Top 10 Holidays in America

Holidays in America American holiday ideas best America holidays

By Mark Hodson and David Wickers, Sunday Times Travel writers

America, the land of the free is one of the best holiday destinations in the world. It’s not just a country, but a whole continent from sea to shining sea, encompassing mountains, beaches, desert, forests, great cities and unspoilt wildernesses. Here is my pick of the best holidays in America.

Fly drive America

The highways and byways of the USA offer some of the best road trips in the world. Among the most scenic drives is the Pacific Highway, which hugs the coast of California between LA and San Francisco, the Florida Keys south of Miami where the road leaps across a series of bridges linking a strong of keys as far as Key West, and the Blue Ridge Parkway which crests the southern Appalachians.

Las Vegas

There’s nowhere on the planet quite like Las Vegas. With its casinos, exotic looking architecture, world class entertainers and its 7 mile long ‘Strip’ of bright lights, it’s a dazzling, stand alone destination for a short break or an ideal ingredient in a grand scenic tour of America’s south west which can easily include the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. More about Las Vegas.

Dude ranches

First time city slickers will find ranches that not only welcome complete beginners, with riding done at a gentle clop from ranches that are more like resorts, with lots of activities and all home comforts, but others which are proper working ranches offering trail rides, cattle mustering and living like real wranglers under the stars. Find prices and more details about ranch holidays in North America.

Alaska

Arguably the best way to explore the natural wonders of America’s 49th state is by cruise ship, sailing up the fabled Inside Passage, where you can watch a pageant of jaw-dropping scenery on both port and starboard beams. You ship will also nose into deep fjords where you can sight whales and bald eagles and watch the calving of immense glaciers. You can also go grizzly bear watching in Alaska.

New England

Boston, rich in art, oozing with historical pedigree and much softer and leafier than New York City, is within an easy drive of Cape Cod, with its protected National Seashore and excellent whale watching. You can also catch a ferry to the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Alternatively head west to explore the Norman Rockwell clapperboard villages of the Berkshires with their wooden churches, pencil thin spires and historic porticoed inns. More about New England holidays.

Rent a motorhome

One of the great ways to experience America is on a motor home holiday – perfect for couples and families that want independence and freedom, and really want to explore this great country. You can eat, sleep and play where and when you like, staying overnight in a huge choice of locations. There are many pre-planned to choose from, including Florida’s Beaches & the Keys, Cowboy Country, Arizona & New Mexico and Northwest USA. Find more about our motor home holidays in North America.

Miami (and the Bahamas)

These two very different places are easily-twinned in a single holiday, either by a short flight or on a cruise ship. Make Miami’s South Beach your base, with its show of Art Deco architecture and catwalk trendiness, but let your choice of Bahamian island depend on whether you prefer the full on pace of, say, Nassau or the laid back charms of one of the so-called Out Islands. More about holidays in Miami and the Caribbean.

New Mexico

The state of New Mexico is the one place in the world where Americans don’t have to suffer the cultural curse of newness. America’s only true indigenous culture is much in evidence – the adobe pueblos of Taos for example have been Indian communities ever since the 11th century. Blended with Mexican spices and adorned with Spanish colonial architecture, New Mexico is riveting, one of our favourite American holiday ideas.

Florida

Combine frenetic days in Orlando’s theme parks with downtime on one of Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches. Walt Disney World Resort alone is a destination in its own right, spread over an area twice the size of Manhattan. If you also add Universal Studios and SeaWorld to the menu, you’ll fully appreciate a few days of pure relaxation in Clearwater/St Petersburg, the more sophisticated Sarasota, Naples or the peaceful islands of Sanibel and Captiva.

TV and movie locations

America is home to many of our favourite TV programmes and films. Now you can visit the film settings and locations with knowledgeable guides. Take a the tour of New York TV & Movie Sites where you’ll see locations for the likes of Seinfeld, Spider-Man, Men in Black, and The Devil Wears Prada. Visit the Sex and the City Hotspots or head out to New Jersey for The Sopranos Sites. Or try the Boston TV & Movie Sites bus tour, taking in locations from Good Will Hunting, Cheers, Boston Legal and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.

And drop in to see the neighbours…

Mexico is growing in popularity thanks in part to its great-value hotels and restaurants, and thanks to the growing awareness of its superb beaches, natural wonders, Mayan and Aztec treasures and excellent year-round climate (you can always find somewhere sunny and dry). We recommend staying in one or more of the small luxury haciendas.

We love Canada but which is best – east or west? Tricky, since both sides have their star attractions. The Canadian Rockies, Vancouver, scenic train journeys and wildlife, including grizzly and brown bears, top the highlights in the west while the east has an amazing coastline, Celtic and Acadian culture, the Niagara Falls and exciting cities (cosmopolitan Montreal, Québec and bustling Toronto). If you have the time, do both, linking the Atlantic with the Pacific on board The Canadian railroad. Find wildlife and adventure tours plus fly-drive and cruises in Canada.