- Brand USA highlights milestone anniversaries, major openings and headline-making events for 2027
- Baltimore celebrates the 200th anniversary of the US railroad and San Jose marks 250 years since its founding
- Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp debuts as the nation’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Washington, D.C. hosts the NFL Draft and Wrigley Field hosts its first MLB All-Star Game since 1990
- Major openings include Detroit’s expanded Motown Museum, Portland’s James Beard Public Market and Milwaukee’s Nature and Culture Museum
Brand USA is highlighting the milestone anniversaries, major openings and headline-making events giving international travellers new reasons to explore destinations across the United States in 2027. Baltimore celebrates the 200th anniversary of the US railroad, San Jose marks 250 years since its founding, and Bristol, Virginia, commemorates 100 years since the recordings known as the Big Bang of Country Music. Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp debuts as the nation’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, while Washington, D.C. hosts the NFL Draft and Wrigley Field hosts its first MLB All-Star Game since 1990.
Other major openings include Detroit’s expanded Motown Museum, Portland’s James Beard Public Market, Milwaukee’s Nature and Culture Museum of Wisconsin and Scottsdale’s International Dark Sky Discovery Center.
In the Northeast, Providence, Rhode Island, showcases two first-of-their-kind museums, the African American Museum of Rhode Island and the AAPI History Museum. United Airlines launches nonstop service from Luxembourg to Newark, New Jersey. American Airlines launches the first nonstop service from Vienna to Philadelphia in early May 2027.
Washington, D.C. hosts the 2027 NFL Draft from 29 April to 1 May and celebrates the 100th National Cherry Blossom Festival from 20 March to 11 April. Star Wars: The Experience makes its world premiere at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute in February 2027. In Virginia, 2027 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions. In Shelburne, Vermont, the Shelburne Museum opens the 11,200-square-foot Perry Center for Native American Art in June 2027. In Buffalo, New York, the newly expanded Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo opens.
In the West, Alaska Airlines launches the first nonstop service from Athens to Seattle in mid-May, while United Airlines begins nonstop service from Okinawa to San Francisco in March. The James Beard Public Market opens in spring 2027 in Portland. The Santa Fe Opera celebrates its 70th season in 2027. Arizona debuts The Sydney in Scottsdale and the International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Fountain Hills. Santa Barbara, California, opens Gwendolyn’s Playground and State of Mind Cafe. Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC West Hollywood opens in December 2026. San Jose, California, celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2027 and the California Theatre celebrates its 100th anniversary in April. The Sundance Film Festival moves to Boulder, Colorado, from 21 to 31 January.
In the Midwest, Chicago opens Universal Horror Unleashed and the Candy Hall of Fame Experience and hosts the MLB All-Star Game at Wrigley Field. Cincinnati is featured in the inaugural Michelin Guide Great Lakes Edition. Milwaukee opens two new AC by Marriott hotels and the $255 million Nature and Culture Museum of Wisconsin. Detroit’s Motown Museum reopens in spring 2027 following a $75 million expansion.
In the South, Delta launches the first nonstop service from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Austin in March, while American Airlines begins nonstop service from Barcelona to Charlotte in May. Graceland commemorates 50 years since the passing of Elvis Presley with a milestone edition of Elvis Week in Memphis. Louisiana resumes passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans via Amtrak. Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge opens at Walt Disney World Resort in summer 2027. Pinehurst Resort opens its 11th course, No. 11, in autumn 2027.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2027 with the debut of Werewolf Gorge. Waldorf Astoria Texas Hill Country opens in Fredericksburg. In Hawaii and US Territories, The Royal Hawaiian celebrates its 100th anniversary in February 2027. Major cruise lines add ship calls and expanded itineraries that include San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2027. In the US Virgin Islands, St. Thomas hosts the Clipper 2027-28 Round the World Yacht Race. Club Med returns to US territory with the opening of a new resort on St. Croix in 2027.
Fred Dixon shared “The USA is ever-evolving, always humming with something new to surprise and delight. In 2027, milestone anniversaries, landmark openings, and reimagined experiences across the country will serve as powerful demand generators, inviting travelers worldwide to come experience all that’s new, coast to coast. With the momentum of a historic 2026 carrying toward the LA28 Olympic Games, we believe interest in travel to the U.S. will continue to build. For international travelers, the time to start planning a USA holiday is now.”
