Playing Impostor with Famous U.S. Landmarks
Published: 2026-11-05 Updated: 2026-11-05 1221 words 6 min read
The Famous U.S. Landmarks category deals out twenty real American places, from the Statue of Liberty to the Mall of America. Everybody has seen them in photos, but few can say which state they are in. That geography detail is what gives the impostor away.
Table of contents
- What the Famous U.S. Landmarks category is
- How a round with American landmarks works
- The landmarks this category deals out
- Strategies for an impostor who has never travelled to the United States
- How to catch the impostor when you know these places
- Frequent mistakes that ruin the game
- Recommended settings for a landmarks round
- House rules for groups that already know every place
- Frequently asked questions
What the Famous U.S. Landmarks category is
Each round hands every player a different place from the database. The clue describes that place: the city, the state, the river or the type of monument, without ever naming it.
The impostor receives no place and must write something that fits somebody at the table. Several of these sites share desert, fog or skyscrapers, so a vaguely touristic line can sound true for more than one player.
- It appears in the selector as Famous U.S. Landmarks, even in Spanish rooms
- Best with 4 to 12 players
- Rounds last 3 to 6 minutes
- Great for travel groups, English classes and family nights
- Runs in the browser, nothing to install
How a round with American landmarks works
Each player sees their place privately and writes a short clue. The best ones tie the place to a checkable fact: 'in Arizona', 'an island in a bay', 'a park with geysers'.
The impostor writes after reading the clues already posted. The typical error is mixing up two famous sites, for example putting the Golden Gate Bridge in New York, which the table notices immediately.
- Create the room and pick Famous U.S. Landmarks in the selector
- Write a clue with state, city, water or type of monument
- Read the rest and look for clues that fit no known place
- Ask the suspect whether their place is on the coast or in the desert
- Vote together: the ejected player reveals the landmark and the next round starts
The landmarks this category deals out
These are the places included, spelled as they appear in the database. The database also carries the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian Institution, the Freedom Trail, Bourbon Street and the Mall of America.
The mix of nature and entertainment is the trickiest part: Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon are parks, while the Las Vegas Strip and Walt Disney World are leisure destinations.
| Landmark | Known for | A clue that fits |
|---|---|---|
| Statue of Liberty | Symbol of the New York harbor | A French figure in the New York harbor |
| Grand Canyon | Canyon carved by the Colorado River | A gigantic hole in the Arizona desert |
| Golden Gate Bridge | Suspension bridge in San Francisco | Red, often foggy, on the California coast |
| Mount Rushmore | Four presidents carved into rock | Four enormous faces on a mountain |
| The White House | Official residence of the president | Where the president lives, in Washington |
| Times Square | Lit up crossroads in New York | Advertising screens and tourists at night |
| Space Needle | Observation tower in Seattle | A tower shaped like a flying saucer |
| Walt Disney World | Theme park resort in Florida | Castles, mice and Florida heat |
| Yellowstone National Park | The first national park in the country | Geysers, bison and volcanic ground |
| Hollywood Sign | Giant letters above Los Angeles | White letters on a hillside |
| Central Park | Huge park inside Manhattan | A big park surrounded by skyscrapers |
| Las Vegas Strip | Casino corridor in Nevada | Neon, cards and desert all around |
| Hoover Dam | Massive dam on the Colorado River | Giant concrete between Nevada and Arizona |
| Alcatraz Island | Former prison on an island | The jail on an island in the bay |
| Niagara Falls | Waterfalls on the Canadian border | A huge drop of water, up north |
Strategies for an impostor who has never travelled to the United States
You do not need to have crossed the Atlantic. The impostor wins by looking like an ordinary player, not by naming the right place.
- Talk about the type of place, not the name: 'a national park' covers two players.
- Lean on traits that are hard to disprove: 'on the coast', 'very touristic', 'a family visit'.
- Do not mention a city nobody else names, it singles you out.
- Use tourist experience: 'I would go in spring' sounds natural.
- If the table pressures you, answer with a question: 'which one are we on?' shifts attention.
- Match the length of the other clues: a two-word clue draws suspicion.
How to catch the impostor when you know these places
Knowing the country only helps if you use method. Ask instead of accusing.
- Ask for the city: 'which city or state is your place in?'
- Cross check states: the Grand Canyon is not in California, the Golden Gate is not in New York
- Look for contradictions: a natural park with 'neon and casinos' does not add up
- Watch who writes after reading everyone else's clues
- Coordinate accusations before voting: split votes hand the round to the impostor
Frequent mistakes that ruin the game
- Naming your landmark in the first clue, it kills the round and makes the next one trivial
- Confusing two similar places and accusing without evidence
- Voting for the player who writes worst instead of the one who contradicts
- Reusing the same clue round after round
- Adding too many players: above 12 the chat becomes unreadable
Recommended settings for a landmarks round
Match the group size and pace to what the group knows. If nobody has travelled to the United States, allow clues about films and well known photos so everybody can join in.
| Group type | Players | Best mode | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friends who travel | 6 to 10 | Online multiplayer | 20 min |
| Family night | 4 to 8 | Table mode | 15 min per round |
| English or geography class | 10 to 15 | Online multiplayer | 30 min |
| Stream or public room | 12 to 15 | Multi-room multiplayer | 45 min |
House rules for groups that already know every place
Once the table has memorised the category, house rules keep it fun:
- Nature only: parks, canyons and waterfalls, no cities
- East coast or west coast only, which halves the list
- Two impostors, each with a different fake clue
- No state names allowed, only type of place or colour
- The ejected player becomes the impostor in the next round