Places That Are Actually Worth Visiting

As the summer vacation season begins, TIME History asked prominent experts in American history to recommend a historic place to visit, and compiled their picks here. Unsurprisingly given the course of American history, the Civil War looms large on this list, but it is by no means the only moment that lives on in the landscape. Some of the suggestions on the list are easily recognizable, in which case the experts' insights can help visitors see a familiar place in a new light, and others are more off the beaten path, offering a chance to learn about a historical figure or event that is no less important for being less talked about. Happy trails.

Michael Beschloss: President Lincoln's Cottage

Ken Burns: The Lincoln Memorial

Eric Foner: Beaufort, SC Reconstruction Site

Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham: Boston's Black Heritage Trail

Erik Larson: Gettysburg

Patty Limerick: Storm King Mountain Memorial Trail

James McPherson: Shiloh

Edna Green Medford: The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Lynn Novick: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Julie Reed: Hiwasee River Heritage Center