USA News: Summer 2023

Petra Shepherd

Boasting breathtaking national parks and iconic cities, a spectacular coastline, culture and fun for all generations, whether it’s your first or fifth visit to the USA, there’s always plenty of new things to discover. Silver Travel Advisor and our partners have all manner of exciting trips and holidays on offer. The team recently headed stateside where there was plenty of news to report. 

Taste Las Vegas

Las Vegas
Las Vegas

The Las Vegas dining scene is always evolving with new restaurants and culinary concepts on and of the Strip. One of the newest trends to appear on the Strip are food halls – modern day, elevated food courts, featuring diverse and gourmet dining options.

Visit Proper Eats at ARIA Resort and Casino for an eclectic assortment of regional favourites and new, only in Vegas concepts all under one roof.

Meanwhile, global lifestyle icon Martha Stewart brings delicious recipes and farmhouse charm to the Las Vegas strip with her first restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart at Paris Las Vegas.

The highly anticipated Fontainbleau Las Vegas will open its door this Winter, showcasing its glamorous interiors, world class restaurants, shopping, pool and entertainment experiences.

Starting in March this year, British Airways now runs a new direct flight from London Gatwick to Las Vegas which will operate three times a week until 28th October 2023. 

Family fun in Florida

Legoland Florida
Pirate River Quest at Legoland Florida

TRON Lightcycle / Run opened at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in April. The new attraction is one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world. Based on the Disney sci-fi film TRON: Legacy, guests speed across a world with no horizons in a high-stake race in their very own Light cycle.

Journey of Water, inspired by Moana, opens later this year within World Nature – the Epcot neighbourhood dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe and balance of the natural world.

Meanwhile, the world’s first surf coaster debuts at Seaworld and Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast is a game-based adventure opening at Universal Studios, Florida. The new attraction will be part of a new Minion land. You’ll be very popular with any grandchildren if you take them to just one of these. Also, the Brightline train will begin service from Miami to Orlando this summer. The route will include 16 daily round trips with hourly departures including stops in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Aventura. 

And Legoland re-invents a classic with the new Pirate River Quest. The Cypress Gardens River Tour was a favourite attraction for decades at the old Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven. Legoland Florida Resort brings back the tour and re-invents it was a buccaneering pirate theme sure to delight children and grown-ups alike.

The 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Annual Boston Tea Party Re-enactment
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Annual Boston Tea Party Re-enactment

The 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party will be taking place on Saturday, December 16, 2023 (the actual anniversary) with a grand-scale live reenactment at Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall and Old South Meeting House. This will be followed by a lively procession to the waterfront led by fife and drummers, where the Sons of Liberty will destroy loose tea sent from London’s East India Company (and from tea sent in from citizens across the US) into Boston’s historic waters at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, which is located over the same body of water where the Boston Tea Party took place two and half centuries ago. 

Hank Williams’ 100th Birthday Bash

Hank Williams Museum
Hank Williams Museum

The Hank Williams Museum is a step back into the life of Country Music’s first superstar – Hank Williams. The 6,000 square ft museum in Montgomery, Alabama houses Hank’s 1952 Baby Blue Cadillac in which he made his final journey, along with suits, boots, hats, ties, awards, furniture, horse saddle, portraits, records, albums and more. The Hank Williams Museum will host the 100th birthday of Hank Williams with a big celebration between 15-17 September 2023.

The iconic Hollywood sign celebrates 100 years

Hollywood sign
Hollywood sign

This year, the iconic Hollywood Sign celebrates 100 years as an enduring symbol of Los Angeles.

A global icon of Hollywood moviemaking, Warner Bros. Studios also celebrates its 100th anniversary with a year of centennial celebrations. From the TV series Friends to masterpieces like Gone with the Wind, Warner Bros will share the magic of film with a special celebratory exhibit in the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Welcome Centre.

Los Angeles has added over 5,000 new hotel rooms in the last years with the city seeing a boutique hotel boom.

The Alamo Collections Hall

Alamo Centre
Alamo Centre

The new Alamo Collections Centre displays the entire Phil Collins Collection, among other pieces from the Alamo Collection, in its 10,000 square feet of new exhibition space.

Meanwhile, The Alamo Visitor Centre and Museum is on track for a 2026 launch, all part of The Alamo Plan. The Alamo Plan encompasses both restoration of historic buildings and new construction projects, all with the goal of fostering reverence and dignity at one of the most important sites in Texas history.

Traverse City, Michigan

Wheels on Rails
Wheels on Rails

The first Rail Bike tour in Michigan started in May 2023 in Traverse City. Wheels on Rails combines rail travel and bicycling for fun. Rail bikers pedal specially purposed vehicles along disused stretches of historic rail lines that have no traffic. A railbike ride offers the perfect combination of fresh air, sightseeing, exercise, and wide-open spaces. The tour is a six-mile round trip on either a tandem bike for two people or a quad bike for four persons.

The Flying Heritage Museum opens in the Port of Seattle 

Port of Seattle
Port of Seattle

After 3 years, the Flying Heritage Museum Reopens. The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum reopened at Paine Field in Everett on May 27, after a change of ownership and three years of closure triggered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Director of Operations at the museum, Amber Richards, said in a statement that the opening date, which fell on Memorial Day weekend, is symbolic because it represents remembrance of lost servicemen. The Flying Heritage Museum will be open Saturdays and Sundays from May 27 to June 14. Afterward, it will be open Wednesday through Sunday. 

Next Steps

Find out more and book your holiday to the USA by calling 0800 412 5678 to talk with our Silver Travel Advisors.

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Petra Shepherd

Editor of Silver Travel Book Club & Cook Club

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