I’ve always enjoyed learning everything about the United States. From the geography to the cities to the history, each state in the country is so different from one another. When I stumbled upon the “Aerial America” series on the Smithsonian Channel on YouTube last week, I was very intrigued. I decided to watch the one on my home state of North Carolina to kick things off and I instantly became sucked in.

The series is called “Aerial America” because every bit of footage is shot from a drone. This not only gives viewers a unique angle that they’re not accustomed to seeing, but also truly beautiful glimpses of each state. That is one of the things that quickly drew me in, the aesthetically pleasing drone footage. And each state is thoroughly covered as well. Episodes range from 46 to 51 minutes long, so sufficient time is taken to cover every area in each state such as different geographical regions, cities, and important historical landmarks. When you finish an episode, you will have just completed a magnificent journey inside a state’s borders from a bird’s eye view.

New Hampshire from abovesmithsonianchannel.com — New Hampshire from above
smithsonianchannel.com

Aside from the terrific views, the other thing that reeled me into this series is the narration. Not only are you getting appealing footage, but you also learn a lot from the narrator. You’ll learn the history of places, people, and things that make each state unique. You’ll also learn how all of these things fit into society today and how they’ve changed over the years. For example, while showing North Carolina’s Outer Banks, you’ll learn about the first people that arrived on the shores, the Lost Colony, and how the famous coast of the Tar Heel state operates today.

You don’t have to be a history person like me to enjoy Aerial America, either. There’s just something about it that has the tendency to draw interest in everyone. In my opinion, a lot of it is due to the true beauty that it conveys. The United States is a beautiful place and a lot of people just don’t take the time to realize just how much each state contributes to this in unique ways.

The “Aerial America” series can be found on YouTube, on the Smithsonian Channel’s page. So far, 34 full episodes can be found and watched for completely free, and until this September, one episode will be released every Tuesday and Thursday. Some states (larger states) have multiple episodes, and some smaller ones are combined into one episode, like Delaware and Maryland together. I highly recommend this tremendous series. Start by watching your home state and before you know it you’ll be like me and have watched 4 or 5 in no time!

Garett

Aerial America: Smithsonian Channel’s Must Watch