10457 Best Sights in USA

Tasty nuts are the crop at Eagle Ranch Pistachio Groves and Heart of the Desert Vineyards, where you can buy pistachios baked into cranberry biscotti, pistachio-filled chocolate candies, and the nuts themselves, as well as the wines being produced in the proprietary winery. Linger in the coffee shop or art gallery. George and Marianne Schweers own the family farm here, which has been growing pistachios—an unusual crop for New Mexico—since 1972. The ranch has 12,000 pistachio trees and is the largest such grove in the state; a vineyard was planted in 2003 and is now producing wines—their signature wine is a crisp Pistachio Rosé, a Zinfandel–Chenin Blanc blend with a hint of pistachio essence. They offer free wine tastings daily, but not until noon on Sunday. If you have an RV and would like to camp overnight, ask for permission at the store to camp at the picnic area—there's no charge for self-contained vehicles.

Eagle River Road leads 12 miles into the mountains from the bedroom community of Eagle River. The nature center, at the end of the road, has wildlife displays, telescopes for wildlife spotting, and 9 miles of hiking trails. Volunteers are on hand to answer questions, lead hikes, and host naturalist programs. A cabin that sleeps eight and a pair of yurts (round insulated tents) that sleep four and six are available to rent ($65 per night). A 1½-mile hike in is required. Amenities include wood stoves, firewood, and outdoor latrines. The center is also the trail end for the Crow Pass Trail, a 26-mile section of the Iditarod National Historic Trail that starts in Girdwood.

If you're even thinking of heading into the wilderness, the headquarters of the 2.5-million-acre Yukon–Charley Rivers National Preserve should be your first stop. Informal interpretive programs and talks take place here, and there are videos you can watch to prepare. You can also peruse maps and visit the reference library, and there are helpful books for sale.

Just north of the Petersburg Fisheries cannery, this small roadside park is a great place to spot eagles, especially at low tide. On a clear day you will also discover dramatic views of the sharp-edged Coast Range, including the 9,077-foot summit of Devil's Thumb.

The 150-acre park, on a bluff overlooking Niagara Gorge, is dedicated to the performing and visual arts, but also has historic sights, such as an American Indian burial mound dating from AD 140. You can fish, hike, and picnic in the park. Summer brings a slew of family-oriented events and activities.

A hands-on history complex of three properties traces Alabama’s history from statehood to the Civil War and railroad eras. Craftspeople in period dress demonstrate skills such as woodworking, printing, and weaving at Alabama Constitution Village, the site of Alabama's 1819 constitutional convention. At EarlyWorks Children's Museum, hear stories from a talking tree, wear 1800s-style clothing, and examine a 46-foot keelboat. A few blocks from the village, the Huntsville Depot and Museum gives a glimpse of railroad life in the early 1800s.

Pick up fresh vegetables, ready-to-eat meals, gourmet groceries, flowers, and gifts at Earthbound Farm, the world's largest grower of organic produce. You can also take a romp in the kids' garden, cut your own herbs, and stroll through the chamomile aromatherapy labyrinth.

Now found all over the world, the unique off-grid design of an Earthship home got its start in Taos. Local architect Michael Reynolds started the movement in 1969, motivated to create affordable housing that utilized waste materials such as tires, soda cans, and beer bottles that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Reynolds fought to create and establish the Sustainable Testing Site Act in the New Mexico state legislature in 2007. Learn about this fascinating architecture and its potential at the Earthship Visitor Center. The informative, self-guided tour is highly recommended. Guided tours are available for those seeking a more in-depth understanding, as are overnight stays in an Earthship rental. There is also an Earthship Academy with online and in-person educational opportunities.

This earthy outpost of edgy-cool shops, restaurants, bars, and concert venues started growing, beginning in 1996, thanks to a group of proprietors with dreams much bigger than their bank accounts. Spurning the high rents of fancier parts of town, they set up businesses in this then-blighted but beautiful ruin of a neighborhood 4 miles southeast of Downtown. Soon artists and others came to soak up the creative atmosphere. East Atlanta, which is centered at Flat Shoals and Glenwood Avenues, just southeast of Moreland Avenue at Interstate 20, has had its ups and downs but has experienced a resurgence. Many of the majestic homes have been renovated, and what remains untouched romanticizes the area's gritty appeal.

Across the street from Blue Shutters Town Beach, this tranquil and unspoiled barrier beach spans 3 narrow miles of shoreline that separates Ninigret Pond from the ocean, dead-ending at the Charlestown Breachway. East Beach stands in stark contrast to Narragansett's bustling Scarborough Beach, and it's a rare East Coast beach that permits beach camping and four-wheel drive vehicles on the sand. Parking is limited, and the lot fills up quickly. Be careful when swimming: the ocean side is known for riptides. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; walking, camping.

The most expansive stretch of public beach on St. Simons is also one of the most popular in all of the Golden Isles. Entrances sit on either end of the beach: at the Coast Guard Station on 1st Street to the north and Massengale Park on Oak Street to the south. Between the two entrances, this ½-mile stretch of hard-packed white sand is vacation central, with calm, shallow water perfect for swimming, boogie boarding, or windsurfing. Plenty of parking is available, lifeguards watch the waves all summer, and drinking is allowed in plastic containers (no glass bottles). Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; windsurfing.

The entire entryway to the museum is made of petrified wood. Photographs, agricultural displays, petroglyphs, and a large collection of arrowheads interpret area history. Kennewick's oldest park, Keewaydin, is across the street.

A roughly T-shaped dining and retail district that's less defined but no less popular and impressive than some of the East Side's other culinary and shopping hot spots (like the Alberta Arts District and Southeast Division Street), this diverse neighborhood comprises a slew of mostly food-related ventures along East Burnside Street from about 22nd to 28th Avenues. Then, where Burnside meets 28th Avenue, you'll find several blocks of first-rate eateries as well as a handful of boutiques in either direction, heading north up to about Glisan Street and south down to about Stark Street. The historic Laurelhurst Theater anchors the intersection of 28th and Burnside.

One of five lighthouses on Martha's Vineyard, the 40-foot structure was built out of cast iron in 1876 to replace an 1828 tower that burned down. The lighthouse is open seasonally on Sunday evenings around sunset; the views of Nantucket Sound from atop the bluff are spectacular. Parking is limited.

Portland's only public beach, it's set at the bottom of the hill of the Eastern Promenade. Its panoramic views of Casco Bay make it a popular summer spot, as do amenities like convenient parking, picnic tables, and a boat launch. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; sunsets; swimming; walking.

A former Long Island Rail Road passenger terminal contains exhibits about lighthouses, ships, East End shipbuilding, and yacht racing. The museum also hosts events, including the annual Maritime Festival. Several times throughout the season, for an additional fee, you can take a 6-hour day cruise or a 3- to 5-hour sunset cruise passing by 4 to 6 lighthouses and stopping to visit the historic "Bug" lighthouse. There's also a separate 1½-hour excursion that goes only to the "Bug."

You'll see the striking contrast of prairies and mountains as you travel northwest from East Glacier Park Village to Two Medicine Lake on Route 49. Once you turn onto Two Medicine Road, you'll be heading straight toward snowcapped peaks and lovely Two Medicine Lake. From there, head back out to Route 49 and then to U.S. 89 North to make your way to the town of St. Mary and then onto the Going-to-the-Sun Road to reach St. Mary Lake, the park's second largest. The entire route is 49 miles one-way. End the drive with an additional stop at Swiftcurrent Lake, and you'll cover about 75 miles total.

Keeping history alive and thriving in East Hampton, the society operates several local museums near stately Main Street. The society's headquarters are in the circa-1740 Osborn-Jackson House, a period museum. The 1784 Clinton Academy (tours scheduled upon request) was the town's first preparatory academy for young men and women. Dating from approximately 1731, Town House is the only remaining town government building from colonial times. It's also the oldest surviving one-room schoolhouse on Long Island. The circa-1680 Mulford Farm, complete with a farmhouse and barn, hosts several wonderful programs each year, including a Colonial Kids Club, A Day in 1776, and various colonial reenactments. Each year the farm plants Rachel's Garden with heirloom flowers and vegetables. The Marine Museum has three floors of exhibits devoted to East Hampton maritime history, including the eerie Shipwreck Hall. The tiny and elegantly restored Hook Schoolhouse, a Georgian frame building, has been moved around the village since its construction almost two and a quarter centuries ago. It was saved from destruction by the society and now sits behind town hall. Call the society or visit the website for a complete list of activities at all the sites.

An easy hike of 0.3 miles from East Inlet trailhead, just outside the park in Grand Lake, will get you to Adams Falls in about 15 minutes. The area around the falls is often packed with visitors, so if you have time, continue east to enjoy more solitude, see wildlife, and catch views of Mount Craig from near the East Meadow campground. Note, however, that the trail beyond the falls has an elevation gain of between 1,500 and 1,900 feet, making it a more challenging hike. Easy.

Believed to have been first settle on the Choptank Native American trail in the 1660s, the East New Market contains some 75 buildings of historic significance—churches, schools, businesses, and residences—representing three centuries. In this living museum of architecture, every exhibit is in its original location. An illustrated walking-tour map is available from the Dorchester County Tourism office.

This 16-mile round-trip hike along beautiful white-sand beaches yields the opportunity to see rare Torrey pines. Some beaches are closed between March and September, so you have to remain on the road for portions of this hike. Difficult.

This picnic area, located at the bottom of the canyon at a bend in the river, accommodates large groups. There are tables, a large shaded shelter, and outhouses.

The only way to access the Gunnison River from the park by car is via this paved route, which drops approximately 2,000 feet down to the water in only 5 miles, giving it an extremely steep grade. Vehicles longer than 22 feet are not allowed on the road. If you're towing a trailer, you can unhitch it near the entrance to South Rim campground. The bottom of the road is actually in the adjacent Curecanti National Recreation Area. There you'll find a picnic area, a campground, a primitive riverside trail, and beautiful scenery. A tour of East Portal Road, with a brief stop at the bottom, takes about 45 minutes. Immediately after arrival through the park's South entrance, take a right on East Portal Road.

This 328-acre finger of land extends south of the Jefferson Memorial from the Tidal Basin, between the Washington Channel and the new Southwest Waterfront redevelopment neighborhood to the east and the Potomac River to the west. Locals consider the park a retreat with playgrounds, picnic tables, tennis courts, swimming pools, a driving range, one 18-hole and two 9-hole golf courses, and miniature golf. There's also a scenic riverfront trail that winds around the park's perimeter. It's a fantastic spot for bird-watching, with more than 250 species identified at the park. If you're lucky, you may spot a bald eagle. Double-blossoming Japanese cherry trees line Ohio Drive and bloom about two weeks after the single-blossoming variety that attracts crowds to the Tidal Basin each spring.

Cherished by residents for its grassy knolls and superb Manhattan views, this park contains vestiges of the 19th-century dock that once occupied these 7 acres. On Saturday, more than a hundred vendors sell artisanal goods at the Smorgasburg open-air market (see Chapter 8, Park Slope and Prospect Park, for full listing). The park can get crowded on summer weekends, so don't be surprised if you find yourself scavenging for an open patch of grass.

The highlights of this museum dedicated to Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra’s history include photos and artifacts from the Manzanar War Relocation Center, Paiute and Shoshone baskets, and exhibits on the Los Angeles Aqueduct and mountaineer Norman Clyde. Be sure to visit the botanical garden and the outdoor exhibits as well.

In the tiny town of Haines, several miles north of Baker City, this humble museum almost resembles an antiques store or flea market at first glance, and has 10,000 household, farming, mining, and pioneer artifacts. Kids enjoy the one-room schoolhouse, as well as the 100-plus antique dolls and teddy bears. On the grounds is the old Union Pacific depot, built in the 1880s and given to the museum when the railroad discontinued stops at Haines in 1962.

To experience the city's busy shoreline and take in the grand views of Casco Bay, walkers, runners, and cyclists head out on the 2.1-mile Eastern Prom Trail.

Beginning at the intersection of Commercial and India Streets, this paved trail runs along the water at the bottom of the Eastern Promenade, following an old railbed alongside the still-used railroad tracks of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum. There are plenty of places with benches and tables for a picnic break along the way. From the trailhead, it's about 1 mile to the small East End Beach.

Continuing along the trail, you’ll pass underneath busy I–295, and emerge at the Back Cove Trail, a popular 3½-mile loop you can connect with for a long trek. To return to the Old Port, backtrack along the trail or head up the steep path to the top of the promenade. Here you can continue along the promenade sidewalk or take the trails through this 68-acre stretch of parkland to the lovely picnic area and playground.

Continuing along the sidewalk toward the Old Port, a gazebo and several old cannons to your left indicate you’re at the small Fort Allen Park. Use one of the coin-operated viewing scopes to view Civil War–era Fort Gorges, which never saw action.

Where the Eastern Prom becomes Fore Street, continue on for a few blocks to India Street and take a left, which will bring you back to where you started. Or, continue into the Old Port.

Plan at least an hour to walk the trail with brief stops, or two if you continue along the Back Cove Trail. But if you can, make time for the Prom—it’s truly an urban jewel.

Between the city's two promenades, this one, often overlooked by tourists, has by far the best view. Gracious Victorian homes, many now converted to condos and apartments, border one side of the street. On the other is 68 acres of hillside parkland that includes Ft. Allen Park and, at the base of the hill, the Eastern Prom Trail and tiny East End Beach and boat launch. On a sunny day the Eastern Prom is a lovely spot for picnicking, snacking (there are always a few top-notch food trucks), and people-watching.

The entrance to the tree-shaded Cheney campus is marked by the Pillars of Hercules; built in 1915, they include granite from the original Cheney Normal School that was destroyed by fire a few years earlier. Six campus buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Walk through the EWU Historic District to learn about the university's founding as the state's first institution for training teachers and to see the early-1900 buildings where students lived and studied.