America in July / august

[dirtdawg]

We are going to north America in late July for 4 weeks starting in la going onto Vegas,Texas,Kentucky,Washington,new york,and Toronto
It's our first trip there so what are some things we should see and what isn't worth it I have been told by a few people that Cali isn't that good we are going to do the usual things like grand canyon and Hoover dam aswell as niagra falls and the bourbon tour in Kentucky but I'm not sure what else to see there's too much choice, what do you guys think?

Cheers matt

[Bigbjorn]

I am going to the Miller Offenhauser Society running days at Milwaukee on the Milwaukee Mile speedway on July 8-9. This is a terrific display. Fifty-three Miller and Offys there last year. you can go for a ride around the track in a two seater from the days of riding mechanics but these are speed limited to 65 mph with a passenger aboard.

There is the National Auto Museum at Reno. Needs two days. This was formerly the Harrah collection. Harrah's Casino Hotel has reasonably priced accommodation. An amazing railway museum in Sacramento. Then take the train on the historic Union Pacific rail line over the Sierra Nevada to Reno.

Plenty of motor related museums and collections. A couple of superb ones in LA. Speedy Bill Smith's Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville (not just sprint cars, needs probably two days), Indianapolis Speedway and Museum, an absolute must if you are near. US Air Force Museum at Dayton which definitely needs two days plus try to be there on a Friday as well for the guided tour of the restoration workshops. Henry Ford Village in Detroit and so on.

The Little Big Horn Battlefield is a good one but is a bit remote. Lots of civil war sites. A number of world class zoos. Omaha's can be fitted in between Lincoln and Knoxville.

Lots of great national parks, interesting cities. Food is cheap, so is clothing so don't pack much.

Greyhound goes everywhere and is not expensive. If you hire a car you will find the Interstate network allows high average speeds and not hard to put 800 miles into a day if you have to.

[cartm58]

Washington DC The museums are the best in a large square around the park you have the are space museum the museum of natural history the museum of art etc etc

The aero space is fantastic spend a day at least just looking at aircraft from beginning of flight both civil and military and space rockets and capsules

Museum of Natural History again worth a day in itself they have for example things like Elle Fitzgerald collection occupy about 1/3 floor all her costumes and life story, they have exhibits on WW2 Japanese interment, Civil War Revoluntionary War development of American road transport cars bikes trains trucks

Chicago great town to visit again jazz clubs, baseball, restaurants shoppings the Great Lakes district has bars and clubs and boats for trips along canals

[CowsGoMoo]

The Air & Space museum in DC took me 2 days to go through...
Depending on $$$, a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon is worth it.

[Hymie]

Yeah, Washington DC is great fun, and reasonably inexpensive. Get a tourmobile bus pass and ride around too all of the sights. The Mall and the Smithsonian Museums are a must do. The Capitol building isn't too bad, but as non US nationals there are places they won't take you in there.
FBI Headquarters isn't bad either.
Civil War Battlefields are cool, Antietam being amazing. Harpers Ferry is where the Civil War pretty much kicked off and is worth a look at. I can recommend a trip through Lancaster County Pennsylvania and a squiz at the Amish peoples lifestyle. A souvenir tshirt from Intercourse is a must;)
Something different is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Great Falls on the Potomac River.]
Phew!

[islu51]

you are correct about LA...having traveled around the us for 20 years, give it a miss, unless you r in the east side of the state or central coast. In NV, cross the hoover dam and go to joshua national park and there are some amazing back roads down to phoenix, if you are going to pick up i-10 across to texas through new mexico, which is stunning....if you stay north after hoover dam, go to monument valley in AZ/UT...gods country, and from texas (boring north texas, so i hope you have a good reason to go) go north east to Arkasas, to the Ozarks and the Boston mountains....from there to KY via MO....trip of a life time... if you are renting a car, try Car Hire 3000 - Book cheap car hire | Car rental online (http://www.carhire3000.com). i use them monthly in the states and they are unbeatable using all the major car companies