United States
Flags of the United States line both side of a road.
“The diversity of America is a strength of the country, and I don’t think that we use that. We don’t talk about our strengths. I mean, having so many diverse people in this country from all aspects of all over the world, and we don’t use that. I think we should talk about who we are – that melting pot that we’ve become.”
–Steve Stoute
The lyrics in the anthem America the Beautiful expresses it best–the United States of America really is beautiful.
O beautiful for spacious skies…For amber waves of grain…For purple mountain majesties…Above the fruited plain!…America! America!…God shed His grace on thee…And crown thy good with brotherhood…From sea to shining sea!
The United States really is a beautiful and wonderfully diverse country. When you travel to each of the 50 States and even within each State you will feel as if you’re traveling to another country.
The United States is a country built by immigrants and each corner of this country is influenced by a variety of cultural diasporas including former enslaved people from Africa and the West Indies. Even traces of Native American culture can be found despite earlier efforts to erase them from the narratives of American history.
The United States has not always been the land of the free but it has always been the home of the brave.
As Paul Tsongas said, “America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.”
Explore Pittsburgh beyond its steel legacy as World Footprints visits the Heinz History Center, the historic Hill District, and the iconic Carrie Furnaces. This episode uncovers the cultural, industrial, and community stories that shaped Western Pennsylvania.
Jekyll Island doesn’t top most lists of holiday destinations, but maybe it should. Every December, the former Gilded Age retreat along Georgia’s coast transforms into a Southern-style winter escape. Live oaks are strung with lights, historic cottages are wrapped in garlands, and the old clubhouse lawn holds a towering Christmas tree. On the surface, it’s festive and charming. But what sets Jekyll Island apart isn’t just the decorations—it’s the weight of history beneath the surface.
Houmas House sits gracefully along a bend of the Mississippi River, on land once inhabited by the Houmas Indians. Over thousands of years, the river shaped this area with fertile soil, transforming it into one of the South’s most productive agricultural regions. By the late 1700s, European settlers recognized the land’s potential. They began transforming it into a thriving plantation, launching an era of sugarcane farming that would become central to the property’s history.
Standing beneath the live oaks at Houmas House, you feel the contradictions of Louisiana’s River Road in real time—the beauty, the wealth, and the unspoken histories that still cling to the land. Our conversation with Kevin Kelly revealed a property that isn’t just preserved, but constantly reinterpreted. And upriver, the story shifts: historian Daniel Rasmussen brings the 1811 slave revolt out of the shadows, reminding us that New Orleans’ past is shaped as much by resistance as by refinement. By the time native writer Laura Martone joins us to share the New Orleans she grew up in—the food, the quirks, the quiet corners—you begin to see the region not as a series of attractions, but as a living, layered place where memory and modern life collide.
As a chaser of the “I’ve been to all 50 states” status, South Dakota has long been on my bucket list. When the chance to visit Rapid City popped up, I was thrilled to check off another state—number 43—and finally see Mount Rushmore, that classic slice of Americana. I typically road-trip with my teenagers during their summer break, so I dove into planning mode: spreadsheets, snacks, playlists. Then came the bombshell: one kid’s tennis camp overlapped, and the other declared my idea “lame.” (Teenagers, right?)
Recorded while traveling across Iceland, this episode explores two very different roads: America’s legendary Route 66 with Route Magazine editor Brennan Matthews, and a bold leap into European RV life with Kat Bird of the Wandering Bird blog. It’s a look at how the open road—whether in the U.S., Iceland, or across Europe—can change the way we see the world.
In honor of our veterans, World Footprints shares an intimate conversation with Dr. Betty Moseley Brown — one of the first women of color to join the U.S. Marine Corps. She reflects on breaking barriers, lessons in leadership, and how travel remains her path to transformation. 🎖️✈️
The Lone Star State contains some unique Halloween traditions. Filled with ghost towns, haunted hotels, and spooky lore, Texas has summoned attention for its intense connection to the paranormal.
Wondering who is the Godfather of horror stories? Edgar Allan Poe leads the pack. Poe revolutionized the genre in the 1840s with his first-person narrative stories like “The Black Cat,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Tell Tale Heart." He was one of the first to use psychological horror. Visiting the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia provides a good understanding of who Poe was and how he wrote such masterpieces.
We’re not crossing the Atlantic—this time “Glasgow” sits on Montana’s sweeping Hi-Line, a ribbon of highway and rail towns running just south of the Canadian border. In this episode, World Footprints journeys along U.S. Highway 2 from Havre to Malta and Glasgow, tracing the stories carved into Montana’s vast prairie. This is Big Sky country at its most authentic: where dinosaur bones emerge from badlands, ancient buffalo jumps overlook the Milk River, and locals still wave at passing Amtrak trains. Along the way, we venture south to Fort Peck—home to one of the most ambitious New Deal engineering feats in America—and Fort Benton, a steamboat-era trading post often called the “Birthplace of Montana.” These stops reveal how geology, Indigenous heritage, railroads, and Roosevelt-era infrastructure together shaped a frontier that’s still evolving. Through conversations, on-the-ground exploration, and a few surprises in between, this episode peels back the layers of Montana’s cultural [...]
Discover the inspiring lives of CBS daytime stars in this exclusive podcast. Don Diamont, Heather Tom, and Eric Braeden share career highlights, humanitarian missions, and life-changing travel experiences that shaped their passion and purpose.
Did you know we once had a state named Franklin? I learned the fascinating story in Washington County, Tennessee. Beyond the lost state, the site has a fascinating history from before the Revolution to the Civil War.
