The best Christmas vacations USA trips I have taken share one habit. I picked the town first, the dates second, and the decorations last. I have spent Decembers in mountain towns where the snow arrived on schedule and in desert towns where it never did, and the trips that worked were the ones where I…
The best Christmas train rides in the United States are not the fastest ones. They are the slowest ones, the ones where the car is warm, the lights are low, and the conductor reads a story while snow passes the window. I have ridden holiday trains in mountains, deserts, and small towns, and the ones…
The best Christmas towns USA has are not the ones with the most lights. They are the ones where the whole town commits, where shop owners stay open late, snow sits on the roofs, and you can walk the main street without a car. I have spent Decembers in towns that try hard and towns…
The best Christmas markets USA has to offer are not the ones with the longest lines. They are the ones where you can still hear the music, taste the food, and buy something made by the person standing in front of you. I have spent ten Decembers chasing that feeling, from a frozen square in…
November Does Not Forgive a Summer Itinerary, and Places to visit in November USA Prove It My short answer is this: build your trip around Places to visit in November USA that gain something from the calendar, not places limping past their peak. I would send most readers to Key West, Florida, the southern Appalachian…
If you’re searching for cities to watch fireworks USA, start with New York City, Washington, DC, Boston, and San Diego for July Fourth. For New Year’s Eve, Las Vegas and New York City offer very different kinds of spectacle. The best choice depends less on the size of the show than on where you can…
Go in September. The best coastal beach towns USA has to offer, from Cape May, New Jersey to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, feel warmer, cheaper, and emptier after Labor Day. The ocean peaks late, and rental rates drop. Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30, so book refundable lodging and watch the forecast. Why…
The best ski resorts USA skiers can book this winter are Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming for experts, Park City Mountain, Utah for variety, Deer Valley Resort, Utah and Aspen Snowmass, Colorado for luxury, and Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont for the East. Choosing the right mountain saves more than any pass deal, because day tickets…
Book Fairbanks, Alaska. A northern lights tour USA trip works there on most clear nights between August 21 and April 21, according to Explore Fairbanks, the city’s official tourism board. The sun peaked around October 2024 and is now in its declining phase, which makes the lower 48 a long shot. Below, I cover where…
New York City leads the most populous cities USA list with 8,584,629 residents as of July 1, 2025, per the U.S. Census Bureau. Los Angeles, California (3,869,089) and Chicago, Illinois (2,731,585) follow, then Houston, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. Population rank doesn’t predict trip quality, though. I’ll give you the official top 15, then my own…