10457 Best Sights in USA

A sophisticated gallery with a serene sculpture garden, Bellas Artes has a captivating collection of ceramics, paintings, photography, and sculptural work, and represents internationally renowned artists.

As you pull up to this opulent Mediterranean-inspired chateau nestled in the foothills a few miles east of downtown Ashland, it's easy to understand why it's a favorite destination for weddings. But the winery's elegant Pavilion Tasting Room is also a memorable spot to sip Belle Fiore's excellent Cabernet Francs, Rieslings, and other finely crafted wines. There's an art gallery, too, and light dining on the upper level, which has a gracious terrace.

Both an elegant farmhouse and 100-acre working farm, Belle Grove is a monument to the rural and the refined, two qualities that exist in harmony in the architecture here and throughout the region. Constructed in 1797 out of limestone quarried on the property, the building reflects the influence of Thomas Jefferson, said to have been a consultant. Originally built for Major Isaac Hite and his wife Nelly (President James Madison's sister), this was the headquarters of the Union general Philip Sheridan during the Battle of Cedar Creek (1864), a crucial defeat for the Confederacy. Part of the battle was fought on the farm.

Belle Isle, 3 mi southeast of the city center on a 1,000-acre island in the Detroit River, is reached by way of East Jefferson Avenue and East Grand Boulevard. Here you'll find woods, walking trails, sports facilities, a 9-hole golf course, and a ½-mi-long beach. Like many other urban parks, Belle Isle is best visited during the day.

This 300-acre patch of remaining wetland environment is indicative of the salt marsh landscape that covered Boston when early settlers arrived and which today has been filled in. As you walk or run Belle Isle's gravel paths, listen to the sound of the marsh's diverse bird community, which includes the American kestrel, belted kingfisher, great blue heron, northern harrier, and salt marsh sparrow. Boardwalks venture into the marsh for great viewing and photo ops.

At the far end of Belle Isle, the Belle Isle Nature Zoo offers family nature programs on weekends focused on Michigan flora and fauna.

The tall limestone pillars of Belle Meade are markers of a bygone era. Today, this historic mansion is a museum at the center of 30 acres of smooth green pastures west of Nashville. In addition to the Greek Revival–style mansion, the property includes a winery and more than 10 outbuildings. General tours are available, or you can take a themed tour like The Journey to Jubilee, which tells the stories of the people who were enslaved at Belle Meade Plantation. A complimentary wine tasting is offered at the end of your tour, or you can book a private tasting separately.

A real feather in Bellevue's cap, this museum presents sophisticated exhibits on craft and design, with a focus on regional artists. Past exhibitions have included High Fiber Diet—focusing on underexposed media in contemporary art—and Modern Twist: Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art. The dramatic puzzle-piece-looking building, which stands out in Bellevue's somewhat uninspired downtown core, is worth the trip alone. In late July, the museum hosts the BAM ARTSfair, a prestigious, high-end street festival. Workshops for kids, teens, and adults are also offered regularly.

This beautiful 53-acre public area just a short drive from downtown Bellevue is encircled by spectacular perennial borders, brilliant rhododendron displays, and patches of alpine and rock gardens. The Ravine Experience encompasses a five-acre area in the heavily forested southwest corner of the gardens with a ⅓-mile nature trail. A 150-foot suspension bridge crosses a deep ravine in one of the most pristine spaces, allowing visitors to observe unique topography and soaring conifers without disturbing the forest floor.

Docents lead tours of the gardens Saturdays and Sundays (April–October), beginning at the visitor center at noon. The Yao Japanese garden is especially beautiful in fall. One of the most interesting features of the park is the Waterwise Garden, which was planted with greenery that needs little water in summer. During the holiday season, the gardens are lit up nightly for Garden d'Lights, one of the area's most popular seasonal attractions.

Though its name has been changed many times, this building will always be \"the Bellevue\" to Philadelphians. The hotel has had an important role in city life, much like the heroine of a long-running soap opera. The epitome of the opulent hotels characteristic of the early 1900s, the Bellevue Stratford was the city's leading hotel for decades. It closed in 1976 after the first outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, which spread through the building's air-conditioning system during an American Legion convention. In late 2024, the hotel reopened after a major renovation, which restored many of its historic elements. It's worthwhile to stop into the lobby to see why people call the Bellevue \"the grand dame of Broad Street.\"

These real-estate experts have a full range of vacation rentals in 20 South Shore condominium complexes. They also have gorgeous houses for rent. Condos start at around $100 per night (most are $200 or less); houses will run you up to $1,700 a night.

In 1923, copper king and Montana senator William Andrews Clark bought the 24-acre Bellosguardo (Beautiful Lookout) estate on a bluff between East Beach and Butterfly Beach. After his death, his widow, Anna, built her own summer residence there, designed by famed architect Reginald Johnson and completed in 1937. When she died in 1963, the property passed on to daughter Huguette. (The Clarks’ other daughter, Andrée, died as a teenager, and the family donated funds to create the adjacent Andrée Clark Bird Refuge in her honor.)

Although Huguette, a recluse in New York who died in 2011 at age 104, hadn’t visited Bellosguardo in more than 50 years, she kept it maintained as if she and her family would walk through the door at any moment. Huguette willed the estate to a foundation so that it could become an arts and culture center, and today, Bellosguardo is slowly opening to the public.

For now, access is only via 90-minute, docent-led tours, conducted several times a day, of the garden and the ground floor of the main house. Of particular note are the carved wood panels in several of the rooms and the European art and antiques that once adorned the Clark luxury town house in New York. To book tours, which sell out quickly, click on the "Become a Supporter" option of the website, and subscribe to the mailing list for the latest information on ticket releases.

Bellows is the same beach as Waimanalo, but it's under the auspices of the military, making it more friendly for visitors—though you need a Department of Defense ID to access one side of the beach. The park area is excellent for camping, and ironwood trees provide plenty of shade. There are no food concessions, but McDonald's and other takeout options are right outside the entrance gate; there's also a weekend farmers' market. The beach is best before 2 pm. After 2, trade winds bring clouds that get hung up on steep mountains nearby, causing overcast skies. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

This 1850s Italian-style villa was the home of Adelicia Acklen, a wealthy plantation owner who married \"once for money, once for love, and once for the hell of it.\" On Belmont University's campus, it's rich with historical and architectural details, with guided tours suited to varying interests. The property now also features Freedom Plaza, a monument built in 2021 honoring the many enslaved people who lived and worked on the property. The last tour of the day starts at 3:30.

Literally the high point of a visit to Fairmount Park, the plateau has a stunning view from 243 feet above river level that takes in sweeping park vistas, recreation areas, and, 4 miles away, the Philadelphia skyline. This area is busy on weekends but may be empty during the week, depending on the weather. The large Palladian house on the plateau, Belmont Mansion, dates to 1745 and is an event space. It's also home to the small, rather dated but moving Underground Railroad Museum at Belmont Mansion ( belmontmansion.org  215/878–8844 or 267/736–0007  $15  closed Fri.–Wed. ), which has an introductory room with panels of historical information to read and some artifacts, a film with information about the Underground Railroad and the mansion's role as a stop on it, and additional displays seen on a tour in some of the mansion's rooms. 

Standing strong on Capitol Hill for more than 200 years, this house witnessed the construction of the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court, and its early occupants participated in the formation of Congress. In 1929, the National Woman's Party (NWP), founded by Alice Paul, an outspoken suffragist and feminist, purchased the house, and it soon evolved into a center for feminist education and social change. For more than 60 years, the trailblazing NWP utilized its strategic location, steps from the U.S. Capitol and its congressional offices, to lobby for women's political, social, and economic equality. Today an expansive collection of artifacts from the suffrage and equal rights campaigns brings the story of the women's rights movement to life. The innovative tactics and strategies these women devised became the blueprint for women's progress throughout the 20th century. In 2016, President Obama designated the home as a national monument.

The monument is closed for renovations through mid- to late 2023.

Three miles northeast of Greenbelt, the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) research center in Beltsville has developed everyday innovations such at backyard fly traps, orange juice from concentrate, and seedless grapes. Today BARC's research priorities are climate change, food safety, nutrition and obesity, international food security, and bioenergy. When several offices were attacked by anthrax mailings in 2001, it was scientists at this Beltsville location who helped determine where the anthrax came from. The visitor center is inside a log lodge built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and tours take at least two hours. Because of their length and technical nature, tours are not recommended for children below middle-school age. There are neither free food samples nor cafeterias on-site, but ARS sponsors a farmers' market down the road from the visitor center on Thursdays. Reservations are essential; call at least three weeks in advance. The visitor center, building 302, is located on Powder Mill Road, about a half mile away from the main building on Baltimore Avenue. It may not show up on a GPS, so call ahead for directions.

This 22-room Italianate mansion even merited a write-up in the Galena newspaper when it was built in 1857 for steamboat magnate—later ambassador to Belgium—J. Russell Jones. Although it is still a private residence, the current owners invite visitors for guided tours for half the year. In addition to the ornate woodwork and incredible collection of chandeliers, you'll find a fascinating selection of items picked up by various owners throughout the years, including glittering pieces from Liberace's estate and the famous velvet green drapes from "Gone With the Wind."

The extraordinary black-and-white large format photography of Ben Ham includes many stirring Lowcountry landscapes.

Open year-round, the park's main information hub has brochures, maps, and information on ranger programs. Check out exhibits on geology and wildlife, and watch paleontologists at work in the Fossil Prep Lab. View the film, Land of Stone and Light, in the 95-seat theater, and shop in the Badlands Natural History Association Bookstore. The facility is named for a Sioux activist and the first Lakota to serve in Congress. Born on the nearby Rosebud Indian Reservation, Ben Reifel also served in the Army during World War II.

When the bridge opened in 1926, its 1,750-foot main span made it the longest suspension bridge in the world. Paul Cret, architect of the Rodin Museum, was the designer. The bridge, which crosses the Delaware River, is mainly used by cars and the PATCO commuter train, which has several stops in Center City and South Jersey. The bridge is most impressive when it's lit at night. Start the 1¾-mile walk (one way) from either the Philadelphia side, two blocks north of the U.S. Mint, or the Camden, New Jersey, side, where there are metered parking lots. Enjoy stunning city views along the way, but know it's best to walk across on mornings or cooler days, as there's no shade.

This museum built on the site that was Benjamin Franklin's first permanent home in Philadelphia was thoroughly renovated in 2013, reopening as the Benjamin Franklin Museum. The exhibits combine the latest touch-screen displays and computer-generated animation with a chess set, eyeglasses, and other items actually used by the Renaissance man. Franklin's multifaceted roles as scientist, inventor, philosopher, writer, politician, and businessman are represented in various rooms via interactive displays. Franklin, publisher of Poor Richard's Almanack, helped draft the Declaration of Independence and negotiate peace with Great Britain. He also helped found Pennsylvania Hospital, the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Contributionship, and the American Philosophical Society. In the courtyard adjacent to the museum, architect Robert Venturi erected a steel skeleton of Franklin's former home. You can peek through \"windows\" into cutaways to see wall foundations, outdoor privies, and other original elements uncovered during excavation. At the Market Street side are several houses, now exhibition halls, that Franklin rented in addition to his main home. Here, too, you can find a restoration of a Colonial-era print shop and an operational post office. Don't forget to get a letter hand-stamped with a \"b. free franklin\" cancellation.

This stop on the Freedom Trail, in front of Old City Hall, commemorates the revolutionary, statesman, and inventor that every school child knows by name. Speaking of education, Franklin's likeness marks the original location of the Boston Latin School, the country's oldest public school (founded in 1635). Franklin attended Boston Latin with three other signers of the Declaration of Independence—Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine. However, he has the dubious distinction of being the only one of the four not to graduate. This is Freedom Trail stop 6.

Known for valley-floor Cabernet Sauvignons, this far-northern Napa Valley winery also produces Merlot and the Maximus Red Feasting Wine, a Cab-heavy red blend nicely priced considering the quality. On the lighter side are a Chardonnay and the Maximus White Feasting Wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Muscat. When the weather's pleasant, flights of current-release whites and reds unfold in a garden whose pergola frames vineyard and Calistoga Palisades views. Other tastings, in the living-room-like salon or the winery, highlight the Cabernets. An engaging game here teaches participants about wines' aromas, and there's a blending seminar.

This 306-foot stone obelisk with an elevator to an observation deck commemorates General John Stark's Revolutionary War victory over the British, who attempted to capture Bennington's stockpile of supplies. Inside the monument you can learn all about the battle, which took place near Walloomsac Heights in New York State on August 16, 1777, and helped bring about the surrender of British commander "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne two months later. The top of the tower affords commanding views of the Massachusetts Berkshires, the New York Adirondacks, and the Vermont Green Mountains.

Contemporary stone sculpture and white-frame neo-Colonial dorms surrounded by acres of cornfields punctuate the green meadows of the placid campus.

The excellent estate-grown wine is part of the reason to drop by this vineyard hugging a hillside on the north shore of the lake. You'll also want to soak up the sweeping Lake Chelan and mountain views from the tasting room—with its large south-facing windows—and the terrace. The patio is a pleasant setting to enjoy Neapolitan-style pizza, artisan sandwiches, and gelato from the on-site bistro, Cafe Myth.

This teaching museum exhibits contemporary art, works by old masters, and American Indian art and artifacts. The new building, opened in 2021, is its own work of art designed by Machado Silvetti. Among the 18,000 items spanning 22 centuries are a mural by Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco, first-edition Goya etchings, and 15th- and 16th-century Italian panel paintings. 

Guides conducting Benziger's popular tram tours explain the biodynamic practices employed in farming the estate vineyard and the benefits of the 360-degree sun exposure its bowl-like setting enables. The former include extensive plantings to attract beneficial insects and the deployment of sheep to trim vegetation between the vines, tilling the soil with their hooves and fertilizing it. Known for Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and multiple red blends, the winery is a beautiful spot for an alfresco tasting, even if you don't take the tour.