11 days in Pennsylvania, Delaware & New Jersey Itinerary

One of the country's 13 original founding states, Pennsylvania contains a balance of modern cities and fertile fields. A rich and varied state with a colorful history dating back to colonial times, it remains a worthy holiday destination with its well-preserved 19th-century battle sites and memorial parks. This diverse land is home to pristine forests and rugged mountain regions. For an urban experience, visit the state's university cities, offering numerous tourist attractions as well as thriving music, performance, art, and culinary scenes. The region's Amish country provides a weekend getaway in a picturesque setting of quaint towns surrounded by rolling hills and fertile farmland.

Nicknamed the "First State" for its role in ratifying the U.S. Constitution, Delaware is only 160 km (100 mi) long and about 80 km (49 mi) wide at its widest point. Despite its small size, the state is a patchwork of complex and diverse communities, with an industrialized north and rural south. More than just a tax-free shopping haven, the state features great sightseeing in its picturesque countryside interspersed with sleepy colonial villages and long sandy beaches. It also offers several organized trail systems that focus on things to do in the outdoors, including history, geocaching, culinary activities, and wine and spirits. Largely because of its size, Delaware remains one of the country's least-explored states.

Often overshadowed by its legendary neighbor, New York, New Jersey holds its own as a land of thriving industrial cities, sprawling farmland, and lively coastal towns. Called the Garden State, New Jersey is a hub of entertainment and cultural attractions for the east coast, from the famous sandy beaches and carnival-like atmosphere of the Jersey Shore to alluring Atlantic City, the Las Vegas of the east. New Jersey also boasts a wealth of historical places to visit, including battle sites and memorials, such as George Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters.