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Road Trip Ideas

Turn your next vacation into a cultural journey and plan a road trip that takes you to some of the country's most enriching attractions. With more than 35,000 museums, America has so many places to explore history, discover art and learn how our world works. In honor of World Day for Cultural Diversity, we've found some places to visit to learn more about America's diverse history, from the country's only museum focused on the Asian Pacific American experience to Kansas City's American Jazz Museum.

Washington, D.C., delves deep into the history of the American people

Top spots: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Holocaust Memorial Museum, National Museum of the American Indian

Washington is loaded with culture and history. The National Museum of African American History & Culture tells stories about African American life. Exhibits cover slavery, Reconstruction, the civil rights movement and more. You'll learn about everything from historic heroes to modern successes. Be sure to make time to eat at the museum's celebrated Sweet Home Café for a taste of classic African American dishes.

At the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, you can learn about the Jewish American experience. The stories of survivors and victims of the Holocaust are told through personal letters, audio recordings, pictures, film footage and historical objects. The museum also hosts survivors for monthly talks to share their first-person experiences.

Take a tour of The National Museum of the American Indian to see one of the biggest collections of Native American masks, clothing, art, basketry and other objects. Hear stories, learn about traditions and history, and explore Native Americans' quest for equity and social justice. Stop at the Mitsitam Café to sample fry bread and other authentic foods.

Seattle celebrates its diversity

Top spots: Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, Northwest African American Museum

The Wing Luke Museum in Seattle is the country's only community-based museum dedicated to Asian Pacific Americans. Located in Seattle's Chinatown, Wing Luke is part of the National Park Service and the Smithsonian. The Wing Luke Museum also promotes the historic Chinatown-International District and encourages visitors to explore the neighborhood. Bruce Lee, who lived in Seattle and opened his first martial arts studio there, has been the subject of many popular exhibits at the museum.

Next to Jimi Hendrix Park, the Northwest African American Museum tells a mix of stories using visual art, music, craft and literature. The museum focuses on how African Americans came to the Pacific Northwest, whether through slavery or immigration. A recent exhibition celebrated iconic African American women through artistic portraits.

Navajo Nation spans thousands of glorious miles

Top spots: Monument Valley

America's Four Corners is shaped by Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Visitors can spend days exploring the 27,000 square miles of the Navajo Nation. The area includes national monuments, tribal parks, historical sites and natural spots such as Lake Powell.

Visit the sacred Shiprock Peak — known as Tsé Bitʼaʼí or "rock with wings" to the Navajo people — along with the sandstone buttes and spires of Monument Valley. Guided tours will take you to archeological sites and teach you about Navajo traditions.

Stop in the Navajo Code Talkers Museum in Tuba City, Arizona, to learn how the Navajo used their language to help Marines send secret messages during World War II.

Memphis explores the African American fight for freedom

Top spots: National Civil Rights Museum, Slave Haven Underground Museum

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel in 1968. Today, the motel is the National Civil Rights Museum, which chronicles the changes that took place during King's era through exhibits, artifacts, video histories and interactive displays.

Another Memphis landmark is The Slave Haven Underground Museum, the former home of a German immigrant that was part of the Underground Railroad. The small museum tells the story of the fight to abolish slavery. You can also see the secret cellars and passageways that offered a safe place for enslaved people to hide while trying to escape to freedom.

New York uncovers the immigrant experience

Top spots: The Tenement Museum, Ellis Island Immigration Museum

New York City is one of the most diverse places in America, mainly because of immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Tenement Museum celebrates stories of people who left their homes in other countries to make a new life in America. Visitors can see how immigrants lived from the 1860s to the 1980s with tours of their homes and the surrounding neighborhood.

The Ellis Island Immigration Museum tells a different immigrant story. This is where 12 million people stopped for processing and medical check-ups as they entered the United States. If you want to learn more about your ancestors who came through Ellis Island, visit the Family History Center. Another interesting stop here is the Statue of Liberty Museum, which shows how the statue was made and gifted to the United States.

San Francisco highlights the art of a diverse community

Top spots: Asian Art Museum, Museum of the Africa Diaspora, Contemporary Jewish Museum

San Francisco's diversity comes alive in its art museums. The Asian Art Museum has more than 18,000 non-European pieces of art, from ancient works to modern-day multimedia. In the Yerba Buena arts district, the Museum of the African Diaspora shows the cultural impact of Africans through their art. Another uplifting experience awaits at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, which is full of history, culture and visual art. Exhibits change often. Recent ones included "Levi Strauss: A History of American Style" and "Experience Leonard Cohen."

Kansas City showcases the uplifting cultural impact of African Americans

Top spots: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, American Jazz Museum

Baseball history is on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The baseball league ran from 1920 into 1960, when, for most of that time, African Americans were barred from Major League Baseball. Located within a historic Kansas City neighborhood, the museum documents the league's most talented ballplayers through photos, game balls, uniforms and other memorabilia.

Within the same building complex, the American Jazz Museum gives you a feel for an original American art form that thrived in Kansas City. You'll see an Ella Fitzgerald sequined gown along with sheet music, vintage club signs and Charlie Parker's saxophone. The museum also has listening stations and live music concerts for interactive fun.

By Tim Newcomb

Tim Newcomb is a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to Forbes SportsMoney, TIME Business, Fast Company, and the New York Times. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb