1. Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
   British Columbia, Canada
2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
   Yukon, Canada

Almost 150 years after Abraham Lincoln raised the pre-inaugural flag at Independence Hall, president-elect Barack Obama partially imitated the gesture before his 2009 inauguration. Both Lincoln and Obama lived in Illinois at some point in their civilian lives.

1. Manitoba, Canada
   Springfield, Illinois, U.S.
2. Ottawa, Canada
   Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

Parliament Hill is a neo-Gothic style group of government buildings perched over the Ottawa River on a cliff. Famous buildings at the site include House of Commons and Library of Parliament. The buildings were established in the 1860s.

1. Nova Scotia, Canada
   Alberta, Canada
2. Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
   Dover, Delaware, U.S.

Peggy's Cove remains one of Nova Scotia's most visited fishing villages. The idyllic cove, where turbulent seas crash into cascading white stones, is situated at the inlet of St. Margaret's Bay.

1. New York, New York, U.S.
   Augusta, Maine, U.S.
2. Nunavut, Canada
   Quebec City, Canada

The National September 11 Memorial in New York City opened on the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks of the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan's financial district. The National September 11 Memorial Museum was first scheduled to open on September 11, 2012.

1. Winnipeg, Canada
   Salem, Oregon, U.S.
2. Alberta, Canada
   Augusta, Maine, U.S.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology is located near Alberta's Drumheller Badlands. The place is named for Canadian scientist Joseph B. Tyrell, who was the first to retrieve dinosaur remains at the Badlands.

1. Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
   Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
2. New Brunswick, Canada
   Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

The connected Moose Jaw tunnels were constructed so that the city's underground steam boilers could be maintained. American gangster Al Capone converted the tunnels into booze-storage areas where the contraband could be easily prepped for shipment on U.S.-bound rail cars.

1. Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
   New Brunswick, Canada
2. Labrador, Canada
   Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.

Bay of Fundy is an ecosystem that boasts a landscape of beaches, marshes, mudflats and cliffs. Hopewell Rocks is a popular tourist attraction at the bay. The red sandstone rocks have been carved by years of forceful Fundy tides.

1. Concord, New Hampshire, U.S.
   Charlottetown, Canada
2. Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, U.S.
   Halifax, Canada

In 1916, the U.S. government requisitioned Blue Lake, a sacred water body for the Native people of the area. In 1970, President Nixon issued legislation returning Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo.

1. Whitehorse, Canada
   Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
2. Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
   Montreal, Canada

Notre-Dame Basilica is located in Montreal, a Canadian municipality established in 1642. Established in 1656, Notre-Dame is Montreal's first church and can accommodate 12,000 visitors.

1. Toronto, Canada
   Louisiana, Baton Rouge, U.S.
2. Vancouver, Canada
   Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.

In 1915, the pseudo-island known as Granville Island was constructed out of mud from Vancouver Harbor. Before the city regenerated the area in the 70s, Granville Island consisted of slaughterhouses, shipyards and sawmills.

1. Carson City, Nevada, U.S.
   Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
2. Austin, Texas, U.S.
   Quebec, Canada

The Historic District of Old Quebec was established over 400 years ago. The city with an old-world appeal is home to European bistros and antique shops. French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded the region in 1608, naming it "Kebec" which means "where the river narrows."

1. Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
   Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
2. Ontario, Canada
   Prince Edward Island, Canada

Before it was restored as a historic museum, the First White House of the Confederacy used to be in such bad shape that the city of Montgomery did not disclose the true location of the dilapidated boarding house. In 1900. the White House Association was established to save the property.

1. Nova Scotia, Canada
   Juneau, Alaska
2. Prince Edward Island-New Brunswick, Canada
   Iqaluit, Canada

Canada's smallest province, Prince Edward Island, or "PEI," spans 2,184 square miles against the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The island is comprised of small village centers, plush farmland and a scenic coastline.

1. Cold Lake, Canada
   Nashville, Tennesee, U.S.
2. Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
   San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

No one inside the Alamo mission survived the so-called "13 days to glory" battle at the Alamo mission. During Texas's 160th Independence Day, the location hosted a live re-enactment that featured actors in the plaza shooting live rounds of gunfire from rifles.

1. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
   Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
2. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
   Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

Vancouver, Canada's Stanley Park is surrounded mostly by water. A bike path lines the top of the park's long seawall, which offers scenic views of Vancouver and the encompassing waterways.

1. Denver, Colorado, U.S.
   New Brunswick, Canada
2. Prince William County, Virginia, U.S.
   Ontario, Canada

Manassas National Battlefield Park is the place where the first major land fray of the American Civil War unfolded at adjacent Pageland Farm in the summer of 1861. Nearly a year later, the two sides battled it out at the same location. The Confederates won both times.

1. Northwest Territories, Canada
   Regina, Canada
2. Toronto, Canada
   Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.

Toronto hosts the Hockey Hall of Fame, located in the heart of the city's banking district within walking distance of Lake Ontario. The three-storied facility with a stained-glass ceiling is filled with plaques and other hockey memorabilia.

1. Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
   Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
2. North Vancouver, Canada
   Yellowknife, Canada

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is a 450-foot-long bridge for pedestrian foot traffic that stretches 230 feet above the Capilano River. The newer bridge was built in 1956. Scottish architect George Grant Mackay constructed the first bridge in the late 1800s.

1. Ontario, Canada
   Prince Edward Island, Canada
2. St. John's, Canada
   Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.

A series of hand-operated locks helps to facilitate navigation in Ontario's Rideau Canal and interconnected water bodies. Built in the 19th century, the canal first served a military function; the lock station is a refurbished army blockhouse.

1. Georgia, U.S.
   Texas, U.S.
2. Toronto, Canada
   Arizona, U.S.

Located near Sedona, Arizona, the Montezuma Castle National Monument is a five-storied castle-like structure made of limestone. The Sinagua Indians built and inhabited the ruins during the 12th and 13th centuries.

1. Alberta, Canada
   Manitoba, Canada
2. Quebec, Canada
   Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

A plethora of hiking trails wind throughout Banff National Park. The park is regarded as one of the most scenic destinations in the world for its majestic views of Alberta's Canadian Rockies.

1. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
   Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
2. Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
   Ontario, Canada

Recently, the region's marketing arm, Destination St. John's, has initiated strategies to revise St. John's appeal. The firm's three-year strategy includes establishing a new website and conceptualizing digital tools to best promote the destination to sophisticated consumer travelers.

1. Beaumont, Canada
   Burlington, Canada
2. Summerside, Canada
   Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.

The grounds of the Gettysburg National Military Park include a museum that displays a robust collection of artifacts from the Civil War. The nearby Gettysburg Train Station is where Abraham Lincoln passed through before delivering his two-minute Gettysburg Address about the war and its purpose.

1. Quebec City, Canada
   Greenwood, Canada
2. Sacramento, California, U.S.
   Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.

Getting to Hotel de Glace, or Ice Hotel, is a 25-minute trek from downtown Quebec City. The hotel is made mostly out of ice, with an ambient temperature of 23 degrees. Rooms include sleeping bags that heat up to 75 degrees.

1. Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
   Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
2. St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
   Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Initially, Birmingham's Statue of Liberty was affixed to the Liberty National Insurance company in the city's downtown district. Just like the original statue in New York City, Birmingham's 10-ton, 31-foot-tall replica was cast in France.

1. Nova Scotia, Canada
   British Columbia, Canada
2. Manitoba, Canada
   Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.

Kootenay National Park boasts an array of landscapes, from its northern glaciers to the rolling grasslands in the south. The park features canyons, high-peaked mountains, as well as natural perks like the Radium Hot Springs.

1. Quebec City, Canada
   San Diego, California, U.S.
2. Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
   Melfort, Canada

Now called Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, the former fortress was established in 1893. Nestled inside the walls of Old Quebec, this luxury hotel with an Old European flair has 611 guestrooms.

1. Yorkton, Canada
   St. James Parish, Louisiana, U.S.
2. Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
   Leduc, Canada

Oak Alley Plantation offers a quarter mile of 300-year-old oak trees that frame a classic Greek revival mansion. There are several other renowned antebellum homes in St. James Parish, including St. Joseph Plantation, A Creole Plantation and Poche Plantation.

1. Seattle, Washington, U.S.
   Olympia, Washington, U.S.
2. Wetaskiwin, Canada
   Sitka, Alaska, U.S.

The Baranof Castle State Historic Site is where America purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. The U.S. National Park Service manages the site that features Russian and indigenous Tlingit cultural artifacts and Tlingit totem poles.

1. Nevada, Arizona, U.S.
   Lacombe, Alberta, Canada
2. Ontario, Canada
   Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Builders of Hoover Dam were paid 50 cents an hour, which was double the national wage average of the time in the early 1900s. During the summer months, sometimes workers were subjected to scorching temperatures that reached as high as 150 degrees.

1. Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
   Nunavut, Iqaluit, Canada
2. Independence, California, U.S.
   Manitoba, Canada

During World War II, the Manzanar War Relocation Center is where Japanese-Americans were involuntarily detained. Today, the former internment camp is a national historic site where remnants of Japanese gardens still remain.

1. Provincetown, Massachusetts, U.S.
   Lacombe, Alberta, Canada
2. Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada
   Mount Pearl, Canada

The Pilgrim Museum is located in Provincetown, a Massachusetts, a town better known as an LGBTQ+ haven than a historic colonial destination. The Pilgrims ended up at Provincetown by accident; strong storm winds pushed the Mayflower, headed for Virginia, further north by a few hundred miles.

1. Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
   Nunavut, Canada
2. Portland, Oregon, U.S.
   New Westminster, Canada

Mount Asgard is said to have been made to withstand giants. The location was used in the Bond film as a substitute for the Alps. The opening ski-scene in which Rick Sylvester skied off the cliff of Mount Asgard before launching a parachute inspired the sport of BASE jumping.

1. Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
   Montezuma County, Colorado, U.S.
2. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
   Mesa, Arizona, U.S.

The Pueblo people inhabited the Mesa Verde region from 550 A.D. to 1300 A.D. President Theodore Roosevelt launched Mesa Verde National Park, home to over 5,000 ancient sites, in 1906 to "preserve the works of man."

1. Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
   Barrie, Ontario, Canada
2. Neuville, Quebec, Canada
   Mystic, Connecticut, U.S.

The Marine Historical Association, now known as Mystic Seaport, was established when three residents of Mystic, Connecticut signed the institution's incorporation papers in the 1920s. The museum also houses items like marine figureheads and tools that date back hundreds of years.