America the Beautiful: 50 Awe-Inspiring Places to Visit

By Jessica Hoffman on 07/03/2014, updated on 08/23/2017

Your travel bucket list is about to get a lot longer.

Arizona's The Wave rock formation

Natural wonder—"The Wave," a rock formation in Arizona (©tusharkoley/Shutterstock)

From Acadia National Park in Maine to California's Big Sur coastline, and from Alaska's Denali to Oahu's Northshore—and nearly everything in between—the adage "America the beautiful" always rings true. So in honor of U.S. independence this 4th of July weekend, we've put together our list of 50 amazing and beautiful places that are guaranteed to inspire you to travel from sea to shining sea—no passport required

Trust us—your bucket list is about to get longer.

SLIDESHOW >> America the Beautiful: 50 Awe-Inspiring Places to Visit

The Grand Canyon:

The Grand Canyon:

Yosemite National Park:

Yosemite National Park:

California Wine Country:

California Wine Country:

California's Giant Trees:

California's Giant Trees:

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota:

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota:

New Orleans French Quarter:

New Orleans French Quarter:

The Gateway Arch:

The Gateway Arch:

Rocky Mountain National Park:

Rocky Mountain National Park:

Utah's Arches:

The Vegas Strip:

The Vegas Strip:

Acadia National Park:

Acadia National Park:

The Great Lakes:

The Great Lakes:

The Smokies:

Moab:

Magnificent Mile:

Magnificent Mile:

South Beach:

Yellowstone National Park:

Yellowstone National Park:

The Northern Lights:

The Northern Lights:

Blues Country:

The Boston Harbor:

The Boston Harbor:

Washington, D.C.:

Washington, D.C.:

Great Sand Dunes National Park:

Great Sand Dunes National Park:

Bonneville Salt Flats:

Bonneville Salt Flats:

The Flint Hills:

The Flint Hills:

Blue Ridge Parkway:

Blue Ridge Parkway:

Skyline Drive:

Glacier National Park:

Glacier National Park:

Crater Lake:

The North Shore:

The North Shore:

Hawaii's Volcanoes:

Hawaii's Volcanoes:

Denali:

Kentucky Horse Country:

Kentucky Horse Country:

Nashville's Ryman Auditorium:

Nashville's Ryman Auditorium:

Pike's Peak:

The Wave:

The Everglades:

The Everglades:

The Outer Banks:

The Outer Banks:

Carlsbad Caverns:

Carlsbad Caverns:

The Mendenhall Glacier:

The Mendenhall Glacier:

Arkansas' Anthony Chapel:

Arkansas' Anthony Chapel:

Albuquerque:

The Biltmore Estate:

The Biltmore Estate:

Amish Country:

Taos:

Big Sur:

Fort Sumter:

St. Augustine:

New England's Kancamagus Highway:

New England's Kancamagus Highway:

Wild Horses of the Atlantic Coast:

Wild Horses of the Atlantic Coast:

Oregon's Mount Hood:

Oregon's Mount Hood:

America the Beautiful: 50 Awe-Inspiring Places to Visit By Jessica Hoffman on 07/03/2014, updated on 08/23/2017

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