10457 Best Sights in USA

The lakes at Bottomless Lakes State Park were created when an ancient sea that covered the area 240 million years ago evaporated, leaving behind salt and gypsum deposits. Those deposits then slowly dissolved with accumulations of rain, and ceilings collapsed into sinkholes. Scuba divers, boaters, and swimmers now take advantage of the crystal-clear, spring-fed water. The main Lea Lake facility has a bathhouse with modern showers and restrooms; paddleboards can be rented from late May to early September.

Tranquil Bouchaine lies just north of San Pablo Bay's tidal sloughs—to appreciate the off-the-beaten-path setting, step onto the terrace of the semicircular hilltop tasting room and scan the skies for hawks and golden eagles soaring above the vineyards. The alternately breezy and foggy weather in this part of the Carneros works well for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These account for most of the wines, but also look for Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling whites, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Meunier, and Syrah. Some outdoor tastings take place on the terrace, others in the garden below it.

For its size, this small museum inside the Boulder Dam Hotel is well done. It includes hands-on exhibits, oral histories, artifacts from the building of Hoover Dam, and a glimpse at what it was like for Great Depression–era families to pull up roots and settle in the rock and dust of the harsh Mojave Desert. And don't forget to ask museum staff about the city's audio walking tour of 11 historical sites around town.

Be sure to stop at the Dutch Colonial–style Boulder Dam Hotel, built in 1933. On the National Register of Historic Places, the 20-room bed-and-breakfast once was a favorite getaway for notables, including the man who became Pope Pius XII and actors Will Rogers, Bette Davis, and Shirley Temple. It's still a point of pride for Boulder City and the heart of downtown. The guest rooms have been remodeled to stay competitive but retain a historic feel. There's also a small art gallery featuring the works of local and regional artists, and you can soothe the skin from the dry desert air with a facial at Healing Hands Esthetics by Jeannie.

View local and worldwide contemporary art exhibits and performance art at this innovative museum with frequently changing exhibitions. Admission is free on Saturday, and the museum stays open late on Wednesday during the summer when the farmers' market is in season.

A Kansas City original, the Boulevard Brewing Company gives tours that end with free tastes of their nine different brews.

With a long pier, a boardwalk over an old rail trestle, and a paved trail that skirts the waterfront overlooking the islands of Bellingham Bay, this leafy community park between downtown and Fairhaven is one of the loveliest spots in the area to stroll, jog, read a book, or watch the sailboats. At the center of the park is a branch of the popular local café Woods, which offers sweeping water views. Other amenities include a playground, a small beach, barbecue grills, and picnic tables.

Ignore your better judgment and take a stroll down Bourbon Street past the bars, restaurants, music clubs, adult stores, and novelty shops that have given this strip its reputation as the playground of the south. The bars of Bourbon Street were among the first businesses of the city to reopen after Katrina; catering to off-duty relief workers, they provided their own form of relief. Today, the spirit of unbridled revelry here is as alive as ever. The noise, raucous crowds, and bawdy sights are not family fare, however; if you go with children, do so before sundown. St. Ann Street marks the beginning of a short strip of gay bars, some of which figure in the long history of LGBTQ+ culture in New Orleans. Although Bourbon Street is usually well patrolled, it is wise to stay alert to your surroundings. The street is blocked to create a pedestrian mall at night; crowds often get shoulder-to-shoulder, especially during major sports events, on New Year's Eve, and during Mardi Gras.

While it may be a hard claim to qualify, this certainly appears to be the most exciting indoor stunt show in America. Following an eight-minute preshow that fills you in on the backstory (an assassin trained in a secret government program has gone off script and eluded his handlers), what ensues is an international chase that takes place with live actors and right before your eyes. Against a series of dazzling, always-in-motion film backdrops you follow Bourne around the world as he eludes his pursuers. From the Middle East to the middle of the desert to Washington, D.C., and other capitals, Bourne is running, racing cars, and riding motorcycles to stay alive. The wide-screen images, the rapid pace, and the constant adrenaline will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the solid 20-minute show.

Three of the Victorian brownstones on a stretch of 3rd Street near Locust Street, often called Bouvier's Row, were once owned by the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's ancestors. Michel Bouvier, her great-great-grandfather—the first of the family to come from France—and many of his descendants lie in the family vault at Old St. Mary's Church, a few blocks away on 4th Street. These are private residences and can be viewed from the outside only.

Once a storage building, today's Bow Market provides small-scale storefronts to both established and aspiring chefs, retailers, and artists from Somerville and Greater Boston. An afternoon is well spent among the 26 independent food, art, and retail shops set around a public courtyard in the heart of Union Square. Saus, Taquisimo, Nibble Kitchen, and Mike & Patty's are just a few of the eateries, while shopping goes global with one-of-a-kind gifts at retailers including vintage records at Vinyl Index, Japanese heritage crafts at Ko Kyoto, and whimsical wares at Lexie Butterfly Vintage. On any given day, there could be a pop-up event like a book fair, jewelry shops, Etsy spotlights, and oyster fests. Grab a pint (or a freshly roasted coffee) at the market's Remnant Brewery, which boasts a garage door that opens whenever the weather permits, then hit up Pop's Pinball Parlor for a game or two. You can even book a last-minute wedding ceremony within minutes at the tiny Dearly Studio.

One of the best ways to experience the refuge is to take the 15-mile, 1½-hour self-guided auto tour around Lake Bowdoin. The one-way gravel road will expose you to a wide array of bird species and habitat types, and there are 11 signed stops along the way. The auto tour guide provides all the history and nature knowledge you'll need to get the most out of your experience. Depending on the time of year, you can expect to see a colony of gulls on Long Island and pelicans, cormorants, and blue herons on Pelican Islands. As always, spring and fall and early morning and evening will offer you the best opportunity to see wildlife. Don't forget your binoculars and camera.

The Bowdoin Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, at the main entrance to Bowdoin, provides information on refuge conditions, species lists, a variety of mounted birds and mammals, and instructions for the auto tour.

The small plaza that is Bowling Green, at the foot of Broadway, became New York's first public park in 1733. Legend has it that before that, this was the site upon which Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indigenous Lenape people, in 1626, supposedly for what amounted to 24 U.S. dollars. On July 9, 1776, a few hours after citizens learned about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, rioters toppled a statue of British king George III that had occupied the spot for 11 years; much of the statue's lead was melted down into bullets. In 1783, when the occupying British forces fled the city, they defiantly hoisted a Union Jack on a greased, uncleated flagpole so it couldn't be lowered; but patriot John Van Arsdale drove his own cleats into the pole to replace it with the Stars and Stripes. The copper-top subway entrance across State Street is the original one, built in 1904–05. Many know Bowling Green as the home of Arturo Di Modica's 7,000-pound, bronze Charging Bull statue (1989); look for it on the northern tip of the park.

As a lad, winemaker Alex Bowman made hobby wines with his father, an electrical contractor with deep West County roots, but by his late-20s he yearned to make wines "for real." His debut wine won a double-gold ribbon at the local county fair, prompting him to draw on the experience of wine-industry relatives to establish Bowman Cellars with his wife Katie, whose family has long owned a roadside produce market in Sebastopol. The two pour their wines in a casual tasting room fronted by a patio twice as large. Alex shows a light but knowing touch with the winery's two stars, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir, both from the Russian River Valley.

On top of Bowman's Hill, this 125-foot fieldstone tower provides a spectacular view that extends up to 14 miles, weather permitting, taking in the Delaware River and countryside. It was built in 1929–31 to mark what might have been a lookout point for Washington's army, but historians have found no evidence of this. You can walk up to the observation deck; an elevator (out of service at this writing; call ahead) will take you far enough that you have just 23 steps via a narrow circular staircase.

The 134-acre preserve near the Thompson-Neely (Upper) section of Washington Crossing Historic Park showcases hundreds of species of wildflowers as well as trees, shrubs, and ferns native to Pennsylvania. Stop at the visitor center and get a map, and then take a guided one-hour wildflower walk ( $3  Available Fri.–Sun. Apr.–Oct.; call to check times) or explore any of the short, well-marked trails (4½ miles in all) on your own. In season, the preserve also sells native plants. Wildflower blooms are seasonal, with mid-April through July a good period to visit, but fall brings colorful foliage.  The website has bloom information.

One particularly gorgeous jaunt is to Box Cañon Falls, where the turbulent waters of Clear Creek thunder 285 feet down a narrow gorge. A steel suspension bridge and well-marked trails afford breathtaking views. Birders flock to the park to see the rare black swift and other species, and a visitor center has interpretive displays.

The one-way 8-mile trail, suitable for backpackers and experienced hikers, extends from Indian Cove to Park Boulevard and takes roughly six hours to complete. It goes deep into the Wonderland of Rocks area (where you're likely to see climbers on the outcroppings), passing through a forest of Joshua trees, past granite towers, and around willow-lined pools. Vehicle shuttle is strongly recommended. Difficult.

At the foot of Picketpost Mountain in Superior, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum is often called an oasis in the desert: the arid rocky expanse gives way to lush riparian glades home to 3,200 different desert plants and more than 230 bird and 72 terrestrial species. The arboretum offers a living album of the world's desert and semiarid region plants, including exotic species such as Canary Islands date palms and Australian eucalyptus. Trails offer breathtaking scenery in the gardens and the exhibits, especially during the spring wildflower season. A variety of tours are offered from October through April. Benches with built-in misters offer relief from the heat. Bring along a picnic and enjoy the beauty.

The Kings River has carved out hundreds of caverns, including Boyden, which brims with stalagmite, stalactite, drapery, flowstone, and other formations. In summer, the Bat Grotto shelters a slew of bats. If you can't make it to Crystal Cave in Sequoia, Boyden is a reasonable substitute. Regular tours take about 45 minutes and start with a steep walk uphill.

This childhood home of the commander of the Confederate forces of Virginia is a fine example of a 19th-century Federal town house. The house is privately owned and not open to visitors.

Less posh than Newbury Street, this broad thoroughfare is the southern commercial spine of the Back Bay, lined with big-name restaurants and shops, and where you'll find the Boston Marathon finish line. Also located here is the Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial, composed of light spires and stone pillars, which pays homage to the Boston Marathon bombing victims at the sites where they were killed on April 15, 2013.

You can soak for an hour or a day at Bozeman Hot Springs, which offer 12 pools (including both indoor pools and outdoor pools), a sauna, spa, fitness center, and juice bar.

A hand-hewn-log blacksmith shop, built in 1879 to serve pioneers on their way to the goldfields of Montana, houses the Bozeman Trail Museum, the town's historical repository and interpretive center. The jewel of its collection is the Cloud Peak Boulder, a stone with names and dates apparently carved by military scouts just two days before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which was fought less than 100 miles to the north in 1876. The staff is very friendly to children, and there are some old pipe organs that kids are encouraged to play.

Stunning wrought-iron railings, ornate plaster moldings, pink marble staircases, a birdcage elevator, and a skylighted atrium that rises almost 50 feet—it's easy to see why the Bradbury Building leaves visitors awestruck. Designed in 1893 by a novice architect who drew his inspiration from a science-fiction story and a conversation with his dead brother via an Ouija board, the office building was originally the site of turn-of-the-20th-century sweatshops, but now it houses a variety of businesses. Scenes from Blade Runner, Chinatown, and 500 Days of Summer were filmed here, which means there's often a barrage of tourists snapping photos. Visits are limited to the lobby and the first-floor landing.

Historic Downtown walking tours hosted by the L.A. Conservancy cost $15 and include the Bradbury Building.

Los Alamos National Laboratory's public showcase, the Bradbury provides a balanced and provocative examination of such topics as atomic weapons and nuclear power. You can experiment with lasers; witness research in solar, geothermal, fission, and fusion energy; learn about DNA fingerprinting; and view fascinating exhibits about World War II's Project Y (the Manhattan Project, whose participants developed the atomic bomb).

Overlooking the Manatee River, this 1.5-mile path connects downtown Bradenton attractions to the waterfront. The path spans the Green and Desoto bridges and offers various activities, including a splash fountain, a skate park, a canoe and kayak launch, a beach volleyball court, a fishing pier, outdoor seating, and a 20-slip day dock. Various groups use the outdoor amphitheater for special events, and musical and theatrical performances. An eastward expansion of the Bradenton Riverwalk is planned.

Even if you never intend to go climbing, you may enjoy learning about lofty adventures showcased at the American Mountaineering Museum here. Visual exhibits display photos and items from experiences climbing some of the world's highest mountains. Artifacts from famous climbs are alongside exhibits about the 10th Mountain Division—men who fought in Italy in World War II, some of whom founded several of Colorado's ski resorts.