For those who'd rather spend their holiday cycling or surfing, here's a round-up of great sport-themed holidays in America. From high speed car races to unwinding on the beach with some volleyball, our ultimate sport holiday guide has it all.
So pack your bags, grab your pickleball paddle, and dive right in!
Sport-based holidays in the US
Head to the birthplace of beach volleyball
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica beach
Who’d have imagined that a simple game batting a ball back and forth across a net, with the aim of each team to keep it from hitting the sand, could have ended up as an Olympic sport? Yet it did, debuting at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
The modern, two-player Olympic variation was invented in Santa Monica, California, in 1930, but the city’s first permanent beach volleyball nets were installed in the early 1920s. By 1924, serious competitors were entering Santa Monica’s inter-club competitions, and it became the perfect place for wannabe Olympians to train, thanks to its deep sand and naturally active lifestyle.
In 2028, things will come full circle as the city gears up to host the sport here for the LA28 Summer Games. Fancy trying it yourself? There are dozens of courts available for beginners and beyond.
Catch a NASCAR race
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Flags at the racecourse
Simon Hurry
It started as a way for illegal moonshiners to dodge the cops during Prohibition. In the 1920s, Wilkes County in North Carolina was known as America’s moonshine capital; eager not to get caught by the police, distillers souped up their vehicles, tweaking the engines to make them go twice as fast.
This led to drivers racing each other for fun, and in 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was established. Cars can get up to speeds of around 200mph; see these exhilarating competitions for yourself at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, which hosted one of the very first official races, and marvel at the cars’ engineering and past hero drivers at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the edge of Charlotte’s city centre.
Cheer on the gee-gees at the Kentucky Derby
Louisville, Kentucky
A race at the Kentucky Derby
If you like a flutter, there’s no better place to do it than at this classic horse race, which has been held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, since 1875. It’s run by three-year-old thoroughbreds over a distance of 1.25 miles (that’s 10 furlongs in old money).
Held annually on the first Saturday in May, it’s the first leg of the Triple Crown – a series of three races – and is known, rather poetically, as ‘The Run for the Roses’, as the winning horse is draped in a blanket of the romantic blooms. The Derby has been variously nicknamed ‘the most exciting’, ‘the fastest’, or ‘the greatest’ two minutes in sports.
Stay at Hotel Genevieve, a stylish boutique property just a fifteen-minute drive from the track.
kentuckyderby.com; hotelgenevieve.com
Get on two wheels in wine country
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma county vineyard
There’s a reason so many professional cyclists have made Sonoma County their home – and why they call the region ‘Ride Country’ rather than ‘Wine Country’. The area’s varied terrain includes rolling hills, valleys, Redwood forests, wetlands and mountains.
It has attracted the likes of former US Champion and Olympic medallist Levi Leipheimer, and Lance Armstrong, who used to train here with his Tour de France multi–winning team. Take part in some Cyclotourism yourself; try a pro-cycling experience with US cyclist Pete Stetina, where you’ll discover his favourite routes and refuelling spots, or combine it with wine tasting on a biking tour with Getaway Adventures.
In between adventures on two wheels, visit some of the area’s best wineries to refuel and rehydrate.
Catch an NFL game
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh skyline
Muhannad Alatawi
A former steelworking town, Pittsburgh is known as the City of Champions, and rightly so when it’s got a sports record this impressive. The Pittsburgh Steelers American football team has had six Super Bowl wins, while the Pittsburgh Penguins have clocked up five ice hockey Stanley Cups, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are five times baseball World Series victors.
In 2026 Pittsburgh will be chosen to host the NFL Draft. One of the biggest, most-anticipated sporting events of the year in the US, it’s where professional American football teams take turns choosing new players to join them. It’s an even prouder moment because the origins of the NFL Draft come from Pittsburgh itself; in 1936, the very first Player Selections Meeting, as it was then known, took place at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Take in a game at the Acrisure Stadium as part of a new trip with Bon Voyage; the 12-night Steel City to Music City, ending in Nashville, starts from £2,395pp including flights.
Tee off in the the sun
Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach golf resort
It’s seen legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy: the PGA National Resort, located in Palm Beach Gardens, boasts six championship 18-hole golf courses.
The most famous is known simply as ‘The Champion’, which has hosted the 1983 Ryder Cup, the 1987 PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship (between 1982 and 2000), and the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic since 2007. You can take lessons with a pro, get a new club fitted, or have your swing analysed.
If you tire of golf, the resort also offers tennis courts, a luxurious spa designed by Venus Williams, and six signature restaurants. Travelbag has a seven-night trip staying at the PGA National Resort on a room-only basis, including flights and car rental, from £1,599pp.
Play Pickleball where it all began
Bainbridge, Washington
Pickleball paddle
Aleksander Saks
It’s the sport that’s swept the nation: a quirky cross between tennis, ping–pong and badminton, it’s played with a paddle and a perforated plastic ball. Pickleball courts have been popping up all across the country, and there’s even an official amateur association, The United States Amateur Pickleball Association (known as USAP).
But it was first invented by three middle-aged dads in Bainbridge Island, in Washington State, in 1965, when they came up with the idea to entertain their families, using an old badminton court and ping–pong paddles. Legend has it it was named after a family dog called Pickles. Give it a go at its place of origin; head to Founders Courts, where they have open play every Monday to Thursday morning.
The Bainbridge Island Historical Museum even has a section dedicated to the history of pickleball.
Get FIFA fever
Miami, Florida
Miami skyline
Gautier Salles
It will all be happening in Miami in 2026, as the city will be hosting seven matches at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens between June 15 and July 18, including the bronze final.
The prestigious stadium is home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and has already welcomed many high-profile sporting events, including six Super Bowls, the Miami Open tennis tournament, and even Miami Grand Prix Formula 1 racing. Until then, you can catch regular Dolphins games and even Taylor Swift’s Eras concert; she plays there between 18 and 20 October.
Don’t miss the chance to explore South Beach’s impressive Art Deco architecture or soak up the vibrant Hispanic atmosphere and feast on cubanos in Little Havana.
Hang ten
Honolulu, Hawaii
Waikiki beach
People have been riding the waves in Hawaii since the 5th century AD when Polynesians first brought the activity over from Tahiti and the Marquesas islands. Hawaiians invented the art of standing and surfing upright on boards and, many might say, perfected it.
Today, the best places to surf include the North Shore in Oahu (try the Banzai Pipeline), Honolua Bay in Maui, and Hanalei Bay in Kauai. Start in Honolulu, where buzzy metropolis meets tropical island – the gentle waters of iconic Waikiki Beach are ideal for beginners to try their hand at surfing.
Take in the striking views of Diamond Head Crater from the sea, then cool down with a Hawaiian classic: shave ice, flavoured with syrup or fruit.
See the Super Bowl
New Orleans, Louisiana
Jackson Square in New Orleans
Anthony Franklin
Continuing America’s run of epic sports events, February 2025 sees the Super Bowl being held at the Big Easy’s Caesars Superdome (for the eighth time). If you’re a fan of Kendrick Lamar, book your ticket now, because he’s doing the prestigious halftime show slot.
If you’re not, head out into the heart of the city to enjoy all it has to offer; stroll the historic French Quarter and enjoy the jazz music drifting from almost every bar, especially on iconic Bourbon Street, at Preservation Hall around the corner and just down the road at The Spotted Cat.
Don’t miss a ride on the St Charles streetcar, or a steamboat cruise on the Mississippi, and if you’re a foodie, stuff your face with delicious Creole and Cajun cuisine, from gumbo to beignets and po’boys.
