10405 Best Sights in USA

One dazzling room leads into another at this winery's Rutherford hospitality center. A courtyard and its centerpiece aqua-tile fountain crowned by two canary palms draw attention even before guests reach the brasserie-style atrium, whose natural light constantly shifts. Hosts conduct the introductory Taste of Bella here, with successively more comprehensive sessions unfolding in several salons, culminating in the Jewel Box Tasting featuring top Cabernet Sauvignons paired with small bites. Glass walls in this experience's second-floor room reveal valley-floor vistas east to the Vaca Range. Bella Union, a Far Niente brand, first distinguished itself with smooth drinkable Cabernet blends. The whites, including a delicate Pinot Blanc, show the winemaker's range.  At  4–6 pm courtyard "Social Hours," servers pour wines by the glass and bottle. 

The flowers, trees, and other plants in Bellagio's soaring atrium are fresh and alive, many of them grown in a 5-acre greenhouse. The artistic floral arrangements and ornamental landscaping here is breathtaking and in some cases monumental in scale. Displays change each season, and the holiday displays in December (for Christmas) and January (for Chinese New Year) are particularly dramatic.

This gallery—one of the last of its kind inside Strip hotels—was originally curated from Bellagio founder Steve Wynn's private collection. Today, with Wynn long gone, the gallery operates independently, bringing in traveling exhibits from some of the most famous art museums in the world. Shows have featured works by Picasso, Fabergé, and Warhol. The adjacent Perrotin Store offers prints, publications, and artist-designed objects.

Sightseers come to Bellagio for three main reasons: the fountains out front, the Dale Chihuly installation of glass flowers in the lobby, and the conservatory gardens. Any one of these attractions is worth the trip. All three make the casino resort a must-see. The fountains are a spectacle in and of themselves: 1,200 jets in all, streaming and bursting in a choreographed water ballet across the man-made Bellagio lake. The conservatory gardens are particularly stunning during Christmas and Chinese New Year. The glass flowers are pretty amazing as well: the sculpture is named Fiori di Como, and it continues to inspire more than two decades after it was created. But there are other reasons to spend some time at Las Vegas's first real destination resort. For starters, with restaurants from Michael Mina, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Wolfgang Puck, Bellagio still has one of the best restaurant rosters in town. Then, of course, there's the patisserie's chocolate fountain. This is one of the largest of its kind in the world and there's almost always a line to watch how it works. To cap it off, the Bellagio contains numerous luxe boutiques like Chanel, Dior, and Gucci.

If you're after a wine-tasting experience that feels less like a formal presentation of wines and more like sitting down with old friends, Bells Up is the place to go. It’s run by a husband-and-wife team Sara and Dave Specter, who personally lead wine tastings, one group at a time. Along with the expected Pinot Noirs and Blancs, Bells Up offers Syrahs, Cabernets, and the occasional lesser-produced varietal, such as Seyval Blancs. Each wine is named for a piece of classical music, which—like the name of the winery itself—is inspired by Dave’s love for the French horn. 

The once-abandoned amusement park between the bay and Mission Beach boardwalk is now a shopping, dining, and recreation complex. Twinkling lights outline the Giant Dipper, an antique wooden roller coaster on which screaming thrill seekers ride more than 2,600 feet of track and 13 hills (riders must be at least 4 feet, 2 inches tall). Celebrating its hundredth birthday in 2025 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this is one of the few old-time roller coasters left in the United States.

Other Belmont Park attractions include miniature golf, a laser maze, video arcade, bumper cars, a tilt-a-whirl, and an antique carousel. The zipline thrills as it soars over the crowds below, while the rock wall challenges both junior climbers and their elders.

The Plunge San Diego indoor swimming pool was the largest—60 feet by 125 feet—saltwater pool in the world when it opened in 1925; it's had freshwater since 1951. Johnny Weismuller and Esther Williams are among the stars who were captured on celluloid swimming here. After an extensive renovation, the pool now features expansive windows and a retractable glass ceiling, and is once again a San Diego landmark. Open to the public, its many lap lanes and a large inflatable obstacle course make the Plunge San Diego a popular choice for athletes and recreational swimmers alike.

The closest thing you'll get to a Willy Wonka experience in Vermont, the 30-minute tours at the famous ice cream brand's factory are unabashedly corny and only skim the surface of the behind-the-scenes goings-on, but this flaw is almost forgiven when the samples are dished out. To see the machines at work, visit on a weekday (but call ahead to confirm if they will indeed be in operation). Another highlight is the "Flavor Graveyard," where flavors of yore are given tribute with tombstones inscribed with humorous poetry.

The city's wealthiest lived along this Colonial thoroughfare during the 18th and early 19th centuries—and most of the original wood-frame structures have been beautifully restored as homes for today's families. Benefit Street passes by the campuses of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Of particular interest are the 1707 Stephen Hopkins House on the corner of Benefit Street and Hopkins Street, a former governor's home; the Providence Athenaeum at 251 Benefit St., a onetime haunt of Edgar Allan Poe; and the John Brown House museum on the Brown University campus.

The rich collections here feature military artifacts, early tools, dolls, and the Bennington Flag, one of the oldest of the Stars and Stripes in existence. Other areas of interest include early Bennington pottery, the Gilded Age in Vermont, and mid-20th-century modernist painters who worked in or near Bennington. The highlight for many visitors, though, is the largest public collection of works by Grandma Moses (1860–1961), the popular self-taught folk artist who lived and painted in the area.

Winemaker-partner Mike Sullivan's Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs would taste marvelous even in a toolshed, but guests to Benovia's unassumingly chic Russian River Valley ranch house will never know. Appointment-only tastings of his acclaimed wines—Benovia also produces Grenache, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon—take place in the brown-hued living room or on the open-air patio. From either vantage point, views of the estate Martaella Vineyard all the way to Mt. St. Helena draw the eye. Weekday vineyard tours focus on the winery's earth-friendly farming practices; production tours track the wine-making process from vineyard to barrel to glass.

The gardens' 15 acres contain extensive plantings of exotic and native flora—some 2,500 varieties in all—plus greenhouses, ponds, nature trails, and a small gallery. A guided tour, included with admission, leaves daily at 11 am, or grab a self-guided tour at your leisure. October's Harvest Festival is by far the biggest of the facility's annual events.

The sweet scent of the country's premier craft gin permeates the Berkshires' first legal distillery since Prohibition. The retail store, open every afternoon, sells Greylock Gin, a multiple gold-medal winner, and Ethereal Gin, whose ingredients are reimagined every season, among other spirits. Take a self-guided distillery tour and try a complimentary tasting. During the summer, there's live music in the outdoor pavilion where you can sip on craft cocktails. 

On a typical day, this 3,700-acre compound 7 miles north of town houses some 1,600 rescued animals, mostly dogs and cats but also horses, rabbits, farm animals, and even wildlife in need of shelter. They receive dozens of visitors who come to take one of the free 90-minute tours (offered four times daily) or a special tour of Dogtown, Cat World Headquarters, Bunny House, Parrot Garden, or one of the other animal-specific areas of the sanctuary and to walk through the animal cemetery or even hike in adjacent Angel Canyon. Founded in 1984 and with several other adoption centers and offices around the country, Best Friends is the largest animal sanctuary in the United States and one of the world's most successful and influential no-kill animal rescue advocacy organizations. It's a rewarding visit if you love animals, and if you have the time and interest, you and your family can volunteer for a day at this amazing place. The organization also operates the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile, a unique pet-centric hotel and gift shop. All tours should be booked online or by phone, even if same day.

Few New York views are more romantic than the one from the top of the magnificent stone staircase that leads down to the ornate three-tiered Bethesda Fountain. The fountain, dedicated in 1873, was built to celebrate the opening of the Croton Aqueduct, which brought clean drinking water to New York City. The name Bethesda was taken from the biblical pool in Jerusalem that was supposedly given healing powers by an angel, which explains the statue The Angel of the Waters rising from the center. The four figures around the fountain's base symbolize Temperance, Purity, Health, and Peace. Beyond the terrace stretches The Lake, filled with swans, gondolas, and amateur rowboat captains. At its eastern end is the new and improved Boathouse, home of a deck bar, an outdoor café for on-the-go snacks, and a pricier restaurant for more leisurely meals.

This lovely orchard 1 mile west of Paonia markets its own organic apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, and plums throughout the summer. You can pick them yourself, along with a variety of other produce, or buy them in the shop in the form of homemade organic juices or hard cider; you'll also find local wines, art, honey, and more. The café serves tasty sandwiches, salads, and Colorado-style Mexican entrées that can be enjoyed indoors or out. There's live music outdoors on many summer evenings, and kids will keep themselves entertained on the variety of tree swings. Camping is also available.

Exhibits here explain the area's flora and fauna, and staffers provide maps and camping and hiking information. You can sign up for canoe and kayak tours of Big Bear Lake or naturalist-led tours of the Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve in spring and summer or snowshoe excursions in winter. The center is also the starting point for Cougar Crest Trail and the paved Alpine Pedal Path Trail. 

The largest state park in Texas serves as an enormous western buffer to Big Bend National Park. This rugged desert wilderness extends along the Rio Grande across more than 300,000 acres from east of Lajitas to Presidio. It's far less developed than the national park (if that seems possible) and nearly one-third as large, and it's filled with amazing opportunities to hike, mountain bike, backpack, raft, and ride horseback. A collection of hiking trailheads spoke off from FM 170 across from the Barton Warnock Visitor Center at Lajitas, which serves as the park's eastern information post and contains excellent exhibits on the region as well as a covered picnic area. The western visitor center is at 23-acre Fort Leaton State Historical Site near Presidio and contains a thick-walled adobe fort and trading post that dates back to pioneer days, plus exhibits, a ½-mile nature trail, and picnic sites.

This is the smallest picnic area in the park, with only 10 picnic tables. The creek is wide and inviting, with small swimming holes and several channels that create tiny islands. The picnic area is accessible via Exit 451 off of Interstate 40 or the unpaved Cove Creek Road from Cataloochee. There's a small campground here and restrooms but no pavilion. Several good hiking trails begin here, and the Appalachian Trail crosses the road near the entrance at Davenport Gap.

Clyde Butcher's Big Cypress Gallery is a wonderful spot for finding a postcard, a calendar, or a more serious piece of art. Butcher, a big guy with an even bigger beard, is known for his stunning photography of landscapes and his knowledge of the 'glades; his famed black-and-white images from deep within the Everglades and Big Cypress have been compared to Ansel Adams's portraits of the American West. Out back, Butcher also rents a bungalow ($295 per night, October–April) and a cottage ($350 per night, year-round).  Look into Butcher's private eco and photo swamp tours. After all, "to know the swamp, you have to get into the swamp," he says.

A relatively level (it has some steps and a short section that's a bit steep), paved pathway leads through these almost hallucinatory wonders of various formations and decorations. Exhibits and signage also provide a layman's lesson on how the cavern was carved (for even more details, rent an audio guide from the visitor center for $5).

The 0.7-mile, wheelchair-accessible portion of this path is a must, as it does not take long, and the setting is spectacular: beautiful Round Meadow, surrounded by many mature sequoias. Well-thought-out interpretive signs along the way explain the ecology on display. Parking at the trailhead lot off Generals Highway is for cars with handicap placards only. The full, round-trip loop from the Giant Forest Museum is about a mile long. Easy.

More than 250 different bird species along with a slew of reptiles, mammals, and amphibians thrive amid the marshes and grasslands of this 4,529-acre refuge—the largest estuary restoration in the Pacific Northwest—situated on the delta formed by the Nisqually River's confluence with Puget Sound. Just 8 miles east of downtown Olympia, the tranquil space feels a world away from civilization and is laced with 4 miles of trails, some of them along boardwalks. Naturalists lead guided walks and give lectures on weekends from April through September, and a visitor center contains exhibits and a nature store.

Present-day Pioneer Square is actually one story higher than it used to be. After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, Seattle's planners regraded the neighborhood's streets, which had been built on filled-in tide lands and regularly flooded. The result? There is now an intricate and expansive array of subterranean passageways and basements beneath Pioneer Square, and Bill Speidel's Underground Tour is the only way to explore them. Speidel was an irreverent historian and former Seattle Times reporter who took it upon himself to preserve historic Seattle, and this 75-minute tour is packed with his sardonic wit and playful humor. Younger kids will almost certainly be bored, as there's not much to see at the specific sites, which are more used as launching points for the stories (some of the tour is above ground, as well). Comfortable shoes, a love for quirky historical yarns, and an appreciation of bad puns are musts.

Home to the city's largest and most important collections of art, the Blanton underwent major renovations in 2023 that expanded the 200,000-square-foot institution into a more fully developed museum campus. Visitors arrive through a new check-in building and cross to the main gallery via a stunning outdoor pavilion, shaded by three-story, flower petal-like structures, with an adjacent “sound gallery” park space and chapel installation by Ellsworth Kelly. Monthly Second Saturdays ($20) are a great time to enjoy live music and themed pop-up entertainment, in addition to after-hours tours of the collections. The museum café is closed temporarily, but the local Justine's Brasserie team is set to reopen a casual French concept on-site in spring 2025. Museum admission is free every Tuesday. There is garage parking, but the museum doesn't validate, so regular rates apply.

This 150-acre internationally recognized preserve is a stunning mix of natural woodlands and beautifully landscaped gardens—including a moss garden, a Japanese garden, a reflection pool, and the impressive former Bloedel estate home. Dazzling rhododendrons and azaleas bloom in spring, and Japanese maples colorfully signal autumn's arrival. Picnicking and pets are not permitted. Timed tickets can be reserved in advance.

Managed by the Nature Conservancy, this protected area on Jupiter Island is headlined by an almost otherworldly looking limestone shelf that fringes South Florida's most turquoise waters. Also protected within its 73 acres are plants native to beachfront dunes, coastal strands (the landward side of the dunes), mangrove swamps, and tropical hardwood forests. There are two short walking trails on the Intracoastal side of the preserve, as well as an education center and a butterfly garden. The best time to come and see the "blowing rocks" is when a storm is brewing: if high tides and strong offshore winds coincide, the sea blows spectacularly through the holes in the eroded outcropping. During a calm summer day, you can swim in crystal clear waters on the mile-long beach and climb around the rock formations at low tide. Park in one of the two lots, because police ticket cars on the road.

Anne Moller-Racke, founder of the Pinot Noir powerhouse The Donum Estate and its president for nearly two decades, established this smaller label also devoted to serious Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. Hosts of private tastings at her 13-acre estate explain her “made-in-the-vineyard” philosophy and the several appellations where she cultivates grapes. Anchored by a circa-1880 Victorian and adjacent pump house, the former horse farm is now planted to 7 acres of grapes. Near the residence, a formidable century-old pepper tree and a rose garden with dozens of varieties catch the eye, the Mayacamas Mountains supplying the idyllic setting's backdrop. The appointment-only winery requests prospective guests inquire about visits at least 48 hours in advance.

About 8,000 diving permits are issued per year for folks who strap on tanks and plunge into the 80-foot-deep artesian spring–fed pool at the Blue Hole, which is also open for public swimming during daylight hours (no fee). Cliff diving is great fun here, as is snorkeling and coming face to face with the many koi and goldfish that have been deposited here over the years. The onsite dive shop has tanks, air, weight belts, and a few other basics available to rent. Weekly dive permits are $20; annual permits are $50.

Although it's only 1 mile long and significantly steeper than the rest, this trail at the park's midway point is one of the most popular and worth the effort. Moderate.