10457 Best Sights in USA

Swans Island is a picturesque 6-mile ferry ride from Bass Harbor at the bottom of Mount Desert Island ( see the Getting Here and Around section of the Chapter Planner for more information). Opportunities abound for outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, biking, fishing, and beachcombing, but the 35-foot-tall white Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse on the south shore is not to be missed. Both the light (you can climb up!) and the keeper's house, which has history exhibits, art displays, gift shop, bathrooms, and free island and trail maps, are open from mid-June to mid-September. An apartment upstairs can be rented on a weekly basis from June through October. Aside from vacation rentals, Swans Island only has one lodging, Harbor Watch Inn ( www.harborwatchinnswansisland.com)—four rooms with kitchens or kitchenettes as well as an upstairs suite. The Island Market & Supply ( www.tims-swans-island.com) is a great place to get picnic supplies or other general needs.

Starting at the south side of the Sunrise parking area, this 2½-hour, 4¾-mile round-trip hike offers spectacular views of the peak named in honor of naturalist and essayist John Burroughs. The challenging trail passes Shadow Lake before climbing to an overlook of the White River and Emmon's Glacier. Continue on and you reach First Burroughs Mountain and Second Burroughs Mountain. This area on the northeast slope of Mt. Rainier has some of the most accessible tundra in the Cascades, and you can observe the delicate slow-growing plants that survive in this harsh environment. Early season hiking on this trail can be particularly hazardous due to snow and ice on the steep mountain slopes; check conditions before starting out. Difficult.

It was in this 1820 home that Jefferson Davis disbanded the Confederate armies, effectively ending the Civil War. Now a popular wedding venue, the house was a private residence until 1971, when Mary Stark Davis died. She willed the house to the Abbeville County Historic Preservation Commission, with a provision that nothing be added or removed from it; thus it's filled with lovely antiques, carved-wood surfaces, and old family photos.

In the 1890s, visitors from New York's Art Students League journeyed to the Cos Cob section of Greenwich to take classes taught by American Impressionist John Henry Twachtman at a boardinghouse for artists and writers run by Josephine and Constant Holley. Thus, the Cos Cob Art Colony was born and flourished until 1920. Today, the circa-1730 house is known as the Bush-Holley House, which displays a wonderful collection of 19th- and 20th-century art by Twachtman, along with rotating art, history, and cultural exhibitions. The collection also includes personal papers, photographs, and records that reflect the long history of Greenwich and its inhabitants, from farmers to Gilded Age barons, politicians, artists and writers, and shopkeepers.

Touting itself as the Niagara of Pennsylvania, Bushkill Falls is certainly among the Poconos' prettiest natural sites. There are eight cascades in this privately owned attraction; the highest is the Main Falls, with a drop of around 100 feet. Four trails of varying length and difficulty weave through the park; the most strenuous is about 2 miles long and passes by all eight falls. Other activities include minigolf, a children’s maze, paddleboats, and fishing. There’s also a longhouse and an exhibit on local wildlife.

Fanning out from the State Capitol building, this city park is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. Conceived by Rev. Horace Bushnell in the early 1850s, the park was designed by Swiss-born landscape architect and botanist Jacob Weidenmann. Some 1,100 trees and shrubs (157 different varieties) were planted, creating an urban arboretum. Kids love the Bushnell Park Carousel (open weekends, June–August), with its 48 intricately hand-carved horses and booming Wurlitzer band organ, built in 1914 by the Artistic Carousel Company of Brooklyn, New York, and installed in the park in 1974. A welcome oasis of green in a busy city, the park has a pond and about 750 trees, including a first-generation offspring of the state's historic Charter Oak (the state tree) and four enormous state champion trees.

This quiet beach south of St. Augustine played a role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, when it attracted national attention for a "wade-in" that later led to Martin Luther King Jr. visiting St. Augustine. Today, it is a county park that still provides access to the beachfront. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Built in 1782, this was home to four generations of Butlers and McCooks until it became a museum in 1971. Today, it houses Hartford's oldest intact collection of art and antiques, including Connecticut-crafted furnishings, family possessions, and Victorian-era toys that show the evolution of American tastes over nearly 200 years. The beautifully restored Victorian garden was originally designed by Jacob Weidenmann.   Open for guided tours by reservation at least 7 days in advance.

Dark, dramatic lava beds form the western shore of this peaceful body of water with great kayaking and canoeing. Trails run alongside the northern and eastern shores, eventually to Widow Lake. A short loop leads to tiny, neighboring Bathtub Lake, nice for a quick swim on hot days. A boat launch, a campground, and the ranger station are open from early June to mid-October.

Butterflies are everywhere at Branson’s Butterfly Palace, an interactive attraction dedicated to the world’s most beautiful insect. The palace includes a tropical aviary that contains not only butterflies of all colors and sizes, but also tropical birds and plants. There's also a theater that screens a documentary on monarch migration, a mirror maze, and a bungee obstacle course. At the museum’s science center you can check out a variety of rain-forest butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, and even cockroaches under a microscope.

The largest butterfly pavilion in the United States gives kids (and their parents) a close-up view of thousands of butterflies in a temperature-controlled rain forest environment. You should also make time to check out the honeybee exhibit and the 3-D theater.

About as isolated as it gets, this winery rewards visitors with outstanding Pinot Noirs from the 8 acres of vineyards on property and views that can extend over the mountains to Monterey Bay on a clear day. You’ll feel like you’re on top of the world. Wines from the estate and much further afield are across the board enjoyable in the tastings.

Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, a wealthy Englishman under the sway of William Morris and John Ruskin, decided to create a utopian arts colony. His friend and conspirator Bolton Brown, an artist, suggested Woodstock. After a visit in 1902, Whitehead agreed. Here is the result: 250 acres holding the only intact arts and crafts colony in the U.S. Whitehead's efforts laid the groundwork for Woodstock's transformation into a colony of the arts. Artists, writers, composers, and dance and theater companies still call it home when they participate in its residency programs. There are plenty of events, from concerts to lectures to opportunities to visit artists at work in their studios. Guided tours are offered in the summer.

The mountains surrounding Portage Glacier are covered with smaller glaciers. A 1-mile hike off Byron Glacier Road—the trail begins about a mile south of Begich-Boggs Visitor Center—leads to the Byron Glacier overlook. The glacier is notable for its accessibility—this is one of just a few places where you can hike onto a glacier from the road system. In summer, naturalists lead free weekly treks in search of microscopic ice worms.

The permanent collection of more than 17,000 works here includes primarily American artists, such as Maynard Dixon, Dorothea Lange, Albert Bierstadt, Minerva Teichert, and Robert Henri, and emphasizes the Hudson River School and the American impressionists. Rembrandt, Monet, and Rubens also turn up, along with some fine Far Eastern pieces. The museum's café overlooks the sculpture garden.

This museum, across from LaVell Edwards Stadium, features dinosaur bones, fossils, and tours for adults and children. Kids love the hands-on activities, which include several small tables of touchable artifacts.

A student-curated collection of artifacts relating to cultures from all over the world is housed here. Clothing, pottery, rugs, weapons, and agricultural tools of Utah's Native American cultures are often on display. A permanent display includes artifacts from the first Provo Tabernacle that BYU students dug up in 2012.

Frescoes from a 13th-century votive chapel have been preserved in this jewel in the Menil complex, located one block from the Rothko Chapel. The dome and apse were rescued from thieves and restored under a unique arrangement with the Greek Orthodox Church and the Republic of Cyprus.

This park is the starting point for walking and biking the towpath, and taking tours on replica canal boats. Markers set occasionally along the towpath explain the railroad's role in the development of the town and the region's coal industry. There are even mules on hand, since the history of the canal includes these hardy 1,000-pound animals who once pulled canal boats. At nearby Canal Place, you can grab a bite, browse through the small shops, or listen to a summer concert on the water.

This park extends along the Potomac River 184½ mi from Washington, DC, to Cumberland, Maryland. Three miles south of the town of Potomac, the Great Falls Tavern, a museum and visitor center, serves as the park's local anchor. Barge trips and a vista on the powerful Great Falls are the draws here. A ½-mi, wheelchair-accessible walkway to the platform on Olmsted Island provides a spectacular view of the churning waters. Swimming and wading are prohibited, but you can fish (a Maryland license is required for anglers 16 and older) or climb the rocky Billy Goat Trail; only experienced boaters can go white-water kayaking below the falls—all along this stretch of the river, the currents are deadly. The tavern ceased food service long ago, so if you're hungry, head for the seasonal snack bar a few paces north or bring your own picnic.

The boundless wit, whimsy, and creativity of the Venetian-born Carlo Marchiori, this gallery's owner-artist, finds expression in paintings, watercolors, ceramics, sculptures, and other artworks. Marchiori often draws on mythology and folktales for his inspiration. A stop at this magical gallery might inspire you to tour Villa Ca' Toga, the artist's Palladian home, a tromp-l'oeil tour de force open May–October for appointment-only Saturday tours.

Caballo Lake State Park provides winter nesting grounds for golden and bald eagles, often sighted gliding aloft as they search for prey. Fishing and water sports are popular at the lake, and hiking trails lead through the desert areas where yucca, century plants, and numerous varieties of cacti are abundant. A great time to visit is late March or early April, when prickly pears and other succulents are in bloom.

This 860,000-acre national wildlife refuge, about 5 miles (a 10-minute drive) from Ajo, was established in 1939 as a preserve for endangered bighorn sheep and other Sonoran Desert wildlife, including the long-nosed bat and the Sonoran pronghorn deer, the fastest mammal in North America. People come here for hiking, photography, and primitive desert camping. There are interesting petroglyphs here, as well as wildlife; but be aware that there are no toilets, pit or otherwise. 

A free permit, essentially a "hold-harmless" agreement, is required to enter, and four-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicles or all-terrain vehicles—needed to traverse the rugged terrain—are strongly advised.

Pick up a permit from the refuge's visitor center in Ajo, about a mile north of the downtown plaza; or go online, watch the 13-minute safety video, then download the permit to your phone or tablet.

Dating from 1799, this Spanish colonial building is named for the Spanish council—or cabildo—that met here. The transfer of Louisiana to the United States was finalized in 1803 in the front room on the second floor overlooking the square. The Cabildo later served as city hall and then state supreme court. Three floors of multicultural exhibits recount 300 years of Louisiana history—particularly from the colonial period through Reconstruction—with countless artifacts, including the death mask of Napoléon Bonaparte. In 1988 the building suffered terrible damage from a four-alarm fire. Most of the historic pieces inside were saved, but the top floor (which had been added in the 1840s), the roof, and the cupola had to be replaced. The Cabildo is almost a twin to the Presbytère on the other side of the cathedral.

Both sites—as well as the Old U.S. Mint and the 1850 House—are part of the Louisiana State Museum system. Buy tickets to two or more state museums and receive a 20% discount.

One of the city's best free offerings, this museum is an absolute must for kids and compelling for adults, too. You can even ride a cable car here—all three lines stop between Russian Hill and Nob Hill. The facility, which is inside the city's last remaining cable-car barn, takes the top off the system to show you how it all works. Eternally humming and squealing, the massive powerhouse cable wheels steal the show. You can also climb aboard a vintage car and take the grip, let the kids ring a cable-car bell, and check out vintage gear dating from 1873.

One of the first homesteaders in Desert Hot Springs, Cabot Yerxa, the man often credited with "discovering" the hot springs the Cahuilla Indians had known about for centuries, built a quirky, 35-room, Hopi-inspired pueblo by hand using reclaimed and found materials between 1941 and his death in 1965. Now a museum, the adobe structure is filled with memorabilia from Yerxa's wild life, including his encounters with Hollywood celebrities and his expedition to the Alaskan gold rush. The inside of the home can only be seen on self-guided audio tours, but grounds-only tickets are also available.