'I'd heard Americans were loud and brash but the Wisconsinites were quite the opposite. They spoke slowly and articulated everything carefully.'

Dwarfed by a landscape that has felt the gaze of dinosaurs, John Weekes can only admire.

What we found, however, is what travellers often do when they head somewhere off-season: smaller crowds and cheaper airfares and accommodation.

It's been said that were the Paramount Theatre in San Francisco to require a new name, it might well be called the Paradox, for its history is studded with contradictions.

Locals still refer to the Chicago icon as the Sears Tower, having been built as the company's headquarters in 1973.

Of course, one of our party rings the bell, which hangs above a boardwalk approaching the chapel.

Santa Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California has long been a playground for the celebrity set.

Some of New England's most stunning foliage is within striking distance of America's most popular living museums.

Heavy emphasis on seasonal, sustainable menu inspired by local farmers, fisherman and artisan producers.

While the city remains the entertainment and movie capital of the world, it also has many world class museums.

The brash, bold Texas of JR Ewing's day is still there, but is now overlaid with a veneer of culture, writes Samuel Muston.

First-timer Derek Cheng heads to Burning Man in the Nevada desert in search of fun and dancing.

The City of Angels is speakeasy central, writes Shandelle Battersby.

Driving the 'Mother Road', Route 66, Russell Contreras searches for the works of Kerouac and Hemingway at the many used bookstores along the way.

With a yawning hole nearly 2km deep at his feet, Mark Meredith looks - very gingerly - into the abyss in Arizona.

After almost two years in Los Angeles, Gin Wigmore has tips for visitors seeking a special spot in her adopted city.

Beth J. Harpaz heads to the new epicenter of Brooklyn-cool.

Shandelle Battersby dreams a California dream in the front row at the Dolby Theatre.

The legacy of a former newspaper magnate lives on at San Simeon, writes Shandelle Battersby.

Shandelle Battersby finds the jewel of the missions along California's King's Highway.

Ewan McDonald sips the flavours of the Old South in Texas and New Orleans.

From books to bikes and beers - Shandelle Battersby looks at the best of Portland.

A friendly year-round climate makes Santa Monica a hit with locals as well as tourists, writes Tess Nichol.

Oahu's big waves and warm waters are a magnet to all types and sizes of mammals, finds Paul Davies.

To mark 60 years, Disneyland has conjured up spectacular parades and fireworks, writes Peter Mitchell.

It's hard to imagine this "park in the sky" was once the domain of thundering freight trains.

More than 20 years after hearing a song, Nigel Richardson sees the frontier city that inspired it.

Wanting a family-friendly way to explore the Caribbean? Then board a Disney Cruise ship in Galveston, suggests Tim Lamb.

The Texan capital has an outlaw spirit that makes it the perfect place to party, writes Ewan McDonald.

Nashville's mix of Southern hospitality and rich creative heritage hits just the right note for Jez Smadja.