Walk in the Footsteps of History
131 historic destinations across 34 states and the District of Columbia — the stories behind each one, essential visitor guides, and interactive tools to plan where you stand next.
Epoch Explorer
From ancient cliff dwellings to the civil rights movement: explore landmarks and travel itineraries across every American era.
Explore all eras, in order →- Deep time
Geological & Natural
Canyons, geysers, and forests whose significance predates human record — the landscapes that shaped where and how America was settled.
6 landmarks → - Pre-1500
Indigenous America
Cliff dwellings, earthworks, and settlements built by the peoples who lived here for millennia before European contact.
5 landmarks → - 1565–1763
Spanish Colonial
Missions, presidios, and plazas from the Spanish empire's long reach across Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and California.
7 landmarks → - 1607–1775
Colonial America
The English colonies from Jamestown to the eve of revolution — meeting houses, harbours, and the first American towns.
9 landmarks → - 1775–1783
Revolutionary War
Where independence was argued, signed, and fought for — statehouses, encampments, and battlefields.
9 landmarks → - 1783–1815
Early Republic
A new nation building its institutions, its capital, and its architecture, then defending them in a second war with Britain.
10 landmarks → - 1800–1900
The 19th Century
A century of expansion, industry, and upheaval, for the places whose significance spans more than a single period.
11 landmarks → - 1803–1890
Westward Expansion
Trails, forts, and frontier towns from the Louisiana Purchase to the closing of the frontier.
5 landmarks → - 1815–1861
Antebellum
The decades before the Civil War — plantation economies, abolitionist networks, and a country pulling apart.
7 landmarks → - 1861–1865
Civil War
Battlefields, forts, and the houses where the war began and ended.
10 landmarks → - 1865–1900
Gilded Age
Reconstruction to the turn of the century: immigration, railroads, mills, and the mansions the new fortunes built.
10 landmarks → - 1900–2000
The 20th Century
Skyscrapers, monuments, and modern memorials — the century that produced most of America's best-known landmarks.
36 landmarks → - 1939–1945
World War II
Harbours, shipyards, and memorials from the war that remade America's place in the world.
2 landmarks → - 1954–1968
Civil Rights
Churches, bridges, and schoolhouses where the movement for equal rights was organised and contested.
3 landmarks → - 2000–present
The 21st Century
Memorials and landmarks of living memory.
1 landmark →
Every Region Tells an American Story
From the Spanish missions of the Southwest to the historic harbors of New England, plan your journey by state. Choose a state on the map, or explore the most popular heritage destinations.
- Landmarks
- 131
- State hubs
- 35
Must-See Historic Places
Must-SeeNPS SiteGilded AgeStatue of Liberty
New York (Liberty Island), NY
The Statue of Liberty — formally Liberty Enlightening the World — was a gift from the people of France to the United States, dedicated on October 28, 1886.
Must-SeeFree EntryNPS SiteColonial AmericaFree AdmissionIndependence Hall
Philadelphia, PA
Independence Hall in Philadelphia is where the United States was founded.
Must-SeeFree EntryWestward ExpansionFree AdmissionThe Alamo
San Antonio, TX
The Alamo began as a Spanish mission and became, in 1836, the site of a thirteen-day siege that turned into one of the most famous last stands in American history.
Must-SeeFree EntryNPS SiteWorld War IIFree AdmissionPearl Harbor (USS Arizona Memorial)
Honolulu, HI
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Heritage Travel Stories & Guides
- Antebellum · Early Republic · Westward Expansion · The 20th Century · The 19th Century · Civil War · Gilded Age
America's Most Haunted Historic Landmarks
Ghost stories gather where American history was hardest. Eight landmarks with famous hauntings: what really happened there, the legends told since, and how to see them after dark.
Old USA Editors · 4 min read · October 3, 2026
- Civil War
From Sumter to Appomattox: The Civil War in Five Places
Four years of war, from the first shots in Charleston Harbor to a surrender in a Virginia parlor and a gunshot in a Washington theater — told through five landmarks you can still visit.
Old USA Editors · 2 min read · September 28, 2026