This is a new kind of history-oriented US travel guide, one that not only showcases premier destinations, but also uses their histories to tell the story of early America. It focuses on the period before the 1840 westward movement and features 300 of the nation's premier living history parks, historic sites, and 'museum-plus' destinations. It includes World Heritage Sites, National Parks and Monuments, State and National Historic Sites, and a rich collection of privately operated Living History Museums, categorised in chapters that reflect our nation's early heritage - America's Native Peoples, European Colonisation, Religious and Secular Groups, Road to Independence, Our New Nation, and Opening the West. In addition to details about the top historic destinations, this book offers 500 colour photographs, helpful regional maps and a wealth of background information to make reading enjoyable and travels exciting.