America’s 250th anniversary celebrations this summer provide the perfect inspiration to explore the country’s vast and diverse landscapes—from the original 13 colonies to the rugged wilderness of the West.

Forbes Travel Guide recommends these quintessential American getaways in all 50 states (along with Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico). Whether you want to immerse yourself in living history, retreat to a private island sanctuary or seek adventure in the oldest national parks, this state-by-state guide provides the ultimate cross-country travel bucket list.

Where to Stay: When visitors come to this college town to cheer on Auburn University’s Tigers, The Laurel Hotel and Spa is a convenient on-campus base with a rooftop pool and a teaching restaurant featuring acclaimed chef-in-residence Joël Antunes.

What to Do: Venture off-campus to Chewacla State Park, whose nearly 700 acres have hiking and mountain biking trails and a 26-acre lake for fishing, swimming and canoeing.

Destination: Halibut Cove

Where to Stay: Explore the Last Frontier at Stillpoint Lodge. The all-inclusive 28-guest lodge is located in a small village on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s remote—the only way to get here is by boat, floatplane or helicopter—but the payoff is prime access to the abundant wildlife.

What to Do: The lodge will help plan epic itineraries such as grizzly sightings via helicopter or kayaking amid icebergs in a glacier lake.

Where to Stay: Frank Lloyd Wright protégé Albert Chase McArthur brought his mentor’s architectural eye to the Arizona Biltmore, designing the 1929 hotel with Wright’s patterned concrete blocks and adding sprite sculptures from his molds on the grounds.

What to Do: Admire Arizona’s desert landscape from a hot air balloon that floats off to the Grand Canyon and other sights. Or see it on land during a guided horseback ride.

Destination: Hot Springs

Where to Stay: Oaklawn began as a horse-racing destination in 1904 and became a favorite haunt for gangsters like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano. In 2021, the town added Oaklawn Hot Springs, Arkansas, a resort with a 24/7 casino and a Four-Star spa featuring its famed healing waters.

What to Do: Hot Springs National Park is just two miles away. Take in panoramic views of the Ouachita Mountains from the 216-foot Hot Springs Mountain Tower, visit Bathhouse Row or hike 26 miles of trails.

Destination: San Francisco

Where to Stay: The Palace Hotel was the largest in the world when it debuted in 1875. It still exudes Gilded Age glamour with the two-story Garden Court, featuring a 70,000-piece stained-glass ceiling and Austrian crystal chandeliers.

What to Do: History is steeped into every corner of the city. San Francisco’s Chinatown was the first and largest in North America. And while the Presidio was established as a Spanish fort in 1776, it’s now one of the city’s most popular parks.

Destination: Colorado Springs

Where to Stay: The purple mountain majesties of Pikes Peak inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful” and prompted Spencer Penrose to build The Broadmoor. The pink-stucco hotel ushered in a luxurious new era for the West in 1918. Today, it has 20 dining and drinking options, a Five-Star spa and an impressive Western art collection.

What to Do: The Broadmoor’s 5,000 acres accommodate almost any adventure. Try falconry, fly-fishing camps, rock climbing, zip-line courses, hiking, biking and whitewater rafting without leaving the grounds.

Destination: Washington

Where to Stay: Nestled across 58 idyllic acres in Litchfield County, the Mayflower Inn & Spa centers around a 1920 gray-shingled country house with 35 quaint rooms. The property also includes a 20,000-square-foot wellness center.

What to Do: Take in the natural beauty of northwest Connecticut at Kent Falls State Park, which has a covered bridge and waterfalls that cascade 250 feet into the Housatonic River.

Destination: Wilmington

Where to Stay: Hotel Du Pont, which debuted in 1913 as part of the DuPont company’s headquarters, will celebrate the country’s anniversary with the Homage to 1776 package. It includes a historian-led property tour, a three-course “250 Series” dinner and tickets to the Hagley Museum, which chronicles early American industry and innovation.

What to Do: The Wilmington area has bountiful green spaces. Nemours Estate models its 200-acre gardens after Versailles. And Brandywine, partly designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Central Park’s architect, spans 178 acres.

Destination: Palm Beach

Where to Stay: Dating to 1896, The Breakers was a favored beachfront escape for the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Astors. The National Historic Landmark hotel remains a fitting getaway for today’s captains of industry with 534 rooms, 36 holes of golf (including Florida’s oldest course), 10 restaurants and bars and four oceanfront pools.

What to Do: Oil magnate Henry M. Flagler built Palm Beach (and The Breakers) as one of America’s first resort destinations in the 1890s. Learn how he shaped Florida tourism and see other Gilded Age exhibits at the Flagler Museum. Fronting the museum, the 5.5-mile Lake Trail leads past the waterfront homes of today’s Palm Beach billionaires.

Destination: Sea Island

Where to Stay: See Georgia’s scenic Atlantic Coast at The Cloister at Sea Island, a 50-acre private island retreat with moss-covered live oak trees, marshlands and beaches. The Spanish Colonial Five-Star retreat opened in 1928 and has welcomed many celebrities and politicians, even hosting the 2004 G8 Summit with President George W. Bush.

What to Do: Play golf on Sea Island’s three championship courses; ride horses on the five-mile private beach; hit the water for paddleboarding and salt marsh kayaking; or get pampered in the Five-Star spa.

Destination: Honolulu

Where to Stay: In bustling Waikiki, Halekulani provides an elegant respite. The waterfront hotel started as a home and five bungalows 1907 and grew to 453 rooms—some with excellent views of Diamond Head—and a dazzling pool with a white orchid on the bottom.

What to Do: Naturally, the beach is the big draw. But learn more about Hawaii’s fascinating history with a trip to Iolani Palace, the only royal residence in the U.S., and the Bishop Museum, which holds the world’s largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific cultural artifacts.

Where to Stay: On the banks of Payette Lake, Shore Lodge unlocks access to 5,330 acres of glacier-fed waters, craggy mountains and verdant forests. The 77-room hotel also provides thoughtful amenities like a movie theater and nightly s’mores at the fire pit.

What to Do: McCall is all about the great outdoors. Fish in more than 200 nearby lakes, go whitewater rafting at Hell’s Canyon (North America’s deepest gorge) or mountain bike on more than 60 trails.

Where to Stay: The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago is located inside Water Tower Place—a 70- store mall along the Magnificent Mile—and across from the historic Water Tower, a symbol of the city’s resilience for surviving the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

What to Do: In........

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