TravelJUN 9, 2023

30 “Quintessential American Experiences” That Tourists Should Try, As Shared By Internet Users

Open roads, a good hamburger, and freedom aren’t all exclusive to the US, but America is a pretty unique place, through its size, history, and diversity. So it’s no wonder that visitors from around the world want to visit and see if it’s all it's cracked up to be.

One netizen wanted to know what “quintessentially American experience” any tourist to the US-of-A should try, and the internet delivered. National parks, aggressive cops, and portions larger than some European countries are all featured, so strap in, scroll through, and be sure to upvote your favorites, and don’t forget to comment your own suggestions below.

#1

30 “Quintessential American Experiences” That Tourists Should Try, As Shared By Internet Users

Visiting a national park. United States has a lot of things good and bad but it's abundance of breathtaking and well taken care of national parks is probably one of its biggest strengths..... next to its number of aircraft carriers ofcourse lol.

HardToPeeMidasTouch, Hendrik Cornelissen

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165points

#2

My first USA tourist experience was watching two soccer moms fistfight in a Walmart in Florida, 10/10 would watch again

Mistah-J-Valentine

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152points

#3

The quintessential American Experience for tourists from Europe is discovering you can't combine all the ideas in these comments in one week because there's so much distance and traffic between them. You're better off thinking of the state you land in as the "country" you're visiting.

hat-of-sky, Aaron Burden

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142points

Many of the top suggestions point towards the United States’ natural beauty and this is overwhelmingly correct, Americans should feel proud not only for the abundance of outdoor activities but the world-famous national park system, which includes 85.1 million acres of land for Americans and visitors alike to enjoy. This is literally more land than some entire nations and includes some of the most breathtaking places on Earth.

The national park service, which maintains and manages the parks that we can all enjoy, was established in 1916, though the first “park,” as in an area set aside for preservation, was created in 1872, and protected by a nearby fort for US troops. This park was Yellowstone, known for its canyons, forests, and downright breathtaking views.

#4

Drive the coast! Highway 101 from Oregon to California. Beautiful beaches. Great camping. Small towns quite often. Redwood Forest.

Pacific_Northwest, Camille Minouflet

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132points

#5

See the redwoods. My family went to a lot of national parks when I was young, but the redwoods stuck with me or stayed in my head for some reason. My wife had never been so we went one year and same thing happened to her. I don't really believe in supernatural things but there's something about those trees.

toxboxdevil

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125points

#6

I’m not American but felt like an honorary one in the best kinda way when I hiked the whole Appalachian Trail. For me the creation and ongoing survival of the Trail, plus the community who walk it and protect it and celebrate it are a great American achievement.

The_Goat_that_Wrote

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117points

Diners, restaurants, and good food aren’t limited to the US either, but pop culture, Hollywood, and even paintings have made the 1950s-style diner absolutely iconic. Some have been preserved in the same condition since then, serving the same dishes, a piece of vintage Americana for anyone to enjoy. Some have become famous landmarks, due to showing up in films and TV shows.

#7

Have a cheeseburger and fries in a 24 hour diner, ideally one that has a lot of chrome and looks unchanged since the 1950's.

Nonsenseinabag, amirali mirhashemian

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103points

#8

F****n Yellowstone.

As a Brit, I can guarantee that the scale of the whole thing will blow your mind.

Other-Historian6256

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100points

#9

A road trip. For all the hate cars get online, there's something truly amazing about the freedom of movement enabled by the automobile, the road, and the sheer scale of this nation. Doesn't matter what route you take; go down the coast or up to the mountains, and just watch the scenery change. It's beautiful, and really hammers home how *big* America is. Along the way stop at parks, or museums, or whatever touristy things you desire. Get lunch at a fast food place, and dinner at a proper local restaurant.

I think for a foreigner, that's the best way to encapsulate what America represents to most people. It's big; it's untamed. It's beautiful, and there's no other nation like it.

Flavaflavius

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99points

Others point to state or county fairs, which typically include a bizarre arrangement of attractions, some unique to each state, and the sort of food that looks like it’s designed to give you a heart attack in under five minutes. As always, Americans do things big, and that includes health risks. Statistically, the largest is in Texas (figures,) where the State fair reported over two and a half million attendees. They really do things bigger in Texas.

#10

Go to the museums in NYC or DC.

Americans have a real way with museums, it might be a mix of the love of big spaces, a certain kind of insatiable curiosity, and incredible avarice. There are few places in the world this many truly amazing museums of so many kinds in just one place, and pretty close.

Even the museum stores at some of these places are better than the best museums in other cities.

EDIT: I want to add here that I am a real museum hound and go to every museum I can everywhere I travel or live. I’ve lived or spent multiple long visits in probably about 15 different cities including Chicago, San Francisco, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Montreal, Toronto, and Buenos Aires. For art, there are several cities that equal or even excede NYC and DC, but if you want science and history as well, you really cannot beat these two cities.

zazzlekdazzle, Chris Nguyen

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99points

#11

1) Visit any of the National Parks. Glacier, Yellowstone, or Yosemite are the big ones. Just leave the animals alone.
2) Find a BBQ shack made out of corrugated metal (bonus points if the floor is dirt). Go nuts on pulled pork, ribs, and brisket.
3) A beer and a hot dog at a baseball game is a must.
4) Go to a rodeo. Not one held in some major city. Go find a county fair or rural rodeo.
5) Develop a stance on the best type of pie. Different regions have VERY strong opinions on this. (Pecan is the best. Fight me)
6) Tour the Bourbon trail
7) Eat a bison steak.

Montana_Big_Man, Caleb Oquendo

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86points

#12

Go to a live performance of blues, jazz or bluegrass/country, all are unique American music styles

hairbrush-singer, Felix Ramirez

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84points

Another quintessentially American festivity is the tailgate party, where people gather in the parking lots (Americans have a lot of these) of sports stadiums before a game to barbecue, drink, and just party. It’s so ubiquitous that certain teams even have tailgate snacks associated with them, such as palmetto cheese, which originated at Atlanta Braves tailgate parties. Expect games like beer pong and the wonderfully American cornhole.

#13

Go to a county fair, eat a bunch of fried Oreos, and then ride sketchy carnival rides until sick.

hawround, Scott Webb

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82points

#14

On October 31 dress in costumes, attend parties, visit haunted houses and eat Halloween candy.

SuvenPan, Daniel Lincoln

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79points

#15

Waffle House at 2am

ObnoxiousCrow

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77points

Speaking of sports, many foreigners are surprised to see just how seriously Americans take high school and college sports, football in particular. Small towns might have stadiums that rival major teams and college football is a multibillion-dollar industry. Rivalries are ancient and fierce, but without the unpleasantness of, for example, European football hooliganism. Viewing parties are a normal state of affairs and a fun time, generally, for all around.

#16

Check out a minor league baseball game! They have awesome stadiums, great fans and it's usually pretty inexpensive!

SeanBartlettGlass, Jose Francisco Morales

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71points

#17

Check out any of the Smithsonians in DC

Edit: National Air and Space is my favorite. I could spend multiple days there if I read and pondered everything on display.

I'd also like to plug Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH if you're an aviation nerd. It's another multi-day museum

Muh2021account

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70points

#18

Driving through a loooooong stretch of wide open highway with nothing but fields and trees on either side of you as far as the eye can see.

It’s something that we take for granted, but Europeans especially are always kind of shocked by.

flamingknifepenis

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66points

#19

Here's what I'd reccommend from my trip to the U.S back in 2015.

Grand canyon and Yellowstone national Park, eat at a 50s themed diner, eat BBQ ribs, go to vegas, don't gamble but do other stuff, go to Texas and feel like a big man at the gun range (so many guns, I wanted to shoot them all, my favorite was the 44 magnum, it's got style) go to new Orleans, eat some good home-style southern food made by an old black woman who calls you "sugar", go gator hunting in the bayou on an airboat with rednecks, if you snag one, eat some gator steak. Get drunk in Alabama, get drunk in Georgia, go to Miami, smoke some Cubans while losing at dominoes to Cubans, hit the Miami beach, see the sights, go north, go to New York, get followed 2 blocks by a group of guys yelling s**t at you, have a civil conversation with one of the many crazy subway guys, see a few shows, then go home broke but cured of your depression.

Was in a really dark place in my life, my friends had all moved away, gf just got sick of me and left, job got taken over by a new guy who fired me cos he considered my job redundant (I used to drive the delivery truck for lumber and plumbing supply deliveries, did all the loading and unloading while the trades handled instalations and whatnot) but I'd saved up a good bit of money, mom told me that I can move back with her if I go broke but I should travel and do something to get me outa that rut. I came back broke but happy. Best damn month and a half of my life.

My favorite moment was actually in New Mexico, I was staying the night in the spare room of this crystal shop owner lady she was using as an airbnb, we were sitting around her back yard fire pit, me, her, her boyfriend, one of her friends and me, drinking a few beers, smoking a few cones and talking. Dunno why but, I guess since the part of Australia I'm from which is usually really cold, rainy, cloudy and very pastoral, being out in the desert, such an alien place to me, with these really chill people, I felt at peace.

Were it not for the U.S's f****d up healthcare and... all the rest, I think I'd move out there.

Ottomanbrothel, Omer Nezih Gerek

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61points

#20

- Eat a s'more if you are going camping... It is a pleasantly simple treat: marshmallow, graham crackers, and chocolate.

- go to a national park if you can. Camp if you can.

- if snow cones are available, get ice cream on the bottom &/or a bit of condensed milk on the top. It's another simple treat

- Go to a Costco and check out the giant bottle of ibuprofen

- look and see if there are any local events going on in the area you are staying at... Farmers market, fairs, berry picking etc

- if you haven't had Mexican food, get it at a family owned restaurant. Ask locals about this one.

- if you smell good BBQ, try it.

- go to a sporting event, maybe tailgate

- go to multiple states across the country so you can see the differences... (Hawaii is going to be vastly different from Montana, which is going to be different from Louisiana, which is going to be different from Oregon... Ect)

Drawn-Otterix, Autumn Mott Rodeheaver

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58points