10457 Best Sights in USA

Thousands of migrating ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes stop here in spring as they head north to nesting grounds, and in late summer as they head south before the cold hits. It's amazing to watch them gather in huge flocks, with constant takeoffs and landings. This is also a great place to view songbirds and moose. Five miles of nature trails, open year-round, lead through fields, forest, and wetlands. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, Creamer's Dairy was the northernmost dairy in North America from 1910 to 1966. Volunteer naturalists host regular walks on the trails throughout summer.

Lake history and local farming take center stage at this 1899 barn-style building where butter bound for New York City was produced. Exhibits here also feature the prickly, cone-shape teasel—a plant used in mills to "tease" the nap of wool. Skaneateles was a teasel-growing center until the 1950s, when synthetic fabrics replaced much of the demand for wool.

Joyous creativity pervades the workshops of this art-education center and gallery for developmentally disabled adults. Several dozen adults work at the center each day—guided by a staff of working artists—painting, working in the darkroom, producing videos, and crafting prints, textiles, and ceramics.  Drop by to see the artists at work and pick up a unique San Francisco masterpiece. The art produced here is striking, and some of it is for sale.

Occupying the original Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Depot, the museum paints a vivid portrait of the town's rough-and-tumble early days. It also includes World War I and World War II exhibits.

This museum is housed in rooms that modern miners blasted out of solid rock to commemorate the lives of 1880s-era miners and trace the history of mining in the area. In summer, there are guided tours at 10 and 3 daily, but before 2:15 pm you can also take a self-guided audio tour. Reservations are recommended.

This was once Ketchikan's red-light district. During Prohibition, Creek Street was home to numerous speakeasies, and in the early 1900s more than 30 houses of prostitution operated here. Today the small, colorful houses, built on stilts over the creek waters, have been restored as interesting shops. When the fish are running, the Creek Street footbridge makes a stellar viewing platform for salmon and trout, as well as the sea lions and other animals that eat them.

Just off scenic Route 77, this ½-mile-long, half-moon-shape swatch of sand has some of the warmest ocean currents in the state, making it a favorite for swimming. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

Lined with summer homes, this sandy strand is busy in the summer, but the beach and the water are surprisingly clean, considering all the traffic. The swimming's good, and beachgoers can also explore tidal pools and look for seals on the sea rocks nearby. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: swimming.

The scenery here includes views of the ocean and, in the distance, Crescent City and its working harbor. In balmy weather this is a fine spot for a picnic. You may spot migrating gray whales between November and April.

This spectacular stretch of sand at Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park's northern end has a grassy picnic area with tables, firepits, and restrooms, and there's a stunning overlook just to the south.

Rub shoulders with New Orleans chefs as they rush to pick up fresh vegetables, fish, and meat before their restaurants open every Tuesday. The market caters to both home cooks and professionals who embrace the concept of showcasing local and seasonal ingredients. Visitors can indulge in tasty treats like homemade popsicles, fresh-squeezed juice, and hot-from-the-oven bread, as well as sample the local produce. Check the online calendar for fun events, like lunch preparations by a featured chef or a music performance.

The headquarters of RSNP is the main information stop if you're approaching from the north. Located downtown, the center also has a gift shop and picnic area.

A mile or so past Moro Rock, this comparatively remote picnic area has meadow views and is close to a lovely hiking trail. Tables are under the giant sequoias, off the parking area. There are restrooms. Fires are not allowed.

A sea of ferns signals your arrival at what John Muir called the "gem of the Sierra." A 1-mile trail loops around meadow to Tharp's Log, a cabin built from a fire-hollowed sequoia. From there you can embark on a 60-mile trek to Mt. Whitney, if you're prepared and have the time. Brilliant wildflowers bloom here in midsummer. Easy.

The newest park in New Orleans stretches along the Mississippi riverfront and provides for spectacular views of the New Orleans skyline, Algiers, and the mighty Mississippi itself. The best place to enter the park is at Mazant Street in the Bywater, where you can explore the park's promenades, green spaces, and repurposed wharves, and walk the 1.4-mile path along the water. Plans are in the works to extend the park through the Marigny and beyond.

Heading west on Cherry Street in the Central District, you'll see a 17-foot-tall mural of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the side of Fat's Chicken & Waffles restaurant. Pacific Northwest artist James Crespinel painted the mural on the eastern face of the building in 1995 and touched up his faded work two decades later while the community gathered to watch.

Housed in an 1893 hardware store, this museum showcases the essentials for life in an 1880s mining town, such as clothing, furniture, and household items. There's an intricate diorama of the town in the 1920s, complete with a moving train, plus exhibits on skiing, sledding, biking, and Flauschink, a quirky local ceremony that welcomes the return of spring.

The museum set in five historic buildings—including a vintage railway depot—contains a vast collection of artifacts, photos, and exhibits that provide a glimpse into mining life at the turn of the 20th century.

One of the most popular places for San Franciscans to get fresh air is this stretch of restored marshland along the sand of the bay, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Kids on bikes, folks walking dogs, and joggers share the paved path along the shore, often winding up at the Warming Hut, a combination café and fun gift store at its end, for a hot chocolate in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Midway along the Golden Gate Promenade that winds along the shore is the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center, where kids can get a close-up view of small sea creatures and learn about the rich ecosystem offshore. Alongside the main green of Crissy Field, several renovated airplane hangars and warehouses are now home to the likes of rock-climbing gyms, an air trampoline park, and a craft brewery (the latter is not open to the public). The Quartermaster Reach Marsh by Crissy Field was reclaimed as wetland ecosystem in 2020 and is an excellent area to see some of the local bird population.

Built in 1940 and designed by legendary Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's exploration of the Southwest, this church is the largest Spanish adobe structure in the United States and is considered by some to be the finest example of Pueblo-style architecture anywhere. The church was constructed in the old-fashioned way by parishioners, who mixed the more than 200,000 mud-and-straw adobe bricks and hauled them into place. The 225-ton white stone reredos (altar screen) is magnificent.

Cabernet Sauvignons expressing "power and elegance" and "a deep sense of place" are the main event at this winery jointly owned by businessman Charlie Crocker and founding winemaker Pam Starr. The wine-making team also crafts sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Crocker & Starr was established in 1997, but James Dowdell, a St. Helena wine pioneer, planted grapes and built a winery and a brandy facility on this land in the late 1800s. Seated tastings, one of current releases, the other exploring the estate reds, take place in an arbor steps from the winery. Appointments are recommended; call ahead for same-day.

The Crooked Creek Ranger Station, past the south entrance of the park in Wyoming, is open during the summer and offers information as well as restrooms.

Grab an inner tube, hop on, and circle the entire park on a leisurely 25-minute float on this 3,000-foot-long creek. Along the way, you'll get doused with frigid water in an ice cave—wonderful on a steamy Florida day. Tubes are provided at seven launch sites, but they're not required. Kids soon discover that the fastest and most enjoyable way to get around the park is to glide with the current and hop off at whichever landing they wish. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to inner tubes. There are landings near most thrill rides, and moving through the park this way is oodles more fun than walking.

On a 200-year-old estate a mile from Washington Crossing Historic Park, this family-run vineyard started with an old barn and expanded to a spacious modern building with rooms overlooking the vineyards and garden. In a 45-minute tasting, the staff lets you know what to expect from 10 different types of wines. Tastings require reservations, but otherwise they aren't needed for the tasting room or wine bar. Look for Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and other varieties, including sweet wines like a popular port-style Chocolate Cherry Truffle. You can order light bites from cheeses to sandwiches. Concerts and public events take place year-round.

A pair of 19th-century Chinese guardian lions from the Qing Dynasty is the first clue you've arrived at the Crow Collection (across the street from the Nasher Sculpture Center). The private gallery—a tranquil, intimate space—showcases the remarkable Asian art collection of philanthropists and native Dallasites Trammell and Margaret Crow. The museum also hosts traveling exhibits and displays treasures from China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. Don't miss an 18th-century carved sandstone facade from an Indian home.

Since the earliest European explorations of North America, long and narrow Lake Champlain has been considered an important strategic waterway. Both the French and English built forts along its shores. This site includes the ruins of the 1734 French fort, Fort Saint Frederic, and the 1759 British complex, Fort Crown Point. Exhibits at the visitor center give you historical context.