10457 Best Sights in USA

One of the largest salt water marshes in the state, wildlife lovers and bird-watchers flock to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. More than 1,300 acres, it's home to 200 different bird species—including great blue herons, snowy and great egrets, and brown pelicans. Throughout the reserve are easy-to-walk trails for bird-watching along a 1½-mile loop. There are two entrances off the Pacific Coast Highway: one close to the Interpretive Center and a second a mile south on Warner Avenue. Each parking lot connects to 4 miles of walking and hiking trails with scenic overlooks. Parking is free, but limited.

In the northern section of the city, Bolsa Chica State Beach is usually less crowded than its southern neighbors. The Huntington Beach bike and walking trail runs along the edge of the sand for 8 miles north to the south of Huntington Beach. The path is wide and in some areas there are separate walking and biking lanes. There are also a sprinkling of different types of eateries open during the summer along the pathway. Some offer live music. In the evening the firepits attract beachgoers. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

The French name Bon Secour means "safe harbor," which these 7,000 acres provide for migratory birds, nesting sea turtles, the endangered Alabama beach mouse, and people seeking tranquil hours. Wild dunes still exist along what is one of the Alabama coast’s largest undeveloped areas. Hiking trails, ranging from 1 to more than 4 miles, wind through dunes, swales, wetlands, maritime forests, and scrub habitats where you might see foxes, coyotes, armadillos, and hummingbirds.

This family-run winery's tasting room, reminiscent of a European chalet, sits among vineyards near a duck pond that's lovely for picnics. A valley stalwart since 1985, Bonair has garnered dozens of awards for its Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

History buffs should check out the 1915 Bonelli House, an excellent example of Anglo-territorial architecture, featuring a facade of light-gray quarried stone and whitewashed-wood accents, a very popular style in the early 1900s. It is one of more than 60 buildings in the Kingman business district listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains period pieces including a large wall clock that was once the only clock in Kingman. Because of the narrow hallways, only 10 visitors are allowed to tour the property at a time.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the first federal dam to span the Columbia in 1937. Its generators (visible from a balcony on a self-guided tour or up close during free guided tours offered daily in summer and on weekends the rest of the year) have a capacity of more than a million kilowatts, enough to supply power to more than 200,000 single-family homes. There's an extensive visitor center on Bradford Island, complete with underwater windows where gaggles of kids watch migrating salmon and steelhead as they struggle up fish ladders. The best viewing times are between April and October. In recent years the dwindling runs of wild Columbia salmon have made the dam a subject of much environmental controversy.

Built in 1909 and operated by the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, the largest state-operated fish hatchery is next door to Bonneville Dam. Visitors can view the fishponds in which Chinook, coho, and steelhead spawn—October and November are the most prolific times. Other ponds hold rainbow trout (which visitors can feed) and mammoth Columbia River sturgeon, some exceeding 10 feet in length.

The team at Boochcraft sells canned hard kombucha juices made from whole, organic fruits at their Boochery in Chula Vista, but serves it by the glass at this Del Mar taproom; you can also take six-packs to go. Local ingredients are essential and come from places like San Diego's Dickinson Family Farms and Santa Barbara's Cuyama Orchard. Look for seasonal releases like passionfruit blood orange or try a core flavor like ginger lime and hibiscus lemonade that are available year-round.

It would have been hard for Booker T. Washington to imagine the farm on which he was born into slavery hosting a national monument. But this restored tobacco farm 25 miles southeast of Roanoke and 21 miles south of Bedford is a fitting tribute to the humble origins of Washington (1856–1915), who broke through the yoke of oppression to become a remarkable educator and author, advising presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft and taking tea with Queen Victoria. He also started Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and inspired generations of African-Americans. Covering 224 acres, the farm's restored buildings, tools, crops, animals, and, in summer, interpreters in period costume, all help show what life during slavery was like.

Doug Bast, a local historian and founder of the Boonsborough Museum of History, never gave up his boyhood habit of collecting unusual curios. Besides extensive Civil War artifacts (including a cannonball), among the quirky finds crammed into this small house are a wooly mammoth tusk, a moonshine still, mummified animals, a piece of the White House discarded during a mid-20th-century renovation, patent medicines, and Geronimo's walking stick.

There are some steep sections on the 2-mile trail network, but this lovely preserve provides easy access to the Bold Coast. Visitors marvel at sweeping ocean views from cliffs and amble on rocky beaches; a viewing platform looks across Grand Manan Channel. Other geographical features add to the mystical vibe: wind-stunted trees, a heath (raised peatland), and forest carpeted with sphagnum moss. Two headlands are on the 400-acre coastal section of the preserve, while the 300-acre inland parcel connects with owner Maine Coast Heritage Trust's Hamilton Cove Preserve—among several the conservation group has in the Lubec area. Check the website to learn about these preserves and others Down East and all along the Maine coast.

After they were hanged by vigilantes, the outlaws who preyed on miners ended up in graves at Boot Hill cemetery. Have a look at the old markers and take in the hill's view.

This graveyard, where the victims of the O.K. Corral shoot-out are buried, is on the northwest corner of town, facing U.S. 80. Chinese names in one section of the "bone orchard" bear testament to the laundry and restaurant workers who came from San Francisco during the height of Tombstone's mining fever. One of the more amusing epitaphs at the cemetery, however, is engraved on the headstone of Wells Fargo agent Lester Moore; it poetically lists the cause of his untimely demise: "Here lies Lester Moore, four slugs from a .44, no les [sic], no more." If you're put off by the commercialism of the place—the gift shop sells novelty items in the shape of tombstones—remember that Tombstone itself is the result of crass acquisition.

Behind the Boothill Inn & Suites hotel, lie the graves of H.M. Muggins Taylor, the army scout who carried word of Custer's defeat through 180 miles of hostile territory, Western explorer Yellowstone Kelly, and several outlaws executed in territorial days. A sign tells the story of Crow warriors who blindfolded their horses before riding them off what's now known as Sacrifice Cliff in hopes that the gods would end a smallpox epidemic.

If you have a valid passport, you can use this pedestrian crossing, about 2 miles east of Rio Grande Village, to visit the village of Boquillas del Carmen. Check the park website for current hours, but generally the crossing is open May–October from 9 am to 4 pm, Friday through Monday, and the rest of the year from 9 am to 4 pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Once a mining boomtown that fed off rich minerals and silver, Boquillas has shrunk to a small village, but there are a couple of restaurants and bars along with a few shops. To get across, you can access a $5 round-trip row boat across the river and a $3 entrance fee to enter the Mexican Protected Area that the village is located in. The remaining ¾-mile to the village is easily managed on foot, but locals will also usually approach offering rides by donkey, pickup truck, or horseback, typically for around $10 round-trip.

If you do not return to the border in time, you may be stuck in Mexico for two or three days.

One of the hottest properties in Atlantic City is not on the Boardwalk but in the Marina district, way on the other side of the city. When it opened in 2003, the $1.1 billion casino-hotel was the first addition to Atlantic City since 1990 and exists on a scale more akin to Las Vegas than anything in these parts. Glitzy yet trendy, Borgata encompasses a 161,000-square-foot casino with more than 170 gaming tables and 2,549 slot machines, 14 restaurants (including offerings from Micael Symon and an outpost of New York City's Old Homestead steakhouse), and two theaters that each seat more than 1,000 people. The architecture and interior design, a blend of modern elements and old-Italy motifs, combined with the Borgata's nightclubs and specialty boutiques pull in a younger, hipper crowd than the other area casinos.

High-style period furniture and collections of crystal, silver, and porcelain fill this restored 1808 mansion, now a museum of Federal-period decorative arts. Built by States Morris Dyckman, a descendant of one of New Amsterdam's early Dutch families, the house originally stood in Montrose, some 15 miles south. It's open by tour only, but the grounds are reason enough to visit.

In 1924, the Boston Bruins became the first U.S. ice hockey team to enter the NHL. The Bruins have been playing at the Garden since 1928 (although the original Boston Garden was replaced in 1995) and have won six Stanley Cup titles over that time. Spectators can see the championship banners hanging in the rafters above the ice and the stands, which are packed for every home game, despite high ticket prices. Fans are loud, vocal, and extremely loyal, so spectators with delicate personalities won't feel comfortable. Saturday afternoon games are a win for the family. Seasons run from October until April; playoffs last through early June.

The Boston Celtics franchise has won the most championship titles in the NBA with 18 banners—it's one more than the LA Lakers and at least 11 more than any other team. So, what to expect at a Celtics game from today's squad? An all-around fun experience, a charged atmosphere, and devotion from the fans to the team and the team to the fans. You'll hear "Let's Go, Cel-tics" no matter the score. The season runs from late October to April, and playoffs last until mid-June.

The Boston Common Frog Pond is a hot spot, no matter the season. In winter (November to March), city dwellers and visitors alike can skate around the man-made pool (skate rentals available), which vibes an atmosphere reminiscent of a Currier & Ives painting. In warm weather, the Frog Pond transforms into a shallow spray pool, free to all. Nearby, a carousel opens for most of the year, and a large playground is open year-round.

Dedicated in 1998, this memorial and a small park were built in remembrance of Ireland's great famine of the mid-19th century. Artist Robert Shure's two sculptures depict an anguished family on the shores of Ireland, and a determined and hopeful Irish family stepping ashore in Boston. An gorta mor, as it's called in Irish, is a tribute to the rich immigrant past of this most Irish of American cities.

A circle of cobblestones in front of the Old State House commemorates the Boston Massacre, which happened about 20 feet away. To recap: It was on the snowy evening of March 5, 1770, that nine British soldiers fired in panic upon a taunting mob of more than 75 colonists who were upset over British occupation and taxation. Five townsmen died. In the legal action that followed, the defense of the accused soldiers was undertaken by John Adams and Josiah Quincy, both of whom vehemently opposed British oppression but were devoted to the principle of a fair trial. All but two of the nine regulars charged were acquitted; the others were branded on the hand for the crime of manslaughter. Paul Revere lost little time in capturing the "massacre" in a dramatic engraving that soon became one of the Revolution's most potent images of propaganda. This is Freedom Trail stop 10.

The main visitor center for the park, the Boston Mill Visitor Center, is located in a restored 1905 building; to be precise, it's in the reimagined former company store of the now defunct Cleveland-Akron Bag Company, a hub where workers would go for supplies. The center is an excellent launching pad for park visitors, who can meet staff, plan their itinerary, and explore exhibits before setting off into the park. The south room has a tabletop model of the Cuyahoga Valley flanked by murals depicting Cleveland to the north and Akron to the south. There’s also a gift shop selling souvenirs and park-related books.

A 7,400-square-foot National Park Service visitor center at Faneuil Hall features history exhibits, a film-screening area, and a bookstore. It's the starting point for NPS rangers' two different 60-minute Freedom Trail tours and other talks; there's a sister site at Charlestown's Navy Yard. Other Boston NPS sights include the Boston African American National Historic Site on Beacon Hill, home to guided tours of the Black Heritage Trail, and the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, with trails, forts, wildlife, and camping on 34 islands. Of note, the Great Hall is currently closed for preservation.

Open year-round, the indoor Boston Public Market offers a great place to grab a sandwich, sample local foods, and even pick up a souvenir. The New England–centric marketplace has 30 vendors, selling everything from fresh herbs and fruit to meat and seafood. Everything sold at the market is produced or originates in New England. There’s also a food demonstration kitchen, where visitors might be able to catch a live cooking class (with samples). The Kids’ Nook is a designated area to gather and play, and there are kids activities throughout the week.

This should be any traveler's destination for comprehensive and local information about tours and attractions in the city of Boston. It is also a frequent meeting spot for walking tours around town, and it serves as the first stop on Boston's historic Freedom Trail. Find it on the Tremont Street side of Boston Common, equidistant between the Green Line's Boylston and Park Street T stops.

More than 9 acres of perennials and woody plants are cultivated here, among dozens of fountains and pools. Twenty-five distinct gardens showcase a variety of themes, such as native wildflowers in the Cissy Wise Wildflower Meadow, 350 rose plants at the Jessie Wooldridge Brosius Rose Garden, and a living-herb wall at the Sally Stone Sensory Garden. A highlight is the 2,800-square-foot free-flight butterfly enclosure that is home to more than 5,000 butterflies in various stages of development; it is open from June to September only. The very interactive children's garden features a tree house to climb into and a pond to hop across.

Just off the highway, this garden park on more than 300 acres of former sugarcane land has wide views of the countryside and the ocean; it's also the place to see the beautiful Kamaee waterfalls. During a visit you can follow a walking trail with old-growth tropical gardens including orchids, palm trees, ginger, hibiscus, and heliconia; visit the 10-acre arboretum, which includes a maze made of orange shrubs; explore the river walk; ride the relatively small zip line; and take the only off-road Segway adventure on the island. You can tour the garden only for a nominal fee, which is waived if you take the zip line or Segway. If you skip the zip line, you can see it all in a few hours. This place is 3 miles north of Honomu.

The Napa Valley Vine Trail's St. Helena–Calistoga leg passes through this park's redwoods, Douglas firs, oaks, and madrones. A hiking path beginning near the visitor center loops up a hill to an opening with views encompassing much of the valley. Shorter trails circle a vineyard and lead to historical sites. Before 19th-century American and European settlers arrived, the Indigenous people later known as Wappo lived off this land. You can camp and picnic here, and a pool opens on summer weekends.  Take care on hiking trails; poison oak grows in abundance.