10457 Best Sights in USA

Amethysts, logomites, calcite crystals, and other specimens fill this 60-million-year-old, privately owned cave, formed slowly by water trickling through limestone rock and first documented by gold seekers in 1882. Half-hour and hour-long walking tours, as well as gemstone and fossil mining, are available. Tours depart approximately every 20 minutes.

Hundreds of miles of hiking, mountain biking, ATVing, snowmobiling, and horseback-riding trails crisscross this million-acre forest. The boundaries encompass most of the Black Hills, but there are many "inholdings" —pockets and parcels of privately owned land, most of which are old mining claims that predate the national forest designation. For advice on how to best explore the forest, stop at the visitor centers in Rapid City, Custer, Spearfish, or even Sundance, Wyoming, if you venture across the border on a day trip. There's an additional visitor center open seasonally at the Pactola Reservoir.

A 15-minute video and a self-guided nature walk teach you about the geologic evolution of western South Dakota. Allow about an hour for your visit to this forest, which opened to the public in 1929, and is about halfway between Rapid City and Sturgis.

The goal of this museum in the Jackson Ward is to gather visual, oral, and written records and artifacts that commemorate the lives and accomplishments of blacks in Virginia. On display are 5,000 documents, fine art objects, traditional African artifacts, textiles from ethnic groups throughout Africa, and artwork by Sam Gilliam, John Biggers, and P.H. Polk.

After then-President Trump held up a Bible on June 1, 2020, for a photo op in front of historic St. John's Church, calling out the National Guard to waylay peaceful protestors for his safe passage, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser had the words "Black Lives Matter" painted in yellow, 35-foot-long capital letters along a two-block-long section of 16th Street NW, in front of the church and within plain view of the White House several days after the incident. Since then, Black Lives Matter Plaza has become a community gathering spot featuring performances, yoga, and even weddings. In October 2021, it became a permanent installation.

Although it was around less than 25 years in the mid-20th century, the famed Black Mountain College was important in the development of several groundbreaking art, dance, and literary movements. Some of the maverick spirits it attracted in its short lifetime were artists Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef and Anni Albers, and Kenneth Noland; dancer Merce Cunningham; composer John Cage; filmmaker Arthur Penn; futurist Buckminster Fuller; and writers M. C. Richards, Charles Olson, and Robert Creeley. This museum celebrates their historic work alongside modern exhibitions and performances.

Set among Joshua trees, pinyon pines, and junipers, this popular picnic area has barbecue grills and drinking water. It's one of the few with flush toilets.

At more than 3,600 feet, Black Rock Mountain is the highest state park in Georgia. Named for the black gneiss rock visible on cliffs in the area, the 1,743-acre park has 11 miles of trails, a 17-acre lake perfect for fishing, 56 campsites, a pioneer group campsite, and 10 cottages. The park offers majestic overlooks and a trail that leads visitors along the Eastern Continental Divide, from which water flows south and east to eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side, north and west to the mighty Mississippi River.

There are a dozen hot springs and geysers nearly opposite the cloverleaf entrance from Grand Loop Road to Old Faithful. Emerald Pool is one of the prettiest. It's an easy 1½-mile walk, ski, or bike ride from the Old Faithful area, or you can drive and park right in the middle of the basin.

In the early 1930s, archaeologists in eastern New Mexico unearthed remnants of prehistoric animals like mammoths, camels, and saber-tooth tigers. More important, this was the first site in the contiguous United States that provided conclusive evidence that humans lived here at least 11,300 years ago. The culture and artifacts associated with these earliest inhabitants take their name from the nearby city of Clovis. The Black Water Draw Museum contains photographs of early excavations, along with artifacts from Clovis, Folsom, and later Native American civilizations. The museum looks a little lonely on the side of U.S. 70, 8 mi northeast of Portales, but its interior is cheerful, with informative, well-presented exhibits and a "touch and feel" table for children.

The powerful waves at this beach attract world-class surfers, and the strand's relative isolation appeals to nudist nature lovers (although by law nudity is prohibited). Backed by 300-foot-tall cliffs whose colors change with the sun's angle, Black's can be accessed from Torrey Pines State Beach to the north, or by a narrow path descending the cliffs from Torrey Pines Glider Port. Be aware that the city has posted a "do not use" sign there because the cliff trails are unmaintained and highly dangerous, so use at your own risk. If you plan to access Black's from the beaches to the north or south, do so at low tide. High tide and waves can restrict access. Strong rip currents are common—only experienced swimmers should take the plunge. Lifeguards patrol the area only between spring break and mid-October. Also keep your eyes peeled for the hang gliders and paragliders who ascend from atop the cliffs. Parking is available at the Glider Port and Torrey Pines State Beach. Amenities: none. Best for: nudists; solitude; surfing.

Between North and Hanover streets, near the Haymarket, lies the Blackstone Block, now visited mostly for its culinary landmark, the Union Oyster House. Named for one of Boston's first settlers, William Blaxton, or Blackstone, it's the city's oldest commercial block, for decades dominated by the butcher trade. As a tiny remnant of Old Boston, the Blackstone Block remains the city's "family attic"—to use the winning metaphor of critic Donlyn Lyndon: more than three centuries of architecture are on view, ranging from the 18th-century Capen House to the modern Bostonian hotel. A Colonial-period warren of winding lanes surrounds the block.

Facing the Blackstone Block, in tiny Union Park, framed by Congress Street and Dock Square, are two bronze figures, one seated on a bench and the other standing eye-to-eye with passersby. Both represent James Michael Curley, the quintessential Boston pol and a questionable role model for urban bosses. It's just as well that he has no pedestal. Also known as "the Rascal King" or "the Mayor of the Poor," and dramatized by Spencer Tracy in The Last Hurrah (1958), the charismatic Curley was beloved by the city's dominant working-class Irish for bringing them libraries, hospitals, bathhouses, and other public-works projects. His career got off to a promising start in 1903, when he ran—and won—a campaign for alderman from the Charles Street Jail, where he was serving time for taking someone else's civil-service exam.

Over the next 50 years he dominated Boston politics, serving four nonconsecutive terms as mayor, one term as governor, and four terms as congressman. No one seemed to mind the slight glitch created when his office moved, in 1946, to the federal penitentiary, where he served five months of a 6- to 18-month sentence for mail fraud: he was pardoned by President Truman and returned to his people a hero.

This trail connects Collie Ridge Trail and Wet Prong Trail. Horses and hiking only. 1.8 mi. Moderate.

The elegant home of former governor John Motley Morehead is considered the prototype of the Italian-villa architecture that swept the country during the mid-19th century. Noted architect Alexander Jackson Davis designed the house, which has a stucco exterior and towers and still contains many of its original furnishings. A kitchen garden and rose garden on the grounds are maintained by local volunteers. Guided tours highlight the architecture and history. The house also serves as the headquarters of Preservation Greensboro. Among the fascinating and well-preserved artifacts is a bracelet woven by Governor Moreland's daughter from her deceased husband's hair, featuring a posthumous portrait.

Walking the stretch of Bleecker Street between 7th Avenue and Broadway provides a smattering of just about everything synonymous with Greenwich Village these days: NYU buildings, record stores, Italian cafés and food shops, pizza and takeout joints, bars and nightclubs, and funky boutiques. A lazy afternoon here may consist of sampling some of the city's best pizza, grabbing an espresso, and soaking up the downtown fashion scene. Foodies love the blocks between 6th and 7th Avenues for the specialty purveyors like Murray's Cheese (No. 254). At the intersection of Bleecker and Carmine Streets is Our Lady of Pompeii Church, where Mother Cabrini, a naturalized Italian immigrant who became the first American citizen to be canonized, often prayed. West of 7th Avenue, the shops get more upscale, with fashion and home-furnishings boutiques featuring antiques, eyeglasses, handbags, shoes, and designer clothing.

Housed in a 1905 barn, the visitor center sits above the Blenheim-Gilboa pumped-storage project, which generates power by recycling water between two reservoirs. Hands-on exhibits explain the science of energy production; an enclosed porch overlooking the lower reservoir has exhibits of local fauna. Picnic tables are scattered between the historic outbuildings. Hiking trails lead to Mine Kill State Park.

This is the best trail in Voyageurs that doesn't require a boat to reach the trailhead. Starting near the Ash River Visitor Center on the south side of Kabetogama Lake, the 2.9-mile loop navigates rocky terrain through a boreal forest with superlative scenery. Moderate.

This is a good beach for nature lovers and a great spot if you are looking for a tranquil stretch of beach. The park contains about 60 acres of Gulf-to-bay land. If you're up for a hike, check out the short nature trail on-site, and keep an eye out for the Hermitage House, one of the oldest structures in the area. Amenities: showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming.

This recreation area includes a number of sites scattered along the Mitkof Highway from 15 to 20 miles south of Petersburg. Blind River Rapids Trail is a wheelchair-accessible 1-mile boardwalk that leads to a three-sided shelter overlooking the river—one of Southeast's most popular fishing spots—before looping back through the muskeg. Not far away is a bird-viewing area where several dozen trumpeter swans spend the winter. In summer you're likely to see many ducks and other waterfowl. At Mile 18 the state-run hatchery releases thousands of king and coho salmon each year. The kings return in June and July, the coho in August and September. Nearby is a popular picnic area. Four miles south of the hatchery is a Forest Service campground.

Starting with a sea of daffodils in April, this 33-acre estate on Bristol Harbor blooms all the way to fall. Highlights include fragrant pink chestnut roses and one of the largest giant sequoia trees on the East Coast. The gardens are open year-round. The 45-room English-style manor house, opened seasonally, is filled with original antiques and artworks.

Comprised of three galleries, this multipurpose space is among the most notable sights on the Northwestern University campus. The impressive rotating collection includes prints, photographs, and other works on paper spanning the 15th to 21st centuries. An outdoor sculpture garden features pieces by Joan Miró and Barbara Hepworth. Workshops, lectures, and symposia are also hosted here, and the museum's Block Cinema screens classic and contemporary films.

The only public access in Bellingham to rippling, 14-mile-long Lake Whatcom is at its north end, in this park about a 10-minute drive east of downtown. Locals swim in the sheltered, if rather brisk, waters of a cove. Keep an eye out for beavers, river otters, ducks, great blue herons, and yellow pond lilies at Scudder Pond, which is another 100 feet west (reached by trail from the parking area at Northshore and Alabama).

Noah and Kelly Dorrance of Reeve Wines are behind this more casual winery producing Albariño, Chenin Blanc, Tocai Friulano, Pinot Noir, Grenache, and other decently priced wines from well-sourced grapes. The light-filled tasting space's urban/country-cool decor hints at the panache behind the enterprise, whose servers appear to have been chosen for their ebullience. Cheeses, olive tapenade, and prosciutto are available for pairing.

Built in 1912 for the Shriners, the former Medinah Temple is a Middle Eastern fantasy, with horseshoe-shape arches, stained-glass windows, and intricate geometric patterns around windows and doors (it once also held a 4,200-seat auditorium). Vacant for many years, it was transformed into a Bloomingdale's Home & Furniture Store in 2003.

In this modest structure dating from 1792, Territorial Governor William Blount, a signer of the Constitution, planned the admission of Tennessee as the 16th state in the Union. The home looks out over the Tennessee River and is furnished with original and period antiques, along with memorabilia of Blount's checkered career.

The Blowing Rock itself is a jagged boulder atop a cliff that overlooks the Johns River Gorge about 3,000 feet below. If you throw your hat over the sheer precipice, it may blow back to you, should the wind gods be playful. The story goes that a Cherokee man and a Chickasaw maiden fell in love. Torn between his tribe and his love, he jumped from the cliff, but she prayed to the Great Spirit, and he was blown safely back to her. The compact grounds at this worthwhile attraction include an observation tower, several overlooks, and the fascinating Blowing Rock Museum, which tells the century-old history of this area as a tourist destination and includes a display of locally mined gemstones.

Tucked inside the Monongahela National Forest, a 20-minute drive northeast of White Sulphur Springs, this is one of the best spots in the area for hiking, swimming, and trout fishing. The 5-mile-long Blue Bend Loop Trail is popular throughout the year and has three lookout spots as well as a wooden shelter at its highest point. The forest is home to foxes, deer, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, and mink. The on-site campground is open March through November.