16 Best Sights in USA

Near the north entrance, this small spot has tables and restrooms.

At this picnic area, there are several wooden tables under shade trees, plus restrooms, but no running water. The area is wheelchair accessible, although the nearby Cliff Palace dwellings are not.

Soak up Hot Springs’ rich history on a free, self-guided tour of the largest and most opulent bathhouse on Bathhouse Row. The Fordyce, which operated from 1915 to 1962, is now the park's visitor center and museum, where you can pick up trail maps, speak with helpful park employees, and get an insightful glimpse into the Golden Age of bathing. Extensively restored, the Fordyce features marble throughout, beautiful stained-glass ceilings, period rooms, and hydrotherapy equipment dating from the early 20th century. A 15-minute video in the first-floor theater covers area history; a shorter video shown on the second floor details the traditional bathing regimen.

Goldfield became an instant town of about 4,000 residents after a gold strike in 1892; it dried up five years later when the gold mine flooded. Today the Goldfield Ghost Town is an interesting place to grab a cool drink, pan for gold, go for a mine tour, or take a desert jeep ride or horseback tour of the area. The ghost town's shops and saloon are open daily and gunfights are held on weekends.

This family-focused center has a rotating selection of art classes for all ages, plus kid-friendly activities and hands-on exhibits that teach tykes and their parents about the park's ecosystem. Books, toys, and T-shirts are stocked in the small gift shop.

Overlooking some 140 square miles, this 216-foot tall, elevator-accessible tower at the summit of its namesake mountain provides sweeping views of the park and the Ouachita Mountains. The tower is open daily and has an open-air observation deck; an enclosed, lower-level deck with exhibits on area history; and a ground-level gift shop.

This solemn smattering of structures, accessed by a short loop trail behind the Yosemite Museum, offers a look at what Native American life might have been like in the 1870s. One interpretive sign points out that the Miwok people referred to the 19th-century newcomers as "Yohemite" or "Yohometuk," which have been translated as meaning "some of them are killers." 

In the center of Santa Clara University's campus is the Mission Santa Clara, the site of the first college of higher learning in California (est. 1851). Some of the roof tiles of the current building, a reproduction of the original, were salvaged from earlier structures, which dated from the 1770s and 1820s. Restored original adobe walls (1822) and a spectacular rose garden (viewable, but not open to the public) remain intact as well.

There is only one picnic table (and no services) here, but the view is excellent.

See huge boulders covered with petroglyphs believed to have been carved by the Pueblo people more than 500 years ago.

Look through the binoculars that are provided here—you'll be surprised at what the naked eye misses.

There are restrooms and tables at this small picnic area near the south entrance.

Run by a dedicated, local nonprofit, this volunteer-staffed 15-acre park near the northern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park educates visitors on the region's celestial and terrestrial attributes. It has an observatory dome with a 14-inch telescope, nature trails that feature desert plants, a meditation garden, numerous sculptures, and an orrery (a 20 billion–to-1 scaled model of the solar system). The campus is always open for walks or stargazing with your own equipment, but the big dome and telescope are only available during the free Night Sky Programs, which are held once a month on the Saturday night nearest the new moon. Programs usually start an hour after sunset and last two hours. The observatory also hosts an annual Night Sky Festival.

Well-to-do Palo Alto and its intellectual neighbor, Stanford University, are about 35 miles south of San Francisco. Stanford's gorgeous grounds are home to a primordial-looking cactus garden, a stone river sculpture by Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy, wood carvings and indigenous artworks from Papua New Guinea, and an excellent art museum—the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts (open daily except Tuesday)—whose lawn is planted with bronze works by Auguste Rodin. Free one-hour walking tours of the campus leave daily at 11 and 3:15 from the visitor center.

A handful of benches and tables near drinking water, a covered kiosk, and restrooms make this a pleasant spot for lunch in the Wetherill area.

Another only-in-Joshua Tree spot not to be missed, this museum displays all kinds of crocheted creations inside a reimagined drive-through photo stand. Tucked off the street in Art Queen's courtyard, it earned global recognition when it appeared in an international advertising campaign. Before you get back in the car, detour around the front to see another eclectic collection at the Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum ( beautybubble.net). The working salon displays more than 3,000 pieces of vintage equipment, toys, products, and advertising related to the hair/beauty industry.

This small museum consists of a permanent exhibit that focuses on the history of the area and the people who once lived here. An adjacent gallery promotes contemporary and historic Yosemite art in revolving gallery exhibits. A docent demonstrates traditional Native American basket-weaving techniques a few days a week.