840 Best Sights in New York, USA

The 6-acre formal garden is known for its ever-changing seasonal plantings, including tulips, lilacs, crabapple trees, summer perennials, and chrysanthemums. Opened in 1937, it is named for the large greenhouse built at this location in 1899 to grow plants for the park's landscapes and to offer seasonal displays to the public. Each of the garden's three areas has a distinct design: the French-style North Garden, the Italianate Center Garden, and the English-style South Garden. The ornate Vanderbilt Gate at the main entrance was donated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney; it once adorned the Vanderbilt mansion on 5th Avenue.

An extensive boardwalk leads you deep into the reeds and rushes of this lush, wildlife-filled tidal marshland. In winter the boardwalk is a prime lookout spot for bald eagles. Tromp through the 280-acre sanctuary's bluffs and woodlands, or visit the educational center, where a 500-gallon aquarium offers an up-close look at fish, crabs, and other resident wildlife. Note: parking is quite limited.

A short, winding road leads to this airy, chaletlike tasting house with a spacious deck and one of the best vineyard views in the area. They host events like the Twilight Series, featuring live music and food trucks from late May to early September, some for an additional cover charge. Now under the banner of Bedell Cellars, they continue to produce acclaimed wines like the Chardonnay Reserve and Late-Harvest Reisling.

The 200 acres of plants and trees adjacent to the Cornell University campus are primarily organized in collections—peonies, rock-garden species, rhododendrons, old-time vegetable and flower gardens, conifers, flowering crabapples, wildflowers. There's even a section for poisonous plants. The winter garden includes evergreens, conifers, and assorted plants with interesting cold-weather colors and textures. The complex's arboretum includes an area with sculptures. Walking and bus tours are available; call ahead for seasonal times. Some tours are free and others are $5.

The field station, part of a Cornell University extension program, encompasses more than 200 forested acres, a greenhouse, and orchards. An exhibit here explains how maple syrup is made. You may buy some syrup to take home with you. Tours are available by appointment and are recommended during the production season, February through April. The station is also sometimes open on weekends in March and April.

With its historic buildings, weave of natural and man-made spaces, Cayuga Lake views, and two spectacular gorges, the campus of this private university is considered one of the most beautiful in the country. Founded in 1865, Cornell is a mixture of modern structures and ivy-covered 19th-century buildings. Wear your walking shoes; there is almost no public parking near the campus center. Free 75-minute tours of the campus leave daily from Day Hall, at Tower Road and East Avenue.

One of the world's premier glass museums, the Corning Museum of Glass displays pieces ranging from contemporary glass sculpture to Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass windows to glassware crafted by Egyptians 3,500 years ago. About 10,000 of the more than 45,000 glass objects in the museum's collection are on display at any one time. Interactive exhibits show the history, beauty, and creativity of 35 centuries of glasswork. Glassmaking demonstrations are given throughout the day and a workshop encourages you to make your own glass souvenir ($10–$30); even preschoolers may participate. In the 18,000-square-foot gift shop you can buy works from local or internationally known glass artists, from a $5 glass-bead bracelet to a $17,000 Pepi Hermann cut-crystal platter, as well as utilitarian items, like the namesake CorningWare. Also available is Steuben Glass, founded in Corning; Steuben masterpieces have been presented as gifts to foreign heads of state and are in museums around the world. The museum adjoins a glass studio, which serves as a workshop for professional gaffers and an educational center for glass students.

The Hudson River Way Pedestrian Bridge leads to this expansive green space along the Hudson River. A 5.3-mi trail, which can be used for biking and hiking, snakes through the preserve. At the north end are a public boat launch and a restaurant on a barge. June through August, the 800-seat amphitheater hosts musicians.

An elevator whisks you up 589 feet to the 42nd-floor observation deck of this building, the tallest structure in the state outside New York City. The views on a clear day include the Berkshire, Catskill, and Adirondack mountains. To get to the deck, you first must present a photo ID at the plaza-level security desk.

The 1849 Gothic Revival cottage, headquarters of the Madison County Historical Society, was designed by noted architect Alexander Jackson Davis. The group runs tours of the cottage, which contains seven rooms decked in period furnishings. Glassware from Canastota Glass and portraits of City of Oneida founder Sands Higinbotham and prominent abolitionist Garrett Smith are among the displays here. The building, which once belonged to Higinbotham's son Niles, includes a research library. Out back is the Hops Barn, where exhibits explain that the region was once the center of hops production for England. The annual summer Hops Festival celebrates this heritage.

You'll feel like you're walking through the pages of Country Living at this three-day fair held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds every June. There are antiques, home decor, furniture, and artisan-made products for sale. You can also meet the magazine's editors at various seminars, as well as participate in craft and cooking demonstrations.

The museum, housed in two 1932 hangars, is a tribute to Long Island's reputation as the "cradle of aviation." Displays here include a 1929 Brunner Winkle Bird, a biplane; a 1938 Grumman G-21 Goose, originally intended for civilian use; a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and a Grumman F6F Hellcat, both World War II fighter planes; a supersonic F-14 Tomcat, a strike fighter in service today; and one of only three existing original Apollo lunar modules, as well as dozens of other planes. Special exhibits have focused on space-theme toys and the Wright brothers. The museum encompasses the Leroy R. & Rose W. Grumman IMAX Dome Theater and a restaurant, the Red Planet Café.

Lake history and local farming take center stage at this 1899 barn-style building where butter bound for New York City was produced. Exhibits here also feature the prickly, cone-shape teasel—a plant used in mills to "tease" the nap of wool. Skaneateles was a teasel-growing center until the 1950s, when synthetic fabrics replaced much of the demand for wool.

Since the earliest European explorations of North America, long and narrow Lake Champlain has been considered an important strategic waterway. Both the French and English built forts along its shores. This site includes the ruins of the 1734 French fort, Fort Saint Frederic, and the 1759 British complex, Fort Crown Point. Exhibits at the visitor center give you historical context.

The Cuba area has been known as a cheese center since the late 19th century. Stop by the Cuba Cheese Shoppe to buy locally made cheddar cheese, Old York cheddar spread, or any of the 100-plus varieties of imported and domestic cheeses the store offers.

The East Coast branch of the country's most respected cooking school is on the grounds of a former Jesuit seminary overlooking the Hudson River. Tours are available Monday to Thursday when school's in session. Five student-staffed restaurants are open to the public. The Craig Claiborne Bookstore stocks more than 1,300 cookbooks in addition to culinary equipment and specialty foods. One- and two-day workshops and lectures are offered on weekends.

An affectionate play on the name of the nearby Murray Hill neighborhood to the north, Curry Hill is a roughly three-block area with a large concentration of Indian restaurants. There are dozens of eateries peppered (or is it spiced?) around Lexington Avenue between 26th and 28th Streets, with many regional cuisines represented, including a number of South Indian dosa spots. Check out Kalustyan's ( 123 Lexington Ave.), the long-standing Indian spice-and-grocery market, too.

Built in 1840 for merchant and developer Don Alonzo Cushman, this string of redbrick beauties between 9th and 10th Avenues represents some of the country's best examples of Greek Revival row houses. Original details include small wreath-encircled attic windows, deeply recessed doorways with brownstone frames, and striking iron balustrades and fences. Note the pineapples, a traditional symbol of welcome, on top of the black iron newels in front of No. 416.

Taking advantage of some of the darkest night skies on Long Island, this observatory is a prime viewing spot for astronomy buffs and star-deprived urbanites. Atop the barnlike structure is a motorized dome with a telescope you can use to track the heavenly view. Clear skies are the best for observing; avoid coming during a full or almost-full moon.

Henry Packer Dering, the port's first U.S. custom master, lived in this beautifully appointed 1789 Federal home that doubled as custom house and now serves as a museum. Historical documents and period furnishings are on display.

Maintained by the Cutchogue–New Suffolk Historical Council, this village green is lined by several restored and furnished historic buildings relocated from around the area. The 1649 Old House is one of the oldest frame houses in the country. Also here are the 1840 Old School House and the 1890 Red Barn, both filled with period furnishings. To see the interiors, you must take the tour, which lasts one hour and sets out from the Carriage House, next to the parking area. The Old Burying Ground, located one mile east of the Village Green on Route 25A, contains many artfully carved stones dating back to the 1717.

The landmark lobby of this Art Deco tower contains an illuminated 12-foot vintage globe that revolves beneath a black-glass dome. Around it, spreading across the floor like a giant compass and literally positioning New York at the center of the world, bronze lines indicate mileage to various international destinations. Movie fans might recognize the building as the offices of the fictional newspaper The Daily Planet in the original Superman movie. Photos from the film's shooting are shown, along with a large clock displaying time zones around the world. On the wall behind the globe, you can check out meteorological gauges, which read New York City's weather—especially fun on a windy day when the meters are whipping about. The Daily News hasn't called this building home since 1995; only the lobby is open to the public (but that's enough). The globe was last updated in 1967, so part of the fun here is seeing how our maps have changed; note Manchuria and East and West Germany.

Trevor Noah may have moved on, but Comedy Central continues to host free tapings of The Daily Show from Monday through Thursday. Reservations can be made online only, with tickets released gradually for future shows, so check the website often to RSVP for your preferred date. Only the person whose name is on the reservation can check in, and all attendees must be at least 18. The big caveat is that a reservation doesn’t guarantee entry, so get in line early. Check the website for more details.

The Ride of Steel will have your heart racing faster than the 70 mph this roller coaster reaches. It's one of six coasters at this theme park, which has more than 100 rides in all. The Viper coaster turns you upside down five times. The water park has the Big Kahuna—a more than 700-foot-long, twisting tube ride—the Grizzly Run rapids, a log flume, a wave pool, and various twisted chutes and slides. The complex includes a 20,000-seat concert amphitheater, eateries, a hotel, and a mammoth campground with 1,200 sites.

The centerpiece of this 1,850-acre park is 12-acre Harlow Lake, which has a sandy beach. Hiking, bridle, and cross-country skiing trails vein the grounds, which are hilly and wooded and include a 158-site campground (open daily from June through September and on weekends the rest of the year) with showers and a comfort station. Fishing, picnicking, snowmobiling, and ice-skating are among the other activities you might pursue here. Some hunting is allowed in season.

The Darwin D. Martin House, part of the Darwin D. Martin House Complex in Buffalo's Parkside East Historic District, is considered one of the finest examples of a Wright prairie-style structure. The estate was commissioned in 1902 by Darwin Martin, a wealthy Buffalo businessman who would become one of Wright's most loyal patrons. The first Wright house on the property was the George Barton House (at 118 Summit Avenue), built in 1903 for Martin's sister and brother-in-law. The final touches were applied to Martin's own house in 1907. The estate also includes the Gardener's Cottage (285 Woodward Avenue). At this writing, the complex is undergoing a multiyear restoration. Restored in the first phases of the work were the pergola, conservatory, and carriage house. The final phase is a restoration of the house interiors, which will likely continue through 2010. The site remains open for tours during restoration.

Zwirner is one of the most prominent figures in the world of contemporary art, and his several galleries around the world show multimedia work by big-name, Instagram-friendly artists including Richard Serra, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Jeff Koons, Gordon Matta-Clark, Yayoi Kusama, and Alice Neel. The sleek, modern building on 20th Street has two floors of exhibition space, and there's a complex of buildings on West 19th Street a block away, as well as another gallery on the Upper East Side.

The centerpiece of this museum property is the 1797 Federal-style farm of Gideon Frisbee, an original settler of Delhi. The complex includes six other historic buildings as well as an extensive genealogical library. One exhibit gallery holds a permanent collection of 19th-century farm implements; the other rotates displays of local historical interest. Special events re-create the daily life of the period. A nature trail leads to a covered bridge; when in bloom, more than 80 lilac bushes perfume the grounds.