2155 Best Sights in USA

Also called Ten-Mile Drive, this is a stunningly scenic route starting from the end of Thames Street and looping around the Newport shoreline by following Harrison Avenue and Ridge Road to Ocean Drive and Bellevue Ave., ending at Memorial Blvd. You'll pass by Fort Adams State Park; Hammersmith Farm, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis' family home and the site of her wedding reception when she married John F. Kennedy in 1953; the 89-acre Brenton Point State Park, famous for kite-flying; the picturesque Castle Hill Inn and lighthouse; and several small beaches, including the public Kings Beach.

Twenty-five miles east of the flat, juniper-dotted countryside around Prineville, the landscape changes to forested ridges covered with tall ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. Sheltered by the diminutive Ochoco Mountains and with only about a foot of rain each year, the national forest, established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, manages to lay a blanket of green across the dry, high desert of central Oregon. This arid landscape—marked by deep canyons, towering volcanic plugs, and sharp ridges—goes largely unnoticed except for the annual influx of hunters during the fall. The Ochoco, part of the old Blue Mountain Forest Reserve, is a great place for camping, hiking, biking, and fishing in relative solitude. In its three wilderness areas—Mill Creek, Bridge Creek, and Black Canyon—it's possible to see elk, wild horses, eagles, and even cougars.

The park's main information center on the North Carolina side is polished and inviting after a $3 million renovation and expansion. It is 1½ miles from Cherokee and offers interactive displays, a 20-minute film, a large book and gift shop, ranger-led programs, and assistance from helpful volunteers. There are restrooms and vending machines. Adjoining the visitor center, in a large level field next to the Oconaluftee River, is the Mountain Farm Museum, a reconstruction of an early 1900s mountain farmstead. Herds of elk are often seen here.

The 16 miles of undeveloped shoreline here are often considered some of the best beaches in America. These beaches are among the least visited and most beautiful on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The shelling is amazing, the solitude unparalleled. Four public-access areas are along the highway and easy to spot; just look for large brown-and-white wooden signs. The National Park Service has a mid-island campground ($28/night) with bathrooms, where you can park and sleep just behind the dunes.  There are lifeguards only at the day-use beach ½ mile north of Ocracoke Village in late May through early September. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming.

Built in the early 1800s and part of the park service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, the 192-foot-tall, green-domed Old Courthouse is a neoclassical masterpiece situated across a 250-foot grassy pedestrian bridge from the national park visitor center. A life-size sculpture of Dred and Harriett Scott outside the courthouse entrance serves as a poignant reminder of the determination it takes to change the course of history. Inside, it's humbling to stand in the exact spot where history did, indeed, change. The courtrooms here served as center stage for two landmark 19th-century cases: when two enslaved people, Dred and Harriet Scott (Dred Scott v. Sanford), sued for their freedom and when suffragist Virginia Minor fought for women’s right to vote (Minor v. Happersett). The gorgeous, three-tiered rotunda is modeled after the dome in Rome's St. Peter’s Basilica, and four murals painted by Carl Wimar highlight significant moments in St. Louis history. In addition to visiting two of the original courtrooms, you can participate in ranger-led tours; experience trial reenactments and other special events throughout the year; and see the 17-minute film, Slavery on Trial: The Dred Scott Decision, and the 10-minute film, Lewis and Clark, Preparation for the Expedition. The Old Courthouse will reopen in 2025 after a two-year, $27.5 million renovation, which was the final piece of the $380 million CityArchRiver project that revitalized Gateway Arch National Park, the St. Louis Riverfront, and Kiener Plaza in Downtown St. Louis. Be sure to snap a photo of the courthouse framed by the Gateway Arch—a quintessential St. Louis shot.

In 1996, Old Town Bluffton was designated a National Register Historic District town thanks to the 80-some historic churches and cottages that still stand there today. Originally inhabited by the Yemassee people, who were driven out by the first English settlers, the town's later population of slaveholders played a key role in South Carolina's secession. By the late 1990s, though, Old Bluffton had become the quirky cousin of Hilton Head, with its well-worn bungalows populated by art galleries and antiques shops. Today, historic homes and houses of worship still flank oak-lined streets dripping with Spanish moss, but now they intermingle with newly constructed tin-roofed buildings designed and laid out to preserve the small-town vibe. Anchored by Promenade Street, the modern section hops with trendy bars, restaurants, and shops. Grab a sandwich to go from the Downtown Deli ( 1223 May River Rd.) and head to the Calhoun Street Public Dock for a picnic looking over the May River. (Instagrammers and photographers should aim for sunset.) While there, check out the beautiful grounds of the historic Church of the Cross ( 110 Calhoun St.). To buy fresh shellfish off the dock, visit Bluffton Oyster Company ( 63 Wharf St.) at the end of Wharf Street.

The six square blocks on the site of San Diego's original pueblo are the heart of Old Town. Most of the 20 historic buildings preserved or re-created by the park cluster are around Old Town Plaza, bounded by Wallace Street on the west, Calhoun Street on the north, Mason Street on the east, and San Diego Avenue on the south. The plaza is a pleasant place to rest, plan your tour of the park, and watch passersby. San Diego Avenue is closed to vehicle traffic here.

Some of Old Town's buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1872, but after the site became a state historic park in 1968, reconstruction and restoration of the remaining structures began. Five of the original adobes are still intact: La Casa de Estudillo, La Casa de Machado y Stewart, La Casa de Machado y Silvas, the Pedrorena-Altamirano House, and La Casa de Bandini (now the Cosmopolitan Hotel).

Facing Old Town Plaza, the Robinson-Rose House was the original commercial center of Old San Diego, housing railroad offices, law offices, and the first newspaper press. The largest and most elaborate of the original adobe homes, the Casa de Estudillo was occupied by members of the Estudillo family until 1887 and later gained popularity for its billing as "Ramona's Marriage Place" based on a popular novel of the time. Albert Seeley, a stagecoach entrepreneur, opened the Cosmopolitan Hotel in 1869 as a way station for travelers on the daylong trip south from Los Angeles. Next door to the Cosmopolitan Hotel, the Seeley Stable served as San Diego's stagecoach stop in 1867 and was the transportation hub of Old Town until 1887, when trains became the favored mode of travel.

Several reconstructed buildings serve as restaurants or as shops purveying wares reminiscent of those that might have been available in the original Old Town. Racine & Laramie, a painstakingly reproduced version of San Diego's first cigar store in 1868, is especially interesting.

Pamphlets available at the Robinson-Rose House give details about all the historic houses on the plaza and in its vicinity. Free 45-minute walking tours of the historic park are offered daily at 11 am and 2 pm; they depart from the Robinson-Rose House.

The covered wagon located near the intersection of Mason and Calhoun Streets provides a great photo op.

Once a hangout for cowboys, Old Town is in full swing with boutique shops, good restaurants, a children’s museum, and a theater, while retaining its Old West appearance. A walking tour put together by the Temecula Valley Historical Society, starting at the Temecula Valley Museum, covers some of the old buildings; most are identified with bronze plaques. Free maps can be downloaded from their website ( www.temeculahistoricalsociety.org). A walking tour ($5) of Old Town Temecula is given every Saturday 10–11:30, departing from the Temecula Valley Museum, located in the Sam Hicks Monument Park directly across from the weekly Farmer’s Market.

At 9,200 feet, this excellent amateur observation site is a great way to get a sense of the mountain and the observatory work without going all the way to the summit. It's open daily from 9 am to 9 pm and offers free monthly stargazing events (which require preregistration and are weather dependent). The center is also a good place to stop to acclimatize yourself to the altitude if you're heading for the summit. Peruse the gift shop and exhibits about ancient Hawaiian celestial navigation, the mountain's significance as a quarry for the best basalt in the Hawaiian Islands, and Maunakea as a revered spiritual destination. You'll also learn about modern astronomy and ongoing projects at the summit. Nights are clear 90% of the year, so the chances are good for seeing some amazing sights in the sky. Surprisingly, stargazing here is actually better than at the summit itself because of reduced oxygen there. The parking lot can get crowded.

Since 1934, the Original Farmers Market continues to sell fresh produce, meats, cheese, and other culinary and gourmet delights. With over 100 purveyors, standouts include Monsieur Marcel, a gourmet French-style market and café; Bob's Coffee & Doughnuts; and actor Danny Trejo's Trejo's Tacos.

Adventurous travelers will enjoy a sojourn at one of the best-kept secrets on the Pacific coast, at the base of Neahkahnie Mountain. Park in one of the two free lots on U.S. 101 and hike a half-mile trail to dramatic Short Sand Beach, aka "Shorty's," one of the top spots along the Oregon Coast for surfing. It's a spectacular beach with caves and tidal pools. There are several trails from the beach, all offering impressive scenery; the relatively easy 2½-mile trail to Cape Falcon overlook joins with the Oregon Coast Trail and offers impressive views back toward Shorty's Beach. The arduous 5½-mile trail to the 1,680-foot summit of Neahkahnie Mountain (access the trailhead about 2 miles south of the parking lots marked only by a "Hikers" sign, or get there via Short Sand Beach) provides jaw-dropping views south for many miles toward the surf, sand, and mountains fringing Manzanita and, in the distance, Tillamook. Come in December or March and you might spot pods of gray whales.

In September 2019, Pace moved into a new eight-story building at 540 West 25th Street, turning the gallery more into an art center than just a gallery. The impressive roster of talent represented here includes a variety of upper-echelon artists, sculptors, and photographers, such as Richard Avedon, Alexander Calder, Tara Donovan, Chuck Close, Sol LeWitt, and Robert Rauschenberg. Pace has two spaces in Chelsea, including 510 West 25th Street.

At this serene 11,000-acre wildlife preserve adjacent to Bayview State Park, the Breazeale Interpretive Center has great exhibits on local ecology and wildlife. Trails lead to an observation deck, into the woods, and to a rocky beach with great bird-watching opportunities—keep an eye out for black brant (or brent) geese, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles. This is also a popular place for kayaking.

This angular, contemporary nature center stands out as much for its dramatic design as for the engaging exhibits within. Families appreciate the interactive Children's Discovery Area and the giant scale model of the Pajarito Plateau that kids are encouraged to play on. There's also a high-tech planetarium with astronomy shows or films most weekends, nature trails, wildlife and conservation exhibits, and gardens with local flora and plenty of visiting birdlife.

One of the island's few formal recreation areas, this 233-acre retreat sits at a 1,000-foot elevation. A short path through an ironwood forest leads to Kalaupapa Lookout, a magnificent overlook with views of the town of Kalaupapa, a national historical park, and the 1,664-foot-high sea cliffs protecting it. Informative plaques have facts about leprosy, Saint Damien, and the colony. The park is also the site of Kaule O Nanahoa (Phallus of Nanahoa), where women in old Hawaii would come to the rock to enhance their fertility; it is said some still do. Because the rock is a sacred site, be respectful and don't deface the boulders. The park is well maintained, with trails, camping facilities, restrooms, and picnic tables.

Few streets in the Bay Area can match the dramatic scenery of Stanford’s entrance from downtown Palo Alto. For about ⅔ mile, palm trees line the street, which runs in a direct straight line towards Memorial Church. The Santa Cruz Mountains emerge on the horizon, and it all looks as if it was framed intentionally for postcards. Palm Drive runs into a giant grass area called the Oval, named for its distinct shape, which revolves around flower plantings shaped as an "S" for Stanford. On sunny days, Stanford students are always out in force studying on the grass or playing Frisbee. It can appear like a university admissions brochure in real life.

The park's main visitor center, near the base of the Chisos Mountains, contains a bookstore and impressive exhibits on the park's mountain, river, and desert environments. An elegantly produced 22-minute film detailing the wonders of the park shows every half-hour in the theater, and there's a sprawling replica of the park's topographical folds. Nearby, a gas station offers limited groceries.

The acres taken up by the mega-resorts mean that open space is a premium on the Strip, which makes The Park a refreshing departure. Roughly situated between New York–New York and Park MGM, it reaches from the Strip itself west to T-Mobile Arena, home to the city's first professional sports franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team. Along the way, The Park offers natural touches such as desert vegetation and rock from local quarries. It also has features such as a water wall, shade structures made to look like trees, and a 40-foot-tall statue of a dancing naked woman named "Bliss Dance." Restaurants offer outdoor seating and games for patrons to play while they relax.

Exceeding 130,000 acres and regularly running tens of thousands of head of cattle, Parker Ranch is an impressive and compelling backdrop for the scenic town of Waimea. It was established in 1847 by a sailor from Massachusetts, John Palmer Parker, who was permitted by the Hawaiian ruler King Kamehameha I to cull vast herds of out-of-control cattle; thus, the ranch was born. It later grew into the empire it is today, and the foundation started by Parker's descendants supports community health care, the arts, and education, as well as a commitment to sustainability. In addition to taking self-guided tours of two of the ranch's historic homes—Hale Mana and Puuopelu—you can also visit Parker Ranch Center, the town's largest shopping and restaurant complex. The Round Up club, founded by Parker Ranch employees, holds rodeos year round.

More than 3 miles of tranquil and natural beach run along the shoreline of Pawleys Island. The surrounding architecture consists only of beach cottages and low-lying resorts, so it's a peaceful retreat. Lack of crowds allows for bicycling on packed sand, shelling, or napping on a hammock. Note that there aren't any lifeguards. Amenities: parking (limited; on side streets). Best for: surfing; swimming; walking. 

Pearl Harbor is still a working military base as well as Oahu’s most visited attraction, consisting of five distinct destinations. Managed by the National Park Service, the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and USS Arizona Memorial make up the national memorial, where exhibits tell the story not only of the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, but also of the wartime internment of Japanese Americans, World War II battles in the Aleutian Islands, and the occupation of Japan after the war. The history continues at three privately operated sights: the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (whose centerpiece is the USS Bowfin), the Battleship Missouri Memorial, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

A valid government-issued photo ID is required to enter the base. You can walk to the visitor center or the submarine museum from the parking lot, but access to the USS Arizona requires a ferry ride (and ticket reservations via  www.recreation.gov), and access to other sites, including the USS Missouri and the aviation museum, requires a shuttle bus trip. Advance reservations are required to access USS Arizona Memorial. There are no same-day tickets except rare standby spots.

No bags of any kind except clear stadium ones—not even small purses—are allowed at any of the sights, though cameras, cell phones, and wallets can be hand-carried. A bag check is available. Children under four can visit the submarine museum, but for safety reasons, they are not allowed on the USS Bowfin itself.

Think Maine is cold in the winter? Try the Arctic, where two of Bowdoin’s most famous alumni, Admiral Robert E. Peary (class of 1877) and explorer Donald B. MacMillan (class of 1898), spent considerable time. As a result, the college has both an Arctic Studies program and this museum, which is in the imposing neo-Gothic Hubbard Hall.

Although controversy rages regarding whether it was Frederick Cook (in 1908) or Peary (in 1909) who first made it to the North Pole (or whether either man ever made it there at all), the museum has some of the principal artifacts from Peary's expedition, including his notebook page that reads “The pole at last!!!” and the American flag that he unfurled upon reaching it. Among the many interesting things you'll learn is that Peary’s assistant, an African American named Matthew Henson, was the only other man with him when he reached the pole—and Henson was actually in the lead.

MacMillan, who made more than 30 trips to the Arctic over the course of almost 50 years, extensively documented both the region and its peoples. He also named one of his expedition schooners after the college. (The Bowdoin is now the flagship training vessel of the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine). The museum's collection includes many of his photographs and films, as well as memorabilia, artifacts, and historical and contemporary Inuit, Yup’ik, and Iñupiat art. Rotating exhibitions have showcased everything from changing Arctic climate conditions to Inuit music to traditional kayak construction.

In 2017, heavy winter rains caused an old concrete bridge built in 1968 to crack and slip downhill at Pfeiffer Canyon, in the heart of Big Sur. Engineers deemed the old bridge irreparable, and auto and pedestrian access to Highway 1 south of the bridge was cut off indefinitely. CalTrans quickly made plans to construct a new, $24-million bridge to span the deep canyon. Normally, such a massive project would take at least seven years, but CalTrans accelerated the project and completed it in less than a year. The new bridge—a 21st-century engineering marvel—stretches 310 feet across the ravine without the need for column support. It's made of 15 steel girders, each weighing 62 tons and connected by steel plates holding 14,000 bolts.

The winding 10-mile drive through Russell-Abbott State Forest is part of the fun of visiting this enchanted—and secluded—1786 red clapboard cottage on which artist Elizabeth Orton Jones based her illustrations in Little Red Riding Hood in the 1940s. Surrounded by fragrant, organic herb and flower gardens (you can buy seeds and plants in the nursery in back), the house today contains a sweet gift shop that sells dried herbal blends and other gourmet products, a small museum with Little Red Riding Hood memorabilia, and a wonderful little restaurant that serves five-course lunches featuring herbs and produce grown on-site.

A popular destination since the late 19th century, Piedmont Park is the perfect place to escape the chaos of the city. Tennis courts, a swimming pool, a popular dog park, and paths for walking, jogging, and rollerblading are part of the attraction, but many retreat to the park's great lawn for picnics with a smashing view of the Midtown skyline.

Drinking water, restrooms, and a picnic area are available at this central campground with sweeping mountain views. Shade, however, can be sparse and summer heat intense. You can walk off that hearty lunch along one of the several nearby hiking trails.

Occupying the refurbished 19th-century redbrick factory of the eponymous machine manufacturer, the Pioneer Works is a nonprofit cultural center comprising a soaring three-level space dedicated to nurturing independent artists, scientists, musicians, and their creative avant-garde communities. In fact, director Darren Aronofsky and David Byrne of the Talking Heads are on the advisory board. The performance stages and giant exhibition space designed by Red Hook artist Dustin Yellin regularly showcase changing exhibitions and performance art with lively opening parties, films, book fairs, and music concerts. On the grounds outside is an artfully landscaped yard with a bar. 

In 1946, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the Sons of the Pioneers (the music group for which the town is named), Russ Hayden, and various other entertainers invested in Dick Curtis' dream of building a "living breathing movie set." The result was Pioneertown, an 1880s-style Wild West town on 32,000 acres, surrounded by mesas and rock formations. Its main street featured a mix of false-front buildings (jail, bathhouse, etc.) and fully functioning businesses including a bowling alley, motel, saloon, and post office. More than 50 films/shows including Cisco Kid were made there in the 1940s and '50s.

Although some photo shoots and productions still happen there, most folks roll into town as tourists to grab drinks at the reopened bar; look at the movie memorabilia in the small museum; catch a concert at Pappy + Harriet's; meet the mayor (which is usually a goat, horse, or dog); or shop for pottery, vintage duds, and skin-care products in the shops that now fill many of the wood-and-adobe structures on the pedestrian-only lane. Weekends are especially bustling, with staged gunfights, drive-in movies, food carts, and comedy shows.

Jutting into Commencement Bay, this 760-acre park surrounds Five Mile Drive with hilly picnicking fields and patches of forest. Hiking trails, bike paths, and numerous gardens draw crowds year-round, particularly during summer festivals such as the Taste of Tacoma, in late June. The park begins at the north end of Pearl Street as you drive toward the Point Defiance Ferry Terminal, where vehicles depart for Vashon Island just across the Sound, but you can also walk or bike here via a new pedestrian bridge that connects with the new Point Ruston waterfront development. The park's one-way road meanders past a lake and picnic area, a rose garden, a spectacular 22-acre rhododendron garden, and a Japanese garden, finally winding down to the water. Here you can explore the driftwood-strewn, pebbly sands of Owen Beach—it's a wonderful place for beachcombing and sailboat-watching. Kayak rentals and concessions are available in summer. Cruise slowly to take in the scenes—and watch out for joggers and bikers.

This small, scenic waterfront park in the quaint village of Hansville sits at the very northeastern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, about 13 miles northeast of Port Gamble, and is home to the oldest lighthouse (opened in 1879) on Puget Sound. Free tours of the relatively small white building with a bright-red roof are offered on Saturday afternoons from April through September. Any day of the week, however, this is a pleasing spot for a picnic, a stroll along the beach, or simply the chance to sit and admire the views north and east of Whidbey Island and—in the distance—the Cascade Range. The adjacent lighthouse keeper's quarters can be rented overnight.