Visit one of the U.S. 50 states or visit them all. You'll see that the U.S. offers some of the most diverse destinations in the world. These state and territorial tourism web sites provide ideas for your vacations, meetings, and more.

The United States consist of 50 states - 48 are called the "contiguous", "continental" or "lower" states. Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states of the union. 21 of the smallest U.S. states would fit in to Alaska making it the country’s largest state.

Countless experiences await you, from scenic coastlines and mountain ranges to vast prairies, deserts and canyons. Our exciting big cities are matched by the charms of our smaller communities. All showcase the heritage and culture of a great nation. But perhaps our greatest attraction is the spirit of the American people.

Over 50 million travelers visit the United States each year.Sixteen of the world’s 30 busiest airports are in the United States, including the world’s busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.

Escape the hussle and bustle of everyday life, try mountain biking in one of the usa states countryside or mountain peak, experience breathtaking views of the great outdoors as you are peddling down mountain trails.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - The world’s largest hot air balloon festival, takes place each October, when you’ll see more than 700 balloons in the sky at a time.

Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Park - The Happiest Place On Earth has changed and grown—with exciting new attractions joining all those classic favorites.

Georgia Aquarium - Open since Nov. 2005, at eight million gallons and 505,000 square feet, and with more than 100,000 freshwater and saltwater fish and mammals and 500 species, the Georgia Aquarium is the largest in the world.

Barton Spring Pool - Swim in the constant 68-degree waters of Barton Springs Pool, a spring-fed swimming hole in Zilker Park. Voted the "Best Swimming Hole in Texas."

New England Aquarium - Conveniently located on Boston’s waterfront, the New England Aquarium features more than 20,000 animals of 600 different species.

Baltimore Civil War Meseum - Housed in President Street Station, one of America's oldest surviving railroad stations, the Baltimore Civil War Museum explores the history of Maryland railroads, the escape of the slaves to the north and the station's role in the Civil War.

Chicago Bears Football - The energetic Bears host a talented group of young and veteran players this season, come to Soldier Field and join the Bears enormous fan base of die-hard supporters who enthusiastically cheer their team to victory. Season: September through December.

Dallas Zoo - The Dallas Zoo is a 95-acre park featuring the “Wilds of Africa,” LaCerte Family Children’s Zoo and the Exxon Mobil Endangered Tiger Habitat. Located just three miles south of downtown, the Zoo is a great family destination.

Papakolea Beach (Green Sand Beach) - Tired of the same old gold, white, or black sand beach? Then how about a green sand beach? You'll need good hiking shoes to get to this greenish black crescent, one of the most unusual beaches on the island.

Adventuredome Theme Park - Mountains of thrills under the dome including the Canyon Blaster, a double loop roller coaster, Chaos, Inverter and Rim Runner, an indoor water ride.

Cabrillio Beach - A quiet beach located adjacent to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, this is a popular location for families with small children. Visitors can watch cruise ships and container ships sail along the ocean waters and in the far distance, the famed Catalina Island rises from the horizon.

Gray Line New York Sightseeing - Enjoy deluxe double decker, hop-on, hop-off bus tours that include New York City's Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn and Night Tours. Fully escorted foreign language motorcoach city tours in Chinese, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Italian. Top multilingual tour guides.

• New Year’s Day - January 1
• Martin Luther King Birthday - Third Monday in January
• President’s Day - Third Monday in February
• Memorial Day - Last Monday in May
• Independence Day - July 4
• Labor Day - First Monday in September
• Columbus Day - Second Monday in October
• Veteran’s Day - November 11
• Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November
• Christmas Day - December 25

The cuisine of the United States is a style of food preparation derived from the United States. The cuisine has a history dating back before the colonial period when the Native Americans had a rich and diverse cooking style for an equally diverse amount of ingredients. With European colonization, the style of cookery changed vastly, with numerous ingredients introduced from Europe, as well as cooking styles and modern cookbooks. The style of cookery continued to expand into the 19th and 20th centuries with the influx of immigrants from various nations across the world. This influx has created a rich diversity and a unique regional character throughout the country. In addition to cookery, cheese and wine play an important role in the cuisine.

Regional cuisines emerged as settlers -- willing and otherwise -- modified their culinary traditions to suit local climates. The simple, sturdy foods of the Northeast reflect more than any other the English origins of the country. But meats and vegetables imported from the homeland merged with local ingredients such as turkey, maple syrup, lobster, clams, cranberries and always corn to provide delicious specialties such as Indian pudding, Boston brown bread, clam chowder and Maine boiled lobster.

Southern settlers, also of English stock, confronted a kinder climate and more of them benefited from the assistance of Black hands in the kitchen. The average farmer's wife could hardly spare the time needed for the multiple dishes that made up a plantation meal. To this day no Southern dinner is complete without numerous side dishes including breads, biscuits, salads and condiments -- preferably home made.

Of all Southern dishes, fried chicken achieved the most popularity outside the region -- to the extent that entire fast food chains have sprung up serving debased versions. At home, Southerners continue to use a great deal of pork. Hams from Virginia are universally recognized to be the country's finest. Bacon and salt pork appear as flavoring agents with greens and beans. Ham biscuits are a classic accompaniment to breakfast and dinner and ham with red-eye gravy is a regional pi?ce de r?sistance, though the debate swirls on as to whether the best red-eye is made with water or black coffee.