10457 Best Sights in USA

Many of Alexandria's sea captains once lived on this block, which gives visitors the truest sense of what the city looked like in the 1800s. The houses are now all private residences and reflect the style of the Federal period. While the cobblestone pavement is a replica, it accurately represents the original which, according to local folklore, was laid down by Hessian soldiers taken prisoner in the Revolutionary War. Captain's Row is one of only two streets in Alexandria that is paved with cobblestones.

From the crest of Capulin Volcano National Monument, elevation 8,182 feet, you can see four states: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. To the southeast is the vast section of the Santa Fe Trail that includes the Cimarron Cutoff; to the west are the snowcapped Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Unlike much of the dry surrounding territory, Capulin has enough water to support an oasis of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. A narrow 2-mi paved road leads to the rim of the volcano; from there you can walk the final 0.2 mi into the extinct, and not especially dramatic, crater vent. (An easy-to-hike 1-mi trail circles the rim, so you can see it from different angles.) The cone of Capulin (the word is Spanish for "chokecherry"; these bushes are scattered across the area) rises more than 1,300 feet from its base. The visitor center has books, a brief video about the site, and interpretive exhibits.

Downtown's favorite green space, the park has a walking path along the Clark Fork River and a summer pavilion that hosts live musical performances and other events. The annual calendar includes several brewfests, the River City Roots Festival (last weekend in August or first weekend in September), and GermanFest (early October). In the summer, Downtown ToNight is a Thursday evening event that also features food, music, and what the Chamber of Commerce likes to call a "beverage garden." On Wednesday, Out to Lunch brings a band, food trucks, and vendors, and activities for the kids to help get everyone over Hump Day.

Designed in 1929 by Daniel and Hubert Burnham, sons of the renowned architect Daniel Burnham, this is arguably the jazziest skyscraper in town. A deep-green terra-cotta tower rising from a black-granite base, its upper reaches are embellished with gold leaf. The original public spaces are a luxurious composition in marble and bronze. The story goes that the brothers Burnham got their inspiration from a gold-foiled bottle of champagne. The building is now home to the swanky Pendry Chicago hotel.

Established to showcase a prominent family's rodeo artifacts, this community museum now chronicles the area's mining history as well as the cultural legacy of Native Americans and homesteaders. The new (2019) Festival of Nations exhibit is a great addition.

Named for a German immigrant who was a prominent statesman and newspaper editor in the 19th century, this 14.9-acre park is so tranquil that you'd never guess you're directly above the FDR Drive. Walk along the esplanade and soak up views of the East River and Roosevelt Island across the way. To the north is Randalls (which is conjoined with Wards Island on the east side) and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge)—while the sights of locals pushing strollers, riding bikes, or walking their dogs surround visitors. Within the park is a Federal-style, wood-frame house that belies the grandeur of its name: Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the city's mayor. It was built in the 18th century.

It's impossible to miss this delightfully weird roadside collection of massive scrap-metal sculptures, from huge dinosaurs to tiny, buglike creatures. The longer you stay, the more details you see, and somehow the small sign reading "Welcome to the Center of the Universe" feels right on. The "garden" promotes love and is free, though it does take donations in a little box. 

About ½ mile south of the Jupiter Beach Resort, the quiet beach here is just one draw; the manicured park, which straddles A1A, is chock-full of activities and amenities, and it has the most free parking of any beach park in the area. Several picnic pavilions (including a few beachside), two bocce ball courts, six lighted tennis courts, a baseball diamond, a wood-chip-lined running path, and an amphitheater that hosts free concerts and Shakespeare productions are just some of the highlights. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Pueblo pottery, Native American artifacts, and early cowboy and ranch memorabilia fill this downtown cultural center, along with contemporary art shows and an exhibit on Carlsbad's bats. The real treasure, though, is the McAdoo Collection, with works by painters of the Taos Society of Artists.

Oregon's first cooperative winery was specifically designed to house multiple small premium wine producers. This gravity-flow winery has up-to-date wine-making equipment as well as multiple cellars for storing the different makers' wines. You can taste and purchase bottles from the different member wineries. The emphasis is on Pinot Noir, but more than a dozen other types of wines are poured, from Cabernet Franc to Gewürztraminer to Mourvèdre on a rotating basis. The selection of wines available to taste changes every few days.

The Carlyle House offers a rich, nuanced portrait of both American and Alexandrian history. As one of the largest slaveholders in Virginia at the time, John Carlyle established himself as a powerful merchant, city founder, and local leader. Built in 1753 by enslaved people, the house hosted many important mid-18th century figures, from a meeting between General Braddock and royal governors on the French and Indian War to the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin for parties and balls. Today, the house serves as a museum where visitors can get a behind-the-scenes look at the history of Alexandria and the Carlyle family (roughly 1753–1780). Specialty tours and programs focus on other aspects of the Carlyle property's history.

Carmel-by-the-Sea's greatest attraction is its rugged coastline, with pine and cypress forests and countless inlets. Carmel Beach, an easy walk from downtown shops, has sparkling white sands and magnificent sunsets.  Dogs are allowed to romp off-leash here. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: sunset; surfing; walking.

Long before it became a shopping and browsing destination, Carmel was an important religious center during the establishment of Spanish California. That heritage is preserved in the Mission San Carlos Borroméo del Rio Carmelo, more commonly known as the Carmel Mission. Founded in 1771, it served as headquarters for the mission system in California under Father Junípero Serra. Adjoining the stone church is a tranquil garden planted with California poppies. Museum rooms at the mission include an early kitchen, Serra's spartan sleeping quarters and burial shrine, and the first college library in California.

This sugar-white beach, stretching 106 acres along Carmel Bay, is adjacent to a bird sanctuary, where you might spot pelicans, kingfishers, hawks, and sandpipers. Dogs are allowed on leash. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: sunrise; sunset; walking.

The has a planetarium, a World War II submarine, more than 250 hands-on science exhibits, and a four-story Omnimax theater.

This antebellum home was converted to a field hospital after the Battle of Franklin in 1864. Today, the property offers several different tours, including a 90-minute Behind the Scenes Tour of the house and the 90-minute Slavery & the Enslaved Tour focusing on the individuals enslaved at Carnton and how emancipation changed their lives; check the online schedule before visiting. Be sure to explore the grounds after your visit. In addition to the house, there are gardens, several outbuildings, and a Civil War cemetery. Combination tickets are available with Carter House and Rippa Villa.

Ordinary horse-centric merry-go-rounds seem so passé compared with the menagerie on this one: the cowfish from McElligot's Pool, the elephant birds from Horton Hatches the Egg, and the Birthday Katroo from Happy Birthday to You! It's an entire ark of imaginary and interactive animals—indeed, the animals' eyes blink, and their tails wag. It might be a cliché, but there's a good chance you'll feel like a kid again when you hop aboard one of these fantastic creatures. You'll love it. For people with disabilities: Modified mounts let guests using wheelchairs ride without having to transfer to a ride vehicle. Make this a special end to your day. Lines move pretty well, but if they're long enough to intimidate you, use Express Pass.

This two-story Uptown house features contemporary paintings and sculptures by U.S. artists, with a special nod to those from the south, including Jere Allen, David Goodman, Nell C. Tilton, and Jean Geraci.

It's winemaker Carol Shelton's motto that great wines start in the vineyard, but you won't see any grapevines outside her winery—it's in an industrial park 4 miles north of downtown Santa Rosa. What you will find (and experience) are well-priced Zinfandels from grapes grown in vineyards from Mendocino to Southern California's Cucamonga Valley. With coastal, hillside, valley, inland, and desert's-edge fruit, the Zins collectively reveal the range and complexity of this varietal that so arouses Shelton's passion.

With a 100-foot-tall Ferris wheel, flashing arcade lights, seashell souvenirs, and paddleboats on the small inland lake, Carolina Beach's old-fashioned boardwalk is steeped in nostalgic charm, most evident at Britts Donut Shop, an institution since 1939 that still sells its glazed beauties for an even buck. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: sunrise; windsurfing.

In 1995, after four years and more than 100,000 hours of volunteer work, this restored 1918 carousel took its first spin in downtown Caras Park. Kids hop in the saddles of hand-carved steeds and try to grab their very own brass ring. The carousel's horses and chariots are accompanied by tunes from the largest band organ in continuous use in the United States. The Dragon Hollow play area next to the carousel, refurbished and expanded in 2019, features a dragon, a castle, and many play structures accessible to children of all abilities.

One of the largest collections of antique carousel pieces in the country is housed here. Full-size pieces in the Coney Island, Country Fair, and Philadelphia styles are on display, as are miniature carousels. The museum is also home to an arts gallery, which hosts changing exhibitions, and the Museum of Fire History, which displays photos, antique equipment, and memorabilia. The museum maintains the Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford (closed January and February).

No visit to Nederland is complete without a spin on the nonprofit Carousel of Happiness, a restored 1910 carousel featuring 57 hand-carved, hand-painted animals running around to the sounds of a 1913 Wurlitzer band organ. The complex includes a gift shop and a puppet theater.

Home of Fury 325, North America's fastest giga coaster (reaching 95 mph and 325 feet high), Carowinds is a place for thrill seekers. The 57 rides include multiple high-intensity roller coasters. Just across the South Carolina border on Interstate 77, Carowinds also boasts a water park, live concerts, and an interactive 3D experience.

Check Carowinds's website for current hours and deals. It's usually cheaper to buy tickets online than at the gate.

This gravity-defying mass of concrete and glass, built in 1963, is the only building in North America designed by the French architect Le Corbusier. It hosts Harvard's Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, exhibition spaces, and the Harvard Film Archive, and is dedicated to artist-centered programming. The open floor plan provides students with five stories of flexible workspace, and the large, outward-facing windows ensure that the creative process is always visible and public. The center regularly holds free lectures, workshops, and receptions with artists.

At the top of the ramp, the Sert Gallery plays host to changing exhibits of contemporary works and has a café. The Main Gallery on the ground floor often showcases work by students and faculty. The Carpenter Center Bookshop, a collaboration with Berlin-based Motto Books, is one of the only local places to carry small-press contemporary art books, magazines, and journals, with an emphasis on international publications and limited-edition projects.

This handsome, patterned red-and-black brick building dating from 1770 was the headquarters of the Carpenters' Company, a guild founded to support carpenters, who were both builders and architects in this era, and to aid their families. In September 1774 the First Continental Congress convened here and addressed a declaration of rights and grievances to King George III. The year 2024 marked the 300th anniversary of the Carpenters' Company and the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress. The Carpenters' Company still owns and operates the building. Today re-creations of Colonial settings include original Windsor chairs and candle sconces and displays of 18th-century carpentry tools.

The country's largest collection of old horse-drawn vehicles—painstakingly restored—is exhibited here, with everything from polished hearses to police buggies to old stagecoaches and circus vehicles. In August, the Old Spanish Days Fiesta borrows many of the vehicles for a jaunt around town. Docents lead free tours from 1 to 4 pm the third Sunday of the month.

This museum, located in the Richard Foster Building, holds the long-term exhibit Nome: Hub of Cultures and Communities Across the Bering Strait, which centers on five Arctic themes and involves interactive environments, such as an Iñupiat skin boat and miner's tent, along with hands-on technology to help engage the narratives. A second space contains a changing contemporary exhibit that typically features a regional artist or artists.