10405 Best Sights in USA

A nonprofit located on 10 acres of forest across from Denali National Park, the center offers intensive learning experiences that range from a variety of all-inclusive weeklong Road Scholar programs to youth programs, including hands-on research in conjunction with the National Park Service and backpacking trips for high schoolers. Public events, as well as day and evening dinner programs, are offered at intervals throughout summer.

No matter whether you visit on foot, bike, or bus, you'll want to utilize the Denali road system as much as possible. Personal vehicles are only allowed the first 15 miles of the 92-mile long road, and most of the best potential views and wildlife are beyond this 15-mile marker. The view from the Eielson Visitor Center and Wonder Lake are the park's most iconic and these are located at miles 66 and 85, respectively.

But amazing views of the rolling tundra, foothills, and grizzly bears can be had almost anywhere. Take your time and if possible, spend multiple days either taking bus tours, hiking, or biking through the park to give yourself the best chance of an unforgettable view or wildlife encounter.

While the park is never technically closed, much of the road is snowed in during the winter months. Depending on the snowfall, travel along the park road can be hampered in spring and fall as well. The road is generally open up to Mountain Vista (mile 13) by mid-February. Check the park's website before visiting to stay up-to-date on any road closures. 

Overshadowed by the larger and more charismatic Denali National Park and Preserve, the 325,240-acre "Little Denali," or Denali State Park, offers excellent road access, beautiful views of Denali (the big one), scenic campgrounds, and prime wilderness hiking and backpacking opportunities within a few miles of the road system. The terrain here varies from the verdant, low-lying banks of the Tokositna River to alpine tundra. Moose, wolves, and grizzly and black bears inhabit the park, along with lynx, red foxes, land otters, beavers, porcupines, and myriad other species.

Open from mid-May through late September, the center lies 1.5 miles beyond the park's entrance and includes two floors of interpretive exhibits detailing the park's natural and cultural history along with several life-size representations of the park's largest animals. A theater on the main floor plays the 20-minute film The Heartbeats of Denali twice an hour. The center is the starting point for most ranger-led hikes and several other trails you can explore independently. This is also the place to get backcountry camping permits (permits aren't necessary for day hikes). Nearby facilities include the railroad and bus depots, the Morino Grill, and the Alaska Geographic bookstore. There are no real attractions here in the park's historic district, but several footpaths allow you to admire the architecture of structures built as early as 1926. The sled dog kennels are the biggest draw, and multiple presentations are held there throughout the day.

The sloping roof of this winery's tasting room and production facility mimics the gently rolling, limestone-laden landscape it occupies. The respect for the terrain that the architecture exhibits repeats itself in the farming and cellar techniques used to create Denner's mostly Rhône-style wines, which—along with Zinfandels, Cabernet Sauvignons, and a few other reds—routinely receive mid-90s scores from major critics. Appointment-only tastings indoors or out take advantage of hilltop views of Willow Creek District trees, vines, and pastures.

Dr. Frederick Shepard Dennis, the former owner of these 240 acres and a noted New York surgeon, lavishly entertained his guests—among them President William Howard Taft and several Connecticut governors—in the stone pavilion at the summit of the estate. From its 1,627-foot height, you have a panoramic view of Haystack Mountain and parts of New Hampshire to the north and, on a clear day, New Haven Harbor about 60 miles south. Picnic on the park's grounds or hike one of its many trails. Autumn foliage here is spectacular!

Visual and performing-arts exhibits here range from historical art to contemporary works by artists of statewide, national, and international stature. The museum's Power Family Inuit Gallery, a permanent display of sculptures, prints (including stonecut and chine-collé), tapestries, and drawings by the Inuit artists of the Canadian Arctic, is among the largest and most historically complete collection anywhere. An outdoor sculpture garden features works by Michigan artists. Also at the museum are a hands-on children's gallery—the Thomas A. Rutkowski Discovery Gallery—a movie theater showing Thursday-night films, periodic performances in the Milliken Auditorium, and an impressive gift shop.

The star attraction at Deno's is the towering 150-foot-tall Wonder Wheel, a New York City landmark. The Ferris wheel first opened in 1920, making it the oldest ride in Coney Island, and the spectacular views from the top take in a long stretch of the shoreline. Higher speed thrills come from the Phoenix, the harrowing, inverted steel-track roller coaster. For the tots, there's the Pony Carts and a brightly painted carousel. Older kids will appreciate Stop the Zombies, a virtual-reality arcade game.

Denver's first firehouse was built in 1909 and now serves as a museum where original items of the trade are on view, including uniforms, nets, fire carts and trucks, bells, and switchboards. Artifacts and photos document the progression of firefighting machinery from horses and carriages in the early 1900s to the flashy red-and-white trucks of today.

The state's most popular cultural attraction, this easily navigated property's best-known exhibit showcases man-eating Komodo dragons in a lush re-creation of a cavernous riverbank. Another popular exhibit is The Edge, a series of overhead yards and bridges that allow the Amur (Siberian) tigers to roam 12 feet above visitors. The 10-acre Toyota Elephant Passage houses elephants, gibbons, rhinos, clouded leopards, and tapirs, along with other animals from the Asian continent. The Conservation Carousel ($2) rotates in the center of the 80-acre zoo, with handcrafted endangered species as mounts. A 7-acre Primate Panorama houses 31 species of primates in state-of-the-art environments that simulate the animals' natural habitats, while the Pinnacol African Penguin Point habitat showcases the endangered African penguin. Other highlights include a nursery for baby animals; seal shows; the electric Safari Shuttle, which snakes through the property as you are treated to a lesson on the zoo's inhabitants; and the usual lions, tigers, bears, giraffes, and monkeys. The exhibits are spaced far apart along sprawling concrete paths, so build in plenty of time to visit.

Housing an impressive permanent collection of art spanning both the 19th and 20th centuries, the Des Moines Art Center has a keen focus on contemporary artists in many media, including photography, printmaking, film, painting, and glass. Edward Hopper, Francis Bacon, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Jasper Johns are among the artists represented. A gift shop and restaurant (Baru 66 at the Art Center, which debuted in 2013) are open during museum hours. The packed calendar of gallery talks and films has turned the art center into a hot spot for art-minded locals.

Getting its name from the Spanish word for "rest," this 160-acre oasis is a respite from city life, shaded by massive oak trees. A smaller, mellower version of the nearby Huntington, Descanso Gardens features denser foliage, quaint dirt paths, and some hilly climbs that make for good exercise. It's the perfect place to come in search of wonderful scents—between the lilacs, the acres of roses, and the forest of California redwoods, pines, and junipers, you can enjoy all sorts of fragrances. A forest of California live oak trees makes a dramatic backdrop for thousands of camellias and azaleas and the breathtaking 5-acre International Rosarium holding 1,700 varieties of antique and modern roses. Families love the model ride-on train that winds through the gardens daily ($5 per person).

The Deschutes County Historical Society operates this museum, which was originally built as a schoolhouse in 1914. Exhibits depict historical life in the area, including a pioneer schoolroom, Native American artifacts, and relics from the logging, ranching, homesteading, and railroading eras.

This 1½-million-acre forest has 20 peaks higher than 7,000 feet, including three of Oregon's five highest mountains, more than 150 lakes, and 500 miles of streams. While visiting the forest is free, many parking areas, particularly at trailheads, require an annual Northwest Forest Pass or a daily parking pass. 

One of the best collections of Western art in the nation includes paintings and sculpture by Frederic Remington, Albert Bierstadt, and others. The museum has an extensive historic photography collection, and is leading an oral history project to capture the stories of the area's longtime residents.

The Tohono O'odham tribe operates the Desert Diamond Casinos, which has an indoor concert venue, a hotel and conference center, several restaurants, and plenty of one-armed bandits and video poker in addition to live blackjack, poker, and bingo.

Located at the Kingman Airport Industrial Complex, this distillery in an unassuming red building pours samples of its award-winning barrel reserve–aged rums and popular agave rum (along with two other rums, two whiskeys, and a vodka). Tours of the distillery explain the process of converting blackstrap molasses into fine spirits.

Learn about plants and animals native to the region on this paved path in Saguaro West. The ½-mile loop is wheelchair accessible, and has resting benches and ramadas (wooden shelters that supply shade). Dogs on leash are permitted here. Easy.

Exhibits on this ¼-mile loop near the Mica View picnic area explain how local plants and animals subsist on limited water. Dogs on leash are permitted. Easy.

Is it really a desert? No. The climate here isn't truly arid, but this 40-acre expanse of sand that formed as a glacial deposit during the last ice age is still pretty intriguing. In the 1800s, erosion caused by farming removed the thin layer of topsoil and revealed the dune field, which has been a popular roadside tourist attraction since the 1920s. More than 40 interpretive signs along a mile-long, self-guided walk explain the geology, history, and ecology. You can dig for fossils using the tools and techniques employed by paleontologists. Kids love the gemstone village, with fairy houses and a hobbit house, where they can hunt for (and keep) polished gems hidden throughout a maze. Rounding out the offerings are a miniature golf course, occasional open-air theatrical productions, and camping sites.

It's not easy to spot the elusive desert tortoise in this protected 40-square-mile habitat, but the area often blazes with wildflowers in the spring and early summer. It's also a great place to view desert kit fox, red-tailed hawks, cactus wrens, and Mojave rattlesnakes. Walking paths and a small interpretive center are part of the experience, and a naturalist is on hand March to June to provide information on the area's flowers and wildlife.

This heavily traveled 25-mile stretch of road follows the rim from the east entrance to Grand Canyon Village. Starting from the less congested entry near Desert View, road warriors can get their first glimpse of the canyon from the 70-foot-tall watchtower, the top of which provides the highest viewpoint on the South Rim. Six developed canyon viewpoints in addition to unmarked pullouts, the remains of an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling at the Tusayan Ruin and Museum, and the secluded and lovely Buggeln picnic area make for great stops along the South Rim. The Kaibab Rim Route shuttle bus travels a short section of Desert View Drive and takes 50 minutes to ride round-trip without getting off at any of the stops: Grand Canyon Visitor Center, South Kaibab Trailhead, Yaki Point, Pipe Creek Vista, Mather Point, and Yavapai Geology Museum.

Near the Desert View Watchtower, this nonprofit Grand Canyon Association store and information center has a nice selection of books, park pamphlets, gifts, and educational materials. It's also a handy place to pick up maps and info if you enter the park at the eastern entrance. All sales from the Association stores go to support park programs.

From the top of the 70-foot stone-and-mortar watchtower with its 360-degree views, even the muted hues of the distant Painted Desert to the east and the Vermilion Cliffs rising from a high plateau near the Utah border are visible. In the chasm below, angling to the north toward Marble Canyon, an imposing stretch of the Colorado River reveals itself. Up several flights of stairs, the watchtower houses a glass-enclosed observatory with telescopes.

Though access is typically reserved strictly to those in the design biz, the Design Center of the Americas still permits visitors to browse the myriad showrooms, which parade the latest and greatest in home furnishings and interior design. Note, however, that this is purely for inspiration, as direct consumer sales are not permitted.

Even if you've never seen the hit animated films, it doesn't take long to fall for Gru, the Scourge of Humanity, in this wild virtual-reality chase through the movie. Two extremely funny (and cute) preshow rooms—Gru's living room and laboratory—set the stage for the 3-D ride. With help from his adopted daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes (and ever-so-anxious minions), Gru reviews everyone to make sure they're ready to become minions. Next, sporting your "minion goggles" (aka 3-D glasses) you are transformed into minions for the rollicking ride, which is filled with close calls and colorful characters as you pursue the ever-elusive prize: the girls' gift for their dad on the one-year anniversary of their adoption. To celebrate, the ride exits into a minion disco (of course).

This attraction is not recommended for expectant mothers or anyone with motion sickness or back, neck, or heart problems. For people with disabilities: Closed-captioned devices are available; those in wheelchairs may remain in them. Go for the stationary seats if you think you'll suffer from motion sickness.

To understand why Destin calls itself the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village," visit this museum, and meet the descendants of the 19th-century New England families who transformed the land from winter fishing ground to major tourist attraction. In addition to historic and genealogical data on Destin's founding families, there are displays of antique boats and tackle and an impressive gallery of fish mounts. Knowledgeable guides can explain to everyone from small children to science scholars why the sand on Florida's Emerald Coast is so white.

If it's the South Shore luxury of Wailea and Makena you seek, look no further. This company has hundreds of condominiums and villas ranging in size from studios to five bedrooms, and in price from $189 per night for a studio at Wailea Grand Champions Villas, to more than $4,000 (yes, per night) for the splashy Wailea Beach Villas. The company offers excellent personalized service (including a $155 restaurant/spa credit and a Tesla shuttle service—all included in the price) and is known for particularly fine housekeeping services. Check-in for all properties is at the company's well-appointed office in Wailea Gateway.

The closest intact plantation to New Orleans is also the oldest intact plantation in the entire lower Mississippi Valley. It's a simple West Indies–style house, built in 1787–90 by an enslaved builder of mixed race for the Destrehan family. It's typical of the homes built by the earliest planters in the region. The structure is notable for the hand-hewn cypress timbers used in its construction and for the insulation in its walls, made of bousillage, a mixture of horsehair, Spanish moss, oyster shells, and mud. A costumed guide leads a 30-minute tour through the house furnished with period antiques, starting every half-hour. A special haunted tour, which lasts more than two hours, is offered on Thursday through Sunday evening. The plantation grounds also hold exhibits showcasing documents signed by former Presidents, a history of the extraordinary 1811 Slave Revolt, and original slave cabins from a nearby plantation. Demonstrations of crafts such as weaving, barrel-making, or open-hearth cooking occur regularly, and an annual fall festival with music, crafts, and food is held the second weekend in November.

The Detroit Historical Museum hosts numerous exhibits exploring the region's history, its ties to the automobile, and the city's rich legacies in music and sports. Other worthwhile exhibits are Motor City and Streets of Old Detroit—a walk through the city's long history.