Explore America
Find your way
into the story.
Discover American history through the foods, makers and places that became part of everyday life. Follow a period, step into a familiar setting, meet a maker or explore the map.
Four ways to explore
What catches your curiosity?
Through time
America Through Time
Follow ten chapters of American history, from colonial life to the Bicentennial.
By setting
Places & Traditions
Step into a general store, a diner, a working mill or a favorite seaside stop.
By maker
Meet Our Makers
Meet the people and businesses behind the products, and discover where their stories began.
By location
Explore by State
Follow the map to regional favorites and the traditions connected to each state.
America Through Time
Ten chapters. One continuing story.
Choose a period below for its people, places and everyday connections.
- 1607–1783
Colonial America & Independence
- The nineteenth century
Westward Expansion & Frontier Life
- 1861–1865
A Nation Divided: The Civil War
- About 1865–1914
Main Street & the General Store
- 1914–1918
World War I & a Changing America
- 1920–1933
Prohibition & the Roaring Twenties
- Focus: 1929–1939
The Great Depression & Making Do
- 1939–1945
World War II: Front Lines & Home Front
- About 1945–1975
Postwar America & the Open Road
- 1976 & memories that continue
The Bicentennial & American Memories
A place worth discovering
A little taste of the boardwalk.
Salt water taffy, popcorn and seaside favorites bring the story off the page. Step into the American Boardwalk and discover the treats behind the memories.
Visit the boardwalkThe story includes you
Find a piece of your own American story.
A candy you remember. A family road trip. Something from the kitchen table. Follow a familiar memory into a new discovery.