Five reasons to visit the USA in 2026

The United States is on the cusp of a defining year. In 2026, the Semiquincentennial marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of a new nation; legendary Route 66 celebrates its centennial with a wave of new openings and events; and the USA will host the FIFA World Cup across 11 cities.

These landmark moments – which are unfolding before a backdrop of political uncertainty and global unrest – offer a meaningful opportunity to celebrate America’s diversity, deep-rooted heritage, cultural richness and awe-inspiring public lands.

Here, we widen the lens to reveal the top reasons to visit the USA in 2026.

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic form the historic heartland of the American Revolution, and in 2026 they will anchor a large portion of the nation’s 250th-anniversary programming. In Virginia, commemorations span multiple perspectives, from a Tribal Nations Celebration at Jamestown Settlement – a living-history site exploring early English colonisation alongside Powhatan lifeways – to Juneteenth events and special programming at Mount Vernon and Monticello, the former homes of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

In Boston, another cornerstone of the nation’s origin story, anniversary events are already under way. Standout exhibitions include the Boston Public Library’s Revolution! 250 Years of Art and Activism in Boston, which uses historic and contemporary works to interrogate America’s ongoing pursuit of liberty and equality.

In Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center – an institution exploring the origins, meaning and legacy of the US Constitution – will open a pair of new galleries. These will deep-dive into the USA’s founding story and the mechanics of American democracy today.

Commemorations extend well beyond the eastern seaboard too. On July 4, Louisville, Kentucky will unveil the Sons of the American Revolution Education Center and Museum, a new institution dedicated to the human stories behind the Revolution. One of the most ambitious anniversary moments will be Sail250, which will bring together the largest flotilla of tall ships ever assembled in US waters. The celebratory sail will trace a historic route from New Orleans to Boston, calling at Norfolk, Baltimore and New York City along the way.

Long mythologised as the Mother Road, Route 66 will mark 100 years since it first stitched together the USA, running from Chicago, Illinois across eight states to Santa Monica, California – a journey of 3,940km that helped define the great American road trip. The centennial, officially falling on 11 November 2026, will be celebrated with events along the length of the historic corridor, as communities breathe new life into classic motels, diners and neon, and open a new generation of Route 66 museums.

Festivities will begin in Springfield, Missouri on 30 April, with a headline concert livestreamed around the world. From there, travellers hitting the highway will find plenty of reasons to linger. In Albuquerque, the long-awaited West Central Route 66 Visitor Center is set to open, showcasing vintage neon and offbeat Americana. Further east in Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation’s Anna Mitchell Cultural and Welcome Center in Vinita reframes the highway’s story, highlighting its deeper roots as a Native American trade route, while Oklahoma City’s First Americans Museum foregrounds the histories and cultures of the state’s 39 tribal nations. In Arizona’s Flagstaff, new exhibitions also focus on the route’s human history – check out Wagon Road to Mother Road at the Museum of Northern Arizona, which draws on the museum’s archaeological surveys in Petrified Forest National Park.

Another beloved road trip is making headlines, too. Highway 1 is finally set to fully reopen this month after landslides forced the closure of a key section in 2023. Drivers will once again be able to travel the entire route, including the long-closed Big Sur stretch between Cambria in San Luis Obispo County and Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey County.

A wave of new museums opening in 2026 signals a major moment for American culture, with projects spanning art, history and music. California leads the charge, particularly Los Angeles, where the David Geffen Galleries will add more than 10,000 sq m of exhibition space to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, while the futuristic Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens in September, showcasing filmmaker George Lucas’s personal collection. These join San Francisco’s Courage Museum at Presidio, a thoughtful institution exploring the history and power of nonviolent activism.

Elsewhere, new openings place long-marginalised stories firmly at the centre of the national narrative. In California, the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center brings Indigenous history into sharp focus through some 20,000 artefacts, including intricate basketry, while Tupelo, Mississippi’s forthcoming Chickasaw Heritage Center will explore ancestral homelands via

immersive exhibits and a recreated 18th-century village. Presidential legacies are also being re-examined, from the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening in Medora, to the long-awaited Barack Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side, and a new civil-rights-focused museum beneath the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

New York state will celebrate its diverse heritage with the Hispanic Heritage Cultural Institute, tipped to open in Buffalo’s West Side this year, while the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration is set to fully reopen in mid-2026 following a major renovation, with refreshed galleries exploring the country’s evolving migration story.

Music, too, takes the spotlight, with Nashville’s new Christian and Gospel Music Museum, New York City’s Hip-Hop Museum, and major expansions at Motown Museum in Detroit and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, underscoring the country’s enduring influence on the global soundtrack.

The USA’s national parks are often hailed as “America’s best idea”, yet the country’s state parks are frequently overlooked. In 2026 that looks set to change, with a slew of new openings bringing the state park system into the spotlight – particularly poignant amid ongoing changes to entrance-fee policies at some of the country’s most heavily visited national parks.

Recently opened is Hayfields State Park, which protects a sweep of wooded mountains and meadows in western Virginia. Then there’s the much anticipated Palo Pinto Mountains State Park: tipped to open this year in North Texas, it will safeguard hardwood forest, sprawling prairie and rare birdlife.

In one of America’s most visited national parks, the Zion Discovery Center is now under construction at the eastern entrance to Zion National Park – it’s designed to help ease congestion by redistributing visitor traffic away from the park’s heavily used southern gateway. Meanwhile, the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, which suffered devastating wildfires in 2025, is tentatively slated to reopen in May.

America’s urban areas are embracing the outdoors too. Chattanooga, Tennessee was recently named North America’s first National Park City, recognising its commitment to sustainability and access to the outdoors, while the Delta Heritage Trail State Park in Arkansas repurposes a former rail line to link Delta communities with forests, farmland and wetland landscapes.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will turn cities across the US into global stages, as they welcome fans from across the world. Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey (close to New York City), Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area will all host matches and serve as gateways for wider exploration – from immersing yourself in Kansas City’s rich jazz heritage to exploring Seattle’s sprawling urban parks and Indigenous heritage centres.

Beyond these host cities, Hawaii will also step into the international spotlight in 2026, marking the 50th anniversary of the World Surf League – a fitting moment for the islands where modern surfing culture took shape.