10457 Best Sights in USA

The historic Cherry Mansion, built in 1830, served as General Grant's headquarters during the Battle of Shiloh. The house is privately owned, but visitors are allowed to walk around the grounds and take pictures.

Spread out across 55,000 square feet, the multiuse Cherry Street Pier is among the newer gems of Philadelphia’s slow but gradual Delaware River revitalization efforts. It's a great place to explore and soak in views of the Ben Franklin Bridge, waterfront scenery, and beyond, especially during the warmer months. It's free to walk around, but there's plenty to purchase here, as it's home to artists’ studios, artisan craft fairs, and continually changing exhibits throughout the versatile space. There's a diversity of snacks, too. Popular concessions include a variety of sweets, local brews, and comfort foods.

One of the region's finest, this nine-building complex chronicles the Bay's rich history of boatbuilding, commercial fishing, navigating, and hunting in compelling detail. Exhibits on the 18-acre waterfront site include two of the Bay's unique skipjacks among the museum's more than 80 historic regional boats. There are also the restored 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, a working boatyard, and a "waterman's wharf" with shanties plus oystering and crabbing tools. In the Bay Building you can see a crabbing skiff as well as a dugout canoe hewn by Native Americans. The Waterfowl Building contains carved decoys and stuffed birds, including wood ducks, mallards, and swans.

Housed in the railroad's 1898 track-side terminus, this museum provides memorable glimpses of the onetime resort's turn-of-the-20th-century glory days. Among its exhibits are a glass-enclosed model of the town of Chesapeake Beach and a hand-carved kangaroo from the magnificent carousel, as well as a slot machine and photos of early vacationers. One of the railroad's passenger cars rests nearby.

Families make a day of it at Chesapeake Beach Water Park, which has a children's pool, beach, and many slides. The park is open from Memorial Day until the first day of school. Admission is $18 (it's less for locals).

Becoming Chester County, the center's excellent permanent exhibition, uses its collection of 70,000 historical objects and modern interactive displays to tell compelling stories of the challenges and opportunities Delaware Valley inhabitants faced from the late 1600s to today. Galleries address the Lenape people, the American Revolution, slavery, industrialization, women's suffrage, immigration, and other issues, often using the examples of local residents. The collections are gorgeous, including furniture, quilts, period clothing, tall-case clocks, and cross-stitch samplers. A hands-on history lab lets kids try some old-style tools and dress up in a hoop skirt, and the center's library has extensive records and photographs. The society's two-building complex includes a former horticultural hall that was the site of the first women's rights convention in Pennsylvania.

This quaint ferry route has operated on the Connecticut River since 1769—originally a barge pushed by long poles, later using steam power, and now an open, self-propelled vessel. The crossing aboard Selden III, which accommodates 8 or 9 cars and 49 passengers, takes just five minutes but saves 12 miles of driving compared to taking the bridge. The bonus on the ferry ride: a beautiful view of Gillette's Castle, which overlooks the river.

A lovely gazebo sits in the center of this gem of a city park, perched atop a bluff overlooking Admiralty Inlet. The six well-maintained acres are perfect for picnicking and encompass a pond, a footbridge, a playground, and a whimsical, trellis-covered pathway that teems with blooms in spring. The Port Townsend Summer Band performs concerts here (and at nearby Fort Worden). Access the sliver of beach below via a short footpath.

America's only mountain zoo, at 6,700 feet, has nearly 1,000 animals housed amid mossy boulders and ponderosa pines. You can hand-feed the giraffe herd in the zoo's African Rift Valley, ride the chairlift-style, open-air Sky Ride, and check out the animals living in Primate World, Rocky Mountain Wild, or the Asian Highlands.

Civic-minded artists grow their practice at this artist-run nonprofit with a mission to provide space and resources for artistic development. The program, housed inside the historic Fountainhead building, also hosts an array of exhibitions that are open by appointment.

Since the late 1960s, Halsted Street near 18th Street has lured a large number of artists, who live and work in the mixed-use community known as the Chicago Arts District. The street-level galleries and studios have put Pilsen on the map as an art destination, and innovative spaces abound. The best time to visit is on the second Friday of each month, from 6 to 9 pm, when artists open their doors to the public. Expect visual art displays, interpretive dance, installations, music, and performance art. Most studios also have regular weekend hours or are open by appointment.

The Gothic-inspired headquarters of the First United Methodist Church of Chicago, built in 1923 by Holabird & Roche, comes complete with a first-floor sanctuary, 21 floors of office space, a sky-high chapel (free tours are available), and an eight-story spire, which is best viewed from the bridge across the Chicago River at Dearborn Street. Outside, along the building's east wall at ground level, stained-glass windows relate the history of Methodism in Chicago. Joan Miró's sculpture Chicago (1981) is in the small plaza just east of the church.

When it opened in 1921, the grand and glitzy Chicago Theatre was tagged "the Wonder Theatre of the World." Its exterior features a shrunken version of the Arc de Triomphe, and its lobby is patterned after the Royal Chapel at Versailles with a staircase copied from the Paris Opera House. Murals decorate the auditorium walls and ceiling. The seven-story, 3,600-seat space has served as a venue for films and famed entertainers ranging from John Philip Sousa and Duke Ellington to Ellen DeGeneres and Beyoncé. Tours let you stand on the stage where they performed, go backstage, and peruse its autographed walls.

This hop-on, hop-off ride takes visitors to many downtown and Loop highlights and allows you the flexibility to stop at attractions that catch your fancy.

This restored lifesaving station is now a museum that tells the story of the brave people who manned 29 stations that once lined the Outer Banks. These were the precursors to today's Coast Guard, with staff who rescued people and animals from seacraft in distress. Eight incredibly well-preserved buildings (given the frequency of hurricanes here) on 7 acres include a cookhouse, bathhouse, stables, workshop, and the original 1874 lifesaving station. You'll see original equipment and tools, artifacts, and exhibits. A 1907 cottage moved to the site portrays 19th- and early-20th-century life along the Outer Banks. Just across the street, there's a pirate-themed playground for once children tire of all the history. "Chicamacomico" is an Algonquin word meaning "land of shifting sands."

The Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, adjacent to Chicano Park itself, gives the history and context behind the landmark and the political activism that inspired it. The museum also hosts galleries of rotating pieces by Chicanx artists, and make sure to visit the gift shop to take home a piece from a local artist. The museum is free for visitors 18 or younger (and donations are always accepted). Hours run from 10 am to 4 pm, but tours must be prearranged via email.

Finders keepers is the name of the game at the Gold Camp, where you can pan for gold and tour a historic dredge. The Pedro Dredge scooped up 55,000 ounces of gold from Chicken Creek between 1959 and 1967, but apparently plenty was left behind in the creek and elsewhere. Guests can stay in the Gold Camp's cabins, campground, or RV park, and schedule a prospecting trip to the site's mining claims. Hungry gold seekers can fill up in the café on wood-fired pizzas (offered a couple nights a week), sandwiches, and baked goods, or fuel up with an espresso or beer.

Immerse yourself in all things Chico at this small but engaging museum near Chico State University. Past exhibits have surveyed the city's American Indian legacy, its former Chinatowns, and area movers and shakers.

Although many Plains Indian tribes opposed the intrusion of whites into their lands, the Crow did not. Hoping that U.S. troops would keep the rival Cheyenne and Lakota off their lands, the Crow allied themselves with the U.S. government. Ultimately, the army protected Crow territory from the other tribes—but only so it could be settled by whites. Despite the betrayal, the last traditional chief of the Crow, Plenty Coups, strongly encouraged his people to adopt modern ways and cooperate with the U.S. government. At his request, his home and general store in the town of Pryor were preserved as a state park after his death. Note the blending of modern and traditional ways, such as the room of honor in the rear of his log home, meant to parallel the place of honor along the back wall of a tepee. Parks Passports are not valid here.

A footbridge from the bottom of Shakes Street provides access to this small island in the center of Wrangell's protected harbor. The Tribal House, constructed in 1940 as a replica of the original 19th-century structure, was completely restored by local carvers in 2012 and 2013, as were the surrounding totem poles. The interior of the building can be viewed for a fee through the Wrangell Cooperative Association.

Buried here is Shakes V, who led the local Tlingit during the first half of the 19th century. A white picket fence surrounds the grave, and two killer-whale totem poles mark his resting spot, which overlooks the harbor.

This historic home, now a museum, was built by Cherokee leader Major Ridge and is a part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The 1828 white clapboard plantation home is built around a two-story log cabin. Visitors can peek behind the plaster walls to see the original wooden foundation. Major Ridge and his family lived here and operated a successful trading post and ferry until 1837 when they were forced out to Oklahoma. Although several other families lived in the home and modified it over the years, it came to be known as "Chieftains" in honor of Ridge. The museum features indoor and outdoor displays detailing the history of the house, the Ridge family, and artifacts from archaeological digs on the property.

While waiting for the evening bat-flight program, take this ½-mile self-guided loop hike that begins just east of the visitor center. The tagged and identified flowers and plants make this a good place to get acquainted with local desert flora. Part of the trail is an easy stroll even for the littlest ones, and part is wheelchair accessible. The payoff is great for everyone, too: a sweeping, vivid view of the desert basin. Easy.

A windmill and spring form a desert oasis, a refreshing backdrop to a ½-mile round-trip, hot and flat nature trail; wild doves are abundant, the hike is pleasant, and kids will do just fine. Keep an eye out for the elf owl, one of the sought-after birds in the park. Easy.

Just steps from the base of the Space Needle, fans of Dale Chihuly's glass works will be delighted to trace the artist's early influences—neon art, Native American Northwest Coast trade baskets, and Pendleton blankets, to name a few—to the vibrant chandelier towers and architectural glass installations he is most known for today. There are eight galleries total, plus a 40-foot-tall "Glasshouse," and an outdoor garden that serves as a backdrop for colorful installations that integrate with a dynamic Northwest landscape, including native plants and a 500-year-old western cedar that washed up on the shores of Neah Bay. Chihuly, who was born and raised in Tacoma, was actively involved in the design of the exhibition. So many of his personal touches are part of the exhibition space, you can almost feel his presence in every room (look for the guy with the unruly hair and the black eye patch). Chihuly is kid-friendly for all but the littlest ones.  If you're also planning to visit the Space Needle, the combination ticket can save you some money.

A life-size walk-through replica of a 60-foot sperm whale greets patrons at this museum. Located in West Hartford, the museum also has a wildlife sanctuary and a planetarium with real-life images of outer space beamed in from NASA, as well as a hands-on puzzle exhibit that introduces kids to various scientific and mathematical concepts and optical illusions.

Kids can pretend they are lobstermen, veterinarians, shopkeepers, or actors in a play at Portland's small but fun Children's Museum. Most exhibits, many of which have a Maine theme, are hands-on and best for kids 10 and younger. The indoor climbing features a toddler crawl-through and a birds’ nest viewing tower. There's a maker's space that sets tykes up to conjure up all kinds of creations—from art to engineering masterpieces. There's a water center called "Go With The Flow" that gets everyone experimenting with water (and a little wet).

Kids can learn about Mohican life or bees and pollination through the interactive exhibits here, which cover science, history, and art.

Good on a rainy day or to burn off extra energy in the kids, this museum is basically a large indoor playground, with educational games and interactive exhibits such as a grocery store, a kid-size TV news studio, a bubble exhibit, and a health exhibit.

In this colorful and joyfully noisy museum for children ages eight and younger, kids can build sandcastles, watch themselves perform on closed-circuit TV, operate a giant ball-moving machine, and get inside an imaginary waterfall (after donning raincoats, of course). Other exhibits rotate every few months.