10450 Best Sights in USA

In a restored warehouse, the Center complex contains the Mill Mountain Theatre and several regional museums covering science, history, and art, and even a pinball museum! An open atrium and a butterfly garden are also included and a combo ticket is offered for all attractions.

With no facilities besides restrooms, this stretch sees fewer visitors than other park beaches. The dunes here are prime nesting spots for swallows that come and go in spring and summer. Amenities: parking (entrance pass required); toilets (seasonal). Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Stretching a little more than ½ mile, this district contains an array of commercial buildings constructed between 1886 and 1930 in a variety of styles, including Classical, Italianate, Romanesque, Victorian, and art deco. Among the notable structures are the impressive Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa and the Medical Arts Building, a 1929 skyscraper that was the state's tallest structure until 1960. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and today these architecturally delightful buildings house a variety of businesses including restaurants, nightclubs, and boutiques.

The small Central Burying Ground may seem an odd feature for a public park, but remember that in 1756, when the land was set aside, this was a lonely corner of Boston Common. It's the final resting place of Tories and Patriots alike, as well as many British casualties of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The most famous person buried here is Gilbert Stuart, the portraitist best known for his likenesses of George and Martha Washington.

You'll learn all about local marine plants and animals from the hands-on exhibits at this science center next to the main beach.

Sanford has had a zoo since 1923, and there's a certain charm about the place. In addition to 400-plus animals, including giraffes (you can feed them), cheetahs, monkeys, and crocodiles, there's the Seminole Aerial Adventures, with rope bridges and a zipline through the treetops, and the Wharton-Smith Tropical Splash Ground, a mini water playground. Evening events for grown-ups are as popular as summer camps for kids. The Florida black-bear habitat and Florida Trek are delightful, as is the ¼-scale model of an Atlantic Coast Line Railroad streamliner train that travels around the grounds. Burgers, salads, and kids' meals are available

Multimedia interactive exhibits at Little Rock Central High School's visitor center, across the intersection from the school, commemorate the courageous efforts of "The Little Rock Nine" —a group African American students who, in 1957, were entrolled at this formerly all-white school only after federal troops were called in to protect them. There is also a commemorative garden. Because the school is still a fully operating high school, visitors are strictly prohibited from touring it unless they have a reservation and are under the supervision of a national park ranger.

The elegant, etched-graphite central staircase and elaborate ceiling ornamentation make this no ordinary library. With a gallery space on the second floor and famous literary names engraved on the walls, the Georgian-style building is well worth a walk around. A free 20-minute tour of the impressive eco-roof garden is given a few times a month during the spring and summer seasons; call or go online for the required pre-registration.

Pioneer relics, blacksmith and cowboy tools, guns, and Native American artifacts are displayed at the Central Montana Museum. The most popular new exhibit is a full-scale replica of a Torosaurus skull found just 65 miles away. Guided tours are available in the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day).

At this reconstructed 1876 station there's rolling stock to admire and a typical waiting room. On some days, a train departs from the freight depot, south of the passenger station, making a 50-minute out-and-back trip that starts along the banks of the Sacramento River. Cookies and hot chocolate are served aboard sellout Polar Express rides (book way ahead) between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Dairy (midpark at 65th Street) is one of five visitor centers in the park. The others include Belvedere Castle (midpark at 79th Street), the Chess & Checkers House (midpark at 64th Street), the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (at the top northeast corner of the park at 110th Street, on the shore of Harlem Meer), and the Columbus Circle Information Kiosk (southwest corner of the park at West 59th Street). All have directions, park maps, event calendars, and volunteers who can give you guidance. The Conservancy also offers themed guided tours, such as views, gardens, and statues and monuments.

Even a leisurely visit to this small but delightful menagerie takes only about an hour, unless, of course, you fall under the spell of the zoo's adorable animals, be they the ever-friendly penguins, the spry snow leopard, or other furry or feathered residents. More than 130 species are found here, but there's no space for animals like zebras and giraffes to roam. Don't miss the sea lion feedings, possibly the zoo's most popular attraction, daily at 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30, or the penguin feedings at 10:40 and 2:30 daily.

Clustered around the central Sea Lion Pool are separate exhibits for each of the Earth's major environments: penguins and seabirds live at Polar Circle; the highlights of the open-air Temperate Territory are the chattering monkeys; and the Tropic Zone contains the flora and fauna of rain forests. The Tisch Children's Zoo (no additional ticket required) gives kids the opportunity to feed sheep, goats, cows, and pigs. The 4-D theater shows 15-minute-long, family-friendly films that feature sensory effects like wind, mist, bubbles, and scents. Children under 12 are not admitted to the zoo without an adult.  All visitors must reserve a date-specific ticket in advance.

Located at Massachusetts Avenue (known by locals as "Mass Ave."), Prospect Street, and Western Avenue, Central Square has burger and beer joints, ethnic eats, music clubs, vintage record stores, and consignment shops. Cambridge's city government is here, and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon used to live here. The Central Square T stop is on the Red Line.

Founded in 1842, this former state mental hospital was once the largest in the world. At its height in the 1960s, the institution held more than 12,000 patients and spanned 2,000 acres. After closing in 2010, the campus lies largely abandoned with its boarded-up buildings crumbling and overgrown with vines. While preservation plans are debated, visitors are welcome to explore the campus and visit Cedar Lane Cemetery where where cast iron markers commemorate the some 25,000 buried there. The Milledgeville Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a guided trolley tour of campus twice monthly. Reservations can be made online at  www.visitmilledgeville.org.

Roughly 12,500 students learn and in many cases reside on this pleasant, tree-shaded campus marked by formidable redbrick architecture and located on the north side of downtown. University Way contains several handsome buildings dating from the university's founding in 1891 as the State Normal School. Attractions near the center of campus include a serene Japanese garden and the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery, which features the work of regional and national artists.

Established as a state park in 2009, this patch of undulating hills dotted with piñon and juniper contains 5 miles of hiking trails, some of them leading to historic mines, as well as interpretative signs related to the 1,100 years of mining history along the Turquoise Trail. The park itself is just north of the historic village center of Cerrillos, where you'll find a small visitor center ( 37 Main Street) that's typically open weekends or by appointment and contains further exhibits and information on the park.

No subtropical skiing paradise would be complete without a chairlift, and this one is an attractive alternative to trekking to the top of Mt. Gushmore over and over again. The two-minute ascent is a great opportunity to scout out other slides and enjoy the "ski beach" scenery. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride seat and subsequent attractions. A companion will have to meet you with the wheelchair at the base of Mt. Gushmore. If the wait is too long or you have children under 32 inches tall, hiking up is good exercise.

At more than 1,300 acres (one of Sonoma County's largest estates), this is the most prominent winery of the Russian River Valley AVA’s Chalk Hill sub-appellation. Most guests taste on the châteaulike production facility's terrace, basking in views of woodsy, vineyard-studded hills. Although even in summer you might detect Pacific breezes, the estate, which has 15 separate microclimates, isn't cool enough for Pinot Noir, so the winery grows it on land nearer the ocean. About half the Chalk Hill property's 300 vineyard acres are devoted to Chardonnay, with Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, a few other Bordeaux grapes (the Malbec makes a delicious powerful wine), and Syrah also planted.

Visitors of all ages can't help but get excited about math and science at this "edutainment" center, featuring a space-mission simulator and an IMAX 3-D theater that shows popular movies as well as documentaries. Also on-site is the Downtown Digital Dome Theatre & Planetarium, where the high-definition, 50-foot-high theater's booming surround sound and state-of-the-art projectors make educational films and musical odysseys thrilling.

If you choose this strenuous 9-mile round-trip hike (2,040 feet of elevation gain), you'll be rewarded with views of the surrounding valleys from the highest point in the park at 3,304 feet, North Chalone Peak (where there are pit toilets). If you want to extend the hike, proceed south along the unmaintained portion of the trail for 1.6 miles to South Chalone Peak (3,269 feet). Difficult.

You can pick up a city map and information at the Chamber of Commerce, at the foot of the bridge that gives Breaux Bridge its name, about ½ mile south of Interstate 10.

Pronounced "sham-poo-ee," this 615-acre state park on the south bank of the Willamette River is on the site of a Hudson's Bay Company trading post, granary, and warehouse that was built in 1813. This was the seat of the first provisional government in the Northwest. The settlement was abandoned after a catastrophic flood in 1861, then rebuilt and abandoned again after the flood of 1890. The park's wide-open spaces, groves of oak and fir, modern visitor center, museum, and historic buildings provide vivid insight into pioneer life. Tepees and wagons are displayed here, and there are 10 miles of hiking and cycle trails.

The first sparkling-wine producer established in the Napa Valley by a French Champagne house is known for its bubblies but also makes still wines. Founded in 1973 and gleaming since a 50th-anniversary renovation of the indoor and outdoor tasting areas, Chandon presents a set sparkling flight showcasing the house style from Monday to Wednesday. More specialized offerings unfold the rest of the week. Walk-ins are welcome for flights, but make a reservation for lunches and other food experiences and look for seasonal pairings like blanc de blancs and oysters.

The park's fully accessible visitor center has a three-story observation tower with telescopes, a bookstore, and a museum. A 25-minute film, Treasure in the Sea, provides an engaging overview of the islands, and, in the marine life exhibit, sea stars cling to rocks, and a brilliant orange Garibaldi darts around. Also on display are full-size reproductions of a male northern elephant seal and the pygmy mammoth skeleton unearthed on Santa Rosa Island in 1994.

On weekends and holidays at 11 am and 3 pm, rangers lead various free public programs describing park resources, and, from Wednesday through Saturday in summer, the center screens live ranger broadcasts of hikes and dives on Anacapa Island. Webcam images of bald eagles and other land and sea creatures are also shown at the center and on the park's website.

Chanticleer, the onetime estate of the owner of a local pharmaceutical company, is now a 30-acre garden that bursts with color in the spring when 10,000 bulbs bloom. The grounds offer a range of settings, including lush woodlands with rare Asian specimens, a formal house garden, and a serpentine-shaped "avenue" lined with young junipers, wheat and barley, and gingko trees.

More than 350 years ago, an avalanche from the Chaos Crags lava domes scattered hundreds of thousands of rocks—many from 2 to 3 feet in diameter—over a couple of square miles.

Enjoy a brief facsimile of a traditional ceremony at this venue, designed to be a turnkey wedding operation, with two chapels and an outdoor garden, as well as on-site flower shop, photography studio, and wedding coordinators. It's still Las Vegas, so an Elvis impersonator is available for all ceremonies.