10 Best Weekend Trips in the US

Las Vegas, Sin City, Adult Disneyland, the Neon Capital of the World – call it what you will, there's no doubt that this is one of the most legendary cities in the whole of the USA. You can breeze in on a short haul from the West Coast and East Coast in just a few hours, to be sat at the poker tables of the Bellagio or the MGM Grand in no time.

But a weekend in Vegas can be about much more than simply spinning the roulette wheels on The Strip. Check out the gritty Downtown area and its Mob Museum, which regales guests with stories of Al Capone et al. On the outskirts is the wild Mojave Desert, which hits a zenith at the mighty Red Rock Canyon and its rust-coloured bluffs.

Gatlinburg is regularly hailed as one of the very best family vacation destinations in the USA. A short weekend here will bring you right up to the front of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That's surely the star draw – think 525,000 acres of wooded hills, scenic byways, zip lines, lookout points and hiking trails.

But you'll also have the fun-filled Wild Bear Falls Water Park, a land of lazy rivers and twisting aqua slides, plus legendary Dollywood, home to smoke-belching Wild West trains and heart-thumping rollercoasters. At night, stick to the whisky bars and barn dances of the Parkway strip – it's good fun for all ages.

Savannah straddles the bayous and waterways of eastern Georgia with its handsome and evocative downtown core. It's been there since 1733, reigning as the first planned city in the whole territory. You'll feel that history oozing through the streets and out of the grand antebellum mansions that bedeck the avenues.

Getting lost here is like going back in time. Wander under the gnarled, moss-draped oaks of Forsyth Park to see babbling Neoclassical fountains. Dive into the Victorian Historic District of Savannah, and you'll gaze at filigreed gingerbread homes with wrought-iron frontispieces. Savannah is a top weekend break option for couples who like city life.

New Orleans is famed around the world for its February and March Mardi Gras blowouts, when big-band jazz troupes and revellers take over the whole city. Truth be told, though, the fun never really stops down here on the final bends of the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana – they call it The Big Easy for a reason, you know?

First-time visitors need to hit the French Quarter. A 6-block bout of Greek Revival building work, it's laden with more honky-tonk bars than you can shake a Sazerac cocktail at. North of that is Marigny, where colourful Creole cottages rub shoulders with jazz joints. To the south is the proud Garden District, a place of oak-fronted mansions that date back over 100 years.

The Yosemite National Park is one of those places that makes the jaw hit the floor. Spread across the western edges of the Sierra Nevada mountains deep in the heart of California, it's seen as something of a rite of passage for any true adventure travellers in the USA. What's wonderful about it is that 48 hours is all you need to check off the most amazing sights.

Cruise in on the iconic Wawona Road to get that front-on view of Yosemite Valley from the tunnel. Notice the mighty Sentinel Dome to the south, the Half Dome in the distance, and the sheer-cut faces of El Cap looming to the north. Further in, the roaring Yosemite Falls keep the gasps flowing as they drop more than 1,400 ft from top to bottom. 

The town of Niagara Falls buts up to the most dramatic section of the Niagara River. You'll find it right on the cusp of the Canadian border in northern New York State, about a 40-minute drive out of the city of Buffalo.

Of course, it's the namesake cascades that take centre stage. There are umpteen ways to appreciate them. Hop on the Maid of the Mist boat, which takes you so close to the waterfalls of Bridal Veil and Horseshoe that you'll feel the H2O spraying on your face. Alternatively, there's the Crow's Nest lookout, which clings precipitously to the sides of the cliffs for unforgettable broadside views.

Washington DC is a quintessential USA weekend break for many locals. The prestigious capital of the nation is home to more museums and landmarks than you can hope to squeeze into a 48-hour visit. It's also really accessible, laying claim to 2 international airports and good transport links to New Yock City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore alike.

So, what's on the itinerary? Start in the National Mall, where an enthralling collection of Smithsonian Institution museums beckons, alongside the striking Lincoln Memorial and the dome-topped US Capitol building. Then, mosey over to the White House to see if you can see POTUS, or hit hip NoMa district for cocktails with the politicos.

The Napa Valley is among the world's most hallowed wine regions. It's up there with Portugal's Douro, Italy's Chianti, and France's Champagne, only this one can be reached in under 45 minutes by car from the San Francisco Bay Area. It's not surprising that it's now seen as the prime weekend R&R spot for Silicon Valley bigwigs.

Start in Napa itself and cruise north through the bucolic towns of Rutherford and St Helena. Wineries and cellar doors with lux rooms and fantastic views of the grassy Sonoma Mountains pop up on all sides. Many have spa facilities and swimming pools to boot.

New York City is the stuff of bucket-list urban adventures. For weekend breakers, it's also one of the most accessible metropolises in the country, with a trio of airports that receive stacks of domestic US flights but also cross-Atlantic arrivals from Europe in as little as 7 hours.

Who wouldn't be tempted by that? Step off the plane, and you can hit the traffic-clogged streets of Manhattan, to scale the Empire State Building, people watch on Times Square, and wander the lanes of Central Park. There might even be space for shopping down 5th Avenue, hotdogs on Coney Island, and selfies with the Brooklyn Bridge if you're lucky.

Lake Tahoe is a weekend escape for adventure seekers that comes up trumps no matter the season. It's set amid the pine-sprouting Sierra Nevada, split between the states of California and Nevada. Don't worry, though, you can drive the complete perimetre of the lake in 3 hours, so it's possible to take in the whole, stunning lot of it.

By summer, that means boating on the azure waters of Zephyr Cove and hiking wonderful trails like the one to Eagle Lake. By winter, it means pulling on the skis and whizzing down the pistes of Heavenly Mountain. Accommodation is usually hearty mountain huts with roaring fires.