USA East Vacations
Boston
One of America's oldest and most important cities, Boston embraces its role as the "Cradle of American Independence." The well-marked Freedom Trail offers a fascinating walking tour of American history from the home of Paul Revere to historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace, a landmark collection of restored buildings. Boston is a beautiful city, too, with impressive public spaces and tangled, tree-lined streets. Several well-preserved historic areas span America's architectural landscape from the intimate, federal-style townhomes of Beacon Hill to the urban Victorian neighborhoods of the Back Bay. As the economic and cultural hub of New England, Boston is also a thoroughly modern city, with a thriving arts community, world-class museums, vibrant theater, upscale shopping, and many fantastic restaurants.
Nearby Cambridge, located just across the Charles River, offers another world of sites, restaurants, and eclectic shops to explore. Harvard Square, the nexus of Cambridge and Harvard, has long been a haven of Bohemian counter-culture and a popular tourist stop. Thousands of college students and young professionals lend the city a youthful, energetic appeal, helping it shed its reputation as a conservative town. Featuring in two hit television shows, Ally McBeal and The Practice, Boston has become a hip city!
Charleston
In one of America's most beautiful and historic cities, remnants of the genteel South and 300 years of history are everywhere. Hundreds of lovingly preserved Colonial and Antebellum structures grace the Historic District and the skyline is punctuated by the steeples and spires of "The Holy City's" 181 churches.
From the wilderness cabins of the earliest settlers, to the thriving plantations of a world that lives on in our national lore - long after the Civil War changed everything - you'll feel as if you know this place well. Venture to Charles Towne Landing, the site of the original English settlement in 1670. Explore Patriots Point, the world's largest naval and maritime museum, then Fort Moultrie, scene of the first decisive American victory in the Revolution. Take a scenic boat tour to Fort Sumter,where the Civil War began, and cruise to the fabled plantations along the river.
Relax and play in the surf on the numerous beaches and play a few championship rounds in this town that gave America its first golf course. Condé Nast Traveler magazine regularly rates Charleston among the Top Ten Destinations in America, though its best recommendation may be the one given by a roguish fictional character. As Rhett leaves Scarlett in the final moments of Gone With the Wind, he says he's going back to Charleston, where he can find "the calm dignity life can have when it's lived by gentle folks, the genial grace of days that are gone."
Hilton Head Island
New Orleans
Some people never leave - New Orleans won't let them go. They come for Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, or a Louis & Lestat Vampire Tour, and by the time they are supposed to be boarding a plane for home, they're on a streetcar instead looking through the classifieds for jobs and apartments. You can't really blame them though, because this city is a temptress that knows exactly how to capture hearts. The French Quarter has wrought-iron balconies, home-spun jazz, Creole culture, unbelievable food, ancient oaks draped with Spanish moss, the Mississippi River, wild nightclubs, and gourmet bistros. All this and much more make this city an alluring paradox of ancient and modern, elegance and decadence, that irrevocably transforms some people into what locals call the "Never Lefts," and makes an unforgettable impression everyone, even if they go home.
The altogether different and decidedly "un-American" personality of New Orleans evolved largely due to its geography. Essentially an "inland island," it is squeezed between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, surrounded on all sides by a giant oak-cypress swamp. Isolation and insulation from the mainland for almost 250 years enabled the city to resist "cookie-cutter" modernization and develop its own culture with jazz, Creole cuisine, above-ground burial sites ("Cities of the Dead"), and rites of passage like the famous jazz funerals. Charles Dudley Warner wrote, "New Orleans is either the most cosmopolitan of all provincial cities...or the most provincial of all cosmopolitan cities." It's really both. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Myrtle Beach
"The Grand Strand," Myrtle Beach, is rapidly becoming the entertainment center of the East Coast and is already one of the nation's top vacation destinations. In addition to its year-round sunny and mild climate, an increasing number of attractions, live music, dramatic theaters, shopping centers, amusement parks, and a renowned golf scene lure visitors in every season.
Myrtle Beach is renowned for its 60 miles of Atlantic beaches and clean ocean air, but this isn't just another beachside resort. The Grand Strand is grand, indeed, offering as much entertainment pizzazz, proud history, and outright excitement as can be found anywhere. Fun-filled waterparks, world-famous theme restaurants, old plantation homes, and that famous "Southern charm" are all here.
New York City
The songs and verses of centuries have praised, pined for, and even bemoaned every nuance of "The Greatest City on Earth." So what can we say about it that you haven't already heard? Probably nothing! So we'll say it again. It's a wonderful town, and it never sleeps. There are few other cities in the world that evoke as much loyalty and equal exasperation from its residents, or elicit so much excitement and consternation from its visitors. Yes, you'll see the Empire State Building, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty. Of course, you'll take in a Broadway show, fawn over the jewelry in Tiffany's, spend hours and even days wandering the halls of endless world-class museums filled to the brim with priceless masterpieces, eat mounds of shockingly good food, and take a picture of yourself in Times Square.
These are places you go and things you look at, though they are not necessarily what leaves an impression on you about life in Gotham. It's riding a Manhattan taxi, eating a Nathan's hot dog on the steps of the New York Public Library, watching the eye-popping acrobatics of the street dancers, being bustled by a tidal wave of humanity onto a subway train, and so many more of these sorts of things that you will remember most. It's experiencing the incomparable New York lifestyle itself that keeps people coming back!
Williamsburg
One of America's great cultural and historic sites, Williamsburg, Virginia offers fun and learning for the entire family. Known as the Historic Triangle, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown offer more than just museums. They are living communities where merchants sell their wares, craftspeople ply their trades, and the sounds of revolution still fill the air! A model for historic restoration, more than 500 public buildings, homes, stores, taverns, and gardens comprise the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg. Discover the site of America's first permanent English colony in Jamestown, or relive the last major battle of the American Revolution in Yorktown where Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington.
Beyond the history and the museums, Williamsburg offers plenty of chances for fun in the sun. From miles of beautiful beaches in nearby Virginia Beach to exciting water and theme parks,you'll always find something different to do. There's golf, tennis, sailing, entertainment, and outstanding dining, as well. What's more, Williamsburg is a shopper's paradise with over 150 factory outlet stores and numerous one-of-a-kind specialty shops in Merchants Square. Each day of the week brings new tours, costumes, and re-enactments. Live the life of a patriot from dawn to dusk!
Washington, DC
As the nation's capital and the home of our democratic government, Washington DC, like no other city, holds a vaunted place in the world, as it represents the ideal of a free and self-governing nation. Founded in 1791, the District of Columbia was the world's first planned national capital. When Congress is in session, the town is bustling with the inner workings of our democracy. The capital, however, remains one of the most active cities in the Union for reasons beyond day-to-day politicking. Tourism is one of the city's biggest sources of revenue, and its world-class museums and famous monuments are a perennial draw for citizens and foreigners alike.
The capital is a showcase of America itself, a city teeming with representation of the past, present, and future. It is a place where a proud nation's legacy lives on and the culture of its people is celebrated in the city's theatre and music, parks and gardens, and so much more. Popular with the entertainment industry, the capital is often referred to as "Hollywood on the Potomac" for its ubiquitous presence in both television and movies. Another reason for this nickname is the group of politically-active celebrities who love to go to Washington for a mix of partying, lobbying, and hob-nobbing. A symbol of America's freedom and liberty, Washington welcomes everyone to explore past history and witness history in the making.
