Most visitors to Washington DC spend their time on the National Mall but there are plenty of places of interest besides those at the Mall. Take a trip out-of-town and discover there is much more to the city than just the National Mall. The following are just a few of the many attractions Washington DC and the surrounding area have to offer.

Mount Vernon Estate

Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
Located along the shores of the Potomac River, the 500 acre Mount Vernon Estate was the home of America’s first president George Washington and his family. This beautifully restored 14 room mansion contains objects and furnishings dating back to the 1740′s. Visitors to the estate can explore the mansion, the slave quarters, coach house, stables, estate grounds and museum to get an insight into the life of the president and his family.

National Zoo
Covering 163 acres, the National Zoo is located within the Rock Creek National Park. Part of the Smithsonian Institution, this zoological park is home to over 400 different species of animals including giant pandas, bears, giraffes, lions, tigers, monkeys, sea lions and many more. Exhibits not to be missed on your last minute holidays to America are the Elephant Trails and the Giant Panda Habitat and Asia Trail.

Great Falls Park

Great Falls Park
Located along the Potomac River, Great Falls Park is a spectacular 800 acre natural park. The steep waterfalls cascade from heights of over 20 foot and are an amazing sight to see. Visitors can follow the River Trail and take in the spectacular views of Mather Gorge, follow the upper Canal Trail to view the head of the falls and the Aqueduct Dam or take the popular Billy Goat Trail and explore the scenic places along its route.

Dupont Circle
This cosmopolitan neighbourhood is home to some great museums, historic homes, ethnic restaurants, private art galleries and foreign embassies. Popular with the gay community, Dupont Circle is the heart of Washington DC’s nightlife. The Circle itself is a meeting place whose focal point is a unique fountain surrounded by grass and park benches. Woodrow Wilson House and the Textile Museum are attractions near to Dupont Circle.

Old Town Alexandria
Just across the river from Washington DC is the quaint historic town of Alexandria which dates back to 1749. During the colonial, revolutionary and Civil War periods Alexandria’s riverfront was an important colonial port. Nowadays the Old Town Alexandria’s waterfront is home to cobbled streets with colonial houses, museums, churches, restaurants and shops. There are lots of different guided tours on offer including historical walking tours, horse drawn carriage tours, river cruises and even ghost tours!

Georgetown

Georgetown
One of Washington DC’s oldest neighbourhoods, Georgetown was once a major port and commercial centre in colonial times. A vibrant neighbourhood with tree-lined streets and 200 year old houses the cobbled streets are also home to restaurants, bars and shops. If visiting Washington DC in May don’t miss the Dragon Boat Festival here in Georgetown.

Penn Quarter
Located in downtown Washington, the Penn Quarter district is home to some great art galleries, museums, theatres, nightclubs, restaurants and up-market shops.

Other interesting places to visit are the Adams Morgan neighbourhood for Washington’s liveliest nightlife, the farmers market and flea market and Glen Echo Park which offers theatrical and dance activities.

The children will love the Six Flags America theme park, the National Zoo, the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian’s Discovery Theatre, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the Washington Monument and much more on their family holidays.

With soaring skyscrappers and the calm waters of Lake Michigan, Chicago has something for everyone. Fantastic panoramic views of the city and Lake Michigan can be experienced from the top of Willis Tower.

Known as the ‘Windy City’, Chicago is the home of jazz and blues. The city plays host to three music festivals every year, the Chicago Blues Festival, the Chicago Jazz festival and the Chicago Gospel Festival, making it a haven for music lovers.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs classical music at the Symphony Centre while jazz, blues and dance music can be enjoyed in Chicago’s Near North.

The city offers plenty of shopping opportunities with the Magnificent Mile (part of Michigan Avenue) being a shoppers paradise with every type of store from designer shops to bargain outlets.

Then there is the beautiful Lake Michigan where visitors can swim in the clear waters, sail and canoe.

Lake Michigan

For those looking for some less hectic activities there is  Grant Park where you will find the Buckingham Fountain which puts on magnificent water, light and music shows in the summer and also the Navy Pier with restaurants, shops and amusement rides (including a ferris wheel).

There are some great restaurants and bars around Michigan Avenue and, for some international cusine there is Chinatown, Little Italy and Greektown.

Other city attractions include Adler Planetarium, one of the oldest in the world, and the Field Museum of Natural History which is home to some huge dinosaur skeletons.

Nappanee

Interesting daytrips include the suburb of Oak Park where you can see the home of Ernest Hemmingway and learn about his life at the local museum. For an insight into the Amish way of life, a visit to Nappanee is a must. Here it is like time has stood still with working farms and quaint little stores where they sell cheeses and handmade basket work.

For a great evening out why not take in a baseball game and cheer on the local teams, the White Sox and the Chicago Cubs.

When on your family holidays to Chicago, the whole family will enjoy a great day out at the Brookfield Zoo which covers about 216 acres just outside of Chicago.

Great holiday packages to America are always available throughout the internet.

Located on the Mississippi River, New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana.

New Orleans

The city is renowned for its music (it is the birthplace of jazz), celebrations and festivals (Mardi Gras) and its cuisine.

Things to Do and Places to Visit

Music and Dining
There are many clubs and eateries here in New Orleans where you can relax and listen to some Jazz, enjoy some authentic dining and even try your hand at a spot of Cajun dancing. The following are just a few of the many establishments worth visiting Tipitinas (live performances), Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro (live music and regional cusine), Club 300 Jazz Bistro (jazz and gourmet cusine), Melange (jazz and fine dining), House of Blues (live music and gospel brunch on Sundays), Michaul’s Live Cajun Music Restaurant (Cajun and Zydeco music, Cajun food and dancing), The Funky Pirate 727 Bourbon (Blues Club).

Visit The French Quarter
Here you will find many restaurants serving traditional New Orleans dishes. You will also find the St Louis Cathedral, art galleries, magnificent architecture, street artists, antique shops and boutiques, and a vibrant nightlife. The most relaxing way to tour the area is by a horse-drawn carriage.

Mardi Gras

Blain Kern’s Mardi Gras World
Here you can see how the floats for the world’s largest carnival are made by the artists and sculptors.

The Presbytere State Museum
The museum displays the history of Mardi Gras, from its origins up to the present, including everything that happens behind the scenes.

You can also visiting the Audubon Zoo, Aquarium and Insectarium, take in a basketball match at the New Orleans Arena, ride the St Charles Avenue Street Car for fantastic views of the city, take a relaxing riverboat ride on the Mississippi, take a ride through the swamps. There is so much to do and see in this vibrant city, far too many to mention!

Mississippi river boat

Climate

New Orleans has a humid subtropical climate, with hot humid summers and mild winters. In January daytime temperatures average 17C and in July they average 33C.
Rain is common in New Orleans, with a monthly average of 5 inches.

To enjoy the rich culture of New Orleans why not book one of the many holiday packages to America that are always available on the internet.

Look out for, and take advantage of the great late deals that are always on offer.

Orlando is a city built on theme parks, making it an excellent vacation choice for all the family. Cheap holidays to Orlando are available throughout the internet.

Disneys Magic Kingdom

Since opening the original Magic Kingdom in 1971, Disney has added three more theme parks, two water parks and a host of associated development, including hotels, shops and golf courses. SeaWorld has three theme parks and Universal has two theme parks, bringing in more than 60 million visitors a year between them. New attractions to these theme parks are being added all the time.

Away from the parks is another great tourist attraction, the nearby Kennedy Space Centre.

KEY FACTS

Location – Florida, southeast USA.
Time zone – GMT – 5 (GMT – 4 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November).
Average January temperatures – 22ºC (71ºF).
Average July temperatures – 33ºC (92ºF).
Currency – USD

ATTRACTIONS

Walt Disney World Resort
This huge resort combines four theme parks (including the Magic Kingdom), two water parks, a sports complex, a downtown district of shops, restaurants and nightlife, golf courses, water sports, tennis, spas and over 30 hotels on site, 20 of which are themed and owned by Disney. 

Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando Resort
Much smaller than the Disney resort but still has two theme parks, three resort hotels and their CityWalk nightlife and shopping district. Universal also owns the nearby Wet ‘n Wild water park and a Harry Potter-themed area which is due to open this year.

SeaWorld Orlando
Here you will find dolphin and whale shows, aquariums and other animal habitats, rides and other live entertainment.

Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove
Situated next to SeaWorld, this is an exclusive swim-with-dolphins park. On offer here are realistic marine environments and other animal encounters. 

Kennedy Space Centre
Just a 50-minute drive east of Orlando is the Kennedy Space Centre, the home of NASA. The centre offers bus tours of the space centre, static and hands-on exhibits, astronaut encounters and giant-screen film shows. The Shuttle Launch Experience here simulates the sights, sounds and sensations of a launch.

Fantasy of Flight

Fantasy of Flight
Located just south of Kissimmee, this is an aviation-themed museum with a difference. Here you will find flight simulators, an extensive vintage aircraft collection and fascinating behind-the-scenes tours. Dining is available at the museums Compass Rose 1930s vintage diner.

Boggy Creek Airboats
Here at Boggy Creek you take an airboat ride around one of the local lakes, taking in the alligators and other animal life of the area.

DINING OUT
 
With over 5,000 restaurants to chose there is something here for everyone. There are breakfast buffets, all-day diners, steakhouses and five-star gourmet restaurants. Every theme park has it’s own restaurants and eating establishments.
There are a few establishments that offer vegeterian food, including Sweet Tomatoes and Cafe Tu-Tu Tango, but on the whole vegeterians are not well catered for.

NIGHTLIFE
Orlando offers a vibrant night-time scene. There are three main venues, Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island, Universal’s CityWalk and Downtown Orlando.
At Pleasure Island there is the Adventurers Club for diverse live comedy and Mannequins for dancing.
At CityWalk there is Bob Marley’s for live music.
At Downtown Orlando there are lots of bars, including Sky 60, Eye Spy and Wall Street Cantina, and great nightclubs like The Social, with live music (blues, rock and jazz) and resident DJs, and the Monkey Bar which serves suave cocktails.
There is also the duelling pianos of Jellyrolls at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and House of Blues at Downtown Disney.

Miami is located on the far south coast of Florida, perched between a mangrove swamp and a barrier reef. It is a truly multicultural American city.
Miami, known as Greater Miami and the Beaches or just Greater Miami for short, includes a number of islands and mainland communities, including two cities – Miami and Miami Beach.

Miami Port

The downtown Port of Miami is the largest cruise ship port in the world, handling more than 3.6 million passengers a year. Besides its importance to cruise travel, Miami Beach is world-renowned for its ‘gold coast’ hotel strip, palatial properties and outdoor recreational facilities.
Miami has a subtropical climate, ensuring warm weather year-round, with plenty of sunshine.

Key Facts
Location – Florida, USA.
Time zone – GMT – 5 (Eastern Standard Time).
Average January temperatures 19.5°C (67°F).
Average July temperatures 28.5°C (83°F).
Currency – US Dollar

Attractions (just to mention a few)
Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is the metropolis’ nerve centre (the commercial heart of the city).

Bayside

Bayside Marketplace is a popular shopping and entertainment arcade, clustered around a small harbour with lots of bars, shops and market stalls.
American Airlines Arena is a 20,000-person entertainment venue and home of the basketball team Miami Heat.
Gusman Center for the Performing Arts hosts the Miami Film Festival and other cultural events under a painted ‘starry sky’ ceiling.

Miami South Beach

South Beach
South Beach is undoubtedly the trendiest part of town, the place to see and be seen and a magnet for celebrities and fun-lovers who thrive on its cosmopolitan atmosphere, designer shopping, upbeat restaurants and fast-paced nightlife.
South Beach, with its white sands, palm trees and clear blue sea, stretches from Lincoln Road Mall to South Pointe Park at the southernmost tip (great for surfing, fishing and sunsets). The main access point is Lummus Park, bordering Ocean Drive, a favourite park for in-line skaters and volleyball players. The most striking feature of South Beach is its famous art deco historic district, with over 800 buildings (within 1 sq mile), all in the same streamlined architectural style, painted in pastel shades and lit with brilliantly coloured neon lights.

Miami Beach
Miami Beach is located on a long slender island connected to mainland Miami by four main causeways. It is made up of various coastal towns, each with its own personality. These include Surfside, the upscale shopping district of Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, South Beach and Golden Beach. Miami Beach’s white sands extend from Lincoln Road Mall northwards, with a scenic boardwalk popular with joggers and strollers, and pastel-coloured art deco lifeguard stations dotting the shoreline. A variety of watersports are available, including windsurfing, sailing, jet-skiing and parasailing.

Little Havana
After Fidel Castro took power in 1959, refugees fleeing Cuba settled just west of downtown Miami, in a neighbourhood known as Little Havana. This colourful district has a distinctly Latin atmosphere with its Spanish signs, Cuban coffee bars and restaurants, small cigar factories and street-side food stalls, selling such delicacies as baho (Cuban stew) and freshly squeezed juices.

Bill Baggs

Key Biscayne
Linked to the mainland by the Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne combines traditional Florida-style houses with ostentatious mansions belonging to some of Miami’s wealthiest residents. The beaches here are among Florida’s best and are a popular choice for families. Other top attractions include Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Crandon Park, both of which have magnificent beaches, bike trails and nature walks. Bill Baggs is home to the Cape Florida Lighthouse, built in 1825. The small Crandon Family Amusement Centre in the park has an old-time carousel, playground and outdoor roller rink.

Miami Seaquarium

Miami Seaquarium
Located on Biscayne Bay, the Miami Seaquarium has over 10,000 aquatic creatures on display, including crocodiles, alligators, seals and fish of every imaginable shape, size and colour. Star attractions here are Lolita, a 7,000-pound killer whale, Salty the sea lion and TV superstar Flipper the dolphin. The in-house Marine Mammal Rescue Team here is constantly striving to save stranded or injured manatees, dolphins and whales in the waters of South Florida. Other exhibits include Discovery Bay, a natural mangrove habitat used to rehabilitate rescued sea turtles, and the special Manatee Exhibit where manatees are nursed back to health, ready for release into the wild.

Coconut Grove
Located on the edge of Biscayne Bay, Coconut Grove is one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, with bohemian roots. Settled by a multicultural group of Bahamians and New Englanders, the neighbourhood drew artists and intellectuals, who set up summer homes here. Today, Coconut Grove is full of galleries, theatres, nightclubs, restaurants, sidewalk cafés and shops. The main attraction is The Gallery at CocoWalk, a stylish shopping mall packed with restaurants, bars, shops and a cinema. It is also home to the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

Biltmore Hotel

Coral Gables
This elegant Mediterranean-style residential district was created by local developer George Merrick during the boom years of the 1920s. Some of the city’s finest architecture, broad boulevards, canals and parkland can be seen here. Some buildings are preserved as historic landmarks, including the stunning Biltmore Hotel, with it’s 15-storey tower modelled on the Giralda bell-tower in Seville. The remarkable Venetian Pool, transformed from a mere rock quarry in 1923, has exotic bridges and waterfalls and was the site of many high-society soirées and beauty pageants. Today, it is the only swimming pool on the National Register of Historic Places. Coral Gables is also known for its art galleries, its exclusive Miracle Mile shopping street, its neat golf courses and some of the best hotels and restaurants in town.

Historical Museum of Southern Florida
This museum offers a fascinating insight into the region’s past. It has a collection of hands-on displays, archive material, historical objects and multimedia presentations, which covers 10,000 years of Florida history from the first settlers to the present day.

Miami Science Museum
The Miami Science  Museum,  associated with the Smithsonian Institute, features interactive scientific exhibits on physics, electricity, light, sound and anatomy, as well as daily astronomy and laser shows in the adjacent planetarium. It is also home to South Florida’s largest natural history collection and a wildlife centre that rehabilitates injured birds of prey and reptiles, and displays more than 175 live animals.

Art Museums
The Miami Art Museum displays international art since WWII, complemented by art from other periods to provide historical perspective. The Miami Beach Cultural Park has many art institutions, one of which is the Bass Museum. The permanent exhibitions here focus on European works from the 15th to 18th centuries. A new wing, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, also has an outdoor sculpture garden. The Wolfsonian Museum, affiliated with the Florida International University, was founded by an eccentric world-traveller and Miami native from his own collection of modern design and ‘propaganda arts’. One-of-a-kind exhibits address 19th and 20th century political themes, displaying the arts and crafts that were created to persuade, nationalise or rally citizens.

Zoos
Miami MetroZoo, just south of Miami, is a state-of-the-art cageless zoo, with over 1,500 animals from more than 310 species roaming the 290-acre grounds, separated by moats from spectators. Wildlife shows, a petting zoo, tram tours, monorail, gift shops, food courts and a playground provide fun for all the family. MetroZoo has also won a number of awards for its successful breeding of rare and endangered animal species.

Monkey Jungle

At Monkey Jungle, the humans are kept in caged walkways while the primates roam freely. Here, visitors can see North America’s first colony of wild monkeys, crab-eating monkeys, diving for treats and hundreds of other exotic primates in lush, tropical jungle surroundings. Hundreds of species of native plants were imported from the Amazon to recreate a natural Amazon rainforest environment.

The Parrot Jungle and Gardens, located on its own island between Miami and Miami Beach, is a unique bird sanctuary/botanical garden with more than 1,100 birds and 100 plant varieties, together with alligators, giant tortoises and apes. Spectacular trained bird shows can be seen here throughout the day and children can help hand-feed the birds, hold one of the free-flying macaws or play with the animals at the petting zoo. The latest attraction here is the Hippo, a 168ft water slide.

With many more attractions on offer, Miami is the perfect destination for your family holidays.