Hi, I am from the United Kingdom and planning to go to the United States in January next year however I’m not too sure where to visited I have considered NYC but I was wondering if there are any other places that could be recommend for week visit where I could explore the place I’d be visiting.
Edit: I’ll add things I’m interesting in doing when I travel which would be things such as viewing museums, the outdoors, food is a big one, seeing landmarks, anything science and aviation related, history I have a huge interesting in history and exploring new places.
43 comments
You should go where you want to go with actual things you want to do and see. Try to resist the urge to only go somewhere because of movies/TV/TikTok/Reddit/news.
What do you like to do when you travel ?
It really depends on what you’re interested in. It’s a big country and every region is unique.
January will be wicked cold in NYC and northern US. Not sure what you want to do in that week but maybe going to LA/Phoenix/Miami would be better. Or anywhere in Texas?
If you wanna do NYC though. NYC, Boston would be a good week trip. Pack accordingly for cold weather and even snow.
I’d suggest [Telluride, Colorado](https://www.coloradoinfo.com/western-slope/telluride) since you’re visiting in the winter months.
Edit: I’d add [Flagstaff, Arizona](https://www.flagstaffarizona.org/) to the list too.
>United States in January
Orlando + Kennedy Space Center
With the current SpaceX launch cadence there’s a good chance you could see a launch.
I think you can get a direct flight from London to Florida. Anywhere further north in the country and you’re going to have to deal with winter weather messing with flights.
It would be rather cold and possibly snowing in NYC, especially if there’s a polar vortex. One option to consider would be Washington DC which has many great museums to visit and is easily accessible from flights in the UK.
What do you like to do on holiday? That’s how you say, “vacay,” right? We can help a lot if you give us things that make you happy.
Food, the outdoors, snow, sun…etc
Go to Washington, DC and see the Smithsonian museums
What do you like to do?
History, nature, nightlife, beach bum, sports, shopping, eating, escaping the cold?
We are a very large country and we have a a lot to see but without knowing what you like it is hard to give a suggestion.
Go to Washington DC and go to the Air and Space Museum. It’s free, along with all the other Smithsonian Museums. You can take the train down from NYC.
I always answer this question with two main options: 1) the historic urbanized corridor, namely Boston to DC (entirely doable with public transit) and possibly points south on the east coast; and 2) the incredible natural wonders, with the Grand Canyon and the Utah national parks the most convenient.
But January complicates matters. It’s certainly possible to see the northeast in winter, but you’ll need to pack winter clothes and boots or shoes suitable for snow. There’s always a risk that a winter storm could cause closings and transportation disruptions.
And in the west, I know the north rim of the Grand Canyon is closed that time of year. The south rim is still open, but I’m not familiar with conditions there nor with conditions at Zion, Bryce, or the other Utah National Parks.
You could just do the south or the southwest. There’s a lot to see around Los Angeles and San Diego, and could even make it to Death Valley (but follow the warnings about bringing water). The south’s big draw is food, but Charleston and New Orleans, and some other cities, have history as well.
Personally, I’d choose Los Angeles/San Diego.
>…viewing museums, the outdoors, food is a big one, seeing landmarks, anything science and aviation related, history I have a huge interesting in history and exploring new places.
New Orleans it is, then.
If you’re interested in Aviation, the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola is about a 3 hour drive away so an easy day trip.
January usually has great weather here (15-20C) too.
I’d say Washington DC is a good fit. However, in January it may be quite cold. You could also consider Charleston SC and/or Savannah GA for a warmer visit.
Go to DC and spend a week visiting the Smithsonian Museums. They are pretty epic.
If you like science, aviation, and history, and landmarks, I can think of one place to get all that.
Washington D.C.
The Smithsonian Institution (the US’s National museums) are throughout the city and you could make a vacation of just seeing those, and the Air & Space Museum (and the Udvar-Hazy Annex just outside the city) is probably the best aerospace museum in the world. There are many museums about science and history and aviation.
The city itself is full of famous and historic landmarks (The White House, the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial et. al).
You could easily spend a nice vacation just there seeing museums and landmarks/historic sites.
> viewing museums, the outdoors, food is a big one, seeing landmarks, anything science and aviation related, history
Washington DC will hit all of those, except maybe outdoors. I highly suggest the National Air and Space museum. There is also Botanical Garden that is fantastic. Honestly, all of the stuff on the National Mall is great.
Washington DC would be my recommendation as well.
An alternative if you want to go a bit further south is Charleston, SC. Nice historic district, lots of historical sites from the Revolutionary and mostly Civil War. Really good food scene, too. Stay downtown in the historic District as it’s really nice and everything is pretty walkable from there.
Boston and NYC are good options geographically and that they’re rather different and both interesting and have what you enjoy here.
The US is huge. Need to know what you want to see
That time of year you have two options imo:
– warm and sunny (somewhere in the SW)
– or a winter wonderland (mountains or northern states)
I would say a trip to the Southwest would be very interesting. For example Tucson Arizona:
– have you ever been in a desert or seen cactus?
– great Mexican and Mexican/American food
– great hiking
– cool science things like the Mirror Lab, Aviation Graveyard, MT Lemmon Observatories, Titan Missile Silo, etc…
– I don’t know if they have any good art museums though
Tucson was just an example, but there are a lot of interesting places in the SW that are very unique and gorgeous that time of year.
Go to Washington for the museums. Especially the Air and Space museum. Take a day trip to the mountains for nature from there. Take a day trip to NYC for the sites and more museums.
Try Washington DC. Just a heads up that a few of the airports have a river at the end of the runway so it kindof looks like you are about to crash into a river when you land and take off. Also DC is very hot and sunny so wear sunscreen and maybe a hat while your outside and drink lots of water. The hottest parts of the day will be 12:00-2:00 PM and that’s a good time to be in the shade or indoors at that time.
Your edit sounds like Washington, DC. I mean, museums and anything science and aviation related? [This is **THE** place you need to go](https://airandspace.si.edu/)
Do you have to go in January? Based on what you said, Boston, NYC, and Washington DC is a great place to start but Janurary is maybe the worst time to visit that region unless you really like the idea of cold and possibly hostile weather. But it’s certainly do-able, minus maybe the nature part! The mountains in NY/VT/NH/ME are beautiful but pretty inhospitable in winter.
If you want to go to a region with more inviting weather I’d look at Arizona – great for outdoors in winter and some of the old west history is fascinating and nothing like anything you can find in the UK. The grand canyon and all of the national parks on the Colorado Plateau will be cold but there are plenty of places in Arizona where you can hike in decent January weather – anywhere below 5,000′ elevation. Sedona tends to be crowded but he scenery is tough to beat.
For museums it’s hard to beat Washington DC and the amazing Smithsonian museums. Plus they are free! Sounds like the Air and Space museum would be right up your ally. Lot of landmarks in the area such as the Whitehouse , US capital and tons of monuments.
I haven’t personally been, but the Grand Canyon is remarkable. DC has some great museums like others have said. NYC is a one of a kind experience, so that’s good too. You could rent a cabin in the mountains in Tennessee, absolutely gorgeous state. Florida has awesome beaches, especially on the east coast.
Hit up Miami and Fort Lauderdale, it’s a heavenly place if you can control yourself, and if you can’t, it’s a hellish place
Based off your stated interest you should to DC and hit all the Smithsonian museums.
Savannah GA is one of the coolest, funnest cities in the US and largely underrated. It was one of the largest US cities in the south that was spared burning during General Sherman’s march to the sea, so it has original colonial layout and architecture. Loads of amazing museums, tours, and amazing southern food. Also, there is no “open container” law, so you can wander about the city with alcoholic beverages which is unique to Savannah and a few other places in the US.
Edit: also, since you are coming in January, it will be warm for someone from the UK as Savannah is subtropical.
I think doing a St. Augustine to Savannah to Charleston trip then Smokey Mountain park would let you see some cool urban areas with history as well as nice wilderness areas would be pretty interesting for a Brit. Just don’t do this in summer.
I’d suggest Washington DC. The Smithsonian Museums would fill several days The Air and Space Museum and American History Museum could be a day each. There’s good public transportation (Metro) and good food.
For outdoor activities, unless you go to the south or southwest, it’s going to be too cold to enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities unless you’re ok with consistent temps not reaching -7C. The temp in DC will be cold too, but not as bad as Boston or Philly.
For museums and landmarks Washington DC has the Smithsonian which is a series of free museums ranging from classic/ modern art, to history, science, and aerospace. Plus DC might not be quite as cold in January. For outdoors if you’re into winter activities fly into Denver or Salt Lake and ski or snowboard in the surrounding ski resorts.
What are your interests or hobbies.
Personally I wouldn’t visit NYC in January. The city is much better in summer when all the outdoor things are open.
January would be the perfect time to visit Florida or Southern California
Go to NYC, but take the train down to DC. Union Station is over the DC metro.
You can take in a show in broadway, take the train down to DC and see the Smithsonian. You won’t need a car.
DC metro is expensive though.
>I’ll add things I’m interesting in doing when I travel which would be things such as viewing museums, the outdoors, food is a big one, seeing landmarks, anything science and aviation related, history I have a huge interesting in history and exploring new places.
Washington DC
NYC is really cold in January, if you could bump the trip up to December it’d be pretty worth it in my opinion though, nothing like nyc around the holidays.
For aviation, go to DC and check out the air and space museum. DC has loads of monuments, of course, and a museum for every interest. Plus it’s easy to get around on public transport if that’s your thing.
On your way out of town, you’d want a car. For aviation fans, Northern Virginia is home to the Air and Space Museum’s Udvar Hazy Annex, which houses the Enola Gay, one of the space shuttles, the Bell X1 (I think), an SR-71 blackbird, maybe some Apollo capsules(?)and some other iconic aircraft and spacecraft.
Then head into the middle of Virginia to spend some time in Shenandoah National Park. Great hiking to be found, decent camping, etc. even driving the Blue Ridge Parkway through the park is cool.
Then I’d recommend a couple of days in the Charlottesville area. Its an iconic university town that punches well above its weight class in food and drink. In the area, we also have some local landmarks that are significant in US history but may not be that interesting as a Brit (like Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, James Madison’s Montpelier, and James Monroe’s Highland). It’s a bit off the beaten path for foreign tourists, but that’s cool, I would argue.
Virginia, in general, is an interesting place for the intersection of US and British history. See, Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, etc. half of the places here are named after British monarchs.
Maybe a night and a day back in DC before you head back.
Not sure where in the UK you are but direct flights to DC from London are plentiful, so that’s a bonus.
I’d put Chicago on that list – the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum, the Adler planetarium, and the Art institute are all institutions. Throw in some of the amazing architecture a river tour, great restaurants, tons of neighborhood festivals, there’s a ton to do.
Check out the museums though, they’re incredible. They have a German U-Boat at the Museum of Science and Industry, and a ton of aviation/spaceflght exhibits.
Knowing Brits… Florida. Y’all love hot vacations. And the Kennedy Space Center is there.
But if museums and history and aviation stuff is your goal and you aren’t looking for hot, Washington DC wins in a walk.
https://www.si.edu/visit/hours
The Air and Space museum is *BANANAS*
How much time do plan to spend in the states?
> viewing museums, the outdoors, food is a big one, seeing landmarks, anything science and aviation related, history
DC. Smithsonian and a great variety of cuisines. Go to the Smithsonian aviation annex in Virginia to see a Space Shuttle and an SR-71. The only bigger collection of aircraft I’ve seen is the USAF museum in Ohio. But DC has bigger variety of museums and history.
Write to your Ambassador’s offices and see if they can get you a tour of the White House (we have to write to our Senators or Congressperson to get the tickets).
Texas all day long, pop over to New Orleans, but in January you don’t want to be in the NE. DC has the best museums. Maybe land there and then head across country? You can spend a week just trenching through the museums in DC and it is not as cold as some other areas. For true Americana go to the west though. Go west young man!
Keep in mind the US is enormous. Don’t think you can go to New York then swing by Florida to visit Disney World for the afternoon, you can’t! That would be like if an American booked a trip to London and wanted to have lunch in Rome. So be careful not to add too many destinations to your trip.
Also, in January a good chunk of the country can have some pretty nasty weather, especially if you’re used to UK’s generally milder winters, either stick to the southern half of the country or make sure you have the proper outerwear. Winter storms can disrupt airline travel (even if you pick a southern part to visit, our whole airline system is interconnected) so build extra time in for delays, and make sure you have travel insurance in cast you get stuck and need a hotel room or a last minute flight.