425 Best Sights in USA

Once land claimed for Queen Elizabeth by Sir Walter Raleigh, this park's amenities include golfing, boating, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and a large swimming pool with waterslides. There is also a dog park, campground, and an arboretum filled with plants native to the Carolina Piedmont. The Tanglewood Festival of Lights, one of the largest holiday-lights festivals in the Southeast, runs from mid-November to early January.

Need a break as you begin or end your Acadia National Park adventure? This 46-acre waterside picnic site (seasonal, bathroom) is on parkland just before the causeway to and from Mount Desert Island.

When conditions like tides and wave action are just so at this popular visitor attraction, the force of pounding surf being squeezed into a narrow slot of cliffside pink granite causes a boom that sounds like thunder and can send ocean spray up to 40 feet into the air—soaking observers standing nearby behind safety railings. Time your visit within an hour or two of high tide for the best chance to observe the phenomenon; at low tide, take the stairway down to a viewing platform for a peek at the water-carved walls of the tiny inlet. At the parking area on the opposite side of Ocean Drive, a gift shop where you can buy souvenirs as well as to-go snacks and drinks occupies a cottage-like structure that was the park's first "official" ranger station.

Painterly westward-facing views of vineyards, the Napa River treeline, and Spring Mountain provide the backdrop for indoor and outdoor tastings at this valley-floor winery. The concrete-and-glass production facility and hospitality center, completed in 2015, skews new, but the setting feels timeless. After arriving in 1968, the first Titus family generation sold grapes to Beaulieu and other Napa Valley stalwarts. Next-generation brothers Eric and Phillip Titus (the latter famed Chappellet's longtime winemaker) oversaw significant replantings in the past quarter-century, ensuring a steady flow of mostly Bordeaux grapes for the family's label. Cabernet Sauvignon comprises more than half the production, with Viognier, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Zinfandel among the other bottlings.

Since 1870, the award-winning Travis Park has welcomed the community for gatherings, celebrations, concerts, holidays, Movies by Moonlight, and other special events. As one of the oldest municipal parks in the United States, this 2.6-acre green space is a destination all its own, especially for such popular events as the H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony the day after Thanksgiving. Other activities throughout the year include an ice rink, free movies, food trucks, fitness classes, and live music.

Stretching ½ mile along the coast on both sides of the small-craft jetties, Twin Lakes is one of Monterey Bay's sunniest beaches. It encompasses Seabright State Beach (with access in a residential neighborhood on the upcoast side) and Black's Beach on the down-coast side. Families often come here to sunbathe, picnic, and hike the nature trail around adjacent Schwann Lake. Parking is tricky from May through September—you need to pay for a $10 day-use permit at a kiosk and the lot fills quickly—but you can park all day in the harbor pay lot and walk here. Leashed dogs are allowed. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); parking; showers; toilets; water sports (seasonal). Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

There is a handful of places here where you can sit down for a bite and a breather. A group picnic site requires advance reservations, but areas near the host site and amphitheater are first come, first served. Water is available.

Easily the fastest growing brewery in the region, Urban South sells its Holy Roller IPA (a juicy New England–style) and the extremely popular Paradise Park lager (a light beer adored for its colorful can design) all over town. Stop by the large warehouse taproom for more playful and interesting specials, with everything from triple and grapefruit IPAs to Juvie Juice, a hard iced tea collaboration with Rapper Juvenile. Keep an eye out for crawfish pop-ups during spring.

Taste wines by famed local vintner Steve Clifton (known for his Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Italian varietals like Barbera), feast on lunch and snacks at the on-site restaurant, and visit with farm animals (chickens, goats, llamas, sheep, miniature donkeys, and more) at this family-oriented tasting room, farm stand, and event center at an historic estate, established in 1853. If the weather’s balmy, sit on the patio overlooking the vineyard and listen to live music, which typically plays on weekends.

At this 139-acre property across from Emery Farm and operated by the town of Durham as a public park, you can stroll along scenic trails from the farmhouse to the old farm wagon and through the woods to the picnic area overlooking the Oyster River. There's sledding and cross-country skiing in winter.

Boardwalks and hiking, biking, and canoe trails weave through this lovely 600-acre park lorded over by ancient cypress and tupelo trees. One of the paths traces the colonial-era Charleston-to-Savannah Stagecoach Road, where you can still see the cypress remnants of historic bridges. It's a Southern swamp that forms the headwaters of the ACE Basin's Ashepoo River, so douse yourself with insect repellent and be on alert for reptiles.

In the quiet desert south of Ely, this row of six beehive-shaped, 30-foot-tall ovens used to process 35 cords of wood at once. From 1876 to 1879, the ovens turned vast forests of pinyon, juniper, and mountain mahogany into charcoal, which was used for refining local silver and copper ore. It's a well-preserved piece of unique mining history, and the park includes a campground, hiking trails, and a creek good for fishing.

This 350-acre park three miles northeast of the University District is mainly used by locals, who come here to jog on the trails, launch boats onto Lake Washington, and let their dogs run free in Seattle’s largest off-leash area. Several unique characteristics can make it worth a visit. From the 1920s through the ‘70s, the park was a naval air base; if you’re interested in aeronautics history or architecture, check out the historic district, where the base’s art deco and Colonial Revival buildings from the ‘30s and ‘40s remain (now repurposed in various ways, including a roller derby arena). If you’re a dog lover, you can find joy watching happy pups swim at the off-leash dog beach. And grunge rock fans like to make a pilgrimage to the park’s northern corner, where, when the breeze is blowing in the right direction, you can hear the Sound Garden that inspired the iconic Seattle band’s name. (The instillation is part of a neighboring NOAA facility that’s not open to the public.)

The newly opened Waterfront Park—a 20-acre space stretching from Belltown to Pioneer Square—was completed in the summer of 2025, bringing a sense of unity and community to Downtown Seattle's formerly fragmented waterfront. Bike lanes, playgrounds, and native plants are all part of the new Waterfront Park, which provides a community space along the piers for events, social gatherings, walking along the water, and simply catching the sunset over the Olympic Mountains and Elliott Bay.

You don't have to walk the 1.2-mile round-trip trail to the summit of Waterrock Knob for a view—the vistas from the visitor center are also wonderful—but a trip to the top for sunrise or sunset can be stunning. Heading northeast from Cherokee on the Parkway, this is the first trail and notable summit. 

This neon-and-incandescent sign in a median of Las Vegas Boulevard south of Mandalay Bay is one of Sin City's most enduring icons. The landmark dates back to 1959 and was approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Young Electric Sign Company leases the sign to Clark County, but the design itself was never copyrighted and currently exists in the public domain. (This, of course, explains why you see so many likenesses all over town.) The parking lot in the median just south of the sign was expanded in 2015. If you prefer to go on foot, expect a 10-minute walk from Mandalay Bay, plus waiting time for photo ops.

More than 200 art galleries, antiques shops, fashion outlets, and interior design stores are found here near 30 restaurants, including the famous paparazzi magnet, the Ivy. All are clustered within walking distance of each other—rare for L.A.

Grab a canoe or kayak, or take a 40-minute guided boat tour at this lakeside park on the Intracoastal Waterway. At more than 1,500 acres, it's one of Florida's largest urban nature facilities. Extensive boardwalks traverse mangrove wetlands that shelter endangered and threatened species. At the Anne Kolb Nature Center, there's a 3,500-gallon aquarium, and a 65-foot observation tower showcases the entire park. The center's exhibit hall also has interactive displays explaining the park's delicate ecosystem.

Crowned with a large outcrop of Arkansas novaculite, the summit of West Mountain provides views of Hot Springs, the national park, and the surrounding peaks, including Music Mountain, the park's tallest peak at 1,329 feet. This overlook is the last stop along the West Mountain Scenic Drive before heading back down the mountain. It's a nice place to stretch your legs, with access to Sunset Trail.

West of the Virginia Kendall Area, the 4.6-mile Wetmore Trail, made up of old farmers paths and logging roads, now serves as a corridor for horseback riding, hiking, and dog-walking (dogs must be kept on a leash). Part of a larger trail network that includes Tabletop Trail and Langes Run Trail, the trail is at its peak in the spring, summer, and fall. Moderate.

On upper Whatcom Creek, Whatcom Falls Park (reached via Lakeway, east from I–5) features a creek with a number of pretty waterfalls; one has a popular local swimming hole, although the water is very cold. Trails lead down creek and up the creek to Scudder Pond and Bloedel Donovan Park.

For those who want the quintessential Gulch photo op, head to artist Kelsey Montague's Instagram-famous mural right off 11th Avenue South. The sprawling 20-foot white wings are filled with little design nods to the Music City like guitars, along with dreamy abstractions that add to the ethereal feeling. There's even a smaller set of wings that are perfect for kids or pets, so everyone can get their perfect shot. The line can get long, especially during the weekends, so this is a great way to kill some time while you're waiting for a restaurant table nearby. 

Near Highlands and Cashiers, Whiteside Mountain is one of the highest continuous cliffs in the East. The sheer cliffs of white granite rise up to 750 feet, overlooking the Chattooga River in the Nantahala National Forest. A 2-mile loop (moderate) takes you to the top of the cliffs, including a long section following the striking ridgeline. The cliffs are also popular with rock climbers. Peregrine falcons nest here, and the cliffs are closed to climbers during falcon mating season.

This triangular little patch of green, donated to the city in 1870 by politician Charles Wicker, is a neighborhood favorite and home to softball fields, a children's water playground, a dog park, and outdoor movies. The handsome central fountain is a great spot for chilling out and people-watching in warm weather.

A 4-acre beach that swarms on hot summer days with residents and visitors, Willard Beach offers easy swimming and boating, as well as views of Fort Gorges. Convenient and free parking, lifeguards, a snack shack, and restrooms all add to its popularity. Dogs are permitted after sundown in the summer or all day in the off-season. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunsets; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Family-friendly Wonderland Trail, a 1.4-mile round trip, follows an old fire road through spruce forest and leads to rocky coast with nice tide-pooling at low tide. The nearby Ship Harbor Trail also draws families. Easy.    A portion of Route 102A (Seawall Road) was temporarily closed after 2024's winter storms. While repairs should be complete, if the loop road is closed, access it from its southern terminus with Route 102 in Bass Harbor, not its northern terminus in Manset. Watch for signs.