Top Historical Vacations - U.S.: Editor's Top 10

Boston is inundated with visitors every year and with good reason: It's partly a walkable historic park (especially the Freedom Trail) and partly a modern waterfront metropolis (the "Hub of New England") with no lack of things to do once darkness descends. Fenway Park is often a destination in itself.... Goto Destination Guide »

Philadelphia's hippest neighborhood, Old City, today is much as it was when Benjamin Franklin walked its streets. One of the most progressive citizens of his time, city-father Franklin would surely approve of the many art galleries, trendy shops and vibrant restaurants that dot the downtown Philadelphia landscape.... Goto Destination Guide »

Washington is a beautiful city of broad avenues, impressive government buildings, inspiring monuments, thought-provoking museums and spacious parks. The names you've heard all your life are here: Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol, Kennedy Center, the National Cathedral, Washington Monument, the Vietnam Wall. No traveler could mistake this city for any other.... Goto Destination Guide »

Williamsburg is like a colonial time machine. Thomas Jefferson may tip his tricorn hat as you stroll the crushed-oyster-shell streets, and then he'll expound on the virtues of freedom and self-government. Patrick Henry will be glad to warn you of the evil ways of the British crown. Poke your head into a Williamsburg shop, and you might strike up a conversation with Martha Washington.... Goto Destination Guide »

Established as a city in 1565 about 95 mi/150 km north of Orlando, St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest permanent European settlement in the continental U.S.-it was founded 42 years before the English colonized Jamestown, 45 years before the Spanish established Santa Fe and 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Its street plan and architectural ambience still reflect its Spanish origins.... Goto Destination Guide »

Perhaps no other place can conjure such powerful ghosts of blue and gray, smoke and battle, loss and death as Gettysburg: It was along the ridges near this small city that the Civil War reached a crucial turning point. Today, it's the country's largest battlefield shrine and a must for anyone interested in Civil War history.... Goto Destination Guide »

It has been said that New Orleans, Louisiana, celebrates indulgence like no other U.S. city; its reputation for revelry, especially during Mardi Gras, is legendary. But after 29 August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed a storm of wind and water that flooded 80% of this vibrant city, the word indulgence took on a different meaning for New Orleans. Pleas for patience went out to residents and visitors alike as the Crescent City brought itself back from the ravages of Katrina.... Goto Destination Guide »

Savannah. The very name sounds like a southern drawl. With its history, cobblestoned streets, old homes and beautiful gardens, Savannah, Georgia, is everything you think a southern city should be. Add a collection of glorious beaches and coastal lowlands just a short drive away-including Tybee Island, Skidaway Island, the Golden Isles and Hilton Head Island-and this is the South at its finest.... Goto Destination Guide »

San Antonio, Texas, will forever be associated with the Battle of the Alamo. But the city's Hispanic culture is just as important to its identity. San Antonio is a bit of Mexico, a bit of slick U.S. promotion, and it has an energy that we never get tired of.... Goto Destination Guide »