Tourist Attractions from New York to Kentucky

New York

• While you're in New York, visit Times Square. According to "USA Today," New York City's Times Square was the most popular tourist attraction in the country in 2009, with more than 37 million visitors. Stand on the grandstand and take in the lights, billboards, and crowds or grab a hot dog and relax at one of the public café tables.

Pennsylvania

• On your way south, take a detour to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and tour Independence National Historic Park, home to the famous cracked Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were written. The park is open daily except for December 25.

  Independence National Historical Park

  143 South Third St.

  Philadelphia, PA 19106

  215-965-2305

  nps.gov

West Virginia

• Experience West Virginia's scenery on a train tour. The New River Train, based in Huntington, offers excursions through the New River Gorge on the weekends. Passengers board in four locations, then follow the New River to the town of Hinton. Spend the afternoon at the Hinton street fair, browsing local crafts, artwork, food booths, and a railroad museum. Premium service passes include a continental breakfast and a dinner served in the train car.

  New River Train Excursions

  P.O. Box 393

  Huntington, WV 25708

  866-639-7487

  newrivertrain.com

  Learn about West Virginia's coal mining history at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. Take a tour of the Wildwood House Museum, the home of the coal mine's original owner. Built in 1836, the house is furnished with antiques. Explore the coal camp school, church, company house, and miner's shanty, all built in the early 1920s for coal miners and their families.

  Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine

  513 Ewart Ave.

  Beckley, WV 25801

  304-256-1747

  beckleymine.com

Kentucky

• Experience the cultural and historical tradition of Bluegrass Music at Kentucky's International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro. The museum operates its own radio station and features exhibits such as the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, the life and times of bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, instruments to try and to view, and several Video Oral History presentations. Souvenirs are available at the museum's gift store, which offers books, apparel, CDs, and accessories.

  International Bluegrass Music Museum

  117 Daviess St.

  Owensboro, KY 42303

  270-926-7891

  bluegrass-museum.org