From ranching in Montana to swimming in Arizona’s canyon lakes, and tapping your toes to jazz in New Orleans, we bring you 40 fabulous reasons to visit the USA. It’s by no means everything this awe-inspiring land has to offer, but it’s most definitely a great way to begin…

Watch brown bears catching sockeye salmon in their paws at Brooks River, in Southern Alaska’s vast Katmai National Park. The park is home to over 2,200 bears and the best time to watch them is July and August, when they flock to the area to gorge on fish.

The Windy City is known for its stunning skyline, and justifiably so. Admire the panoramic views from 360degrees Chicago, an observation deck 1,000 feet above the Magnificent Mile. Get your heart pumping on Tilt, a moving platform that tips you over Michigan Avenue. Vertigo sufferers may prefer to admire the view on an architecture tour on a boat on the Chicago river.

This tropical archipelago, stretching out from Florida’s southern coast, is connected by 42 bridges. Explore the underwater world, with its brightly coloured coral, marine life and ghostly shipwrecks. If you’re not a diver, hire a clear-bottomed kayak on Key West, or have a go on a paddleboard.

In the second half of September, Vermont’s swathes of forest burst into a glorious mix of reds, yellows and oranges. Soak up the sunset colours on the 5.4 mile Skyline Drive, between Manchester and Arlington.

For watery Wild West adventure, head to Tonto National Forest in Arizona and bathe in River Canyons lakes. Paddle through the crystal clear water, past vibrant green cacti and towering mountain peaks. At temperatures of around 23 degrees, you won’t need a wetsuit. SwimTrek run a six-day adventure, covering three miles a day.

Home to the legendary Indy 500 race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a mecca for car junkies. The 2.5-mile oval is so huge it could fit Vatican City, the Rose Bowl, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club, the Yankee Stadium and the Roman Coliseum inside. Tour the track, visit the museum and – if you’re feeling flush – enjoy the thrill of being driven at 185mph drive in a real IndyCar. Indy Racing Experience offers the adventure for $500. 

Take a tour of the awe-inspiring Capitol building, the iconic symbol of America that’s housed the meeting chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives for the last two centuries. If you can, time your visit to DC with spring, when the hundreds of delicate pink cherry trees blossom.

For a thought-provoking history, visit the preserved ruins of Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary, the first prison to use solitary confinement. It closed in 1971, after housing thousands of inmates, including legendary gangster Al Capone. Explore the haunting empty prison blocks and vaulted cells, whilst listening to an audio tour narrated by actor Steve Buscemi and former inmates. 

For a slice of Wild West action, don your stetson and head to Fort Worth Stockyards in Texas. Watch longhorn cattle being driven down the main street (at 11:30am and 4pm), then head to Billy Bob’s Honky Tonk, where episodes of Dallas were filmed. Here you can learn line dancing, or tap your cowboy-booted toes to their stellar country music line up. You can even catch an adrenalin fuelled bull rodeo.

For powder lovers, it doesn’t get much better than the cult ski area of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Snowfall here averages 36 feet each winter, and with the nearest city four hours away, the spectacular slopes are emptier than in Utah or Colarado. The wild location means you might catch a glimpse of elk or moose. Get into the après ski spirit Wild West style with some live music at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, which has saddles for bar stools. 

A visit to New Orleans, aka the Big Easy, is the ultimate jazz pilgrimage. Music here is world class and venues range from gritty to super slick. Serious jazz aficionados should head to Snug Harbor, where they’ll be expected to listen to well-known musicians in quiet. For a slightly less reverential vibe and a good dance, head to the Spotted Cat.

With over 400 wineries packed into a valley just 30 miles long, Napa Valley is a grape lover’s heaven. Explore the vineyards by bike, the Napa Valley wine train or even hot air balloon, tasting fruity Cabernet Sauvignon and rich Chardonnays along the way. There are seven Michelin-starred restaurants, and 150 fabulous foodie venues, including artisan chocolate shops, taco joints and grills.

The labyrinthine series of caves at Mammoth Cave National Park is the longest subterranean system in the world. Around 10 miles of tunnels can be explored via guided hikes, stretching 300 feet underground. They vary in difficulty, with the most challenging encompassing three 90-foot hill climbs.

The vast Everglades eco-system is home to crocodile, dolphins, herons, turtles and manatee, to name just a few. Covering a 1.5 million acre area, this vast wetlands is made up of marshes, mangroves and pinelands. There are three unconnected entrances, with the western entrance at Everglades City the quietest. Canoe amongst the mangroves, take a guided boat tour or kayak on Florida Bay and keep your fingers crossed that you’ll spot dolphins.

Palm Springs is dubbed “Hollywood’s Playground” because stars of the big screen have been relaxing here since the 1920s. Its desert location gave them a break from Hollywood, but kept them within two hours of the studio – a limit dictated by their contracts. The likes of Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable and Shirley Temple have all stayed here. If you’re feeling flush, rent Casa Elizabeth, Elizabeth Taylor’s former home. 

White Sands National Monument is a vast swathe of powder-soft, bright white gypsum in the New Mexico desert. Hike the lunar landscape, sledge down the rolling dunes or stargaze by night.

Las Vegas has decadence at its core. Here in the Nevada desert, the casinos operate 24/7 and people party until dawn – it’s not known as Sin City for nothing. Watch world class poker players at the Bellagio, play the slot machines and stay at one of the city’s extravagant themed hotels. The Venetian has its very own canal and gondolas, whilst New York New York houses a mock Statue of Liberty.

This awe-inspiring copper sculpture towers 150 feet over New York’s Harbour. A symbol of freedom and democracy, she was a gift from France in 1886 and has been greeting seafarers ever since. State Cruises provide the official ferry transport, plus tickets to visit the pedestal and crown, which involves climbing 354 steps. Tickets get snapped up, so book ahead.

With its dramatic rainbow rocks, plunging canyons and vast stretches of prairie, Badlands National Park in South Dakota is otherworldly in its beauty. Camp at Cedar Pass, hike the trails and head to Prairie Dog Town to watch hundreds of these cute critters in the wild.

Leaf lovers will be awed by a visit to Sequoia National Park in California. There are over 8,000 towering sequoia and redwood trees here – trace your way around General Sherman, the biggest tree in the world. He’s an incredible 275 feet tall, 100 feet wide, a whopping 2,500 years old.

With over 3,000 miles of white-water rafting, riding the rapids doesn’t get much more exhilarating than in Idaho. There are gentle stretches for novices, explosive rapids for thrill seekers and trips varying from a few hours to several days. Paddle through plunging canyons, unspoilt wilderness and fir-coated mountainsides.

With its startling blue waters, surrounded by rings of yellow, orange and green, Grand Prismatic spring in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park is a must-see. The waters bubble up from an Earth fissure, forming a lake bigger than a football pitch and deeper than a 10-storey building. The kaleidoscopic colours are caused by water borne bacteria.

You don’t have to be a diehard Elvis fan to enjoy Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. For a glimpse into his private life, take a tour of this decadent mansion where he lived for 20 years. Then hit the Elvis Presley Memphis experience, a massive exhibition about his life and music. You can even venture onto his private plane, the Lisa Marie, complete with gold plated seat belts and 24-carat gold-flecked sinks.

Route 66 is the iconic American road trip. Stretching from Chicago to LA, across eight states, it’ll immerse you in an era of classic Americana. You’ll find retro gas stations, kitsch motels and towns steeped in history. It can be done in two weeks at a push, but allow a month if you can. 

It took four years and $35 million to build San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge. You can access the 1.7 mile stretch by car, tour bus or public transport. Explore by foot or bike from the sidewalks, or sail underneath it from Fisherman’s Wharf. You can even admire it from above with a helicopter tour by San Francisco Helicopters.

The sheer scale of North America’s greatest natural wonder has to be seen to be believed. If you’re feeling intrepid, you can undertake a challenging hike into its depths. If not, you can ride down on a mule (be warned, trips book up over a year in advance) or even experience it by helicopter.

For a rousing, toe-tapping night in the Big Apple, watch a musical on Broadway. The next day, meet stars of the stage over bacon and bagels at the Lambs Club in the nearby Chatwal Hotel. These Broadway brunches are available on certain dates and you'll need to pre book.

Travellers can take their pick from 30 hot springs in Colorado. Try the pools at Hot Sulphur Springs Resort, which has seven natural springs. Stay in a tipi at Joyful Journey spa in Moffat or, if you dare to bare, soak in the all-natural soaking ponds in Valley View hot springs. Clothing is optional!

Dubbed “Music City”, Nashville is home to some 200 recording studios and the legendary Ryman Auditorium, the birthplace of bluegrass and where country music took off. Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline are just some of the greats who have sung their hearts out here. Sit on the curved wooden pews and take in a concert, then head to Hattie B’s for hot chicken, the city’s iconic dish. Fried and coated in spices, it’ll get your taste buds tingling. 

This 64-mile stretch of sugar-sand beaches and sky-high dunes at National Lakeshore, Michigan, was recently named the most beautiful spot in America. Even big kids will enjoy clambering up the sandy hills at the Dune Climb, then slithering back down. From the top, you can take a challenging 3.5-mile hike to Lake Michigan.

With its glorious beaches, turquoise sea, lush green pinnacles and dramatic waterfalls, Kauai island in Hawaii is nature on steroids. Explore the island with the challenging two-day hike or charter a helicopter to fly you over miles of awe-inspiring canyons, waterfalls and peaks, unreachable by foot.

Maine’s choppy Atlantic waters may be cold, but they produce world-class seafood. The coastline is dotted with lobster shacks, where you can grab a picnic table and munch on a lobster roll and fries whilst watching the sea. For a more unusual experience, try Lobster ice cream (yes, really) at Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium in Bar Harbor. 

Omaha’s Bob Bridge spans the Missouri river, connecting the states of Nebraska and Iowa. If you stand at the right spot (it's sign-posted) on the 3,000-foot stretch, you can plant one foot in each state. Take a photo and you’re officially known to be ‘Bobbing’.

In Chanhassen, Minnesota, you’ll find Prince’s Paisley Park private estate. This is where the music icon lived, until his untimely death in April 2016. It’s now been opened to the public, giving fans the chance to see his opulent stage costumes, motorbikes and instruments (Prince could play 20 by the time he was 12). Sticking closely to the pop legend’s principles, the museum restaurant is veggie. You'll need to buy tickets in advance.

Dig out a pair of jeans and a checked shirt, and head to Montana to unwind, cowboy style. Stay on a working ranch and get stuck in, herding cattle past flower-filled meadows and snow-capped peaks whilst on horseback.

You don’t have to be Catholic to be dazzled by the glittering Biblical mosaics in the Cathedral Basilica in St Louis, Missouri. Created by 20 artists and over 50 years in the making, they are made from more than 41 million fragments of coloured and gold leafed glass. The effect is utterly spellbinding.

Ride the waves on California’s Venice Beach, then soak up the atmosphere on the infamous Ocean Front Walk. Here you’ll find fortune-tellers, sand sculptors and whacky performers. On Saturdays and Sundays, catch a beat at the Drum Circle, where hundreds of musicians come together to jam.

Get into the Southern groove in Savannah, Georgia, by exploring the Historic District, with its tree-lined streets, park-like squares and historic homes. Visit Chippewa Square, where the legendary bench scene from Forest Gump was filmed, then head to the speakeasy at the American Prohibition Museum, where you can learn to make Prohibition cocktails. 

Walt Disney is said to have modelled Disneyland on this oh-so-pretty island, 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. Hire a bike (Nantucket is only 14 miles long) and explore the cobbled streets fringed by clapboard houses. Cycle to Brant Point lighthouse and watch the boats making their way in and out of the harbour. Tradition dictates that ferry passengers toss a coin into the sea and make a wish as it passes the lighthouse.

This spectacular canyon in Arizona is mystical and mesmerising – provided you arrive early enough to beat the crowds. Over time, the sandstone walls have been eroded into incredible shapes. As you make your way along the canyon floor, beams of light penetrate from above, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.