10457 Best Sights in USA

First Horizon Park is home to Nashville's triple-A baseball team, the Nashville Sounds. Game attendees will enjoy a variety of concessions, including craft cocktails and small bites at the outfield bar, The Band Box. And if you can't sit through an entire baseball game without getting fidgety, the park also has ping-pong tables and a minigolf course to keep you entertained.

Botanists will have a field day at First Landing State Park, which is inland from the Cape Henry lighthouses and near the army installation at Fort Story. Spanish moss grows no farther north than here, and blue spruce appears no farther south (and does not grow at First Landing). The park is a haven for red and gray foxes, raccoons, opossums, water snakes, and other denizens of swamp and dune. Boardwalks built just above the water level on the Bald Cypress Trail let you get close to flora and fauna while keeping your feet dry. There are cabins, campgrounds, picnic areas, and guided tours, plus supporting concessions and facilities.

Opened in 2023 with great fanfare, this historic post office–turned–new-neighborhood-bookstore and café has quickly become an always-happening Hyde Park institution. Early birds show up at the walk-up window and charming front patio seating for coffee and select baked goods starting at 9 am. The cozy, brightly colored interiors stay filled throughout the day, with small groups browsing the curated shelves of books, periodicals, and children's literature, and remote workers perched at a small smattering of tables and counter space. The shop stays open until 9 pm, and it's next door to a wonderful Tiny Grocer location and the Bureau de Poste restaurant. Check their events calendar in advance for free community events like author talks, book signings, and live outdoor music.

Next to the imposing church on the corner of Church Street and Mass Ave. lies the spooky-looking Colonial Old Burying Ground. Known as the most historic cemetery in Cambridge, it was established around 1635 and houses 17th- and 18th-century tombstones of ministers, Continental Congressmen, authors, early Harvard presidents, and Revolutionary War soldiers. The wooden Gothic Revival church, known locally as "First Parish," was built in 1833 by Isaiah Rogers and was given a face-lift in 2023. The congregation dates to two centuries earlier, and has been linked to Harvard since the founding of the college.

Built in 1773, just before the American Revolution, this stunning church is a marvel. The 1804 Asher Benjamin–style steeple stands proudly atop the village, and the sounds of the original Paul Revere bell can be heard for miles.

For centuries Native Americans hunted bison by stampeding them off a cliff at this 2,000-acre park, which is sacred to the state's original residents. This is one of the largest and best-interpreted buffalo jumps in the United States. The mile-long cliff affords a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains, the Missouri River, and the plains. An interpretive center focuses on the culture of the Plains Indians before white settlement. You can hike the 1½-mile-long trail to the top of the hill where buffalo runners led herds over the cliff to their demise.

Designed by Maximilian Godefroy in 1819, the church that year was the site for the sermon that definitively established Unitarianism as a denomination (the sermon was given by the church's founder, Dr. William Ellery Channing).

Walk down a mile-long coastal bluff trail to spot migrating whales, otters, and shorebirds at this 450-acre public preserve. Miles of additional scenic trails crisscross the protected habitats of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna, including a Monterey pine forest, western pond turtles, monarch butterflies, and burrowing owls. Dogs are permitted on-leash everywhere and off-leash on all trails except the bluff.

In a forested area adjacent to Lake McDonald, this picnic area has tables, drinking water, and restrooms. Nearby there's a swimming area and several trailheads.

While it’s not ideal for swimming because of the many sharp shells on the sand and in the water, this secluded public beach is a terrific spot for a walk, bird-watching, or shell- and shark tooth–hunting. It is not on the Atlantic Ocean, but rather on Port Royal Sound. Bonus: It neighbors historic Mitchelville, the site of the first Civil War–era community that was built and self-governed entirely by formerly enslaved people. Amenities: parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.

The University of Penn campus is worth a stroll around, and here the public is welcome inside (admittance is 9–6 weekdays for non-Penn visitors). One of the finest works of Frank Furness, this was the most iconoclastic library building in America when it opened in 1891. The acclaimed Philadelphia architect adorned the enormous reading room with Romanesque archways and skylights, and separated the soaring stairwell from study areas and stacks to minimize distractions. The unusual aesthetic extends to the exterior, with its terra-cotta panels, short heavy columns, and gargoyles on the north end. The mottoes inscribed on many of the original leaded-glass windows were chosen by Horace Howard Furness, Frank's older brother and a Shakespeare scholar on Penn’s faculty. Energetic visitors can make the long climb up the main staircase to see the upper half of the tower.

Fisherman's Walk, which begins near Harbor Beach, is an easy stroll. Starting across Stage Neck Road from the beach, it passes waterfront businesses, historic homes, and rocky harbor beaches on the way to York's beloved Wiggly Bridge. This pedestrian suspension bridge alongside Route 103 (there is minimal parking here) leads to Steedman Woods, a public preserve with a shaded loop trail along the York River estuary's ambling waters. You can also enter the preserve near the George Marshall Store Gallery in York Village.

The mournful barking of sea lions provides a steady soundtrack all along Monterey's waterfront, but the best way to actually view the whiskered marine mammals is to walk along one of the two piers across from Custom House Plaza. Lined with souvenir shops, the wharf is undeniably touristy, but it's lively and entertaining. At Wharf No. 2, a working municipal pier, you can see the day's catch being unloaded from fishing boats on one side and fishermen casting their lines into the water on the other. The pier has a couple of low-key restaurants, from whose seats lucky customers might spot otters and harbor seals.

If you can't distinguish between a Clark's nuthatch and an ermine (one's a bird, the other a weasel), check out the exhibits about the park's smaller wildlife at this distinctive stone-and-log building, built in 1931. Step out the back door to find yourself on one of the beautiful black obsidian beaches of Yellowstone Lake. Adjacent is one of the park's larger amphitheaters. Ranger presentations take place here nightly in summer.

Founded in 1866, Fisk is Nashville's oldest university. In 1930, it became the first historically black institution to gain accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and the 40-acre campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. Its students were instrumental in many of the sit-in demonstrations in Nashville. The Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery has an extensive art collection worth visiting, and the Jubilee Hall, the first permanent structure in the South built for the education of black students, is where you'll find a floor-to-ceiling portrait of the original Jubilee Singers, who started touring in 1871 to raise funds for the university; they performed for Queen Victoria. Tours are available.

Outdoor education programs, ¼- to 2-mi hiking and skiing trails, a wildlife garden, and an exhibit center with animals are at this 400-acre preserve 10 mi southwest of downtown. You can picnic on the grounds.

Like its better-known neighbor Calvert Cliffs State Park, Flag Ponds Nature Park has spectacular views of the cliffs, but with just a short stroll to the beach, this county park is the more accessible of the two. Until the 1950s the area was a busy fishery, and some of the buildings from that era still stand. Today it beckons with bathhouses, a fishing pier, 3 mi of gently graded hiking trails, observation decks at two ponds, a boardwalk through wetlands, and indoor wildlife exhibits. Soaring cliffs, flat marshland, and wildflowers (including the blue flag iris, for which the park is named) provide stunning contrasts. A shark's tooth, which scientists date at more than 10 million years, is the big prize in a fossil hunt on the beach, one of the park's most popular activities.

The Flaming Gorge area is as rich in history as it is spectacularly beautiful. Mountain men such as Jim Bridger and outlaws such as Butch Cassidy found haven here, and in 1869, on his first exploration down the Green River, John Wesley Powell named many local landmarks: Flaming Gorge, Horseshoe Canyon, Red Canyon, and the Gates of Lodore. The recreation area straddles the border between Wyoming and Utah; most of the park's visitor services are in Utah. There are marinas, campgrounds, places to rent horses and snowmobiles, and trails for mountain bikes, as well as lodging and food. The Ashley National Forest administers the area.

Past Red Fleet Reservoir north of Vernal, U.S. 191 begins to ascend the eastern flank of the Uinta uplift as you head toward Flaming Gorge. The section of U.S. 191 and Highway 44 between Vernal and Manila, Utah, is known as the Flaming Gorge–Uintas National Scenic Byway. Within a distance of 30 miles the road passes through 18 uptilted geologic formations, including the billion-year-old exposed core of the Uinta Mountains, with explanatory signs. The route also provides plenty of opportunity for wildlife-watching and fossil hunting, with several nature trails. Before setting out, pick up a guide at the Utah Field House of Natural History.

Wander through the aviary, arboretum, and wildlife sanctuary at Flamingo Gardens, and don't miss the Everglades museum inside the historic Wray Home. A half-hour guided tram ride winds through tropical fruit groves and wetlands, where a large collection of Florida native wildlife lives (flamingos, alligators, bobcats, otters, panthers, and more).

Flamingo features a visitor center where you can consult with rangers and join walking tours, and it's also where you'll find a well-stocked marina store with beverages, snacks, camping provisions, and a gift shop. There are also boat rentals, guided boat tours, walking trails, an RV and tent campground, and a collection of "eco-tents" on the shores of Florida Bay that lean toward "glamping." The winter season is traditionally the busiest, so be sure to arrive with reservations in hand, while during the hot and rainy summer season, portions of the campground may be closed due to flooding. 

Just next to the pool area at the Flamingo Las Vegas, a flamboyance of live Chilean flamingos lives on islands and in streams surrounded by sparkling waterfalls and lush foliage. Other animals on-site include swans, ducks, koi, sturgeons, brown pelicans, hummingbirds, and turtles. The 4-acre habitat makes for a fun, brief stroll. Learn more during the Keeper Talks at 10 am.

Attractions at the university's science museum include a 16-inch public telescope for evening stargazing; hands-on science exhibits about the solar system, fossils, bugs and marine biology; and planetarium shows.

This is one of the hidden gems in the park. It's a little known but delightful hike, especially in summer when the higher elevation means respite from stifling temperatures. The 2.6-mile path stretches through pretty woodlands with evergreens, birch, rhododendron, and wildflowers. The elevation gain is about 570 feet. Moderate.

This playhouse in a converted barn—the official State Theatre of North Carolina—presents a nine-month calendar of Broadway musicals, plays, tribute concerts, and a holiday variety show.

Information on visiting the Bob Marshall Wilderness is available through the Flathead National Forest website or office, which have maps, listings of outfitters and access points, and safety information about travel in bear country.

Along with the Northwest Tower across the street, this distinctive three-story, terra-cotta structure, situated on a busy six-cornered intersection, is a visual symbol of Wicker Park. Its creaky upper floors have long served as a sort of informal arts colony, providing studio and gallery space for a number of visual artists.

Interactive exhibits here are artfully educational and for all ages: older kids can get hands-on with inventive projects in Studio X, while the five-and-under set can be easily entertained with interactive play stations like the Ball Wall and Fire Truck in the center's Kid City. The IMAX Giant Dome Theater, which screens exhilarating nature and science films, was the world's first, as was the Fleet's "NanoSeam" (seamless) dome ceiling that doubles as a planetarium.