Where to Explore in the U.S.A.?

 The Southwest

This area is comprised of six states including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Colorado.  Each state offers a wide variety of dramatic landscapes and entertainments.  Caravan Abroad’s most popular destinations are the Californian cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco.  Both re ideal jumping off points but equally offer a wealth of history and re well worth exploring in their own right.  San Francisco, built on hills, has the world famous cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 and offers a trip around Alcatraz on the Red & White Fleet.  Los Angeles is “Hollywood,” the film capital of the world – but it’s not all about movie stars and Beverly Hills.  There are number of excellent family attractions including Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios.  Away from the cities are timeless national parks like Yosemite with its towering peaks, Big Sur on the Coast and in the high Sierra’s, Lake Tahoe.  Death Valley is, unfortunately, out of bounds to RV’s May thru September due to the exceptionally high temperatures.

Northwest & Rocky Mountains

Make up of Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Montano and Wyoming, this area is more temperate than its southern neighbours.  Summer temperatures are still high but up in the mountains snow can fall all year.  In the far Northwest is Washington, renowned for its volcanic activity.  Mount St. Helens is still smoking and steaming and is now a National Volcanic Monument.  On the most westerly peninsula is the Olympic National Park with fishing communities, beaches and its own rainforest.  A little further south is the famously fierce Oregon Coast.  Don’t forget to visit the equally famous Yellowstone National Park with and gaze up at “Old Faithful.”  This region offers its visitors vast areas of wilderness so is ideal for those who want to get away from it all and enjoy nature.

New England & the Northeast

There are six states that make up the New England area including Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.  The entire area has a wealth of history but is probably best known for the autumn colours.  Visitors in September and October are known as Leafpeepers.  The ocean has left its mark on the area – Maine alone has 3700 miles of coastline and all the way you will discover fishing villages.  For seafood lovers, Maine’s lobster is a must!   Inland there are lakes and mountains and set amongst them are villages and towns with typical New England architecture much admired by overseas visitors.

The Capitol Region

Washington D.C. at its centre, this region comprises of Maryland Pennsylvania, Delaware and the Virginias.  Like most large American cities, it is better for visitors in motorhome to take guides tours of D.C. rather than parking in town – it can be quite the challenge.  The Capitol KOA at Millersville offers such a scheme and details are available from Caravan Abroad.  The tours leave the campsite every day, first thing in the morning and include lunch; you return early evening.

Florida

The central city of Orlando, with its many theme parks and tourist attractions, draws people from all over the world.  Around Walt Disney World and Epcot Centre there have sprung all manner of parks – Sea World, Wet n’ Wild and Universal Studios are just a few.  Accommodation is plentiful ranging from budget motels to first-class luxury hotels and hundreds of campgrounds.  The Ford Wilderness complex offers full amenities to the RV’er and transportation into the Magic Kingdom.  There are many diverse areas to visit in Florida like the great swamps in the Everglades and the islands that take you down to Key West.  Don’t miss the guided tours around the Kennedy Space Centre or the old city of St. Augustine.  It’s a genuine castle and one of the U.S.A’s oldest settlements.

Alaska

Alaska is probably one of the last frontiers.  The majority of visitors arrive between May and September.  This is truly a “Big State” which needs careful preparation before you visit.  Accommodation and services can be many miles apart so do give plenty of through to your itinerary before venturing out into the wilderness.  The main gateway is Anchorage from where you can begin your explorations.  Because many places are not accessible by road, there are a number of companies that fly you to view Alaska’s pristine wilderness and wildlife.  Watch the grizzly bears catching salmon in the foaming rivers.