10405 Best Sights in USA

These hour-long tours on vintage trolley–style buses travel 22 miles and cover Cody's history dating back to the late-19th-century era of Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley. Tours start at the fabled Irma Hotel, named for Buffalo Bill's daughter, and take in historic sites, scenery, and wildlife and other natural attractions. On summer evenings (except Sunday) at 6, stay to watch the amusing if cheesy 30-minute mock gunfights staged outside the Irma. The "Inside & Out Combo" package includes the tour and two-day admission to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Coffee Station is known for its steak fingers and Texas toothpicks—fried jalapeño peppers and onions—as well as its burgers.

Among San Francisco's most distinctive skyline sights, this 210-foot tower is often considered a tribute to firefighters because of the donor's special attachment to the local fire company. As the story goes, a young Gold Rush–era girl, Lillie Hitchcock Coit (known as Miss Lil), was a fervent admirer of her local fire company—so much so that she once deserted a wedding party and chased down the street after her favorite engine, Knickerbocker No. 5, while clad in her bridesmaid finery. When Lillie died in 1929, she left the city $125,000 to "expend in an appropriate manner . . . to the beauty of San Francisco."

You can ride the elevator to the top of the tower to enjoy the 360-degree view of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge; due north is Alcatraz Island. Most visitors saunter past the 27 fabulous Depression-era murals inside the tower that depict California's economic and political life, but take the time to appreciate the first New Deal art project, supported by taxpayer money. It's also possible to walk up and down to the tower (if you're in shape): a highlight is the descent toward the Embarcadero via the Filbert Steps, a series of stairways that are a shaded green oasis in the middle of the city.

This entire town is a National Historic District, and it's the most significant example of a turn-of-the-20th-century coal-coke camp in Colorado. As you drive through the area, note the telltale streaks of black in the sandstone and granite bluffs fronting the Purgatoire River and its tributaries, the unsightly slag heaps, and the spooky abandoned mining camps dotting the hillsides.

Established by the famous (since the 14th century) Italian winemaker Marchesi Antinori and Washington’s oldest winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, this dramatic if somewhat imposing postmodern winery set atop of lofty bluff overlooking the Red Mountain AVA is devoted to big, bold, and quite pricey Cabernet Sauvignons, Malbecs, and other Bordeaux reds produced in the style of Super Tuscans. Estate tours and tastings of these critically adored wines are by reservation only. 

The house, built between 1783 and 1790, contains the Hurley Heritage Society Museum. It includes a good collection of Revolutionary War materials, and has changing exhibits about local history. Walking- and driving-tour brochures are available in its front lobby.

Starting on the west side of U.S. 385, 2 miles south of the visitor center, this 1.4-mile (one-way), mildly strenuous hike runs through an active prairie-dog town, the edge of an area burned by a controlled fire in 1986, and through Cold Brook Canyon to the park boundary fence. Experienced hikers can conquer this trail and return to the trailhead in an hour or less, but more leisurely visitors will probably need more time. Moderate.

About 15 miles from Waynesville in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of the Pisgah National Forest, this 6,030-foot rise had long stood in relative anonymity. But with the success of Charles Frazier's bestselling novel Cold Mountain, people want to see the region that Inman and Ada, the book's Civil War–era protagonists, called home. For a view of the splendid mass, stop at any of a number of overlooks off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Try the Cold Mountain Overlook, just past mile marker 411.9, or the Wagon Road Gap parking area, at mile marker 412.2. You can climb the mountain, but be prepared—the 10-mile hike to the summit is strenuous as you ascend nearly 3,000 feet in elevation.

Eight outdoor tanks at this educational center hold the largest collection of native freshwater fish, turtles, and amphibians in New York State. For a fee, visitors can try their hand at trout fishing. It's 1½ mi from downtown Cold Spring Harbor.

One of the highlights of this museum's permanent exhibits exploring Long Island's whaling industry is a fully equipped 19th-century whaleboat. Whaling implements, paintings, scrimshaw, and ship models are also on display.

At Coldfoot, more than 250 miles north of Fairbanks, the summer-only Arctic Interagency Visitor Center provides information on road and backcountry conditions, along with recent wildlife spottings. The in-house bookstore is a good place to stock up on reading material about the area. A picnic area and a large, colorful sign mark the spot where the road crosses the Arctic Circle.

Contemporary paintings and sculptures by more than 50 southern artists are displayed in this modern space. Opening receptions are held the first Saturday of every month.

The Coleman House is an impressive twin-turret, 7,000-square-foot Queen Anne mansion that was built for a Gold Rush mining and lumber baron. Don't miss the large, brilliant-purple stained-glass window on the house's north side. The house is not open to the public.

Established in the mid-19th century, this lush green space is the centerpiece of the lower Garden District. With cycling and walking trails as well as a beautiful fountain, the wedge-shape park is a great spot to stop and relax after a walk through the neighborhood. Although the area bordered by Race and Melpomene streets can be bustling with activity during the day, it's best not to wander around alone at night.

A majestic Greek revival portico, Randolph Hall—designed in 1828 by Philadelphia architect William Strickland and built by the labor of enslaved people—presides over the college's central Cistern Yard. Draping oaks envelop the lush green quad, where graduation ceremonies and concerts, notably during Spoleto Festival USA, take place. Founded in 1770, this liberal arts college's historic campus served as the backdrop for films like Cold Mountain and The Notebook.

The Wright Brothers once trained military officers to fly at College Park Airport, the world's oldest continuously operating airport, which is now affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. The College Park Aviation Museum is a tribute to the Wright Brothers and early aviation. Children can spin propellers and dress up like aviators. In fall, the museum hosts the Hollywood Flyers film series, showing blockbusters and documentaries about flight. Screenings take place at 1 pm on Saturday, and are free with museum admission. At the Peter Pan program, preschoolers make airplanes and hear stories on the second and fourth Thursday of the month (10:30 to noon). On their Web site, the museum offers podcast audio tours in English, Spanish, and French.

This museum chronicles the history of this small Southern town, displaying everything from butter churns to the country's first anesthesia machine. Particularly charming is the small chapel complete with stained glass, pews, and century-old wedding gowns. It's also home to the Colleton Commercial Kitchen, a small business incubator for foodies who sell their fare via foodtruck, pushcart, and retail. On Saturdays, the outdoor farmers' market runs from 9 am to 1 pm and Tuesdays it’s open 4 to 7 pm.

A wide path following old roadbeds along the spine of Collie Ridge, this trail serves as an artery connecting several trails deep in the backcountry, and forms the basis for several possible hiking loops. The trail junctions with Blair Springs Hollow, Raymer Hollow, Mill Branch, Buffalo Creek, and Wet Prong Trails. Collie Ridge backcountry campsite is reached via a 0.7-mile spur extending from the end of the trail. Horses and hiking only. 3.8 mi. Moderate.

To get a feel for local history, stroll the vignettes and temporary exhibits inside this museum, as well as the parklike displays outside it. A Seminole chickee village, native plant garden, swamp buggy, reconstructed 19th-century fort, steam logging locomotive, and more capture important Naples-area developments from prehistoric times to the World War II era. You can even pack a lunch and picnic in the shady backyard.

At Collier-Seminole State Park, opportunities to try biking, birding, hiking, camping, and canoeing in Everglades territory are plentiful. This makes the 7,000-plus-acre park a prime introduction to the elusive mangrove swampland. The campground sites come complete with electricity, water, a grill, and a picnic table. Leashed pets are allowed. Alternatively, there are "primitive" campsites accessible by foot or canoe. Of historical interest, a Seminole War blockhouse has been recreated to hold the interpretative center, and one of the "walking dredges"—a towering black machine invented to carve the Tamiami Trail out of the muck—stands silent on the grounds. Kayaks and canoes can be launched into the Blackwater River here. Bring your own, or rent a canoe from the park. The Friends of Collier-Seminole State Park organization offers guided canoe trips from December to March; reservations are recommended.

The largest developed picnic area in the park, Collins Creek has 182 picnic tables. Collins Creek, which runs near the picnic area, is a small stream with above-average trout fishing (license required). The site has restrooms with flush toilets, potable water, and a 70-seat pavilion for groups that can be reserved in advance for $32.

The elegant park west of the Pacific Union Club and east of Grace Cathedral occupies the site of a mansion owned by railroad baron Collis P. Huntington. He died in 1900, the mansion was destroyed in the 1906 fire, and in 1915 his widow—by then married to Huntington's nephew—donated the land to the city. The Huntingtons' neighbors, the Crockers, once owned the Fountain of the Tortoises, based on the original in Rome's Piazza Mattei.  The benches around the fountain offer a welcome break after climbing Nob Hill.

Built in 1859, this house's stylistic influence was due to the two-story galleries of its dining room wing, which had railings made of cast iron. The fence features a pattern of morning glories and cornstalks and is the most famous work of cast iron in the Garden District. Colonel Robert Short, a cotton merchant from Kentucky, purchased the fence for his wife, who was homesick for her native Iowa. The house was occupied by Union governor Michael Hahn and by governor Nathaniel Banks during the Civil War, but after the war ended, it was returned to Colonel Short.

The town of Dorchester boomed during the 18th century before being abandoned at the onset of the Revolutionary War. All that remains of this once-substantial trading hub are the oyster tabby walls of Fort Dorchester and the brick belltower of St. George's Anglican Church. The Ashley River runs through the woods, and trails offer peaceful places to sit and watch the blackwater river flow by.

 Stroll the shaded pathways and read some of the old tombstone inscriptions in this park, the final resting place for Savannahians who died between 1750 and 1853. Many of those interred here succumbed during the yellow fever epidemic in 1820. Notice the dramatic entrance gate on the corner of Abercorn and Oglethorpe Streets. Local legend tells that when Sherman's troops set up camp here, they moved some headstones around and altered inscriptions for their own amusement, which partially explains the headstones mounted against the far wall. This spooky spot is a regular stop for ghost tours---though this burial ground only covers a block, there are more than 9,000 people buried here, some beneath the sidewalk and the street.

As you walk the gently sloping, waterfront meadow where Colonial Pemaquid was established by English colonists around 1620 (the same time as the Pilgrims were stepping ashore on Plymouth Rock), be sure to read signs describing the buildings that once stood here. Evidence that's been unearthed suggests there were some 40 structures—including houses, a forge, a tavern, a jail, and a customs house—set along a grid of dirt lanes. A replica of a fisherman's small cottage gives an idea of how the settlers lived. Nearby is a 1908 reproduction of a large stone tower, part of Fort William Henry, built in 1692 to protect the little community. Unfortunately, unlike Plymouth, Pemaquid was abandoned in the early 1700s. A small museum containing a diorama of the village and some 75,000 artifacts is open seasonally.

This 2-acre living-history museum with costumed re-enactors provides a vivid sense of life in St. Augustine from the 16th through the 18th centuries. The De Mesa–Sanchez House dates from the 1740s; though built on original foundations, other buildings—including a soldier's home, print shop, blacksmith's shop, and gunsmith—are replicas. Climb the 35-foot watchtower for a panoramic city view, dig for replica artifacts, create a leather medallion, take part in a musket drill, or watch a 16th-century ship being built. Tours start daily at 10:30, noon, 1:30, and 3. The complex also includes three restaurants: the Taberna del Caballo, St. Augustine Seafood Company, and Bull & Crown.

This is the logical first stop at Colonial Williamsburg. Here you can park free; buy tickets; see a 35-minute introductory movie, Williamsburg—the Story of a Patriot; and pick up This Week, which has a list of regular events and special programs and a map of the historic area. Tickets are also sold at the Lumber House in the historic area, though you'll get a better price if you buy in advance from the Historic Williamsburg website.

The chief landmark along Atlantic Avenue since 1926 is this sunny Mediterranean-revival-style building, which is a member of the National Trust's Historic Hotels of America. Stay a night here or simply walk through the lobby to the parking lot where original garages still stand—relics of the days when hotel guests would arrive via chauffeured cars and stay there the whole season. The bar is a locals' gathering spot.

Just outside Golden is the Colorado Railroad Museum, a must-visit for any train lover. More than 100 vintage locomotives and cars are displayed outside the museum. Inside the replica-1880 masonry depot are historical photos and memorabilia of Puffing Billy (the nickname for steam trains), along with an astounding model train set that steams through a miniature-scale version of Golden. In the Roundhouse you can witness a train's restoration in progress, and in winter, the popular tale of The Polar Express is theatrically performed.