10405 Best Sights in USA

The Beaux Arts Memorial Continental Hall, built in 1929 as the headquarters for the Daughters of the Revolution (DAR), is home to Washington, D.C.'s only decorative arts museum. The enormous collection encompasses furniture, textiles, quilts, silver, china, porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, glass, and other items made and used in the daily lives of Americans from the Colonial era through the early 20th century. Thirty-one period rooms reflect more than two centuries of American interiors, including a 1690s New England hall, an 1860s Texas bedroom, and a 1920s Ohio parlor. Two galleries feature changing exhibitions of decorative arts, and a study gallery allows researchers close access to the collection. Docent tours of the period rooms are available on weekdays, depending on docent availability. You can also take a self-guided tour. The museum also hosts special events for children and adults; check the website for details.

This museum provides a window into the daily lives of the pioneers. The large collection of artifacts (most donated by descendants of the area's early settlers) range from a working loom to guns to a mortician's tools. Most everything is displayed in period rooms, including a shop, a house, and a doctor's office.

Come face-to-face with an alligator or a red snapper at aquarium exhibits that help this marine laboratory share its research with the public. The barrier island location is surrounded by Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and Gulf waters. Tanks display watery homes for oyster reefs, eels, octopus, sea horses, sharks, and more.

One of the Dry Creek Valley's least pretentious wineries, David Coffaro specializes in red blends and single-varietal wines from grapes grown on a 20-acre estate. Zinfandel and Petite Sirah are strong suits, but Coffaro and his team also make wines using Lagrein, Aglianico, and other less-familiar grapes. These also find their way into his unique blends, including the Rhône-style Terre Melange, with Peloursin added to the usual Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre mix.

In 1965 Charles Coury came to Oregon from California and planted some of the Willamette Valley's first Pinot Noir vines on the site of what is now the David Hill Winery. The original farmhouse serves as the tasting room and offers splendid views of the Tualatin Valley. They produce Pinot Noir, some of which comes from the original vines planted by Coury, along with Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Tempranillo, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. The wines are well made and pleasant, especially the eclectic blend called Farmhouse Red and the estate Riesling, and guests can order from a small menu of charcuterie boards and snacks.

David Lusk’s Memphis gallery has been around since 1995; the Nashville location opened in 2014 and features paintings, photography, and sculpture by regional and national artists. The gallery takes part in the Wedgewood-Houston art crawls and also hosts receptions and other events.

The David Wills House is where Abraham Lincoln stayed and completed his Gettysburg Address on November 18, 1863. The restored building features seven galleries, including the bedroom where Lincoln slept and worked on the final versions of his speech, as well as the office of Wills, a prominent lawyer who was a leading force behind the creation of the national cemetery.

Zwirner is one of the most prominent figures in the world of contemporary art, and his several galleries around the world show multimedia work by big-name, Instagram-friendly artists including Richard Serra, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Jeff Koons, Gordon Matta-Clark, Yayoi Kusama, and Alice Neel. The sleek, modern building on 20th Street has two floors of exhibition space, and there's a complex of buildings on West 19th Street a block away, as well as another gallery on the Upper East Side.

Built in 1812 for $40,000, this green-dome structure has been used for teaching medicine for nearly two centuries. Part of the downtown campus of the University of Maryland at Baltimore, Davidge Hall is a relic of the days when dissection was illegal; the acoustically perfect anatomy theater was lighted by skylights instead of windows so that passersby would not witness students working on cadavers. Register for tours via the website.

Pinot Noir and Rhône-style wines are this winery’s specialties. Owner-winemaker Guy Davis crafts all the Pinots the same way—aiming to let vineyard conditions and the specific clones of Pinot Noir find expression in the bottle—and wine critics routinely praise the results of this humble approach. Other reds include the estate Soul Patch Vineyard Syrah and the Sage blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot. On the lighter side, Davis makes a Chardonnay, a rosé, and the flagship Cuvée Luke blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, and Picpoul. The winery hosts tastings at its industrial-park production facility.

Located just over the border from northwest Cambridge and easily accessible on the Red Line, this funky neighborhood near Tufts University is packed with great eateries, lively bars, and candlepin bowling. Harvard Square can sometimes feel a little tired after midnight, but there's still a lot of energy here late at night. At the Somerville Theatre ( 55 Davis Sq.), you can enjoy cheap first-run matinee movies ($10), excellent popcorn, and even beer and wine with your feature. The Davis Square T stop is on the Red Line.

Beman and Bertie Dawes founded the arboretum in 1929 to demonstrate the value of trees and shrubs. View the 1,700 acres of plants and natural areas on the 4½-mi auto tour or more than 8 mi of hiking trails. Plants tolerant of central Ohio's climate are the mainstay including more than 4,500 unique specimens of conifers, plus azaleas, crab apples, hollies, oaks, witch hazel, and others. The icing on the cake is "Dawes Arboretum" spelled out in the 3-foot-high hedge.

This shop is filled with mainly Swedish antiques selected by the owners on their regular trips to Europe.

You can often watch the crafting of oak baskets by hand, done here since 1876. Skilled craftspeople and weavers use techniques passed down through the generations.

Days of '76 Museum began almost by accident as the horse-drawn carriages and stagecoaches used in the namesake annual event's parade became an attraction in their own right. Over the years, cowboy memorabilia, photographs, and historical clothing have been added to the collection. The Days of '76 celebration, commemorating the 1876 gold rush, is held each July with a professional rodeo, parade, and other events.

At Washington's oldest standing depot, the museum houses exhibits illustrating the history of Dayton and surrounding communities. Outside there's a caboose in the adjacent city park. The gift shop is worth a stop to pick up souvenirs to remember your visit to this quaint little town.

Parents looking for a nonsandy way to occupy the kids for a few hours or a whole day may find their salvation at this colorful complex that features go-kart racing, an 18-hole miniature golf course; a 3,000-square-foot laser tag arena; a 25-foot rock wall; the Sky Maze ropes course and zip line; a video arcade with 80 games; and a water park featuring slides galore, a lazy river, and seven different water attractions. There's a bar for adults as well as two eateries, Wave Grill and Paradise Grill. Poolside cabanas are available for rent.

If you love street art, take a stroll along the DC Alley Museum, funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Public Art Building Communities Program. Local artists take turns creating art in the many garages surrounding Blagden Alley in Shaw. The murals take on local issues, social justice, and women's rights. The museum is open-air, and you can go whenever you choose as there are no admission charges. You can find more details about the artists and the art on the website.

Hernando de Soto, one of the first Spanish explorers to land in North America, came ashore with his men and 200 horses near what is now Bradenton in 1539. This federal park commemorates De Soto's expedition and the Native Americans he and his crew encountered.

During the height of tourist season, from mid-December to late April, park staff and volunteers dress in period costumes at Camp Uzita, demonstrate the use of 16th-century weapons, and show how European explorers prepared and preserved food for their overland journeys. The season ends with a reenactment of the explorer's landing. The site also offers a film and short nature trail through the mangroves.

It seems that everyone in town has a strong opinion about the de Young museum: some adore its striking copper facade, while others just hope that the green patina of age will mellow the effect. Most maligned is the 144-foot tower, but the view from its ninth-story observation room, ringed by floor-to-ceiling windows and free to the public, is worth a trip here by itself. The building almost overshadows the de Young's respected collection of American, African, and Oceanic art. The museum also plays host to major international exhibitions; there's often an extra admission charge for these. The annual Bouquets to Art in June is a fanciful tribute to the museum's collection by notable Bay Area floral designers.

The 423-acre spread of Dead Horse Ranch State Park, which combines high-desert and wetland habitats, is a pleasant place to while away the day. You can fish in the Verde River or the well-stocked Park Lagoon, or hike on some 6 miles of trails that begin in a shaded picnic area and wind along the river; adjoining forest service pathways are available for hikers and mountain bikers who enjoy longer journeys. Birders can check off more than 100 species from the Arizona Audubon Society lists provided by the rangers. Bald eagles perch along the Verde River in winter, and the common black hawks—a misnomer for these threatened birds—nest here in summer. The park is 1 mile north of Cottonwood, off Main Street.

Despite its name, the 6-mile Deadhorse Trail is actually a pleasant hike, starting on an old service road from the Kneeling Camel view on the North Rim Road. The trail's farthest point provides the park's easternmost viewpoint. From this overlook, the canyon is much more open, with pinnacles and spires rising along its sides. Moderate.

Part of Printers Row, this is Chicago's oldest-standing passenger train station, designed in the Romanesque Revival style in 1885 by New York architect Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz. Now filled with offices and stores, it has a wonderful 12-story clock tower and a red-sandstone and redbrick facade ornamented with terra-cotta. Striking features inside are the marble floor, wraparound brass walkway, and arching wood-frame doorways.

This 7.7-mile out-and-back trail climbs some 2,400 feet, with lots of hills to traverse, a great view of Phelps Lake, and a final 1,061-foot climb up to a patrol cabin in this verdant glacial canyon. Give yourself at least four hours to manage this rugged adventure. Difficult.

Bordering the south side of the Golden Road below Baxter State Park, the Nature Conservancy's 46,271-acre Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area is renowned for its rare ice cave, old forests, abundant pristine ponds, and views of Mt. Katahdin—they are mesmerizing along a challenging 5-mile circuit hike that includes the Rainbow Loop Trail. The access road for the Ice Cave Trail (2 miles round-trip) and Hurd Pond is 17 miles northwest of Millinocket, just west of the Golden Road's Abol Bridge. The kiosk at this entrance has information about the preserve, including a large map. Nearby the Appalachian Trail exits the conservancy land, crossing the bridge en route to Baxter. Hugging the curving, scenic West Branch of the Penobscot River and revealing Katahdin, the first few miles of the 5-mile dirt access road deserve a drive even if you aren't stopping to recreate. Before hiking, paddling, fishing, or camping in the remote preserve (no fees or reservations required), visit the conservancy's website for directions, maps, and other information.

Decatur House was built in 1818–19 on Lafayette Square, just across from the White House, for naval hero Stephen Decatur and his wife, Susan. Designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the country's first professional architect, it's one of Washington's oldest surviving homes. But Decatur didn't have long to enjoy it, since he died tragically 14 months later, after a duel with Commodore James Barron. Wealthy hotel and tavern owner John Gadsby purchased the distinguished Federal-style house as a retirement home in 1836. The large two-story dependency was used as quarters for numerous enslaved individuals in his household—Washington's only extant slave quarters. Tours—offered Monday at 10:30 am and 1 pm—feature these historic quarters and the house's first and second floors, much of which represent the taste of a later owner, Marie Beale, beloved for her salons with ambassadors and politicians. The White House Historical Society operates one of its three retail shops here, and you'll find an excellent selection of White House history–themed products, including the annual Christmas ornament.

Thomas Jefferson and his enslaved servant Robert Hemings lived and worked in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. Jefferson rented rooms on the second floor of the home of bricklayer Jacob Graff, where he drafted the Declaration of Independence; Hemings likely lived in the attic. The home was reconstructed for the Bicentennial celebration; the bedroom and parlor in which Jefferson lived that summer were re-created with period furnishings. The first floor has a Jefferson exhibition. The display on the Declaration of Independence shows some of the changes Jefferson made while writing it. You can see Jefferson's original version—which would have abolished slavery had the passage not been stricken by the committee that included Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

The 1,818-acre Deep Creek Lake State Park hugs the eastern shore of the lake and has a public boat launch, small beach with lifeguards (in summer), and picnic and camping sites. The lake's indigo waters are breathtaking—literally. Even in summer the water can be chilly. At the park's Discovery Center are hands-on educational activities for children, a freshwater aquarium, native animals on display, and a small gift shop. The center is also a staging area for organized outdoor activities, including boat tours.

The oldest swimming pool in Texas (established 1915), this man-made, spring-fed swimming hole just off Lake Austin Boulevard was the centerpiece of an early-20th-century resort and was restored by the Works Progress Administration in the mid-1930s. In recent years, Friends of Deep Eddy, a volunteer community group, led a successful effort to fully restore the long-closed 1936 bathhouse and it remains a beloved local institution for all ages and walks of life. The water is chilly (68°–70°), so just a smidge warmer than Barton Springs, but the brisk water is more accessible for kids thanks to the wade-in entry in the shallow end. Seasonal and weather conditions can affect operating hours and admission prices.