4 Best Sights in New York, USA

The 1½-mi-long chasm opened to the public in 1870, becoming the country's first natural tourist attraction. The geological spectacle continues to be popular and is often overrun with visitors in summer.

A deck allows you to view formations such as Elephant Head with its trunk of rock. The trail around the rim provides soaring views, and stone walkways and stairways descend into the chasm. Sightseeing can be combined with a kayak, raft, or inner-tube ride on the Ausable River. Two-hour lantern tours start at dusk. The flickering lights transform the 500-million-year-old mass of time-sculpted stone formations. Reservations are required.

An elevator takes you down 156 feet to reach these caverns. The 80-minute guided tours lead you along paved walkways and include a ¼-mi boat ride on an underground lake. The temperature down under hovers just above 50°F all year, so dress appropriately. On Friday and Saturday evenings visitors (13 and older) can opt for a lantern-lighted tour; call ahead for a reservation. The grounds include a restaurant and a motel.

Perched at the edge of the Allegany Mountains, Rock City is believed to have the largest exposure of quartz conglomerate in the world. Some of the towering prehistoric rock formations are several stories high. Pathways lead you over top and down through narrow crevices enclosed by huge boulders. Wear athletic footwear.

The cave was discovered in 1928 on a farm just outside Cobleskill. An hour-long guided tour takes you 85 feet down, via winding stairs, and features fossils, stalagmites and stalactites, natural domes, and a 100-foot-high waterfall. The cavern temperature is usually 50°F, so dress accordingly.