. Key West, Florida Keys Key West is the southern end of the Overseas Highway and sits roughly 160 miles by road from Miami. Its draws are the Southernmost Point marker, the Ernest Hemingway Home and a walkable old town. Walking the streets costs nothing, which makes it one of the cheaper stops on this list once you have paid to get there. Most visitors spend one or two nights. The main extra cost to plan for is a day trip to Dry Tortugas, covered next, which leaves from Key West. If you are driving from Miami, build in the time for the road itself, because the Overseas Highway is a slow route with limited passing. 6. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys Dry Tortugas is a cluster of small islands about 70 miles west of Key West, reachable only by boat or seaplane. Its centerpiece is Fort Jefferson, a large 19th-century fortress, with snorkeling and beaches around it. The Yankee Freedom ferry is the standard way to go. Sources

The top attractions in Delaware are Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk, Cape Henlopen State Park, Winterthur, Hagley Museum and Library, Nemours Estate, Fort Delaware State Park, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, the Air Mobility Command Museum, First State National Historical Park and the Delaware Art Museum. Together they cover the Atlantic coast, the du Pont estates of the Brandywine Valley, and the state’s colonial and military history. Delaware is one of the smallest states in the country, so you can see several of these in a single weekend. It also has no sales tax, which helps if your trip includes shopping at the Rehoboth outlets. The ten picks below are grouped by region, followed by a seasonal planning table and two ready-made itineraries, because several of the best sites close for part of the year. At a glance: where each attraction is and when it works best Attraction Region Best for Plan around Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk Beaches (south) Families, food, summer evenings Open year-round; summer is busiest Cape Henlopen State Park Beaches (south) Dunes, WWII history, cycling Lifeguards only in summer season Winterthur Brandywine Valley (north) Gardens, American antiques Closed to the public for part of winter Hagley Museum and Library Brandywine Valley (north) Industrial history, riverside walks Allow 90 minutes to two hours Nemours Estate Brandywine Valley (north) French gardens, mansion tour No food on site Fort Delaware State Park Delaware River (north) Civil War history, bird watching Ferry only, seasonal Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Central Migrating waterfowl, photography Snow geese peak in late fall and winter Air Mobility Command Museum Central (Dover) Aviation fans, free outing Free admission and parking First State National Historical Park New Castle, Dover, Lewes Colonial and constitutional history Several separate sites Delaware Art Museum Wilmington Art, sculpture garden Good rainy-day option 1. Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk Rehoboth Beach is the state’s best-known resort town, and its wooden boardwalk is the center of it. The boardwalk runs about a mile along the Atlantic, was first built in 1873, and stays open all year. Funland, the family-run amusement park, has been on the boardwalk since 1962, and Dolle’s Candyland has been making its taffy and candy here since 1926. Grotto Pizza and Nicola Pizza are the usual dinner stops, and the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand hosts free summer concerts. Rehoboth is also a good base for the whole coast. Cape Henlopen is a short drive north, and the outlet shopping nearby is tax-free because Delaware charges no sales tax. Two practical notes: parking in town is metered and enforced, and dogs are barred from the beach and boardwalk for part of the summer. Check the town’s current dates before you bring a pet. 2. Cape Henlopen State Park Cape Henlopen is where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic, and at more than 5,000 acres it is the state’s largest state park. Its beach stretches roughly six miles, and the Great Dune rises almost 80 feet, making it one of the highest points on the coast. Lifeguards patrol the designated swimming beach from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The park’s history is as strong as its scenery. The U.S. Army built Fort Miles here in 1941 to guard the entrance to the Delaware River, and Battery 519 now houses the Fort Miles Museum. The historic area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. William Penn set this land aside as public ground in 1682, and the park itself was dedicated in 1964. Walk the 2.6-mile Walking Dunes Trail, borrow a bike through the Friends of Cape Henlopen program, or camp among the pines. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal is next door if you want to cross to New Jersey. 3. Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library Winterthur (pronounced “winter-tour”) was the country estate of collector Henry Francis du Pont, and it holds nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America between about 1640 and 1860. The collection fills a 175-room house, so you see Federal parlors, Shaker simplicity and an elliptical staircase in one visit. The estate describes itself as the premier museum of American decorative arts, and the claim is hard to argue with. The grounds are equally important. Du Pont designed a 60-acre naturalistic garden, with massed color from early spring through fall, set within a preserve of roughly 1,000 acres of meadow and woodland. Families should look for Enchanted Woods, the children’s garden with fairy-sized houses and hideaways. Winterthur is closed to the public for part of the winter (the 2026 closure ran January 5 to February 27), though members can still walk the grounds. Confirm hours and admission packages on winterthur.org before you go, and plan on half a day. 4. Hagley Museum and Library Hagley is where the du Pont story begins. In 1802, E. I. du Pont founded a gunpowder works on 235 acres beside the Brandywine River, and the site today includes restored mills, a workers’ community, the family’s Eleutherian Mills residence and period gardens. That mix is the point: you see how the factory hands lived as well as the owners. Machinery demonstrations bring the powder yard to life, and the contrast between the workers’ vegetable gardens and the ornamental plantings at the du Pont home tells the social history without a word of signage. Budget at least 90 minutes, and closer to two hours if you want the residence and the mills. The Belin House Cafe on site handles lunch. Hagley pairs naturally with its neighbors. Many visitors do Hagley in the morning and drive a few minutes to Nemours in the afternoon, a combination that covers the du Pont family’s industrial and domestic worlds in one day. 5. Nemours Estate Nemours is the most formal of the Brandywine Valley estates. Alfred I. du Pont built the 77-room mansion for his second wife, Alicia, and it was completed in 1910. The house is furnished with 18th-century pieces and even includes a bowling alley, and guests can move freely between rooms while docents answer questions. The gardens

The best things to do in New York City are riding the free Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty, seeing the skyline from Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building, walking Central Park, spending an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, catching a Broadway show, and strolling the High Line. Group them by neighborhood so you spend your time seeing the city instead of riding the subway between sights. Pick by what you want Most guides give you a flat list of 20 or 25 attractions. That is hard to turn into a plan. Start with your goal, then use the neighborhood sections below to build each day. If you want Start with The classic skyline view Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building Something free Staten Island Ferry, Central Park, the High Line Art Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art A rainy-day plan Museums, Grand Central Terminal, a Broadway matinee History Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial & Museum Nature Central Park, New York Botanical Garden Lower Manhattan: harbor, history and the bridge Lower Manhattan packs the city’s founding story into a small area, so it works well as a half day on foot. The Statue of Liberty is the headline sight, and the National Park Service runs access to it. Tickets to the crown sell out months in advance, so book early if you want to climb. If you only want the view, the Staten Island Ferry gets you a glimpse for nothing (more on that below). rci The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is the city’s most sobering stop. Give it unhurried time and don’t schedule a party-mood activity right after. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge toward Brooklyn for harbor and skyline views, and pair it with a meal in DUMBO or Brooklyn Heights. One World Observatory and Wall Street round out the area for people who like skyscrapers and finance history. Midtown: views, Broadway and the icons Midtown is where first-time visitors spend most of their time. It holds the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square and the Theater District. For skyline views, you have two main choices. Top of the Rock sits 70 floors above Rockefeller Center, and it looks onto the Empire State Building as well as Central Park. The Empire State Building gives you the classic, but you can’t see it from its own deck. Many visitors pick one and skip the other. smartertravel Grand Central Terminal is worth a walk through even if you aren’t catching a train. The ceiling and the famous clock are the draw, and entry costs nothing. Times Square is loud and bright, and it works best after dark and in small doses. A Broadway show is the better use of an evening there. Uptown: Central Park and the museums Central Park is the city’s backyard, with lakes, lawns, bridges and paths, and you can explore it on your own or with a guide. Allow at least two hours, and more if you want to row a boat in warm months. The Metropolitan Museum of Art deserves a full afternoon. It holds more than 2 million works spanning 5,000 years, so pick two or three wings rather than trying to see everything. Along the same stretch of Fifth Avenue, Museum Mile adds more options. smartertravel The American Museum of Natural History suits families and anyone who likes dinosaurs and space exhibits. The Museum of Modern Art, in Midtown, is the better pick for modern art. The High Line and the West Side The High Line is a park built on an old elevated railway. It is an easy, flat walk with art, plantings and views over the Meatpacking District and Chelsea. Walk it south to north (or the reverse) in about an hour, then drop down to Chelsea Market for food. It pairs well with the Whitney Museum at the southern end, and it is the easiest “second half of the day” after a morning in Lower Manhattan or Midtown. Free and low-cost things to do New York is expensive, but several of its best experiences cost little or nothing. The Staten Island Ferry is the best deal in the city. It is a free commuter ferry running 24 hours a day between Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan and St. George Terminal on Staten Island, and the crossing takes around 25 minutes in each direction. It passes within sight of the Statue of Liberty. To dodge commuter crowds, ride on a weekday between 9:30 and 11:30 am or after 7 pm. The Better Vacation +2 Other free or nearly free picks: walking Central Park, the High Line, the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Terminal, and the public areas of Rockefeller Center. Check each museum’s own site for current admission rules and any resident or free-hour programs, because policies change. Beyond Manhattan If you have a third or fourth day, leave Manhattan. Coney Island in Brooklyn is the classic seaside amusement stop, best in warm weather. In the Bronx, the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden sit close together, and both have indoor exhibits, so cold weather doesn’t rule them out. Baseball fans can catch a game in true New York fashion when the season is on. newyorktheatreguide Brooklyn also rewards a slow neighborhood wander. Treat it as a day on its own rather than squeezing it between Manhattan sights. A sample 3-day plan Day 1, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Morning at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, midday ferry past the Statue of Liberty, afternoon walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, dinner in DUMBO. Day 2, Midtown. Morning at Grand Central, then Rockefeller Center and Top of the Rock. Walk to Times Square, then see a Broadway show in the evening. Day 3, Uptown and the West Side. Morning in Central Park, afternoon at the Met, then take the High Line toward sunset. If you have a fourth day, add the Bronx or Coney Island. Book timed tickets

The top 10 attractions in California are the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Disneyland Resort, Hollywood and Griffith Park, Big Sur and Highway 1, Lake Tahoe, San Diego’s Balboa Park and Zoo, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Sequoia National Park. Together they cover cities, coastline, mountains, desert and theme parks. Most lists stop at ten names. The harder part is that California is huge, so this guide also tells you when to go, how long each stop deserves and which attractions fit into the same trip. Quick Comparison: California’s Top 10 at a Glance # Attraction Region Best for Best time to visit Time to allow 1 Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay Area First-time visitors Late summer to fall 2 to 3 days 2 Yosemite National Park Sierra Nevada Waterfalls, granite walls Spring for falls, summer for high country 2 to 3 days 3 Disneyland Resort Anaheim Families Weekdays outside school holidays 2 to 3 days 4 Hollywood and Griffith Park Los Angeles Film fans, city views Clear days, any season 1 to 2 days 5 Big Sur and Highway 1 Central Coast Scenic drives Spring and fall 1 to 2 days 6 Lake Tahoe Sierra Nevada Lakes in summer, skiing in winter Summer or winter 2 to 4 days 7 San Diego (Balboa Park and Zoo) San Diego Families, museums Year-round 2 to 3 days 8 Death Valley National Park Mojave Desert Extreme landscapes Late fall to early spring 1 to 2 days 9 Joshua Tree National Park Mojave and Colorado Deserts Hiking, stargazing Fall to spring 1 to 2 days 10 Sequoia National Park Southern Sierra Giant trees Late spring to fall 1 to 2 days Seasons are general guidance. Road closures, wildfire smoke and reservation rules change from year to year, so confirm on the official park or attraction site before you book. 1. Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and remains California’s most recognizable landmark. You can walk or cycle across it, or view it from Battery Spencer, Crissy Field or a bay cruise. Fog is part of the experience, so treat a clear view as a bonus rather than a promise. San Francisco rewards a slower look. Pair the bridge with a cable car ride from Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Island and the Presidio. Alcatraz, the former federal penitentiary, is reached by ferry, and tickets are sold through the official operator, so book ahead rather than turning up on the day. Dress in layers even in summer. The city’s microclimates mean a warm afternoon can turn cold quickly near the water. 2. Yosemite National Park Yosemite is the Sierra Nevada’s headline act: Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, El Capitan, Tunnel View and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. Yosemite Falls drops a combined 2,425 feet, which makes it one of the tallest waterfalls in North America. Timing changes everything. Spring snowmelt gives the biggest waterfalls, while some late-summer visitors find the falls reduced to a trickle. High-elevation roads such as Tioga Road close in winter, and the park has used reservation systems at busy times, so check the National Park Service page before planning. Stay inside the park or in a gateway town such as Mariposa or Groveland. Driving in and out from the Central Valley in a single day is tiring and leaves little time at the viewpoints. 3. Disneyland Resort Disneyland Resort in Anaheim is two parks: Disneyland Park, which opened in 1955, and Disney California Adventure. It is the state’s flagship family destination and a major driver of tourism in Orange County. Plan around crowds rather than rides. Weekdays outside holidays are calmer, and the official app lets you check wait times and use paid line-skipping options. Prices and ticket tiers change often, so read the current pricing on the official site instead of relying on an old blog post. If you only have one day, choose a single park and do it well. Two parks in a day is possible, but most first-timers enjoy it more when they split the visit. 4. Hollywood and Griffith Park Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre are free to walk, though many visitors find them busier and grittier than expected. Set expectations accordingly and treat it as a quick, iconic stop. The better payoff is Griffith Park. The Hollywood Sign went up in 1923 as an advertisement for a housing development, and the park offers the best legal viewpoints, plus the Griffith Observatory, which is free to enter and has a skyline view of Los Angeles. For something more behind the scenes, Universal Studios Hollywood and the studio tours in Burbank give a closer look at how films are made. Book timed entries in advance for popular tours. 5. Big Sur and Highway 1 Big Sur is a roughly 90-mile stretch of the Central Coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the Pacific. Highlights include Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and the coves near Pfeiffer Beach. This is a drive, not a destination, so build in extra time for pullouts. Cell service is patchy, fuel is limited and landslides have repeatedly closed sections of Highway 1. Check Caltrans road conditions before you set out, and have a backup route. Combine Big Sur with Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea and the 17-Mile Drive for a classic coastal trip that fits neatly between San Francisco and Los Angeles. 6. Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe straddles the California and Nevada border and is the largest alpine lake in North America. It is also among the deepest lakes in the United States, with water famous for its clarity. It works in two seasons. Summer brings swimming, paddleboarding and beaches such as Sand Harbor on the Nevada side and Emerald Bay on the California side. Winter brings ski resorts around Palisades Tahoe, Heavenly and Northstar. Choose a side of the lake and stay put. Driving

The top 10 attractions in Arkansas are Hot Springs National Park, Crater of Diamonds State Park, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Buffalo National River, Eureka Springs, Blanchard Springs Caverns, Petit Jean State Park, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, the Clinton Presidential Center, and Garvan Woodland Gardens. Together they cover thermal baths, diamond hunting, world-class art, a free-flowing river, a Victorian mountain town, and civil rights history. Arkansas calls itself the Natural State, but the best trips mix outdoor scenery with a few surprising museums and landmarks. This list is ordered by how well each place delivers something you cannot get elsewhere, then grouped by region at the end so you can plan a route instead of zigzagging across the map. Quick Comparison # Attraction Region Cost to enter Best for 1 Hot Springs National Park Central (Ouachitas) Free park admission History, thermal baths 2 Crater of Diamonds State Park Southwest Paid (check current fee) Families, treasure hunting 3 Crystal Bridges Museum Northwest Free general admission Art, architecture, trails 4 Buffalo National River North (Ozarks) Park access, outfitters charge Floating, hiking 5 Eureka Springs Northwest (Ozarks) Free to walk, attractions vary Architecture, small-town charm 6 Blanchard Springs Caverns North Central Paid tours Cave tours 7 Petit Jean State Park Central Park access, lodging extra Waterfall hike, lodge stay 8 Little Rock Central High School NHS Little Rock Check with National Park Service Civil rights history 9 Clinton Presidential Center Little Rock Paid museum Presidential history 10 Garvan Woodland Gardens Hot Springs area Paid (seasonal events extra) Gardens, holiday lights Fees change, so confirm current prices on each official site before you go. 1. Hot Springs National Park Congress set aside the thermal springs here as the Hot Springs Reservation in 1832, decades before Yellowstone became a national park in 1872. That makes Hot Springs the oldest federally protected area in the National Park Service system. The park covers about 5,500 acres, charges no admission, and has more than 25 miles of hiking trails. The centerpiece is Bathhouse Row, a National Historic Landmark District with eight preserved bathhouses built mostly in the early twentieth century. The Fordyce Bathhouse, which opened in 1915, now serves as the park’s visitor center and museum. The Buckstaff and Quapaw bathhouses still offer traditional thermal soaks, and the Superior Bathhouse Brewery brews beer with thermal water. Walk the brick Grand Promenade behind the row, and fill a bottle at the free spring-fed taps. Plan at least half a day if you want a soak, a museum stop, and a short hike. 2. Crater of Diamonds State Park This park near Murfreesboro lets the public search the eroded surface of a volcanic crater for natural diamonds, and the rule is finders keepers. The search area is a plowed field of about 37 acres, and any rock or mineral you pick up is yours. Park staff will identify and register your finds at no charge. The numbers show how real the odds are. Park records say visitors have found more than 37,000 diamonds since it became a state park in 1972, a count current as of January 2026. The largest diamond ever unearthed in the United States came from this field: the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam. Diamonds here come in white, brown, and yellow. Local news coverage of the park in 2024 reported an average of one to two diamonds found per day, so treat it as a fun day out with a real chance, not a guarantee. The visitor center displays uncut diamonds and explains three recommended search techniques. 3. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Crystal Bridges opened in Bentonville on November 11, 2011, founded by Alice Walton and designed by architect Moshe Safdie. Pavilions sit around two spring-fed ponds, and a glass-enclosed bridge holds a restaurant and coffee bar. The permanent collection spans five centuries of American art, from early portraits to contemporary work, and general admission is free. The grounds matter as much as the galleries. Five miles of sculpture and walking trails connect the museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, so you can pair a gallery visit with a walk or bike ride into town. Some special exhibitions may charge a fee, and the museum has been closed one day a week in the past, so check its calendar before you drive. It is the strongest rainy-day option on this list. 4. Buffalo National River Designated on March 1, 1972, the Buffalo was the first national river in the United States. The National Park Service protects 135 miles of its channel, and the river is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the country. Limestone bluffs, forested hollows, and clear pools line the route, and spring rains bring the best floating on the upper sections. Hikers should head for Hemmed-In Hollow Falls, a waterfall of roughly 209 feet that is often described as the tallest between the Rockies and the Appalachians. Wildlife watchers can look for elk in Boxley Valley at dawn and dusk. The river was named an International Dark Sky Park in June 2019, so a night under the stars here is a real part of the experience. Local outfitters rent canoes and know which stretches suit the current water level. 5. Eureka Springs Founded on July 4, 1879 around natural springs, Eureka Springs grew fast, and its Victorian buildings survive today. The entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Streets curve and climb through the hills, so plan to walk rather than drive. Two landmarks stand just outside downtown. Thorncrown Chapel, completed in 1980 and designed by Fay Jones, rises 48 feet in the woods with about 6,000 square feet of glass and 425 windows. Christ of the Ozarks, a seven-story statue erected in 1966, overlooks the area from the grounds of The Great Passion Play. The 1886 Crescent Hotel crowns a hilltop above the historic district. Thorncrown keeps limited hours in March and December, so check before you go in the off

The top 10 attractions in Arizona are the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Sedona’s red rocks, Monument Valley, Havasu Falls, Saguaro National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Lake Powell and Meteor Crater. Most sit in northern Arizona, and several are on Navajo or Havasupai land rather than federal land, so each one has its own permits, fees and rules. That last point is what most Arizona lists skip. Arizona draws more than 40 million visitors a year, and a lot of trips go wrong not because people pick the wrong place, but because they show up at a tribal park with a federal pass or arrive at a slot canyon without a booked tour. This guide ranks the ten best attractions and tells you who manages each one, so you know what to book before you go. Who runs what: the quick planning table Attraction Managed by Do you need to book ahead? Grand Canyon National Park Service Lodging and camping, yes Antelope Canyon Navajo Nation Yes, guided tour only Horseshoe Bend Navajo Nation (Page area) No, pay at the lot Sedona Coconino National Forest and city Parking pass for many trailheads Monument Valley Navajo Nation Tribal Park Only for guided tours Havasu Falls Havasupai Tribe Yes, permit required Saguaro NP National Park Service No Petrified Forest NP National Park Service No Lake Powell National Park Service (Glen Canyon) For boat tours, yes Meteor Crater Private No 1. Grand Canyon National Park The Grand Canyon is the reason most people come to Arizona. The park covers 278 miles of the Colorado River and the uplands beside it, and it sits on the ancestral homelands of 11 present-day Tribal Communities, according to the National Park Service. Roughly 5 million people visit each year, and the large majority use the South Rim, which stays open all year. Three things matter for planning. First, entrance passes are valid for up to seven days. The standard fee runs from $20 to $35 depending on how you arrive, and since January 1, 2026, nonresident visitors aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person unless they hold an America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass. Second, the Desert View entrance, about 74 miles from Flagstaff, is usually less crowded than the main South Entrance. Third, the North Rim is seasonal, typically mid-May to mid-October, so check it before you build a route around it. 2. Antelope Canyon Antelope Canyon, near Page, is the most photographed slot canyon in the Southwest. Water has carved and polished the sandstone into smooth curves and layered colors, and in the Upper canyon, shafts of light drop through the narrow opening overhead. You cannot walk in alone. The canyon is on Navajo land and a guided tour is required. Upper Antelope is flatter and tends to be more crowded and more expensive, while Lower Antelope is a narrow walk of roughly a quarter mile that involves ladders, so it suits you better if you are comfortable climbing. Antelope Canyon X is a quieter third option. Most operators do not allow tripods, and tours can be cancelled for weather, so book early and keep a flexible day. 3. Horseshoe Bend Horseshoe Bend is the quickest big payoff on this list. The Colorado River makes a roughly 270 degree turn around a rock formation below the viewpoint, and the walk from the lot is short. It sits about 10 minutes from the Antelope Canyon tour offices, which is why most visitors pair them on one day. Entry is free but you pay for parking; at last check the fee was about $10 per vehicle, so confirm it before you go. One safety note: only a small section of the rim is fenced. The drop is high, and visitors who step past the barrier for a photo are taking a real risk. Go near sunrise or late afternoon to avoid the midday glare and the biggest crowds. 4. Sedona Sedona is the best-known red rock town in Arizona, surrounded by sandstone buttes, pine forest and canyon walls. It works as a base for hiking, scenic drives and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a chapel built into the rock that is one of the best-known architectural landmarks in the state. Many Sedona trailheads sit inside Coconino National Forest and require a recreation pass for parking, so check the forest service’s current guidance before you arrive. Sedona is also a convenient hub for day trips toward Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and the Verde Valley. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons for walking the trails. 5. Monument Valley Monument Valley is the landscape people picture when they think of the American West. It is a Navajo Tribal Park, not a national park, and America the Beautiful and other federal passes are not accepted. You pay the park’s own per-person entry fee, which was $8 before the Navajo Nation announced fee increases effective January 1, 2026, so confirm the current amount. The 17-mile Valley Drive is a rough dirt loop that you can drive yourself in a suitable vehicle, though RVs, camper vans and motorcycles are prohibited. Large parts of the park, including Mystery Valley, are open only with a licensed Navajo guide, and guided tours generally run from about $60 to over $120 per person depending on length. Dogs are not allowed. Plan a half day for the drive and add a guided tour if you want to see the backcountry. 6. Havasu Falls Havasu Falls is the turquoise waterfall hidden inside the Havasupai Reservation, and it is the hardest permit on this list. You must hold a reservation to hike in. The trail to the village and campground is roughly 10 miles each way, and the reservation covers three nights. The 2026 rates were $455 per person for the campground and $2,277 per lodge room for up to four people. Permits are not transferable, the trail is closed in December and January, and dogs are not allowed. In 2026 the

The top 10 attractions in Alaska are Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Glacier Bay National Park, Mendenhall Glacier, Katmai’s Brooks Falls, the Fairbanks northern lights, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Anchorage’s Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Museum, the Alaska SeaLife Center, and the Alaska Railroad. Most are summer destinations, but the aurora season runs from August 21 to April 21. Alaska is too big to see in one trip, so the smartest way to use this list is to pick a home base (Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks or Seward) and build outward. Each entry below says what you will actually see, how you get there, and when it is worth going. Where something has changed recently, we say so. Alaska’s Top 10 Attractions at a Glance # Attraction Region Best for Main window 1 Denali National Park Interior Mountain views, wildlife Summer bus season 2 Kenai Fjords National Park Southcentral Tidewater glaciers, boat tours Summer 3 Glacier Bay National Park Southeast Glacier cruising, whales Summer 4 Mendenhall Glacier Southeast Easy glacier access by road Grounds open year-round 5 Brooks Falls, Katmai Southwest Bears catching salmon July and September 6 Fairbanks aurora Interior Northern lights August 21 to April 21 7 Wrangell-St. Elias Southcentral Wilderness, mining history Summer 8 Anchorage cultural sites Southcentral Alaska Native cultures, art Check current hours 9 Alaska SeaLife Center Seward Marine animals, rainy days Year-round 10 Alaska Railroad Statewide Scenic travel Mid-May to mid-September (main routes) 1. Denali National Park and Preserve Denali National Park covers more than six million acres and centers on Denali, which the National Park Service lists at 20,310 feet, the tallest peak in North America. One road, the 92 mile Denali Park Road, reaches into the interior. Private vehicles can use only the first 15 miles, so most visitors ride a park bus to look for bears, moose, caribou, sheep and wolves. The mountain is often hidden by cloud and cannot be seen from the park entrance, so build in more than one day. Current access (October 2026). The Pretty Rocks landslide closed the road near mile 45 in 2021, and buses have turned around at mile 43 ever since. The National Park Service announced on September 3, 2026 that the roughly 475 foot Pretty Rocks Bridge is finished, and it expects full bus service along the road, including Eielson Visitor Center, Wonder Lake and Kantishna, to resume in 2027. If you want the deep-park day, plan for summer 2027. 2. Kenai Fjords National Park Kenai Fjords is where the Harding Icefield, about 700 square miles of ice, meets the sea. Per the National Park Service, at least 38 glaciers flow from the icefield. The town of Seward, roughly 125 to 130 miles south of Anchorage, is the gateway. There are two ways in. By car, you can reach Exit Glacier, the only part of the park connected to the road system. From the Exit Glacier trailhead, the Harding Icefield Trail is a strenuous 4.1 mile one way climb with about 3,500 feet of elevation gain, ending at a view over the ice. By water, boat tours leave Seward’s small boat harbor, cross Resurrection Bay and reach tidewater glaciers such as Aialik and Holgate, with sea otters, puffins, Steller sea lions, orcas and humpback whales along the way. The Exit Glacier Nature Center is staffed from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, so summer is the practical window. 3. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Glacier Bay holds about 3.3 million acres of mountains, fjords, temperate rainforest and tidewater glaciers, and it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Wrangell-St. Elias and two Canadian parks. Roughly 200 years ago, ice filled almost the whole bay. It has since retreated to leave a fjord about 65 miles long with 11 tidewater glaciers still calving into it. This is mainly a water-borne attraction. The National Park Service reports 691,387 cruise ship passengers in 2024 and says over 90 percent of visitors never set foot on land inside the park. If you want to go ashore, the park sits about 60 miles west of Juneau, and the Alaska Marine Highway runs scheduled ferries from Juneau to Gustavus, which connects by a roughly 10 mile road to the park’s Bartlett Cove base. Glacier Bay Lodge has just 48 rooms, so book early. Cruise vessels have limited summer use days, with June through August the main season. 4. Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau Mendenhall is the easy one. The 13 mile glacier flows from the 1,500 square mile Juneau Icefield, which feeds 38 large glaciers, and it sits about 12 to 13 miles from downtown Juneau inside the Tongass National Forest. Alaska’s tourism sources describe it as the only glacier in Southeast Alaska reachable by road. The Forest Service visitor center, dedicated in 1962 as the first of its kind in the nation, has a glacier observation area and a 15 minute film. Trails lead along Mendenhall Lake to Nugget Falls, which drops 377 feet in two tiers. Black bears fish Steep Creek during the salmon run, so keep your distance and watch for trail closures. Stay well back from the glacier face and lake ice, which can be thin. Two practical notes: parking and the main trails do not require a fee, though the visitor center does, and the visitor center runs only intermittently in April and October. 5. Brooks Falls and Katmai National Park Katmai is one of the most remote places on this list and one of the best for bears. At Brooks Camp, brown bears stand at the lip of Brooks Falls to catch leaping salmon. The National Park Service says viewing is best in July and September: in July most bears fish at the falls, and in September most are at the mouth of the Brooks River. Expect crowds in July. The Falls Platform holds 40 people, rangers keep a waiting list when it is full, and waits commonly pass 90 minutes, especially midday. In peak season more

Travel insurance for Schengen visa Bangladesh: EUR 30,000 minimum cover. Which visas require it, what it must include, and how to confirm before you apply.