Best Things About America: 100 Reasons to Love America

1 of 100

Carrie Underwood

Randee St. Nicholas

Rare and refreshing: a relatable icon who shares her journey. (And her five favorite cities in America!)

2 of 100

Kacey Musgraves and the Modern Women of Country

VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

After a decade filled with bro-country odes to trucks, tailgates and tank tops, a new generation of female singer-songwriters like Musgraves, Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini are making their own mark on country music — and expanding the genre as they do it.

3 of 100

Tiger Woods

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Everybody loves a comeback! The golfer, 43, overcame addiction and scandal to win the Masters.

Continued on next slide.

4 of 100

Gary Sinise

Julia Robinson/Gary Sinise foundation

The actor dedicates his life to supporting veterans. His foundation has adapted more than 50 smart homes for wounded warriors.

5 of 100

Goat Yoga

Lainey Morse

The most joyful type of yoga, because of goats.

6 of 100

Tuition-Free Community Colleges

Eleven states have programs in place.

Continued on next slide.

7 of 100

Mariano Rivera

Nick Laham/Getty

The former New York Yankee is the first person elected unanimously to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

8 of 100

The Statue of Liberty Museum

Drew Angerer/Getty

Now open on Liberty Island, the 26,000-sq.-ft. structure celebrates the universal symbol of freedom and brings the immigrant experience to life. Admission is free.

9 of 100

Timothée Chalamet

alankruthahaha/Twitter

The actor, 23, proved he’s a nice person when he was seated on a plane— in economy class—next to superfan Alankrutha Giridhar, who live-tweeted the ride (and took this hoodie pic). He answered all of her questions, and she wrote, “What shocks me the most is this dude wanted to know about me!”

Continued on next slide.

10 of 100

Brady Bunch House Renovation

HGTV

In an explosion of nostalgia, the original Brady Bunch house has been restored to its 1970s glory by the stars of the sitcom along with HGTV pros. A Very Brady Renovation will air in September.

11 of 100

Michelle Obama

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Her book Becoming is set to become the bestselling memoir in history. But the former First Lady is as self-effacing as she is confident. After she appeared at the Grammys, she shared some texts she exchanged with her mom. ‘Did you meet any of the real stars?’ asked Marian Robinson. Replied Obama: ‘I am a real star...by the way.’

12 of 100

Robokiller

This app uses answer bots to get rid of spam calls from telemarketers and scammers.

Continued on next slide.

13 of 100

Asheville, N.C.

The Blue Ridge Mountain city calls itself Dog City U.S.A., and canines are welcome at bakeries, bars breweries and stores. A hotel, Aloft, even fosters dogs until they are adopted by guests.

14 of 100

L.L. Bean Boots

Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald/Getty

The Freeport, Maine, company’s boots and totes are having a fashion moment, and they’re made in the U.S.A.

15 of 100

Pi Day

Getty

On March 14 we celebrate math and eat pie (3.14=pi).

Continued on next slide.

16 of 100

Cardi B & Bruno Mars

Their second smash hit together, “Please Me,” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

17 of 100

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

When the New York City department store began its holiday tradition in 1924, it promised a “marathon of mirth,” and it has delivered year after year with intricate floats, iconic balloons and musical performances.

18 of 100

The Jonas Brothers

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

All grown up and married now — Nick to Priyanka Chopra and Joe to Sophie Turner just this year; Kevin is a father of two — the three put their differences aside to make music again (and a documentary) after six years apart.

Continued on next slide.

19 of 100

Buffalo, New York

A rust-belt city having a renaissance. Spectacular late-19th-century architecture provides a backdrop for a busy restaurant and bar scene.

20 of 100

Celebrity Cruises

If the ship's destinations and amenities aren't enough of a draw, travelers can now set sail with the likes of Oprah, the Property Brothers or Jon Bon Jovi.

21 of 100

TWA Hotel at JFK Airport

TWA's 1960s flight center, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, closed in 2001, along with the airline. Renovated as a hotel, it has 512 rooms. Rates start at $249 per night, or you can book a four-hour stay for $139.

Continued on next slide.

22 of 100

C-Span's 40th Anniversary

Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty

The nonprofit network is all about transparency, televising congressional proceedings since 1979.

23 of 100

Nancy Drew

The classic teen sleuth got a movie this year — and a new TV series was picked up in May.

24 of 100

PEN15

Alex Lombardi/Hulu

Comics Maya Erskine (left) and Anna Konkle, both in their 30s, play teen versions of themselves in this Hulu hit, sending up middle school by portraying it as it really happened.

Continued on next slide.

25 of 100

Beyoncé

Raven Varona/Parkwood/PictureGroup

In the superb Netflix documentary Homecoming, the first black woman to headline Coachella not only proves that she's the "best performer in the world," in the words of her husband, JAY-Z — she also reveals details of her difficult pregnancy and strict postpartum diet.

26 of 100

Government Workers

Getty

The longest shutdown in history proved how valuable they are.

27 of 100

Burr-Hamilton Duel Reenactment

Getty(2)

Chicago White Sox teammates Ryan Burr and Ian Hamilton (no relation to the originals) couldn't resist capitalizing on their names by pulling out their revolutionary garb and re-creating the historic event - without bullets - in March.

Continued on next slide.

28 of 100

The Vessel at Hudson Yards

Xinhua/Wang Ying/Getty

With 154 flights of stairs, the over $150 million N.Y.C. space has been called the world's most expensive selfie spot.

29 of 100

Tim Tebow's Elaborate Proposal

Kelly Braman Photography

The former NFL quarterback raised the bar on a millennial trend when he whisked Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters to his family's Florida farm and slipped a 7.25-carat solitaire ring on her finger. Then singer Mathew Mole stepped out from behind a bale of hay to serenade the couple with "The Wedding Song."

30 of 100

Andy Cohen's Baby

Andy Cohen/instagram

Benjamin Allen, born Feb. 4, wins the hair and smile sweepstakes. “I’m in love,” the Bravo host wrote on Instagram.

Continued on next slide.

31 of 100

Apollo 11 Anniversary

NASA/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty

It was 50 years ago that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took a walk on the moon—a giant leap for mankind.

32 of 100

Levi's

Getty

The All-American brand has started trading publicly on the NYSE.

33 of 100

Grant Thompson

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The teen discovered a FaceTime bug that spies on users—and got it fixed.

Continued on next slide.

34 of 100

Sesame Street

For the show’s 50th anniversary, the USPS has issued stamps. (Confidential to young readers: You buy these at a post office.)

35 of 100

Jimmy Fallon’s Wheel of Musical Impressions

Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/Getty

The popular game on The Tonight Show (the host is pictured with Alicia Keys) has inspired a new NBC competition show.

36 of 100

Volunteering

Courtesy City Harvest

Helping others is a core value.

Continued on next slide.

37 of 100

'Old Town Road'

Nancy Kruh

The country rap song by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (shown above, with Keith Urban) went viral and topped the charts in more than 12 countries.

Account

More

100 Reasons to Love America in 2019

1 of 100

Carrie Underwood

1 of 100

2 of 100

Kacey Musgraves and the Modern Women of Country

2 of 100

3 of 100

Tiger Woods

3 of 100

4 of 100

Gary Sinise

4 of 100

5 of 100

Goat Yoga

5 of 100

6 of 100

Tuition-Free Community Colleges

6 of 100

7 of 100

Mariano Rivera

7 of 100

8 of 100

The Statue of Liberty Museum

8 of 100

9 of 100

Timothée Chalamet

9 of 100

10 of 100

Brady Bunch House Renovation

10 of 100

11 of 100

Michelle Obama

11 of 100

12 of 100

Robokiller

12 of 100

13 of 100

Asheville, N.C.

13 of 100

14 of 100

L.L. Bean Boots

14 of 100

15 of 100

Pi Day

15 of 100

16 of 100

Cardi B & Bruno Mars

16 of 100

17 of 100

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

17 of 100

18 of 100

The Jonas Brothers

18 of 100

19 of 100

Buffalo, New York

19 of 100

20 of 100

Celebrity Cruises

20 of 100

21 of 100

TWA Hotel at JFK Airport

21 of 100

22 of 100

C-Span's 40th Anniversary

22 of 100

23 of 100

Nancy Drew

23 of 100

24 of 100

PEN15

24 of 100

25 of 100

Beyoncé

25 of 100

26 of 100

Government Workers