List of attractions by states
United States here are divided in 51 entities (50 states and 1 federal district):
| Alabama | ||
| Alaska (see separately) | ||
| Arizona | ||
| Arkanzas | ||
| California | ||
 | Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, California | Ecosystems |
| Bear Valley wildflower meadows, Colusa County | Ecosystems |
| Carrizo Plain wildflower meadows | Ecosystems |
| Dry Creek wildflower meadows, Tulare County | Ecosystems |
| Figueroa Mountain poppy and lupine fields | Ecosystems |
| Flower fields of Gorman Hills | Ecosystems |
| Hyperion | Trees |
| Point Buchon poppy meadows | Ecosystems |
| Poppy meadows of Merced Valley and Hite Cove | Ecosystems |
| Raven's Tower | Trees |
| Shell Creek Road meadows, California | Ecosystems |
| Tallest Giant Sequoia | Trees |
| Walker Canyon poppy fields, California | Ecosystems |
| Colorado | ||
| Connecticut | ||
| Delaware | ||
| Florida | ||
| Georgia | ||
| Hawaii (also a part of Oceania, see separately) | ||
| Idaho | ||
| Illinois | ||
| Indiana | ||
| Iowa | ||
| Kansas | ||
| Kentucky | ||
| Louisiana | ||
| Maine | ||
| Maryland | ||
| Massachusetts | ||
| Michigan | ||
| Minnesota | ||
| Mississippi | ||
| Missouri | ||
| Montana | ||
| Nebraska | ||
| Nevada | ||
| New Hamphsire | ||
| New Jersey | ||
| New Mexico | ||
| New York | ||
| North Carolina | ||
| North Dakota | ||
| Ohio | ||
| Oklahoma | ||
| Oregon | ||
| Doerner Fir | Trees |
| Pennsylvania | ||
| Rhode Island | ||
| South Carolina | ||
| South Dakota | ||
| Tennessee | ||
| Texas | ||
| Utah | ||
| Vermont | ||
| Virginia | ||
| Washington | ||
| Goat Noble fir | Trees |
| Washington D.C. | ||
| West Virginia | ||
| Wisconsin | ||
| Wyoming | ||
Other possessions of United States
Incorporated territory
| Palmyra Atoll (Oceania) | ||
Overseas territories
| American Samoa (Oceania) | ||
| Guam (Oceania) | ||
| Northern Mariana Islands (Oceania) | ||
| Puerto Rico (North America) | ||
| United States Virgin Islands (North America) | ||
Several more scattered small Pacific islands are possessions of United States:
| Baker Island | ||
| Howland Island | ||
| Jarvis Island | ||
| Johnston Atoll | ||
| Kingman Reef | ||
| Midway Atoll | ||
| Wake Island | ||
Also one more Caribbean island is unincorporated territory of United States:
| Navassa Island | ||
United States - interactive overview map
See Alaska and Hawaii on separate pages
Wikipedia article about United States
Featured:
Carrizo Plain wildflower meadows
Great naturalist John Muir wrote in his memoirs: "Go where I would, east or west, north or south, I still plashed and rippled in flower-gems". In 1868 he was privileged to see something what we won't see anymore - the endless sea (400 miles long and 30 miles wide) of spring flowers of Central Valley in California. Nowadays nearly all of this unique grandeur is gone, meadows have been replaced by pastures, roads and buildings.
But don't despair - there exist Carrizo Plain wildflower meadows.
Main attractions
The United States of America is one of the largest countries in world and offers a wide array of diverse attractions: many are unsurpassed in the world.
Cultural monuments
While it might be argued that the most impressive monuments in United States are the diverse natural monuments, this country has a good share of impressive cultural monuments - both architectural and archaeological.
Architecture monuments
Taos Pueblo. Photo by Bobak H., CC-BY-SA-2.5.
Some of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in United States are the pueblos in New Mexico such as Acoma Pueblo, Taos Pueblo, Picuris Pueblo and others - outstanding urban planning monuments built by Native Americans starting from circa 500 - 1000 AD.
Among the urban planning monuments developed by European descendants should be mentioned the French Quarter (18th - 19th centuries) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Other outstanding urban planning monuments are Manhattan in New York City and Downtown Chicago which witnessed the development of an American invention, the skyscraper. An unbelievable urban planning monument is the enormous entertainment city of Las Vegas.
Empire State Building rising above Manhattan. Photo by Ibagli, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
As the United States developed into a wealthy and influential country during the 20th century, it created many global architectural movements and pioneering architectural landmarks: such buildings as the two skyscrapers of New York - the Chrysler Building (1930) and the Empire State Building (1931). The United States has built numerous landmark bridges such as the Golden Gate Bridge (1937) in San Francisco and the Brooklyn Bridge (1883) in New York City. An unusual, unsurpassed monument is the 192 metre high Gateway Arch (1965) in St.Louis, Missouri. Among smaller landmark buildings should be mentioned Fallingwater (1934), a villa built over a waterfall in Pennsylvania.
Archaeological monuments
In several regions of United States, Native American cultures have left interesting archaeological monuments.
Cliff Palace. Photo by Borchert A. CC-BY-SA-3.0
Visually, the most outstanding archaeological monuments are the cliff dwelling cities developed by the ancient Pueblo People and some of the more ancient cultures in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Hard to access adobe constructions were built under spectacular, giant cliff overhangs in 10th - 14th centuries AD. Among the most impressive are the Cliff Palace (Colorado), the Gila Cliff Dwellings (New Mexico) and the enormous Great House of Pueblo Bonito (New Mexico).
Other interesting American archaeological monuments are medicine wheels - enormous stone settings, which from the sky look like spiked wheels - the best examples in area of USA are the Bighorn National Forest Medicine wheels (Wyoming).
Among the numerous locations of petroglyphs and pictographs could be mentioned Newspaper Rock (Utah), Rochester Rock Art Panel (Utah), polychrome Yakima Painted Rocks (Washington), Jeffers Petroglyphs (Minnesota) and many others.
Rochester Rock Art Panel. Photo by Kerk P., Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
The ancient cultures in the Mississippi Valley most likely did evolve to a high degree. Some of the interesting monuments left behind by of these cultures are effigy mounds: enormous earthworks resembling stylized figures of animals, symbols or people. The most outstanding ones are the 420 metre long Serpent Mound (Ohio) built circa 1070 AD, the Alligator Effigy Mound (Ohio) from 800 - 1200 AD or the Rock Eagle Effigy Mound (Georgia) built somewhere in 1000 BC - 1000 AD. The largest prehistoric earthen constructions are the Cahokia Mounds (Illinois), at the site of largest known prehistoric city in the area of United States.
United States have a truly impressive and diverse list of world class geological monuments.
Natural monuments
Ruby Falls. Photo by Tesla J. CC-BY-SA-3.0
The longest known cave system is located in United States, the more than 590 kilometre long Mammoth Cave (Kentucky). The second longest in the world is Jewel Cave (South Dacota) at 233 kilometres. Other impressive caves are Wind Cave (South Dacota) at 213 km and Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico) at 204 km in length, with beautiful formations. A unique monument of nature is Kazumura Cave (Hawaii), which is the largest known lava tube in the world: 61 kilometres long and up to 1101 metres deep. The 10 metre Crystal Cave (Ohio) is covered with enormous crystals of celestine, some up to 1 metre large. Ruby Falls (Tennessee) is the highest cave waterfall in the USA (not in the world) at 44 metres in height.
There are numerous interesting monuments related to volcanism in United States. The volcano with largest area in the world is Mauna Loa in Hawaii. Hawaii also has one of the most active volcanoes of the world: Kīlauea, with one of the few lava lakes in the world and the one which is considered the highest volcano in the world, if measured from its underwater base: the 10,203 metre high Mauna Kea (4207 m above the sea). Fort Rock (Oregon) is unusual landmark - tuff ring. The round Crater Lake in caldera of Mount Mazuma volcano (Oregon) is beautiful and the 2857 m high Mount Shishaldin in Alaska is absolutely symmetric in form.
Wondermondo offers:
Volcanic processes in United States have created some of the most spectacular hydrothermal features of the world - such as geysers and bright colored hot springs and travertine terraces. Yellowstone national park (Wyoming) contains 200 - 250 geysers, the largest group in the world. Prominent geysers are the worlds tallest geyser: Steamboat Geyser as well as Old Faithful Geyser, Castle Geyser, the unusual Fishing Cone and many others.
Grand Prismatic Spring. Photo by Ziinkova M. CC-BY-SA-3.0
Some of the most beautiful hot springs are Grand Prismatic Spring, Morning Glory Pool, Emerald Pool, Crested Pool, Beauty Pool (Wyoming). The Mammoth Hot Springs have some of the most impressive travertine terraces in world.
Some of the largest freshwater springs of the world are located in Florida, for example, Wakulla Springs and Silver Springs.
The highest waterfall in mainland USA, the beautiful Yosemite Falls (California) is 739 metres high, but the highest in the United States are the 792 metres high Waihilau Falls and approximately 900 metres high, seasonal Olo'upena falls, both in Hawaii. Niagara Falls (New York in USA and Ontario in Canada) seem to be the most popular waterfalls in world and, although they are not exceptionally large by world standards, they definitely leave an unforgettable impression.
Such unusual relief forms as natural arches are well represented in United States. The most impressive ones are located in Arches National Park (Utah): such as Delicate Arch and the giant 100 metre long Landscape Arch (second widest in the world). Also enormous and impressive is the 84 metre wide Rainbow Bridge in Utah.
Grand Canyon. Photo: Catron S., CC-BY-SA-3.0
Some impressive relief forms are enormous ravines and canyons, such as the most impressive canyon of the world, the Grand Canyon (Arizona), the dramatic Gunnison Black Canyon (Colorado) and the colourful Yellowstone Grand Canyon (Wyoming). Some slot canyons are exceptionally narrow and deep, such as the 21 kilometre long Buckskin Gulch (Utah), the exceptionally beautiful Antelope Canyon (Arizona) and the Zion Canyon (Utah) which at one place is only 6 metres wide and 610 metres deep.
Amongst the most beautiful rock formations are the unusual and eerie The Wave (Arizona), Monument Valley (Utah and Arizona) and Devil's Tower (Wyoming).
Visually, the most impressive meteorite impact crater on Earth is Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona. Also unique, are the White Sands (New Mexico), which consist of 710 km2 of pure white gypsum sands.
La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles (California) have preserved numerous diverse extinct animals such as two species of mammoth, sabre-toothed cats, American lions and numerous other.
Giant Forest. Photo by Davigoli, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Tallest tree in the world is a sequoia named Hyperion, which is 115.61 metres high and grows in Redwood National Park (California). The tree with the largest volume is a Giant sequoia named General Sherman at 1487 cubic meters (Sequoia National Park, California). It grows in one of the most unusual biotopes in world, the Giant Forest, with has numerous giant trees.
Hawaii has several small islands with unique, endemic flora and fauna. Such as, for example, the 70 ha large Nihoa island, which has its own palm, several endemic bird species, flowers and giant crickets.
Kure Atoll in Hawaii is the northernmost coral atoll in the world.
2009 Gatis Pāvils