10405 Best Sights in USA

Bring your dog, your kids, and your laptop to this outdoor gathering spot in Carlsbad where a handful of grab 'n' go eateries surround a parklike setting with picnic tables and firepits. Each business has its own hours of operation, so plan accordingly.

Relive the days of "King Cotton" in the architectural splendor of the city's cotton trading floor, re-created as it appeared in 1939, when Memphis did a booming business in cotton. Numerous cotton-related artifacts are on display.

This picnic area is in a lovely valley near the river. There are grills, drinking water, restrooms, eight open tables, eight covered tables, and two shelters.

Shady trees make this a pleasant place to picnic. It has drinking water and restrooms with flush toilets.

Four miles outside of McKenzie Bridge is the highest embankment dam ever built by the Army Corps of Engineers—452 feet above the streambed. The resulting reservoir, on the South Fork McKenzie River, covers 1,280 acres. The dam generates 25 megawatts of power, and includes a fish collection and sorting facility, and a temperature control tower to keep the downstream water at a suitable temperature for spawning. The public recreation areas are in the Willamette National Forest. You can visit the dam year-round, but some campgrounds are open only from April to September.

Given the rapid growth of Seattle's Eastside suburbs, it's a little hard to believe you can still find completely wild and secluded woodland trails less than 10 miles southeast of downtown Bellevue. This 3,115-acre county park centered on 1,614-foot Cougar Mountain is indeed wonderfully peaceful and undeveloped, with nearly 40 miles of hiking trails connected by four different trailheads. You can discover everything from lush wetlands to sheer cliffs here—even a few caves. Near the park's northeast border, the 11-acre Cougar Mountain Zoo ( www.cougarmountainzoo.org) is home to lemurs, Siberian reindeer, Bengal tigers, and many other species; it's well worth a visit if you're in the area.  

The highest point in Portland, at 1,073 feet, this 43-acre bluff-top patch of greenery is a superb spot to take in sunsets and sunrises. Along with nearly 180-degree views of the Portland metro area, a clear day also affords views of the surrounding peaks—Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Rainier. Trails connect Council Crest with Marquam Nature Park and Washington Park.

History buffs appreciate this park's significance as the place where Isaac Stevens and the Pend d'Oreille and Flathead Kootenai Indians signed the Hellgate Treaty in 1855 to relinquish their ancestral lands in exchange for the Flathead Reservation in the Mission Valley. The park occupies 187 primitive acres; it has interpretive signs, a picnic area, fishing access, and a hiking trail.

Even timid youngsters love this stage show's wisecracking, cornpone, lovelorn Audio-Animatronics bears as they joke and sing. Check before visiting this attraction: although performances have featured country music and 1950s rock and roll, a new-in-2024 version will reportedly feature the bears belting out Disney showstoppers in a Nashville-style review. Regardless, the emcee, the massive but debonair Henry, will no doubt lead a stellar Grizzly Hall cast of characters like the robust Trixie; the harmonizing Bubbles, Bunny, and Beulah; and Big Al, the off-key cult figure who has inspired his own shopping kiosk.

For people with disabilities: Wheelchair accessible; reflective captioning provided; equipped for assisted-listening devices. If you lip-read, ask to sit up front.  Visit during an afternoon parade or late in the day. Stand to the far left in the anteroom for the front rows and to the far right for the last row, where small kids can perch atop seats to see better.

When gold was discovered here in 1887, the Country Boy Mine became one of the region's top producers---lead and zinc, which were vital for U.S. efforts in World War I and World War II, were big here, too. The gold mine tour takes visitors more than 1,000 feet deep into the mountain. Visitors can pet the donkeys that roam the area, pan for keepable gold, or go on a treasure hunt with a metal detector. The mine has a 55-foot ore-chute slide, historic buildings, and plenty of mining artifacts.

You'll feel like you're walking through the pages of Country Living at this three-day fair held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds every June. There are antiques, home decor, furniture, and artisan-made products for sale. You can also meet the magazine's editors at various seminars, as well as participate in craft and cooking demonstrations.

This trio of peaks bears the names of, from left to right, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Mt. Moroni is the reddish peak on the far right that partially blocks the view of Jacob. Hike the trail that leaves from The Court of the Patriarchs viewpoint, 1½ miles north of Canyon Junction, to get a much better view of the sandstone prophets.

The original Courthouse of 1770 was used by municipal and county courts until 1932. Civil and minor criminal matters and cases involving slaves were adjudicated here; other trials were conducted at the Capitol. The stocks once used to punish misdemeanors are outside the building: they can make for a humorous photo opportunity. The courthouse's exterior has been restored to its original appearance. Visitors often participate in scheduled reenactments of court sessions.

Toward sunset, when this monolith is free of shadow, the red sandstone seems to catch on fire. From the highway, Courthouse Butte sits in back of Bell Rock as you travel from I--17 toward Sedona on AZ 179 and can be viewed without any additional hiking or driving.

Although this rock-art panel fell victim to an unusual case of vandalism in 1980, when someone scoured the petroglyphs and pictographs that had been left by four cultures, you can still see ancient images if you take a short walk from the parking area on the left-hand side of the road, heading south. At less than a mile out and back, this makes for a good hike for families.

Even if you're not staying here, make time to stroll through the expansive lobby of this Kailua-Kona fixture to view impressive displays of Hawaiian artifacts, including feathered helmets, capes, ancient hula instruments, and battle weapons. Portraits of Hawaiian royalty adorn the walls. You'll also see mounted marlin from Hawaii International Billfish tournaments (Kailua Pier used to be the weigh-in point, and these "grander" marlin weighed 1,000 pounds or more). One of the best collections of works by Hawaiian artist Herb Kane is on display in the breezeway. Activities in Hawaiian arts and crafts are conducted regularly by on-site cultural staff, and there are nice gift shops, shave ice, and cafés scattered throughout the small mall.

Come to the Cove if you want to learn to surf or stand-up paddle. All the surf schools are here in the morning, pushing longboard beginners onto the bunny-slope waves. For spectators there's a grassy area with some shade—and a tiny blink of a beach. If you aren't here to learn to surf, don't bother. The shallow water is sketchy at best and plenty of other beaches are better. Amenities: parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: stand-up paddling; surfing.

Come to the 2,000-acre Covell Ranch to see one of the world's largest private stands of endangered Monterey pines and witness herds of gentle Clydesdales roaming the range. Much of the ranch is in a conservation easement that will never be developed. The 1½-hour guided vehicle tours take you through pastures and pine groves to the barn. The ranch also offers trail rides.

This fascinating stop on the 0.6-mile round-trip Cave Spring Trail is an authentic example of cowboy life more than a century ago. You do not need to complete the entire trail (which includes two short ladders and some rocky hiking) to see the 19th-century artifacts at Cowboy Camp.

Test your navigational skills and patience in this human maze patterned after Old West cattlepens. For a fee you can race against the clock or someone else, but it's free to stand on the observation deck and watch others wander through the wooden maze.

Both fresh- and saltwater aquariums greet the curious at this interactive, family-friendly science museum. Permanent exhibits of Moon and Mars rocks and meteorites, a giant sphere with global animation projection for Earth sciences, and an Everglades conservation exhibit teach while entertaining. A planetarium with daily theme shows and a conservation 9-hole minigolf course designed by Jim Fazio and Gary Nicklaus are popular with all ages; they are included with admission charges.

The Rincon Mountains rise to 9,500 feet to the west of NM 434, and to the east (a left turn off the highway) you can stop for a ramble at Coyote Creek State Park, which also has exceptionally good trout fishing and some campsites.

This sandbar in Destin's East Pass, just north of the Destin (aka Marler) Bridge, is favored by locals, who drop anchor or wade in by the hundreds on fair-weather days, especially weekends. Area businesses offer boat and other rentals. People are friendly, so it's a great place to make new buddies, and the shallow waters are good for families. A food barge as well as slides and other water activities are available seasonally. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming.

A series of cascades fall a distance of 1,200 feet. Combined, Virginia claims this is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, though no single waterfall within the series would qualify as such. Whatever the superlatives or qualifications, the falls are a wondrous sight. A trail winds up a steep mountainside all the way to the top, but the first overlook is an easy stroll 700 feet from the lower parking lot. The best time to see the waterfalls is winter through spring, when the water is high.

Descendants of the early Hancock settler for whom Crabtree Neck was named are among those behind Crabtree Neck Land Trust, which impressively has six preserves in and around this reach of land. They include the 3-mile Old Pond Railway Trail, with two trailheads near U.S. 1 (one is in the village just off the highway on Point Road across from Hancock town hall). It follows a railbed on which trains in an earlier era transported rusticators heading to (and later from) Bar Harbor, completing the last leg of the journey by ferry. The trust has also made it easier for folks to swim, walk, or simply enjoy views of Frenchman Bay at Carters Beach down on the neck. To get there, drive about 4½ miles down Point Road and turn left onto Haskins Road, which soon ends at Carters Beach Road. Walk the unpaved shore-hugging road, aka Carters Beach Corridor, about a half mile north to the beach. Here, one of the trust-owned tracts along the road connects with Frenchman Bay Conservancy’s Salt Pond Preserve ( www.frenchmanbay.org). Yes, there's a salt pond near the beach. Salt Pond Trail is about a mile out and back.

The museum, housed in two 1932 hangars, is a tribute to Long Island's reputation as the "cradle of aviation." Displays here include a 1929 Brunner Winkle Bird, a biplane; a 1938 Grumman G-21 Goose, originally intended for civilian use; a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and a Grumman F6F Hellcat, both World War II fighter planes; a supersonic F-14 Tomcat, a strike fighter in service today; and one of only three existing original Apollo lunar modules, as well as dozens of other planes. Special exhibits have focused on space-theme toys and the Wright brothers. The museum encompasses the Leroy R. & Rose W. Grumman IMAX Dome Theater and a restaurant, the Red Planet Café.

The home of the first forestry school in the United States is on 6,500 acres in the Pisgah National Forest. Started in 1898 by Carl Schenck, who came here to work for the Biltmore Estate, the school trained some 300 foresters. Today you can visit the school's original log buildings, a restored 1915 steam locomotive, 3 miles of interpretive trails, and a visitor center with many hands-on exhibits. It sits on a scenic byway that connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Pisgah.

This small but important cultural landmark is a nonprofit supporting contemporary crafts and traditional folk arts. The two-story space displays rotating exhibitions, and the ground-level gift shop stocks a unique collection of handcrafts, jewelry, ceramics, books, and textiles.