Our USA travel bucket list for trips with kids
This is our USA Travel bucket list for families: with all the places we have seen / want to see with the kids in the USA
I love traveling around the USA.
It is always a big deal for us, to fly across the pond to experience the beauty of the USA but no matter how many times we go, we always seem to want more!
In the last few years, we have been lucky enough to explore many places and have many experiences, from walks in urban Boston to road trips in Utah and Arizona.
However, our USA bucket list is long and there are many places for us still to visit!
This is the list of my dream places to see in the US and why I believe these are idea for a family vacation!
These are the places I dream of when I dream of a USA vacation.
Yosemite NP, CA with kids
Yosemite National Park is the first National Park I ever visited and the first is one I brought the kids to.
It is a wonderful park with pristine mountain scenery, so impressive and beautiful it is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site as a place of outstanding universal value.
It has incredible valleys, imposing granite peaks and views so beautiful, it simply had to open this USA travel bucket list!
This is one of the best West Coast National Parks for kids and an unmissable US landmark, no matter how old or young your kids may be.
Is Yosemite on your won USA bucket list? If so, our article can help you plan! Have a look at:
- Where to stay in and near Yosemite NP
- Visiting Yosemite with kids
- The best things to see in Yosemite
California Highway 1, CA
Nothing screams USA travel to me than a road trip and one of the most iconic in the famous Pacific Coast Highway in California and a drive along this route has been in my dreams for years. I was so happy when we finally got to drive it!
Following the breathtaking California coastline from Oregon to San Diego, it is the iconic coastal route you see in all the movies and it is as amazing as it looks!
We drove PCH1 in 2 days from San Diego to San Francisco and the scenery is as breathtaking as the photos suggest: sweeping views of the ocean, wonderful and varied coastlines with stunning rocky formations and large beaches and beautiful and wild nature in the area of Big Sur.
You can stop at one of the amazing family beaches near San Diego, discover Monterey and its Aquarium and play at the boardwalk in Santa Cruz. The kids are sure to have a blast on this trip!
San Francisco, CA with kids
It might be because of that incredible Bay Location, or because of the mightily Golden Gate Bridge, or the quirky hilly streets but San Francisco has a piece of my heart and that of my kids!
There is so much to do in the city, all you can do here is take your time and experience it all.
Where would you start? Cycling along the Golden Gate Bridge? Taking a ride on the iconic cable car, exploring China Town?
Or maybe you can take the kids to San Francisco and explore the Exploratorium and visit the sea lions!
Napa and Sonoma, CA – yes, with kids in tow!
Maybe because I am Italian and know good wine, but I’ve always been fascinating by California wine country and had it on my bucket list for most of my adult years. I was delighted to discover the area is also kid-friendly!
We went to Sonoma with the kids and found it to be a pretty and pleasant historical town with delightful wineries, cycling opportunities and a beautiful mission and historical buildings worth seeing.
Muir Woods, CA
California is famous for is sky craping redwoods and one of the most mystical, beautiful places to see these marvels is Muir Woods, near San Francisco.
As well as stunning, Muir Woods has great historical significance: during the UN San Francisco conference of 1945, the delegates gathered here to pay tribute to F.D. Roosevelt as ‘apostle of lasting peace for all mankind’.
A plaque still recalls this moving event.
Los Angeles, CA
What would a USA travel bucket list be, without wonderful LA?
Vast, overwhelming, familiar and alien all at the same time, Los Angeles is a world in itself and a city that can definitely do with it own bucket list!
Los Angeles has been on my US bucket list for most of my life and finally we spent time there to tick away all my must see places here and more!
Here, we cycles in Santa Monica, discovered quirky Venice Beach, strolled around downtown LA, enjoy laid back Hermosa Beach, visited Hollywood and even got away from the hustle and bustle of the city in glorious Malibu.
Joshua Tree NP, CA with kids
The most common word used to describe Joshua Tree National Park is ‘otherwordly’ and indeed, you do feel like you are on a different planet when you visit this stunning stretch of the California desert!
In only takes one day to visit Joshua Tree but it is enough to hike and get a taste of its unique Joshua trees, boulders and feel the eerie quiet of the place.
We visited in the height of summer and my USA bucket list item is not to go back in spring or fall.
If you are planning a visit, have a look at our articles:
- How to see Joshua Tree NP in one day
- Best places to stay near Joshua Tree
- Tips for visiting Joshua tree with kids
- Fun and interesting facts about Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree is wonderful for a desert adventure with kids and one of our favorite places in the world!
Las Vegas, NV with children in tow
My husband wasn’t particularly drawn to Las vegas but I knew no matter what it would be like, I simply wanted to experience it at least once in my lifetime!
When you have a plastic Venice, a plastic Paris and blinding lights in the middle of the desert, how can you not at least go see it once?
And indeed, it is worth a stop but you sure need to be in the mood to embrace it.
Las vegas is not for everyone but we found a night here was great fun and now we recommend it as one of the best places to visit in Nevada with kids.
The Hoover Dam, NV
Did you know the vast majority of the electricity powering the American South West come from Hoover Dam?
The dam was built to harness the power of the Colorado River and it is an incredible place to see.
If you want to feel tiny and at the same time marvel at what building work humans can achieve, this is a place you cannot miss.
Make sure you take a tour of the museum to learn lots of fun facts about Hoover Dam: they truly make the magnitude of the building achievement come to life.
Grand Canyon, AZ
The Grand Canyon is one of the wonders of the world, a Unesco place of outstanding natural value and yes, it is as stunning and worth visiting as they say except, even more!
I absolutely adored the Grand Canyon and believe it is a must-see place in The USA everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime.
Layers and layers of geological history are hidden in the rocks of the canyon, all thanks to the erosion from the Colorado River that created it and still flows at the bottom of this 1+ mile deep, 227 miles long, 18 miles wide canyon!
if you ahead that way, we can help! Have a look at our articles on:
- How to spend one day at the Grand Canyon
- Tips for visiting the Grand Canyon with kids
- Grand Canyon packing list
Bryce Canyon NP with kids, UT
Do you have a hoodoo on your USA travel bucket list! I do or rather I did, since I had the chance to see these stunning rock formations last year in Bryce Canyon!
A natural amphitheater filled with red rocky columns shaped by wind and water, the hoodoos, Bryce Canyon is one of the most beautiful and unique places you can see in Utah and the USA.
A walk along the rim and a hike to get up close and personal to these natural wonders is a must-have US travel experience.
A walk along the Rim Trail and the easy hike to Mossy Cave are doable even with just one day in the park and well worth it.
Bryce Canyon is one of our favorite places in the US to go hiking with kids.
Zion National Park, UT
Lonely Planet defined Zion NP as an overload of awesomeness and indeed, that’s exactly what it is!
Stunning red peaks, canyons, hikes, mountain lions and scenery so beautiful and vast words fail to describe it all.
Whether you take the Zion scenic drive, relax at Zion Lodge or take in one of the most demanding hikes, such as the famous Narrows or Angel’s Landing, you can be guaranteed Zion National Park will stay as a highlight of any tips to the US.
This is one of the most beautiful places in the world for outdoorsy families
If Zion is in your plans, our articles can help! Have a look at:
- How to see Zion National Park in one day
- Where to stay in and near Zion National Park
- Great, hikes in Zion National Park
The American Southwest
The American Southwest is a wonderful part of the country that is simply perfect for road tripping.
There area has long scenic roads and plenty of attractions that range from deserts to forests and stunning peaks.
Page, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park and many of the beautiful US destinations are in this area and while you will need several days to properly see them all, even just a long weekend in some of these destinations can make you see some of the most spectacular landscapes in the country
Sedona with kids, AZ
Beautiful mountain scenery, an alternative vibe, energy vortexes and spas: I didn’t need much else to put Sedona on my USA travel wish list!
And indeed, Sedona delivered on all of its promises and more.
The drive from Flagstaff is one of the most scenic in the country and alone worth coming this way!
We only had one day in Sedona and my bucket list item is to come back and stay longer to take more hikes and experience its famous vortexes.
Monument Valley with the kids, AZ
I can still remember the first time I saw a photo of Monument Valley: I was a child and it was in a book about the wonders of the world.
On that day, Monumental Valley entered my travel bucket list and when I finally got to go, it was even more wonderful than I ever thought it would be!
Remote and stunning, seeing the sunrise on the mittens is a wonderful memory I will always cherish.
If planning to go, take a note of our articles to help you plan:
White Sands National Park, NM
If, like me, you are into otherworldly natural landscapes that make you feel the mighty power of nature, then White Sands National Park may be a bucket list worthy place for you too!.
Here, there over 200 miles of white sand dunes made of gypsum, the largest gypsum dune field in the world and one of the most beautiful places in New Mexico!
American friends familiar with the place tell me that here you can go hiking, cycling, driving and the park offers the excellent junior ranger programs, which we know form other parks and love
Chicago, IL
There are so many things I want to do in Chicago, I don’t even know where to start: look at this Chicago bucket list and you will soon see what I mean!
Maybe a river cruise, to see all the stunning architecture for the water?
Or maybe watch a baseball game, taste Chicago’s famous pizza (seriously, I want to know if all the fuss about it is worth it!), or discover the city’s museums?
With all this and more to choose from Chicago is one the US cities I would most dearly like to visit and one I know the kids will love too: I hear Chicago is wonderful for kids.
Disney
We are not big theme park people but a day (or two, or three!) at Disney was high on our USA travel bucket list and it stayed as one of the best family experiences we had!
We spent one day in Disneyland California and one day would love to visit Orlando, and the Disney overload that is Disneyworld.
New England
I love the warming colors of foliage and my US travel bucket list cannot be complete without a trip to see the best of it in New England.
Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Main are all famous for their stunning fall colors and an autumn trip here would be a dream!
New England has some of the best East Coast National Parks for kids and of course stunning Boston and famous Martha’s Vineyard – a magnet for Presidents’ families for years and indeed, it looks like a wonderful place for a secluded, elegant vacation.
All great destinations for an East Coast vacation with the kids!
NYC, NY
I have been to New York City many times but no matter how many trips there we take, there is simply too much in this city to ever get bored of it!
My NYC bucket list is as long as the bucket list for the whole of the US but how can I not dream of seeing Manhattan again, go for a run in Central Park, visit the Statue of Liberty, see a show on broadway, go out in the Village, walk the High Line, see the MOMA, eat a NYC hot dog, visit film locations, discover Brooklyn and climb to the top of the Empire State?
We crammed as much as we could during our day in NYC with the kids but thereat was definitely not enough to quench our thirst for this amazing city!
Hawaii
For our tenth anniversary, we really wanted to go to Hawaii but that trip never happened so I am still longing to go!
Inspired by this Hawaii bucket list, I would love to try my hand at surfing, explore Volcanoes National Park, admire the beauty of those powerful peaks against the backdrop of the ocean and of course chill on those dreamy Hawaiian beaches. Bliss!
Read these tips for planning a trip to Hawaii and I am sure you will agree, Hawaii is not to be missed!
I hope you enjoyed this personal take on a US travel bucket list and maybe gave you travel inspiration for your own. Happy travel dreaming!
