Florida

The "Sunshine State," Peninsular Florida is the southeasternmost U.S. state, with the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other has hundreds of miles of beaches. While Miami is known for its Latin flavor and influential art scene, as well as its nightlife, especially in upscale South Beach, Orlando is famed for theme parks, including Walt Disney World.

Texas

A large state in the southern U.S. with deserts, pine forests and the Rio Grande, a river that forms its border with Mexico is Texas. Visit the Museum of Fine Arts houses works by well-known Impressionist and Renaissance painters while Space Center Houston offers interactive displays engineered by NASA. Austin, the capital, is known for its eclectic music scene.

North Carolina

North Carolina, diverse landscape ranging from Atlantic Ocean beaches to the Appalachian Mountains. Charlotte, is a home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, while academia rules in the Research Triangle, comprising Raleigh (the state capital and home to N.C. State University), Durham (Duke University) and Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina).

New Mexico

It is a region with many colonial-style buildings and a wide variety of landscapes, from the mountains of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, la Huasteca in San Luis Potosi and plains in the Bajio in Querétaro. It is drained by several rivers, such as the Pánuco, the Aguanaval, the Turbio, the Guanajuato, La Laja, the Lerma and the Verde. Hot springs are present in Aguascalientes and Querétaro.

Colorado

Colorado, a country with snow-covered mountains, arid desert lands and river canyons. Kayaking the Colorado River, hiking the nearly 500-mile Colorado Trail and skiing at resorts such as Vail and Aspen attracts tourists.

Arizona

The sunny weather of Arizona is a home to the Grand Canyon, the mile-deep chasm carved by the Colorado River. Many visitors utilize Flagstaff, a Ponderosa Pine covered mountain town, as a gateway to the Grand Canyon. Other natural features include the saguaro cactus-filled Sonoran Desert and the rugged formations of Red Rock State Park.

California

California, a country bordering Mexico along the Pacific for nearly 900 miles. It's known for its dramatic terrain encompassing cliff-lined beaches, redwood forest, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Central Valley farmland and the arid Mojave Desert. Its cities include sprawling Los Angeles, the seat of the Hollywood entertainment industry, and hilly San Francisco, home to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Maine

Maine is known for its rocky coastline, long maritime history and abundant parks and reserves, including the famed granite and spruce islands of Acadia National Park. Moose are plentiful in Baxter State Park, which encompasses towering Mt. Katahdin, the endpoint of the Appalachian Trail. Deep, wide Lake Sebago and other Lakes Region waters are popular for fishing and boating

Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern state bordering 4 of the Great Lakes. It contains more than 11,000 inland lakes, spread across its lower and upper peninsulas. Its largest city, Detroit, is famed as the seat of the U.S. auto industry, which inspired Diego Rivera's mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

New York

New York City is a home to the Empire State Building, Times Square, Statue of Liberty and other iconic sites. It is a fast-paced, globally influential center of art, culture, fashion and finance. The city's 5 boroughs sit where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean, with the island borough of Manhattan at the "Big Apple's" core.