WHAT’S NEW IN THE USA 2027: Brand USA Highlights Anniversaries, Grand Openings, and Events Across America

AMSTERDAM (September 28, 2026) — Brand USA is highlighting the milestone anniversaries, major openings and headline-making events giving international travelers new reasons to explore destinations across the country in 2027. Baltimore celebrates the 200th anniversary of the U.S. railroad, San Jose marks 250 years since its founding, and Bristol, Virginia, commemorates 100 years since the recordings known as the “Big Bang of Country Music.” Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp debuts as the nation’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, while Washington, D.C. hosts the NFL Draft and Wrigley Field welcomes its first MLB All-Star Game since 1990. 

“The USA is ever-evolving, always humming with something new to surprise and delight. In 2027, milestone anniversaries, landmark openings, and reimagined experiences across the country will serve as powerful demand generators, inviting travelers worldwide to come experience all that’s new, coast to coast. With the momentum of a historic 2026 carrying toward the LA28 Olympic Games, we believe interest in travel to the U.S. will continue to build. For international travelers, the time to start planning a USA holiday is now,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA.

Other major openings include Detroit’s expanded Motown Museum, Portland’s James Beard Public Market, Milwaukee’s Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin and Scottsdale’s International Dark Sky Discovery Center. Together, these new attractions, milestone celebrations and major events make 2027 an exciting year to experience the USA.

Northeast (Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, Vermont, New York, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania)

2026:

Providence, Rhode Island showcases two first-of-their-kind museums, the African American Museum of Rhode Island, which opened in 2026 as the state’s first museum dedicated specifically to Black history, and the AAPI History Museum—the first U.S. museum dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander history.

2027:

On the aviation front, Luxembourg and Slovenia will have a first non-stop to the U.S. via United Airlines, into Newark. The first nonstop flight route from Vienna to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania starts in early May 2027. 

New York’s Finger Lakes region is heating up in 2027. Watkins Glen International welcomes NATURA, a brand-new boutique wellness resort—then revs things up when NASCAR roars back to town for the annual Go Bowling at The Glen from September 17-19.

Washington, D.C. will see major cultural and infrastructure developments in 2027, including the reopening of the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden after its largest-ever renovation, the debut of the Desert Storm Desert Shield Memorial, a new 14-gate Dulles Concourse E, and an $800 million renovation of Capital One Arena. The city will also host the 2027 NFL Draft from April 29–May 1, a three-day event expected to draw record attendance across landmarks like the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue. 2027 will also celebrate the 100th National Cherry Blossom Festival from March 20 – April 11 and the historic 1912 gift of cherry trees from Japan with the Blossom Kite Festival, Petalpalooza, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade among other activities. 

2027 marks the 200th anniversary of American railroads, dating back to the 1827 charter of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Maryland is celebrating with the transformation of Baltimore’s newly renamed National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation, which will debut restored historic rail cars, an Innovation Hall, and a Future of Rail exhibition in 2027. Nearby, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg will also open a new 16,000-square-foot Roundhouse exhibit in early 2027, featuring six historic steam locomotives.

Star Wars: The Experience will make its world premiere at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute in February 2027, coinciding with the franchise’s 50th anniversary. The 18,000-square-foot exhibition will feature immersive galleries, interactive elements, original costumes and screen-used artifacts, including Darth Vader’s costume and Darth Maul’s lightsaber.

In Virginia, 2027 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, foundational recordings often called the “Big Bang of Country Music” that established Bristol, Virginia as the Birthplace of Country Music. To mark the centennial, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum will host a yearlong special exhibit, with the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion festival serving as a lead-up to the celebration. Separately, those seeking a unique, relaxing escape can visit The Sitio at Virginia Beach’s Atlantic Park, which has launched new wellness offerings, including in-room spa services, sunrise/sunset programming, and Surf Wellness classes at North America’s first Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon.  

In Shelburne, Vermont, the Shelburne Museum will open the 11,200-square-foot Perry Center for Native American Art in June 2027, designed by minority- and Native-owned firms Annum Architects and Two Row Architect. The center operates on a co-stewardship model, collaborating with over 50 Indigenous partners and local Abenaki leadership through “Talking Circles” to guide cultural protocols and collection care. Nearby, the newly opened Sugar House Hotel near Burlington is the world’s first all-electric, net-zero-energy hotel pursuing LEED Platinum certification. The 115-room hotel celebrates Vermont craftsmanship and local sugarhouse history, situated where a 104-acre nature preserve meets the urban energy of Winooski.

In 2027, Buffalo, New York will unveil the newly expanded Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo, celebrating the city’s long-running effort to preserve and restore its architectural heritage. The 11,000-square-foot center, located at the Richardson Olmsted Campus, combines a 150-year-old former kitchen building—part of the National Historic Landmark site that once housed the Buffalo State Asylum—with a new glass-enclosed addition by Höweler + Yoon Architecture. The center will feature digitally immersive, interactive exhibits that introduce visitors to Buffalo’s open-air architectural museum and help them build self-guided tours of the city. 

West (Washington, Oregon, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado)

2026:

Universal Studios Hollywood opened “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift,” its first-ever, high-speed outdoor roller coaster this summer. Featuring groundbreaking 360-degree rotation of the individual ride vehicles along 4,100 feet of elaborate track, meticulously constructed with sound reduction technology for a breathtaking experience, the ride debuts as the fastest roller coaster in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio at a staggering 72 MPH. 

2027:

Seattle’s first non-stop flight from Greece via Alaska, from Athens will take off in mid-May, and United Airlines first flight from Okinawa to San Francisco begins in March. 

The James Beard Public Market opens in spring 2027 at SW 6th and Alder in Portland, serving as a year-round, seven-day-a-week culinary hub with roughly 40 small business and vendor spaces, including local farmstands, a fish market, butcher shop, bakery, and teaching kitchen. Located in Beard’s hometown, the market honors his culinary legacy while connecting visitors with the farmers and food talent shaping Oregon’s culinary scene.

The Santa Fe Opera celebrates its 70th Season in 2027. Promising its signature touches like pre-show tailgate dinners and dramatic desert sunsets behind the stage with a lineup of five classic, lesser-performed and new works that examine the many dimensions of power running July 2–August 28. 

Arizona will debut two major attractions in early 2027. The Sydney in Scottsdale will open as a 26-acre mixed-use entertainment destination featuring a five-story Reverb by Hard Rock hotel, the Japanese food hall Atashi Yokocho, live music venue The Rustic, City Winery, and Pickle & Social’s pickleball courts. Nearby, the International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Fountain Hills will house the largest public telescope in metro Phoenix (a 27.5-inch PlaneWave CDK700), along with the Craig and Ruth Gimbel Planetarium, an interactive exhibit hall, and Inspiration Theater—offering visitors astronomy education and stargazing under the Sonoran Desert’s dark skies.

Santa Barbara, California has two inclusion-focused openings planned for 2027. Gwendolyn’s Playground, debuting summer 2027 near East Beach as part of a 10-acre multiplex renovation, will be the Central Coast’s first and largest fully inclusive playground. Also opening in 2027 is State of Mind Cafe, downtown Santa Barbara’s first coffee shop dedicated to supporting the disabled community, employing people with disabilities and donating proceeds to disability services organizations. 

Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC West Hollywood has opened on the Sunset Strip with 137 rooms, a three-quarter-acre rooftop garden, a landscaped pool deck and several dining concepts.

2027 marks the 60th anniversary of the Summer of Love in San Francisco. Visitors can explore the history at the Counterculture Museum at Haight and Ashbury (recently named one of Time’s Greatest Places), take Flower Power walking tours or VW bus tours retracing the steps of Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, and catch shows at the historic Fillmore Auditorium, once home to psychedelic-era legends. The era’s musical spirit also lives on through Golden Gate Park’s Outside Lands and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festivals. 

Outbound Yosemite is set to open in Oakhurst, CA in spring 2027—marking the first new resort to open in Yosemite’s southern gateway in over 20 years. The property will feature 104 cabins, 14 guest rooms, a 2,508-square-foot conference center, a resort-style pool, a hot tub, a cold plunge, and an on-site restaurant, offering a comfortable basecamp for exploring Yosemite National Park.

Sonoma County, California is set for several new hospitality openings. Soho House will debut its first “Soho Ranch House” in Kenwood, a hundreds-of-acres retreat featuring 50 cottages and villas, multiple restaurants, club spaces, and vineyard-view pools. In Occidental, The Little Bohemian will open as a design-forward boutique property with 13 guest rooms and four Nordic-inspired ÖÖD mirrored cabins set among the redwoods. Additionally, nearby Sonoma Zipline Adventures is expanding its 127-acre property into Sonoma Adventure Park, adding a 19-element aerial challenge course, a children’s adventure area, and upgraded Redwood Forest Cabanas. 

In Sacramento, California, Terra Madre Americas returns, after drawing approximately 150,000 attendees in 2025, under a 10-year agreement that will bring the global Slow Food gathering to Sacramento every two years through 2035. This event is considered as one of the most influential global food events drawing chefs, farmers, policymakers and food leaders from around the world. 

In Greater Palm Springs, California, wellness enters a major new chapter with unprecedented hospitality projects like Kora Palm Springs, Soho Desert House, the revamped Riviera, V Capri’s new concepts, and DSRT Surf in Palm Desert.  

San Jose, California celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2027, marking two and a half centuries since its founding on November 29, 1777, as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. The same year, the California Theatre—home to San Jose Opera and Symphony San Jose—celebrates its 100th anniversary in April. Originally opened in 1927 as a movie and vaudeville house, the venue is considered one of the best-preserved 1920s movie palaces in the country, known for its Spanish Baroque and Italian Renaissance architecture, exceptional acoustics, and a legendary Wurlitzer pipe organ. 

Fattoria Public Market and Food Hub will open near Morgan Hill, California, in fall 2027. The 40,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor marketplace will showcase local farmers, food producers and artisans alongside farm-to-fork dining, a wine, beer and cider garden, and agricultural programming.

The Sundance Film Festival will officially move to Boulder, Colorado for the first time from January 21 – 31, utilizing the city’s vibrant downtown spaces near the pedestrian-friendly Pearl Street Mall and the University of Colorado Boulder campus facilities. 

Midwest (Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois)

Chicago, Illinois’ new attractions for 2027 include the openings of Universal Horror Unleashed and the Candy Hall of Fame Experience. The city will also host baseball’s biggest stage as historic Wrigley Field welcomes its first MLB All-Star Game since 1990.

Cincinnati, Ohio enters 2027 commemorating several major milestones. The city will be featured in the inaugural Michelin Guide Great Lakes Edition, while downtown’s new Fidelity Hotel—only the second in the U.S.—transforms the historic Beaux-Arts Gwynne Building into a 165-room boutique property. The year also brings anniversary celebrations: Findlay Market turns 175, ArtsWave marks its 100th anniversary with a regionwide “100 Days of Arts” celebration, and the Taft Museum of Art’s Duncanson Murals—created by pioneering Black American artist Robert S. Duncanson—celebrate their 175th anniversary as some of the nation’s most significant surviving pre-Civil War artworks.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin is set for several major openings in 2027: two new AC by Marriott hotels, and the $255 million Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin—a reimagined, 200,000-square-foot successor to the Milwaukee Public Museum featuring immersive exhibits, a planetarium, butterfly garden, and rooftop terrace. Other highlights include public tours of a restored 1916 Frank Lloyd Wright home on the Burnham Block, Harley-Davidson’s $6.8 million headquarters restoration with a new craft distillery, and a $95.2 million redevelopment of Milwaukee’s airport, including a new international terminal. 

Detroit’s Motown Museum is set to reopen in spring 2027 following a $75 million expansion housed in the original Hitsville U.S.A. studio where Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in 1959—debuting “Hitsville NEXT,” a creative zone for entrepreneurship, entertainment, and education, along with a professional recording studio, a modern performance theater, interactive exhibits, and a café. Detroit will add three major downtown hotels, bringing more than 1,000 new guest rooms to the city. The NoMad will open 180 rooms atop Michigan Central Station, one of the nation’s largest historic renovations. The Detroit EDITION, the city’s first five-star hotel, will bring 227 rooms to the historic Hudson’s site, once home to the iconic department store. Rounding out the additions, the JW Marriott will offer 601 rooms and connect directly to the Huntington Place Convention Center, catering to convention and business travelers.

South (Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas)

2026:

Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel will open September 29, 2026 in Nashville, as Dolly’s own personal love letter to Music City and a lasting tribute to the joy, creativity, and generosity she shared with the world. The property will feature 245 uniquely designed rooms, and will also host Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum — the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the life and career of Dolly Parton. 

The Austin, Texas skyline has reached historic new “heights” with the opening of Waterline, a 74-story mixed-use tower, the new tallest building in Texas inclusive of 1 Hotel Austin, a luxury lifestyle property blending sustainable design with a modern aesthetic. It’s located at the intersection of the historic Rainey Street District and Lady Bird Lake.

Universal Destinations & Experiences recently debuted Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas—an all-new, first-of-its-kind theme park designed specifically for families with young children. Featuring seven imaginative lands, kid-friendly rides, character meet and greets, interactive shows, and sensory gardens, the resort will bring Universal’s beloved characters and stories to life for the whole family.

2027:

In Austin, Texas, the first non-stop from France via Delta from Paris Charles de Gaulle will begin in March, and Barcelona to Charlotte will launch in May. 

Henderson, Kentucky will be having a moment in 2027 as Viking adds the city to two new 2027 river cruise itineraries—the 15-day “Bayous, Blues & Bluegrass“ (New Orleans to Louisville) and the 8-day “Mississippi & Ohio River Explorer“ (Memphis to Louisville)—with the Viking Mississippi docking there four times. One stop even lands right during Henderson’s W.C. Handy Blues & BBQ Festival, one of the world’s largest free music festivals.  

In 2027, Graceland will commemorate 50 years since the passing of Elvis Presley with a milestone edition of Elvis Week in Memphis, Tennessee.

Louisiana is set for several developments across the state. Passenger rail service will resume between Baton Rouge and New Orleans via Amtrak, offering a new way to connect the state’s two largest cities. In Lake Charles, visitors can look forward to expanded paddling access, a new kayak launch, updated lodging, and a $5 million, 800-acre habitat restoration project. Additionally, Louisiana’s culinary scene continues to gain recognition, with another round of Michelin Guide South honors expected in October 2026 and a third round anticipated in 2027.

In Missouri’s Ozarks region, the Silver Dollar City theme park in the Ozark Mountains will debut its Most Daring Ride Down the Mountain yet in spring 2027—Miner’s Mountain Express, which is built for the whole family, welcoming riders 39 inches and up in a side-by-side format (and never turns upside down). 2027 also marks the park’s first-ever accommodations in its 65-year history—the 262-room Silver Dollar City Resort. 

St. Pete-Clearwater will host The Ocean Race Stopover from May 4–16, 2027—marking the event’s first-ever visit to the area in its 54-year history and its only North American stop. Held along downtown St. Petersburg’s waterfront in partnership with the University of South Florida, the two-week Ocean Live Park race village will offer live entertainment, sailing exhibits, and sustainability showcases centered around the IMOCA 60-foot foiling fleet before the boats depart for Cascais, Portugal.

Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge will open at Walt Disney World Resort in summer 2027. Set along Bay Lake, the nature-inspired resort will feature nearly 1,000 rooms, waterfront lake houses, restaurants and an expansive recreation area with pools and a lazy river.

Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina—already home to more golf courses than any other U.S. resort—will open its 11th course, No. 11, in fall 2027. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (who previously restored the resort’s famed No. 2 course), the new 18-hole track winds through the historic 900-acre Pinehurst Sandmines. Known as “the home of American golf,” the Pinehurst area offers more than 40 courses within 15 miles, and Pinehurst No. 2 is set to host the US Open again in 2029, 2035, 2041, and 2047.

Visit America’s newest World Heritage site in Georgia, and the largest blackwater swamp in the country for an outdoor adventure (boasting 120 miles of paddling trails, 15,000 American alligators, naturalist-guided boat tours, platform camping, and the only Gold-Tier Dark Sky Park in the Southeast)—Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Six Flags Fiesta Texas will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2027 with the debut of Werewolf Gorge, a new family launch coaster inspired by the park’s Texas quarry setting. Spanning 4,120 feet, the attraction will be the world’s longest coaster of its kind, featuring four launches, 32 airtime moments and immersive storytelling.

Waldorf Astoria Texas Hill Country will be the brand’s first Texas property, scheduled to open in Fredericksburg. The hotel will feature 60 dedicated hotel keys and 87 Waldorf Astoria Residences as well as five food and beverage concepts, an 11,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, two resort-style pools, and approximately 6,000 square feet of indoor meeting space.

U.S. Territories and Hawaii (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands)

The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort, celebrates its 100th anniversary in February 2027, marking a century as one of Hawaiian hospitality’s most enduring icons. Affectionately nicknamed the “Pink Palace of the Pacific,” the oceanfront landmark was originally built on sacred royal grounds and has long been distinguished by its striking architecture and prime setting in Waikiki—qualities that have captivated travelers, artists, and tastemakers for generations. To mark the centennial, the resort is undertaking a fresh renovation alongside exclusive cultural programming and museum-level art restorations, along with a series of milestone anniversary events celebrating its deep ties to Waikiki’s heritage.  

Multiple major cruise lines are adding new ships, homeports, and expanded itineraries departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2027. Carnival welcomes the visit of the Carnival Firenze on its first-ever visit to San Juan in April 2027, bringing new capacity to the island — and two visits from Carnival Festivale, which debuts as a new Excel-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship in spring 2027, scheduled for multiple visits to San Juan starting in June 2027. Seabourn Cruise Line is also scheduling the Seabourn Ovation for both a homeport call and a transit visit in 2027. 

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas will make history as an official host port and team partner for the Clipper 2027-28 Round the World Yacht Race for a stretch of 40,000 nautical miles. This marks the Clipper Race’s return to the Caribbean for the first time in 14 years, and the first time in the race’s 30-year history the U.S. Virgin Islands will welcome this event to its shores. Club Med is also scheduled to return to U.S. territory with the opening of a new resort on St. Croix in 2027.

Note to the Editor
High resolution imagery can be found here. Discover more new and recently opened experiences across the country in Brand USA’s What’s New in the USA for 2026: Spring Update. 

About Brand USA
Brand USA is the nation’s destination marketing organization, dedicated to attracting legitimate international inbound travel to strengthen the U.S. economy, increase exports, create quality jobs, and promote community prosperity. By running data-driven campaigns and unifying messaging across industry and government, Brand USA positions the United States as a top global destination while providing current visa and entry information.

Over the past 13 years Brand USA has driven 11.3 million additional international visitors who spent $38.1 billion in the United States, leading to $82.9 billion in total economic impact and sustaining an average of more than 40,000 jobs each year. These efforts have generated nearly $11 billion in attributable tax receipts at the federal, state, and local levels.