Millions of foreign visitors travel to the U.S. each year. Others come to live here permanently. International visitors and immigrants add greatly to the American nation's cultural, education and economic life. Everybody is welcome.
To make your US travel preparations easy each foreign visitor should know that a citizen of a foreign country, wishing to enter the U.S., generally must first obtain a visa: either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. The type of visa you must have is defined by immigration law, and relates to the purpose of your US travel. But American visa policy permits citizens of certain countries to travel to the U.S. without a visa.
Many tourists planning their US vacations come up with the same question - "What to see in the United States?" Here is a list of the ten most popular attractions in the USA. Other people might choose a few different attractions, but nearly everyone would agree with most of the choices below.
Las Vegas, Nevada is the largest center for adult entertainment in the entire world. It offers gambling, glitzy entertainment and unbelievably extravagant architecture. Giant pyramids of glass, multicolored fantasy castles, replicas of the Eiffel Tower and the New York skyline rise out of the Nevada desert.
Orlando, Florida is the largest center for family entertainment in the entire world. It offers Disney World, the largest family amusement complex on this planet, plus Universal Studios, Sea World, Wet and Wild and several other major attractions.
New York City is the largest metropolitan center in the USA. It is famous for the Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, United Nations, museums, Broadway theaters, restaurants, Times Square, nightlife and shopping.
Hawaii is a string of volcanic islands set in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is a tropical paradise with near perfect year-round weather, fantastic beaches with amazing surf and spectacular scenery. This is a favorite honeymoon retreat for many couples. It is an ideal destination for swimming, tanning, surfing, boating, fishing, golf and tropical exploration.
Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in the USA and the largest metropolitan center on the west coast. It includes many different communities including Hollywood, home of the moviemakers, and Beverly Hills, home of the movie stars.
San Francisco, California is the other great city in California. It is smaller than Los Angeles and does not have the warm tropical beaches, but it is much more scenic. Hillside streets lined with Victorian houses overlook a large blue bay surrounded by pastoral mountains.
The Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. It is a mile deep (1,500 meters) and over 15 miles (20 km) wide by 100 miles (150 km) long.
Yosemite National Park, California contains one of the most beautiful alpine valleys ever seen. 2,000-feet high vertical granite cliffs with nearly a dozen cascading waterfalls surround the glacially eroded Yosemite Valley.
Alaska is the great northern wilderness frontier of the USA. It covers a vast area extending from the rainforests of the Pacific coast to the tundra well beyond the artic circle and along a broad archipelago of volcanic isles.
Washington DC, the capital of the USA, is a beautiful and interesting city. It is filled with numerous monuments, museums and public parks including the White House, the US Capitol and many other government buildings.
Of course, there are many more interesting places and attractions in this magnificent country and you can develop your own US travel plan, but the above places are generally recognized as American trademarks and if you don't have a fixed idea you can use this list as a blueprint and add up new sites during your US travel.