Celebrate veterans by adding these patriotic sites to your summer road trip

USA Today

23-05-2025

Celebrate veterans by adding these patriotic sites to your summer road trip
Vanessa Marquette of Syracuse, N.Y., comes from a long line of service members. Both of her grandfathers fought in World War II, as did her great-uncle. Her mother and father served in the Air Force. Her nephew serves in the Navy. And her husband serves in the New York Army National Guard, having previously served eight years in the Army.
'Literally everyone in my family, pretty much, has served,' says Marquette, who has made it her personal mission to document the history of her relatives' service. 'People need to remember the generations that served before us, and I feel like it's my duty to help them do that by learning about them and sharing what they went through.'
Although she does lots of online research, the internet isn't the only place Marquette goes to learn about American heroes. She also likes visiting museums, monuments and memorials that commemorate veterans.
'It's one thing to learn about this type of history in textbooks. But it's totally different when you're experiencing it in real time,' says Marquette, who shares her passion for military tourism on TikTok, where she posts under the handle @travelingdoglover, and at BestiesBeTrippin.com, a travel blog she produces with her best friends.
Military tourism is as much about supporting today's veterans as it is about remembering yesterday's, says military spouse and frequent traveler Chelsey Thomas, operator of CamouflagePerks.com, a blog and website offering resources for military families.
'The sacrifices made by military members and their families are easy to forget when you aren't living it. We see homecomings on the news, but you rarely see the departure or the challenges in between or upon returning home,' says Thomas, whose husband, Michael, has served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 10 years. 'Many sacrifices that are made are very personal, but it is impactful to know that … they are honored and remembered by the country.'
Marquette and Thomas agree that every American can show gratitude to those who serve through the simple act of visiting places that pay tribute to them. Summer vacations are the perfect opportunity. If you're planning a summer road trip or weekend getaway, consider adding to your itinerary one or more of the following patriotic places. Even a short pitstop could make a big difference to Americans in uniform:
NORTHEAST
The Northeast is rich with military history. One of the nation's most famous military sites is Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Visitors can watch battle reenactments, view artillery and cavalry demonstrations, and tour the battlefield where as many as 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or missing during the Civil War's bloodiest battle.
While you're in Pennsylvania, check out the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem and the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. Located on the former grounds of Bethlehem Steel, the former honors steelworkers-turned-soldiers as well as those who stayed behind to forge precious wartime steel for tanks, aircraft and battleships during World Wars I and II. The latter tells the powerful story of the Revolutionary War and the brave colonists who fought it.
New York also has scores of military sites. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, for instance, is America's oldest military school and oldest continuously occupied military post, and its museum, West Point Museum, boasts the largest diversified collection of military artifacts in the United States, including items such as George Washington's pistols and a World War I tank. There's also the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, whose mission is sharing the stories of Purple Heart recipients; the Niagara Falls Veterans Memorial in Niagara Falls, which is the largest granite monument dedicated to veterans outside the Washington Beltway; and Fort Ticonderoga in Ticonderoga, where American forces had their first offensive victory against the British in the Revolutionary War.
Elsewhere in the region, check out Memorial Park in Providence, Rhode Island, a sculpture-filled park honoring Americans who died during the Korean War and World Wars I and II, and the Wright Museum of World War II in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, which has more than 14,000 items in its collection. The National Coast Guard Museum in New London, Connecticut, will celebrate members of the U.S. Coast Guard when it opens in 2026.
SOUTHEAST
Because it encompasses the nation's capital and many of its largest military communities, the Southeast has a huge number of military tourism sites.
Bucket-list spots include the National Mall in Washington, DC – home to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the World War I Memorial and the World War II Memorial – and Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, where you can pay respects to thousands of fallen service members, including those memorialized at the powerful Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Also in Arlington is the Military Women's Memorial, honoring the contributions of 3 million women who have served in or with the U.S. military since the American Revolution. Other spots of note in Washington include the National Guard Memorial Museum and the National Museum of the U.S. Navy. Nearby, you'll find the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, and the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
The capital region is just the tip of the iceberg, though. In Bedford, Virginia, there is the National D-Day Memorial honoring American D-Day veterans. And in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the world's largest flying collections of World War I- and II-era military aircraft are found at the Military Aviation Museum.
Worth seeing further south are Alabama's Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, honoring the Black airmen who served in World War II; the poignant history memorializing American prisoners of war at Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia; and the spectacular National WWII Museum in New Orleans, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, as well as the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, the day that marked the end of the war in Europe.
MIDWEST
The famously warm Midwest welcome extends to veterans and Americans who want to salute them at sites like the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, which claims to be the only museum in the world that celebrates and shares the stories of veterans from all times of U.S. history and from all branches of the military. Don't miss the incredible city views from its rooftop; the gorgeous rainbow windows in its Gold Star Remembrance Gallery, which represent the colors of military service ribbons honoring those who died in service; or the newly opened 2.5-acre Memorial Grove, featuring a grove of elm trees with a 325‑foot‑long stone wall, three water cascades and a reflection pool.
Veterans also receive a grand reception in Indianapolis thanks to the 284-foot Soldiers & Sailors Monument that honors Indiana service members. There's an observation deck with panoramic city views, as well as a nightly signature salute for veterans that bathes the monument in red, white and blue. Also check out the seven-block Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District that includes the Indiana War Memorial & Museum and Veterans Memorial Plaza, known for its 100-foot obelisk and fountain honoring all branches of military service.
Chicago also has its share of military tourism sites. Among them are Soldier Field, the city's historic football stadium that's dedicated to fallen American service members; the National Veterans Art Museum, which exclusively displays art made by veterans; and the Chicago Remembers Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Chicago River, which features the names of nearly 3,000 Illinois service members killed in the Vietnam War.
Other must-visit Midwest sites include the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri; the War Memorial Center and adjoining War Memorial Beer Garden in Milwaukee; and South Dakota's Mount Rushmore, which in the summer hosts a nightly lighting and flag ceremony honoring veterans.
WEST
The West has long been a symbol of American freedom, which makes it an ideal place to salute service members and veterans.
Although Hawaii isn't exactly road trip-friendly, Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Oahu is an obvious destination. At the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, the USS Arizona Memorial and the moving Remembrance Circle exhibit, you'll learn about the famous Japanese attack on the United States and honor the more than 2,300 service members and civilians who died during on Dec. 7, 1941.
Back in the lower 48, the San Diego Air & Space Museum is a bucket-list stop for aviation buffs, as is The Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Other worthwhile stops are the National United States Armed Forces Museum in Houston; the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, which honors the military contributions of Black soldiers and also in Houston; the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, Wyoming, which is home to the world's largest private collection of U.S. military ground transportation vehicles on display to the public; and the Nevada State Veterans Memorial in Las Vegas, which features 18 larger-than-life statues depicting soldiers from different wars.
For a taste of the unusual, check out the Burger King in Kayenta, Arizona, which is home to a mini museum honoring the Navajo Code Talkers, who helped transmit secret messages to Allied forces during World War II.
Finally, stop by the newly opened National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, which features personal stories, rare artifacts and interactive exhibits honoring the 3,519 American heroes who have received the prestigious Medal of Honor.