If You Love Americana Culture, You'll Love These 13 Destinations

One of the best things about America is that it is a melting pot of so many other cultures, and a big part of that started with Lady Liberty herself. It's only appropriate that we kick off our list of destinations that fully encompass what it means to be an American with the Statue of Liberty – she may be French in origin, but she has welcomed millions of new Americans into New York over the years. As one of the first things immigrants coming to start a life in this country saw when arriving at Ellis Island, the iconic statue that stands over 300 feet tall has become a major symbol of the United States and is ingrained in Americana culture as the beginning of many American legacies.

By visiting the Statue of Liberty, you'll get a small taste of what immigrants coming to America might have felt, as you can only get to the monument by ferry. Once you arrive at Liberty Island, where Lady Liberty remains standing tall, you can view her from practically every angle – even from inside her crown if you visit when it's available and reserve special tickets.

While on Liberty Island, you can take advantage of the museum dedicated to the history and symbolism of the statue. Lady Liberty's promise of the American dream is vital to the development of Americana culture as a whole and a visit here is a great way to kick off any trip to or through the United States.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a person alive today who hasn't been influenced or entertained by Disney – chances are, you and everyone you know have grown up on Disney. The entertainment giant has been the leader in animation for around a century and they now own some of the biggest, most influential film franchises in existence. From the OG Mickey Mouse to childhood heroes like Jedi Knights and Marvel superheroes, Disney is deeply ingrained in not only Americana culture but pop culture all over the world.

As the mother country of not only Disney but the franchises most beloved around the world, Americans are obsessed with the brand and its parks. And with a park on either side of the country, Disney is pretty much the ideal luxury trip for families. Going to Orlando, Florida to visit Disney World is the ultimate Disney trip, seeing as they have over 40 square miles of land dedicated to Disney magic. A trip to California's Disneyland is no consolation prize, though, as the magic is very much alive with character actors, a dazzling castle, and two parks' worth of rides and attractions.

Both U.S. Disney theme parks have worked hard and spent immeasurable amounts of money to craft an experience that takes you into their universe as if it is a full reality. Everyone can find a world to get lost in while at the parks, and then leave with memories that are out of this world.

We've already established that country music has had a pretty intense influence on Americana and the image of the all-American, so Tennessee gets some solid spots on this list for being the hub for country music. For that same reason, Nashville had to make this list, as there's no other place that honors the genre quite like the Music City.

Visiting Nashville is kind of like visiting a city-sized attraction, as the vast majority of what you'll see is geared toward the intense country music culture that lives there – even if musicians of all genres do find themselves in the city's mesmerizing hold. Nashville's uniquely themed behavior has made it a huge destination for bachelorette parties and celebratory endeavors of all kinds. Music lovers have a great time in Nashville, with the live music scene, neon lights, and southern style working together to give travelers a very niche experience that has a spot in the heart of Americana culture.

In fact, Nashville is so set on embodying the spirit of Americana that they have an annual musical festival named after it. Americanafest showcases big-name artists in the music world and, true to Americana's proclivity toward the American dream, up-and-comers in the industry are also featured. Even if you don't visit the city while the festival is happening, though, Nashville is steeped in the culture.

Although Christmas is celebrated throughout the world and the tradition of Santa Claus is a pretty solid practice in many different countries, the holiday figurehead looks different throughout the world. Americans have ingrained the figure and his holiday into their culture as a red-suited, fat, jolly man. Christmas and Santa Claus memorabilia are both pretty big things – a lot of the time even overlapping with that of Coca-Cola, thanks to the sugary beverage brand's stellar marketing tactics – and the town of Santa Claus in Indiana obviously plays up their name by going all out for the holiday.

Indiana may not hear the term often, but the town of Santa Claus is a bit of a double threat. Not only does the town remain festive for Christmas year round and has been the recipient of thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year, but it was also featured on the Hallmark Channel. Hallmark and Christmas pair almost as well as they do with Americana culture, making the town a great addition to any road trip designed around the theme.

It would be a downright crime to leave Chicago off of this list, as the city itself has a culture rich enough to be its own country and everything from the food to the music has impacted American culture as a whole. For now, though, we're just going to focus on one minuscule part of the city, and it's the home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field.

If America loves sports, then Chicago is utterly obsessed. Chicagoans are enthusiastically smitten with their various sports teams, but the Cubs and Wrigley Field seem to hold a warm place in all American sports fans' hearts. Baseball is historically the number one all-American sport, and Chicago has been in the forefront of that scene since the very beginning, as they were the second established baseball team in the United States, second only to the Atlanta Braves who were formed the same year.

Practically any sports fan will tell you that one of the most American things you can do is eat a ballpark hotdog while watching a ball game, and Chicago hits a home run – sorry, we physically could not resist the baseball pun. In this area, hot dogs are one of the city's great passions and specialties. In fact, you could even take your quintessential American experience a step further by ordering a Chicago-style dog at Wrigley Field, and with any luck, the Cubs will come out on top to make a top-tier Americana experience.

In addition to being the theme of pretty much every middle school dance for the past few decades, it's almost impossible to go on the internet or have a conversation in America without noticing the influence that Hollywood has had on our culture. People either love or love to hate the rich and famous, but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't fixate on at least one thing that has come out of Hollywood, whether it be Tarantino films or the latest Kardashian controversy.

While current pop culture certainly has its grip on Americans, it's old Hollywood that has had a heavy influence on Americana. Marilyn Monroe, the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and other aspects of Hollywood that date back to its Golden Age are symbols of the American dream ideal that was once thriving in Hollywood. The Los Angeles district still pays homage to those icons who rose to fame during the time period, and Americana culture is still very much alive and well in the city.

What would America be without coffee? We don't even want to imagine it, and that's why Seattle's Pike Place Market gets a place on the list – though, it's much more than the birthplace of the widely beloved Starbucks. American ideals praise the idea of home-grown, which is another reason a fresh market such as Pike Place deserves a spot on this list.

Pike Place Market is a massive outdoor exchange that basically acts as the soul of Seattle in being a place people can gather and affordably feed themselves and their families while also contributing to the pockets of vendors and small businesses. Fresh flowers as well as edibles and homemade crafts can be found at the market, right along with its iconic fish throwers providing a show and freshly caught fish for purchase.

For such a large city, the market provides a loving sense of community that can also be found in the heart of Americana. Pike Place Market has been a vital part of Seattle for over 100 years and has nourished the body and soul of generations – it makes for a great destination if you're looking for a nice, feel good Americana experience.