10457 Best Sights in USA

As much a trial as a trail, this serpentine path beneath The Great White Throne, which you access from the Lower West Rim Trail, is one of the park's most challenging and genuinely thrilling hikes. It had also been on the verge of becoming a victim of its own popularity, suffering badly from overcrowding, until the park service instituted a permit system in 2022, which has greatly reduced the number of hikers at any given time and vastly improved the experience. You now must apply online at  www.recreation.gov (both seasonal and day-before lotteries are held, and the cost is $6) for the chance to hike the famed final section beyond Scout Lookout.

Once you've ascended from the Lower West Rim Trail, you'll encounter Walter's Wiggles, an arduous (but not at all scary) series of 21 switchbacks built out of sandstone blocks that leads up to Scout Lookout. From here, assuming you've secured a permit, you'll continue along a narrow, steadily rising ridge with sheer cliffs that drop some 1,400 feet on either side. Chains bolted into the rock face serve as handrails in the steepest places. In spite of its hair-raising nature, and taking into consideration that 14 people have fallen to their deaths on this hike since 2000, the climb doesn't require technical skills and is quite safe as long as you step deliberately and use the handrail chains. Still, children and those uneasy about heights should not attempt this hike. Allow 2½ hours round-trip to hike to Scout Lookout (2 miles), which is itself an impressive viewpoint, and four to five hours if you continue to where the angels (and birds of prey) play. The total hike is about 4.5 miles round-trip from the Grotto shuttle stop. Difficult.

Join the thousands of Austinites who frequent downtown's beloved hike-and-bike trail, which makes a sweeping 10-mile loop around the beautiful Lady Bird Lake. The trails are open to all ages and speeds, welcoming walkers, runners, cyclists, and people-watchers alike. This lush, urban path has recently expanded with a new boardwalk extension, allowing the full circuit to wind through some of the city's best sights, including lakeside parks, art installations, and downtown restaurants and coffee shops with walk-up windows.

It's a seasonal ritual for California's elephant seals to come ashore here each winter—and a spectacular annual event for human visitors to watch these incredible marine mammals playing, flirting, breeding, and sometimes fighting in the chilly salt water and brisk sunshine. Guided tours (around three miles) are mandatory to keep the elephant seals safe and to protect this fragile ecosystem.

You've probably seen dozens of photographs of Antelope Canyon, a narrow, red-sandstone slot canyon with convoluted corkscrew formations, dramatically illuminated by light streaming down from above. And you're likely to see assorted shutterbugs waiting patiently for just the right shot of these colorful, photogenic rocks, which are actually petrified sand dunes. The best photos are taken at high noon, when light filters through the slot in the canyon surface. Be prepared to protect your camera equipment against blowing dust and leave your tripod and monopod at home. Navajo Nation and Recreation no longer permits photography tours of the canyon, and while regular tours permit you to take photos, you won't be able to set up your tripod or monopod during your visit.

In the 19th century, settlers grazed sheep and horses on Antelope Island, ferrying them back and forth from the mainland across the waters of the Great Salt Lake. Today, the park is the most developed and scenic spot in which to experience the lake. Hiking and biking trails crisscross the island, and the lack of cover—cottonwood trees provide some of the only shade—gives the place a wide-open feeling and makes for some blistering hot days. You can go saltwater bathing at several beach areas, the most popular being Bridger Bay, which has a changing room with hot showers. Since the salinity level of the lake is always greater than that of the ocean, the water is extremely buoyant (and briny smelling). Faced with several years of drought, as of fall 2022 the lake was at its lowest water level since the 1840s, leading to even higher salinity and threatening the viability of the lake's ecosystem. 

The island has historic sites, as well as desert wildlife and birds in their natural habitat. The most popular inhabitants are the members of a herd of between 500 and 700 bison descended from 12 brought here in 1893. Each October at the Buffalo Roundup more than 250 volunteers on horseback round up the free-roaming animals and herd them to the island's north end to be counted. The island's Fielding-Garr House, built in 1848 and now owned by the state, was the oldest continuously inhabited home in Utah until the last resident moved out in 1981. The house displays assorted ranching artifacts, and guided horseback riding is available from the stables next to the house. Be sure to check out the modern visitor center, and sample a bison burger at the stand that overlooks the lake to the north. If you're lucky, you'll hear coyotes howling in the distance. Access to the island is via a 7½-mile causeway, which is reached from I–15 about a 45-minute drive north of Salt Lake City.

This museum got its start as a private collection of Native American antiquities gathered in the 1920s by artist and amateur naturalist Howard Arden Edwards. Today, his Swiss chalet–style home is a state museum known for one-of-a-kind artifacts from California, Southwest, and Great Basin native cultures, including tools, artwork, basketry, and rugs. The eclectic works are predominately focused on the people of Antelope Valley. A ¼-mile walking trail loops a portion of the property. To get here, exit north off Highway 138 at 165th Street East and follow the signs, or take the Avenue K exit off Highway 14.

Time has returned Antietam National Battlefield, the site of the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War, to its tranquil antebellum appearance, with woodlands giving way to sloping cornfields bound by rough-hewn fences. On September 17, 1862, more than 23,000 Union and Confederate troops were killed, wounded, or missing here. The gruesome battle led Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. A self-guided tour by car follows 8½ miles of well-preserved battlefield including Dunkard Church and Bloody Lane. An hour-long documentary is shown at the visitor center at noon each day, and there is an exhibit of Civil War artifacts. You can also hike the battlefields with an audio tour or accompanied by a ranger. Stop at the Pry House Field Hospital Museum (an extension of Frederick's National Museum of Civil War Medicine), where a re-created operating room and implements used to care for the wounded are displayed.

This family-run winery between Corvallis and Eugene takes sustainable wine-making to the next level, championing their own brand of "grazing-based viticulture" that uses barnyard critters, including adorable kune kune pigs, to help clear the land and keep the biome in prime working order. The result is balanced Pinots that often sell out soon after they're released. 

As a youth, Jesse Katz tagged along with his photographer father, Andy Katz, to wineries worldwide, stimulating curiosity about wine that led to stints at august operations like the Napa Valley's Screaming Eagle and Bordeaux's Château Petrús. In 2009, Katz started Aperture, a success from the get-go for his single-vineyard Cabernets and Bordeaux blends. Among the whites are Sauvignon Blancs and an old-vine Chenin Blanc that's among California's finest. Katz's wines, which benefit from rigorous farming and cellar techniques, are presented by appointment in an ultra-contemporary hospitality center about 2½ miles south of Healdsburg Plaza. The center's shutterlike windows and other architectural elements evoke Andy Katz's photography career; his images hang on the walls.

The Appalachian Trail's 72 miles through the Great Smokies are among its most scenic. The trail follows ridges, offering vistas throughout the traverse. Park in the Newfound Gap Overlook parking lot and cross the road to the trail. From Newfound Gap to Indian Gap, the trail travels 1.7 miles through spruce and fir forests, and in late spring and summer there are quite a few wildflowers. The total round-trip distance is 3.4 miles. Easy. Walking in the other direction (north on the AT), it's 4.4 miles (each way) to Charlie's Bunion, with scenic views most of the way.

Sea lions, zebra sharks, and penguins—oh my! This aquarium focuses on creatures of the Pacific Ocean and is home to more than 12,000 animals. The main exhibits include large tanks of sharks, stingrays, and ethereal sea dragons, which the aquarium has successfully bred in captivity. The museum's Pacific Visions area features a 29,000-square-foot multisensory experience in which attendees can immerse themselves in humankind's relationship with the natural world through video projections, soundscapes, tactile exhibits, a touchscreen wall, interactive game tables, rumbling theater seats, and more. The aquarium focuses on its local environment in its refreshed Southern California Gallery, where you'll explore kelp forests, learn about local species, and learn about the aquarium's conservation efforts. For a nonaquatic experience, head to Lorikeet Forest, a walk-in aviary full of the friendliest parrots from Australia. Buy a cup of nectar and smile as you become a human bird perch. If you're a true animal lover, book an up-close-and-personal Animal Encounters Tour (extra fee) to learn about and assist in the care and feeding of sharks, penguins, and other aquarium residents. Kids go wild for overnight camp experiences in the aquarium. Wildlife shows and special events for kids, teens, and adults abound; if you're interested in offsetting your travels with some local eco efforts, the whole family can join in local wetlands habitat restoration efforts held by the aquarium. Whale-watching trips on Harbor Breeze Cruises depart from the dock adjacent to the aquarium; summer sightings of blue whales are an unforgettable thrill.

The main park road and its two short spurs are extremely scenic and allow you to enjoy many park sights from your car. The main road leads through The Courthouse Towers, where you can see Sheep Rock and The Three Gossips, then alongside The Great Wall, The Petrified Dunes, and Balanced Rock. A drive to the Windows section takes you to attractions like Turret Arch, The North Window, and Double Arch, and you can see Skyline Arch along the roadside as you approach the Devils Garden Campground. The road to Delicate Arch allows hiking access to one of the park's main features. Allow about two hours to drive the main road's 35-mile round-trip, more if you explore the spurs and their features and stop at viewpoints along the way.

Those who love hi-tech art served with a Burning Man or Electric Daisy Carnival vibe—and with the addition of air-conditioning—will gravitate to this indoor amusement park inside a giant warehouse next to Interstate 15 (the name is a play on both the highway and the mysterious Area 51). The very fluorescent interior (the black-light averse may feel like they are trapped in a giant Spencer Gifts) even features big Burning Man–style art installations indoors and out, such as a giant skull covered in video graphics, which greets you in the main building.

While admission to the facility is technically free—though advance reservations can get you in faster on busy nights—almost all of the attractions require you to pay a separate admission: Omega Mart is an otherworldly convenience store, which leads into a walk-through funhouse full of immersive art from the Santa Fe–based arts collective Meow Wolf (it's also the most expensive individual experience); Wink World is full of art and tech surprises courtesy of Chris Wink, a co-founder and original member of the Blue Man Group; Museum Fiasco is an immersive, disorienting clublike bombardment of light and sound. Peripheral attractions include axe-throwing, golf and racing simulators, and rides on ski-lift chairs suspended from a ceiling track. You can also simply chill out with a cocktail under a canopy in The Sanctuary lounge or beneath a luminescent tree in the Oddwood Bar in the center of it all. Food choices include burgers at The Beast or sushi at Kaia. If you are just looking to visit Omega Mart, you can avoid the more expensive \"Experience\" tickets by buying a general admission ticket on the Meow Wolf site ( meowwolf.com).

The original building is joined by other attractions just to the west, the latest being an interactive experience themed after the John Wick movie franchise. The Illuminarium offers a Rolling Stone magazine-branded history of rock and pop music called Amplified, including a montage of every single Rolling Stone cover on a projection surface that is 20 feet tall.

And that's all just in the main, original building. AREA15 was so instantly popular that a massive 20-acre expansion to the north was set to begin unveiling new attractions by the end of 2025. The anchor will be Universal Horror Unleashed, centered around four themed haunted houses (the classic Universal monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: The Reaping, and The Exorcist: Believer) from the folks behind the Halloween attractions at Universal Studios. New retail and a non-gaming hotel will be part of the expansion.   Admission to the building is free, but online reservations let you skip lines out front and may be required on busy nights.

Since Argyle opened in 1987, it has consistently produced sparkling wines that are crisp on the palate, with an aromatic, lingering finish and bubbles that seem to last forever. The winery also produces Chardonnay, dry Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. Stop by the sleek tasting room for a four- or six-wine flight, or sign up for the "Sparkling Experience," which includes a property tour and an eight-wine flight served with charcuterie.

The name "museum" is a bit misleading, since this delightful site is actually a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden featuring the animals, plants, and even fish of the Sonoran Desert. Hummingbirds, coatis, rattlesnakes, scorpions, bighorn sheep, bobcats, and Mexican wolves all busy themselves in ingeniously designed habitats.

An Earth Sciences Center has an artificial limestone cave to climb through and an excellent mineral display. The coyote and javelina (a wild, piglike mammal with an oddly oversize head) exhibits have "invisible" fencing that separates humans from animals, and at the Raptor Free Flight show (October through April, daily at 10 and 2), you can see the powerful birds soar and dive, untethered, inches above your head.

The restaurants are above average, and the gift shop, which carries books, jewelry, and crafts, is outstanding. June through August, the museum stays open until 9 pm every Saturday, which provides a great opportunity to see nocturnal critters.

Here's your best opportunity in the western Wine Country to wander amid Sequoia sempervirens, also known as coast redwood trees. The oldest example in this 805-acre state park, the Colonel Armstrong Tree, is thought to be more than 1,400 years old. A half mile from the parking lot, the tree is easily accessible, and you can hike a long way into the forest before things get too hilly. During hot summer days, Armstrong Redwoods's tall trees help the park keep its cool.

This 281-acre living laboratory contains more than 4,000 kinds of woody plants, most from the hardy north temperate zone. The rhododendrons, azaleas, lilacs, magnolias, and fruit trees are eye-popping when in bloom, and something is always in season from April through September. The Larz Anderson bonsai collection contains individual specimens imported from Japan. In the visitor center there is a 40-to-1 scale model of the arboretum (with 4,000 tiny trees). If you visit during May, Lilac Sunday (usually held on Mother's Day) is a celebration of blooming trees, and is the only day picnicking is allowed in the arboretum.

The beach's usually gentle surf makes it ideal for families with young children. It's a local favorite because you can walk for miles in both directions when tides are low. Leashed dogs are allowed on the main stretch of beach and westward; they are allowed to romp off-leash east of the slough at the beach entrance. The parking lots fill early on weekends and throughout the summer, but the park is relatively quiet at other times. Walk along the beach just a few hundreds yards away from the main steps at the entrance to escape crowds on warm-weather days. Surfers, swimmers, stand-up paddlers, and boogie boarders regularly ply the waves, and photographers come often to catch the vivid sunsets. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguard (in summer); parking; showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

The Art and Culture Center, which is southeast of Young Circle, has a great reputation for presenting ubercool contemporary art exhibitions and providing the community with educational programming for adults and children. Check online for the latest exhibition schedule.

Manhattan's Little Italy is overrun with mediocre restaurants aimed at tourists, but Belmont (meaning \"beautiful hill\"), the Little Italy of the Bronx, is a real, thriving Italian American community. Unless you have family in the area, the main reason to come here is for the food: eating it, buying it, looking at it fondly through windows, and chatting with shopkeepers about it—perhaps getting recipe advice.

Nearly a century after pushcarts on Arthur Avenue catered to Italian American workers constructing the zoo and botanical garden, the area teems with meat markets, bakeries, cheese makers, and shops selling kitchenware (espresso machines, pasta makers, etc.). There are debates about which store or restaurant is the \"best,\" but thanks to generations of Italian grandmothers, most vendors here serve fresh, handmade foods—including the sausages of the famed \"sausage chandelier\" at the Calabria Pork Store (  2338 Arthur Ave.). Although the area is no longer solely Italian—many Latinos and Albanians share this neighborhood now—Italian Americans dominate the food scene. 

One of the most respected local galleries has compiled a must-see collection of contemporary artworks by Simon Gunning, Lin Emery, and Jacqueline Bishop, as well as national names such as glass artist Dale Chihuly and the film director and photographer John Waters.

An impressive view of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River can be had from this famous perch, which has two observation platforms, one accessible to wheelchairs. Rangers often give short talks on the lower platform. You can also access the South Rim Trail from here.

Don't rush this quiet, lonely 9-mile paved route that skirts the foothills of the Black Mountains and provides intimate views of a changing landscape. About 4 miles in, a short side road veers right to a parking lot that's a few hundred feet from one of Death Valley's signature sights: Artists Palette, so called for the contrasting colors (including shades of green, gold, and pink) of its volcanic deposits and sedimentary layers. The drive is one-way, heading north off Badwater Road, so if you're visiting Badwater Basin from Furnace Creek, come here on the way back. 

An intriguing concentration of antiques shops and galleries is found on East Charleston Boulevard and Casino Center Drive, anchored by The Arts Factory. This former warehouse with a colorful mural on the front houses studios and galleries for art of all types, including painting, photography, and sculpture. There's also a bistro on-site and a drop-in yoga studio. The Arts Factory comes alive on First Friday every month with gallery openings, exhibits, receptions, and special events. Preview Thursday, the day before First Friday, offers the same artwork with fewer crowds. Guided tours are available on request (and with a reservation).

Barbara Bestor's sleek white design for record producer Kashy Khaledi's glass-and-metal tasting space evokes mid-century modern architecture and the era and wine-making style predating the Napa Valley's rise to prominence. Bordeaux grapes are the focus in wines that include a Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blend, Cabernet Franc (also a rosé of the same), and Cabernet Sauvignon. With a label designer also responsible for a Jay-Z album cover and interiors recalling the Mad Men Palm Springs story arc, the pitch seems unabashedly to millennials, but the wines, low in alcohol and with high acidity (helpful with aging), enchant connoisseurs of all stripes.   A pairing with cheeses and a family-style lunch with a seasonally changing menu demonstrate how food-friendly the A&D wines are.

Established in 1948, this architectural centerpiece of downtown incorporates the footprint of the old Pack Library—a 1926 Italian Renaissance–style building—and a recently completed $24 million addition that includes a contemporary glass entrance, a sunny atrium, and the rooftop Sculpture Terrace and Perspective Café. Expanded galleries display more of the museum's permanent collection of American art since 1860, with an emphasis on Southeast regional artists, including those from Black Mountain College.

For the best view of the city, the Coast Range, volcanic Mt. St. Helens, and the Pacific Ocean, scamper up the 164 spiral stairs to the top of the Astoria Column. When you get to the top, you can throw a small wooden plane and watch it glide to earth; each year some 35,000 gliders are tossed. The 125-foot-high structure sits atop Coxcomb Hill, and was patterned after Trajan's Column in Rome. There are little platforms to rest on if you get winded, or, if you don't want to climb, the column's 500 feet of artwork, depicting important Pacific Northwest historical milestones, are well worth a study.

Occupying 30 acres inside Piedmont Park, the grounds contain acres of display gardens, including a 2-acre interactive children's garden; the Fuqua Conservatory, which has unusual flora from tropical and desert climates; and the award-winning Fuqua Orchid Center. Check out the view from the Canopy Walk, a 600-foot suspension bridge 40 feet above Storza Woods. A variety of special exhibits take place throughout the year.

Life in Atlanta and the rest of the South during and after the Civil War is a major focus of this fascinating museum. Displays are provocative, juxtaposing Gone With the Wind romanticism with the grim reality of Ku Klux Klan racism. Located on 33 acres in the heart of Buckhead, this is one of the Southeast's largest history museums, with a research library and archives that annually serve thousands of patrons. Visit the elegant 1928 Swan House mansion and the plantation house that is part of Smith Family Farm. The Kenan Research Center houses an extensive archival collection. Lunch is served at the Swan Coach House, which also has a gallery and a gift shop. The historic Battle of Atlanta is depicted in Cyclorama: The Big Picture and is included in the admission price—just make a reservation to secure your spot.