Travel back in time to 5 places that pay tribute to heroes of battles and wars, right here at home

When we think of American heroes on the battlefield, we can imagine the valor of those bravely fighting overseas in the service of oppressed and conquered peoples around the world.

Captain John Paul Jones became a U.S. Navy legend when he commanded the Bonhomme Richard to an improbable victory over HMS Serapis off the coast of England during the American Revolution.

The American Expeditionary Force put an end to the fighting of World War I in Western Europe.

The Marines gave America its most heroic and memorable image as they raised Old Glory over Iwo Jima, at the far end of the Pacific Ocean, in the final months of World War II.

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But you don’t have to go abroad to follow in the footsteps of America’s battle heroes or reflect on the sacrifice of those who gave their lives here in the United States.

Here are five American tourist destinations that will help you understand the price of freedom.

Hawaii – Pearl Harbor

History of World War II lives in infamy in the heart of Honolulu, where Pearl Harbor remains a powerful testament to American tragedy and determination.

The highlight of the tour is the haunted memorial to the destroyer USS Arizona, which catastrophically exploded on December 7, 1941, and which marks the grave of 1,102 sailors who died in the Sunday morning attack.

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Observers noted that oil was still leaking from the ship, as if the Arizona was still shedding tears. Other attractions include Hickam Field, where American planes were destroyed on the ground before they could defend themselves, and the USS Missouri.

The mighty battleship was not in Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack, but it floats on the water as a testament to American determination and triumph.

Japan signed the surrender documents ending World War II aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. less than four years after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Louisiana – Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

The expansive landscape is a tribute to our planet’s unique ecology and culture, as well as America’s dramatic history.

The park is located in the heart of swamp country near the mouth of the Mississippi River. Highlights include the Chalmette Battlefield, where Andrew Jackson led a diverse army of Americans to victory over the British at the end of the War of 1812; and Chalmette National Cemetery, which is home to the remains of veterans of that battle, the Civil War and other conflicts.

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Barataria Preserve, a 26,000-acre human-haunted area of ​​hardwood forest and swamp, offers the opportunity to observe alligators and other swamp creatures in their natural habitat.

Maryland-Annapolis

There is perhaps no better place to celebrate the nation’s connection to the seas than Maryland’s capital, which briefly served as the nation’s capital in 1783 when the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the American Revolution.

Annapolis is home to the US Naval Academy and is known as the “Sailing Capital of the United States.” Its colonial-era downtown is a great place to explore and enjoy Maryland’s signature oysters and crabs at local spots like Middleton’s or Cantler’s.

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Annapolis is the center of the crab and oyster trail, where you can sample the best of the Chesapeake Bay’s delicacies.

Mississippi – Vicksburg Military National Park

The Siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War ended after six weeks with a victory for Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863, the day after Federal forces repulsed Pickett’s Charge with a victory 1,000 miles to the northeast at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Today, the haunted Vicksburg Park is home to some 1,400 monuments and plaques honoring all 32 states that sent soldiers there, as well as two major cemeteries for fallen Confederate and Union soldiers.

Also among the national park’s attractions is the USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum, which houses a Union ironclad that patrolled the Mississippi River. Grant’s success at Vicksburg helped catapult him to leadership of the Union Army the following year and, ultimately, to presidency.

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But his ruthless siege nearly starved the residents of Vicksburg. The city did not celebrate the Fourth of July again until 1947, during a visit and speech by World War II hero General Dwight Eisenhower.

Pennsylvania – Gettysburg Military National Park

The staggering cost to the lives of those who saved the nation can be seen across the sprawling battlefield in rural south-central Pennsylvania.

Gettysburg pitted some 160,000 men against each other in a fierce, three-day battle that turned the tide of the Civil War in the Union’s favor. Some 50,000 soldiers on both sides were killed or wounded. It remains the largest battle in North American history.

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Today, visitors can stand where Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain ordered the 20th Maine to mount bayonets and charge up Little Round Top to save the southern end of the Union line, walk in the footsteps of the brave Confederates who were slaughtered during Pickett’s Charge on that decisive day of the battle, or drive around the vast battlefield and admire the hundreds of haunting monuments that still dot the landscape today.