10405 Best Sights in USA

More than 2,800 animals from about 300 species live uncaged in natural habitats at the Detroit Zoo. Highlights include a large penguinarium, a walk-through aviary with tropical birds and plants, and a wildlife interpretive gallery with a butterfly house. Don't miss the Arctic Ring of Life exhibit, with polar bears and seals in a simulated habitat; an underwater tunnel gives you the chance to see the animals swim overhead.

The 1915 eruptions cleared this area, a good chunk of the park’s center, of all vegetation, though the forest gradually returned over time. The easy ½-mile interpretive trail loop is wheelchair accessible.

A paved pathway takes visitors across a barren lavascape strewn with chunky cinders that descended from towering lava fountains during the 1959 eruption of nearby Kilauea Iki Crater. The easy 1-mile (round-trip) hike ends at the edge of the Kilauea Iki Crater. This must-see view of the crater could yield such memorable sights as white-tailed tropic birds gliding in the breeze or a rainbow stretching above the crater's rim after a sunlit rain shower. Easy.

Devil’s Canyon Overlook, a few miles north of the Wyoming border, affords breathtaking views of the point where narrow Devil's Canyon joins sheer-walled Bighorn Canyon. The overlook itself is on a cliff 1,000 feet above the lake. Look for fossils in the colorful rock layers of the canyon walls.

Thousands of miniature salt pinnacles carved into surreal shapes by the desert wind dot this wildly varied landscape. The salt was pushed up to the surface by pressure created as underground salt- and water-bearing gravel crystallized.

Chapman Falls, a 60-foot cascade, is the centerpiece of this 860-acre park, an idyllic spot for bird-watching, picnicking, trout fishing (you'll need a license), camping, hiking, or simply dipping your toes in a clear, cold stream. The campground is open from mid-April through Labor Day.

Scientists surmise that, thousands of years ago, an underground cavern collapsed and created this park's most noteworthy geological wonder: a 500-foot-wide, 120-foot-deep sinkhole that's a designated National Natural Landmark. You can pack a lunch to enjoy in one of the park's picnic areas, and hike its nature trails. Guided walks typically take place on Saturday at 10 am. And you can bring Spot on a visit here, too; just keep him on a leash.

A mile from the San Andreas Fault, this natural bowl-shape depression in the earth is framed by 300-foot rock walls. At the bottom is a stream, which you can reach via a moderately strenuous 1-mile hike. You also can detour on a short nature trail; at the top, an interpretive center has displays of native flora and fauna, including live animals such as snakes, lizards, and birds of prey.

At this park on Lake Jocassee, known for its hiking, boating, and fishing, Lower Whitewater Falls plunges more than 200 feet over huge boulders to splash into the lake waters. You can view the falls from an overlook or from a boat on the lake. The park has accommodations, including both comfortable villas and camping facilities.

Chicagoans flock to Devon Avenue to satisfy cravings for Indian, Pakistani, and other Middle Eastern flavors, from restaurants to grocery stores to clothing boutiques (if you need a nine-yard sari, this is the place). Though the many orthodox Jews and Russian immigrants who used to settle on Devon west of Talman have relocated to the northern suburbs, kosher grocers and bakeries are still dotted around the area. 

This museum adds another cultural dimension that goes well beyond Colonial history. Grouped by medium are English and American furniture, textiles, prints, metals, and ceramics that date from 1600 through 1830. If you're yawning at the thought of fancy tableware, stop: presentations here tend to be creative and surprising. Prizes among the pieces in the collection are a full-length portrait of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale and a royally commissioned case clock surmounted by the detailed figure of a Native American. You enter the museum through the Public Hospital.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the 20th pastor of this church that started in a slave trader’s pen in 1877. The humble, little, redbrick structure hardly signals its significant past. King directed initial civil rights activity in Montgomery, including the 1955–56 Montgomery bus boycott, from his church office. The church and parsonage, where King and his family lived between 1954 and 1960, are both open for tours. Church services happen each Sunday.

Also known as the "Blacksmith House," this yellow Colonial is now owned by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. The tree itself is long gone, but this spot inspired Longfellow's lines: "Under a spreading chestnut tree, the village smithy stands." The blacksmith's shop, today commemorated by a granite marker, was next door, at the corner of Story Street. Although not open to the public, you can catch a glimpse inside during the celebrated Blacksmith House Poetry Series, which runs throughout the year on Monday nights. Tickets are $5.

The late Rene di Rosa assembled an extensive collection of artworks created by Northern California artists from the 1960s to the early 2000s, displaying them on this 217-acre Carneros District property surrounded by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. Two galleries at opposite ends of a 35-acre lake show works from the collection and host temporary exhibitions; the Sculpture Meadow behind the second gallery holds a few dozen large outdoor pieces.

The dam is one of three in the area that collectively produce hydroelectric power for Seattle City Light. Although its powerhouse can only be visited on bus tours that are sometimes offered (check at the Skagit Information Center), the experience of driving across a dam makes the short detour off Highway 20 worthwhile. To see the dam from the water, continue a mile farther east along Diablo Dam Road to the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, which offers Diablo Lake boat tours. As you cruise past Diablo Dam and then north to Ross Dam, guides share the secret of how the lake gets its vibrant turquoise color. The guides can sometimes take visitors into the Ross Dam powerhouse for a closer look.

Explore nearly 4 miles of waterside terrain on this route, which is accessed from the Sourdough Creek parking lot. An excellent alternative for parties with young hikers is to take the Seattle City Light Ferry one-way. Moderate.

Formed from limestone millions of years ago, these caves have been a popular local attraction since they were discovered in the mid-19th century. Descend into this series of subterranean galleries, and you'll get up close to enormous stalactites and stalagmites, projecting onyx peaks, and rock palaces. Temperatures in the cave hover around 58°F throughout the year. Visits are by hour-long guided tour.

You have to do a little hiking to reach this beautiful, remote spot at the base of Diamond Head Crater. Although the beach is just a small, narrow strip of sand with lots of coral in the water, the views from the point are breathtaking, and it's fun to watch the windsurfers skimming along. From the parking area, look for an opening in the wall where an unpaved trail leads down to the beach. Even for the unadventurous, a stop at the lookout point is well worth the time. Amenities: parking (no fee); showers. Best for: solitude; sunset; surfing; windsurfing.

This winery produces Pinot Noir from grapes grown on-site, as well as wines made from local apples, blueberries, and other fruit.

The home of artists Jane Orleman and her late husband Dick Elliott is a continuously growing whimsical folk sculpture of outsider art: a collage of some 20,000 bottle caps, 1,500 bicycle reflectors, and other colorful, reused bits. Although you can't tour the house itself, you can view the fantastic exterior and art-strewn front and backyards from the sidewalk, and you're encouraged to sign the guest book mounted on the surrounding fence.

Dick Taylor specializes in small-batch dark chocolates made with beans from Africa and Central America. His factory store's on-site café serves dense European-style "drinking chocolates," along with hot chocolates, addictive fudge pops, and other delights. Book a tour (with tasting) through the company's website.

Explore nature-oriented exhibits and a large topographical map of the park. Pick up a Junior Ranger activity booklet for kids ages 7 to 12 to complete to be sworn in as a Junior Ranger and earn a badge. Savor the views from a west-facing landing behind the visitor center that attracts plein air painters on clear days when you can see for miles. Restrooms are located in a separate building adjacent to the visitor center.

Distillery owner Dietz Fischer’s father founded the popular Fischer & Wieser's Das Peach Haus next door, and the family’s been growing peaches since 1928. After Fischer trained with a brandy maker in Austria, he came home to Texas and decided to experiment with making peach and pear eau-de-vie in a former garage, which he turned into a distillery. In addition to the distillery—where he now makes and sells eau-de-vie, gin, vodka, and rum—he runs a tasting room here with a huge outdoor patio, a Thai food truck, and great cocktails.

This welcoming outdoor space has a café and a spacious Great Lawn for relaxing. There's a fountain for cooling off in the summer, and the space transforms into the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink in the winter. It's also home to free events throughout the year, including the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market.

Roaring robotic stegosaurs and meat-shredding animatronic allosaurs prowl Dinosaur Journey, a fun, informative attraction just off I–70 a few minutes from the western entrance to Colorado National Monument. Unlike many museums, this one encourages kids to touch everything—friendly paleontologists may even allow kids to hold a chunk of fossilized dino dung. In addition to the amazing lifelike replicas, there are more than 20 interactive displays. Children can stand in an earthquake simulator; dig up "fossils" in a mock quarry (the pit is made of crushed walnut shells); or make dino prints in dirt, along with reptile and bird tracks for comparison. The museum also sponsors daily digs nearby, where many of the fossils were found. Local volunteers are at work cleaning and preparing fossils for study.

Life-size dino replicas in dramatic poses will delight kids. The small museum also features many skeletons, fossils, and footprints—and reportedly the world's largest collection of movie posters starring Godzilla and other monsters dating back to the early days of film.

The Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall showcases an estimated 1,500 dinosaur bones that date to the late Jurassic Period still embedded in the clay. Open daily, the Exhibit Hall is ranger-guided only in the winter; check the website or call ahead for shuttle hours and access availability. Fossils are visible only from the Utah side of the monument, not the Colorado side. A half mile away is a massive 7,595-square-foot visitor center.

In this park in Rocky Hill, about 9 miles north of downtown Middletown (halfway to Hartford), see 500 tracks left by the dinosaurs that roamed the area some 200 million years ago. The tracks are preserved under a giant geodesic dome—1,500 more are buried for preservation—making this one of the largest dinosaur-track sites in North America. You can even make plaster casts of tracks on a special area of the property.   To make a plaster cast, BYO 1/4 c. cooking oil, 10 lb. of Plaster of Paris, cloth rags/paper towels, and a 5 gal. bucket!