This year, tens of thousands of visitors arriving on our shores have discovered what we’ve known all along—America is breathtakingly beautiful! Social media has been filled with visitors marveling at just how vast and beautiful this country really is. There may be no better time than America’s 250th birthday to revive the Great Northern Railway’s century-old slogan: “See America First.” The slogan may be a century old, but it has certainly stood the test of time.

How much of this beautiful land have you seen? What are you waiting for—a list? I’ve got you covered. Here are some of my favorite places—places that will fill you with awe and a sense of wonder. Hit the road, celebrate America’s birthday, and discover why so many generations have proudly stood for her.

Enjoy the accompanying Big Blend Radio “Jo Goes Everywhere” Podcast episode below, or download/listen to the episode on Podbean.

History of the Poem that Became a Beloved Song
In 1893, English Professor Katharine Lee Bates climbed Pikes Peak in a mule-drawn covered wagon with a group of teachers from Colorado College. At the mountain’s summit, the poet and writer stood, awestruck, as America the Beautiful spread out in front of her, in all its glory.

She later wrote, “All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.” Bates’ poem was published on July 4, 1895. A few months later, it was set to music. By 1900, more than 75 versions of “America the Beautiful” had been composed. The version Americans still sing today uses Samuel Ward’s 1882 hymn, “Materna”. Bates updated the poem several times before publishing its final form in 1911.

More than a century later, those same purple mountains and spacious skies still beckon travelers to experience America for themselves.

When I travel to the shore, the mountains, or Kansas—oh, man, those skies! The view from any of those places is hard to forget. I can close my eyes and still “see” the awesome wonder that is ours, free for the taking, right here in America.

The most spectacular view of all, however, came from the front seat of a glider—yes, Jo really does go everywhere. Soaring silently above New York’s Finger Lakes gave new meaning to both “bird’s-eye view” and the flying club’s motto: No engine. No problem.

The view from the New River Gorge Bridge is breathtaking. Still, the National Park offers an entirely different perspective from the river below—especially if a whitewater rafting trip is in your future.

Then there is Montana, a state so filled with spacious skies that they’re part of its identity. “Big Sky Country” has been the state’s official nickname since the publication of A. B. Guthrie, Jr.’s 1947 novel, The Big Sky. It’s still on my bucket list. How about yours?

For Amber Waves of Grain

Driving through the country roads of Kansas’ Flint Hills is a sight I’ll never forget. The Hills cover nearly 11,000 square miles, home to an ocean of native grasses that turn golden yellow at the end of summer. Some places demand photographs. Others simply ask you to stand there quietly.

Standing there, it’s easy to imagine what the early settlers must have thought as they traveled west—or perhaps decided they had found the place where they would put down roots.

In the Dakotas, National Grasslands preserve endless prairie views, with grasses stretching to the horizon beneath skies perfect for nightly stargazing.

Near Bend, Oregon, the Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland protect more than a million acres of grasslands, forests, and river canyons across the state.

For Purple Mountain Majesties

That line never hits me quite so hard as when I’m in the state of my birth, standing atop Virginia’s glorious Blue Ridge Mountains. I’ve traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway, enjoying Virginia wines, sampling moonshine, and even eating bison along the way.

Farther south, in North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley, I watched the grapes ripening from the porch of a century-old log cabin where I spent the night.

 You can’t have a valley without mountains, and a visit to Oregon’s Willamette Valley would not have been complete without a road trip to Silver Falls State Park. The mountains were emerald green, but who can pass up a waterfall? Soon the scenery softened into fruit-filled valleys, where vineyards stretched across gentle hillsides and another kind of American beauty awaited.

I always picture my Grandpa’s farm when singing this line. He grew everything on those 375 acres—from wheat and rye to corn, squash, okra, purple-hulled peas, and an orchard. Above the Fruited Plain is a celebration of America’s vast agricultural abundance—the fertile farms, golden wheat fields, orchards, and yes…the vineyards.

We grow it all, grains, vegetables, and fruits, to feed both the animals and the people of these United States. My favorite is the fruited part—grapes, to be exact. Grapes were growing across this grand country 10,000 years before European varietals were imported. Indigenous grapes, Vitis labrusca and muscadine, were staples in the Native American diet. The French Huguenots in Florida established the first vineyards in the 1560s. In 1585, settlers from England planted a vineyard on the North Carolina coast.

Red or white, it all has a place in my glass. Or I should say, red, white, and blush—wines, that is…luscious reds, crisp whites, and those refreshing and bubbly rosés.

America has so many ideal areas for viticulture. You can travel to New York’s Finger Lakes and pair wine with macarons. Then down to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Meadows of Dan, Virginia, to Chateau Morrisette, farther down the mountain range into North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley for tastes that tingle your taste buds. Or you can start on the opposite side of the nation in Sonoma, California, and tour wineries in a sidecar, and continue up that coastline into the Willamette Valley of Oregon to soak up wines at the 26 wineries I discovered.

America’s history fascinates me: from genealogy to the American Revolution, to World War II, to the Civil War, and beyond. Starting in York, Pennsylvania, the York County History Center and Colonial Complex stands out. Together, they offer a fascinating look at the Revolutionary War and early American life. And did you know York was once the capital of our little nation? You will learn that and how we became a nation before the ink was dry on the name “United States of America” in York.

The United States Army Heritage Center tells the Army’s history, and it is the perfect stop on a road trip from Gettysburg National Battlefield and the historic Cashtown Inn, where the story is one of sacrifice.

If you are that close to New York, the road trip can continue north. You can take in the first sight 12 million new arrivals to the United States saw as they entered New York Harbor at Ellis Island—Lady Liberty, the most iconic lighthouse in the world.

God Shed His Grace On Thee

That line always makes me think of the religious freedoms our ancestors sought when they came to America, and the churches they built, from tiny frame chapels to churches made of mountain rock to breathtaking buildings filled with intricate stained glass.

Charleston, South Carolina, had churches on so many corners that it earned the nickname “Holy City.” Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, one man built rock churches and preached inside them as a circuit-riding minister. His story became legend in The Man Who Moved a Mountain.

 And Crown Thy Good With Brotherhood

 For all its faults, the United States of America is the best country on earth. When pushed, we stand together. Nowhere is that spirit of brotherhood more evident than in our communities. You’ll find it in the smaller museums and history centers that tell the stories of ordinary people, helping one another.

Stories like those preserved at the Lowcountry’s Gullah Geechee Penn Center and at the Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Then there is the moving story of John W. Jones, the formerly enslaved man who buried nearly 3,000 Confederate soldiers who died while imprisoned in Elmira, New York, making sure they received a respectful burial.

Whether it was Myrtle Beach (closest to home, and our most-often visited beach), or somewhere along the shores of Florida, either Atlantic or Gulf, I grew up loving sand between my toes. My Mama created a beach baby with our summer vacation trips to the beach. Or maybe it is my astrology sign: Aquarius, the water bearer. Eventually, I packed up my life and moved, so now I call the beach “home.” But when I travel on vacation, I still gravitate to the sea.

So, of course, my road trip recommendations are my hometown beaches and the fascinating Lowcountry. More than 20 million visit South Carolina’s Grand Strand each year, so we’re doing something right. My recent trip to the South Carolina Lowcountry left me wanting to go again, and it will have the same effect on you. And a visit to the East Coast’s surfing capital, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is a must. It is one of the last old-fashioned surf towns around.

In Sonoma, the ocean and Point Reyes National Seashore and Lighthouse are just a day trip away. Point Reyes holds two distinctions: the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and North America’s second foggiest place (only the Grand Banks of Newfoundland has more days of fog).

 Then there is Pacifica, California, with Rosalind Bakery just a breath from the Pacific Ocean. It’s the spot surfers stop for a bite before or after catching the big waves. Owner Matthew Kosoy says the salty air holds negative ions from the waves, and that makes his bread yeast “a little more active and happy.”

One more detour before we head home: Santa Ana, California, just south of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Knott's Berry Farm gets you in the door, but Santa Ana's murals and food scene are what keep you there. Downtown alleys and building walls turn into an open-air gallery, and at Alta Baja Market, owner Delilah Snell pours one of the country's largest selections of Mexican wine alongside a menu built for Micheladas. Round it out with a game of Lotería and another round of Micheladas at Cerveza Cito, and you've got a perfect, unexpected stop on the way home.

This is Our Country
Katharine Lee Bates found inspiration atop Pikes Peak more than 130 years ago. Today, America’s spacious skies, purple mountains, amber waves, shining seas—and vineyards—are still waiting. As our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, perhaps it’s time to revive an old idea: See America First. Because the greatest souvenir you can bring home is a deeper appreciation for the country you already call home.

Jo Clark is a travel writer and photographer based in South Carolina's Grand Strand. She has a thirst for knowledge, history, great food, and wine! She does her very best to live up to her podcast title and Instagram handle, "Jo Goes Everywhere!" Follow her there and on her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HaveGlassWillTravel/. She is the editor of http://www.RecipesTravelCulture.com.