The Golden Gate Bridge might be San Francisco's most obvious landmark but the city is also known for its many piers along the waterfront.
Stretching more than 3,000 feet into Lake Michigan, the fun Navy Pier has become one of Chicago's most popular attractions.
A major thoroughfare, stretching from South Pointe Beach to 15th Street, Ocean Drive lines Miami Beach's South Beach with palm trees and pastel-hued Art-Deco hotels.
A hotspot since the early 1900s, Coney Island and its boardwalk can be reached from Midtown Manhattan in about an hour on the subway
Nevertheless, the parks which back the Brooklyn-side shore offer an urban oasis with plenty of walking routes, picnic tables and river views.
Flanking the San Antonio River, the cobblestoned Paseo del Rio (River Walk) snakes serenely through the city center, overhung with lush cypress and oak trees
Savannah might be more famous for its antebellum architecture, historic squares and moss-draped oak trees but it was a strategic port city during the American Revolution and the American Civil War.
Often tipped as the East Coast's answer to the Las Vegas Strip, Atlantic City's Boardwalk dates back to the 1870s and still pulls in tourists today with its cute shops, ocean vistas and a handful of casinos