Issue Date: May 19, 2002

Annual Travel Report
O, say, can you see...
From sea to shining sea, our treasured landmarks -- where freedoms were defended and freedoms won -- remind visitors of the enduring strength of the American character. Here's a ranking of the 10 best.

Ellis Island, New York and New Jersey Independence National Historic Park, Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. Jamestown, VA Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, Ala. Esther Morris Statue, Cheyenne, Wyo. Haymarket Riot Statue, Forest Park, Ill. Saxman Native Totem Park, Saxman, Alaska Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla. Walden Pond, Concord, Mass. Our contributing editors' favorite places A mini-golf champ shares his favorite courses

A spirit of patriotism informs this year's travel report. With America engaged in defending its prized freedoms, the editors of USA WEEKEND Magazine looked back at history and identified 10 defining moments and places in the evolution of our democracy. At each site, citizens either tenaciously created a new freedom or stubbornly protected an existing one. Sometimes the struggle resulted in bloodshed, and often iniquity refused to surrender. But in the end, the record shows, justice prevailed. These landmarks represent our abiding national commitment to getting things right. They link all Americans, helping us understand who we are and how we came to be. They also remind us that our country has faced severe challenges before now and always has emerged stronger. We hope this list triggers debate (for what could be more American than that?) as well as a desire to get out on the road and experience firsthand our great national patrimony.

From the archive:
Travel Report 2001: America's 10 must-see sights