10457 Best Sights in USA

Among the 23 gardens here are the Lower Rose Garden, whose classical design was inspired by the Villa Lante gardens in Bagnaia, Italy, and the Oval Rose Garden, where many Texas roses grow. The Japanese Garden is beautiful in fall, when the leaves on the maples begin to turn, and in spring, when cherry and other blossoms burst forth. Also on-site is a 10,000-square-foot conservatory.

This museum has interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and an Omni IMAX theater.

The oldest continuous zoo site in Texas, the lush grounds here house more than 5,000 exotic and native animals—including Komodo dragons, koalas, and a rare white tiger—in natural habitat exhibits. The Texas Wild exhibit offers an overview of the wildlife and habitats of the state's different regions. Children love the train, petting zoo, interactive barn, and weather theater.

An independently operated animal rescue center, Fortress of the Bear offers the chance to see bears up close without worry for safety. The center, 5 miles east of Sitka, shelters a handful of brown and black bears, both adults and cubs, in large enclosures that allow them to interact and play. In addition to creating a hospitable environment for bears that might otherwise be euthanized, the center educates visitors about proper human–animal interaction.

A short drive off Highway 62, this site is a bit of a preview of what the park's interior has to offer: a fan palm oasis, barrel cacti, interesting petroglyphs, and evidence of fires built by early Native Americans. Because animals frequent this area, you may spot a coyote, bobcat, or roadrunner.

Allow three hours for this moderately strenuous, 3-mile trek. There's no shade, and the trail climbs 300 steep feet in both directions, eventually dropping down into a canyon where you'll find an oasis lined with fan palms, which can only be viewed from boulders above. Look closely to see evidence of Native Americans in this area, from traces of cooking fires to rocks carved with petroglyphs. Moderate.

A unique concentration of creatures is embedded in the natural limestone outcrop at Fossil Butte National Monument, indicating clearly that this area was a freshwater lake more than 50 million years ago. Many of the fossils—which include fish, insects, and plants—are remarkably clear and detailed. Pronghorn, coyotes, prairie dogs, and other mammals find shelter within the 8,198-acre park, along with numerous birds, such as eagles and falcons. You can hike two trails and unwind at the picnic area. A visitor center here houses an information desk and fossil exhibits, including a 13-foot crocodilian, long since extinct but related to the modern crocodile.

This small but charming window into the past is housed in a former church and features fossils and displays related to early settlement in the area. See an old still and wine vat, as well as a taxidermied two-headed calf.

This peaceful covered picnic area between the Persimmon Gap and Panther Junction visitor centers is beside the parking lot for the Fossil Discovery Exhibits. There's a pit toilet.

Some of the trees in this 14-acre botanical garden, which opened in 1931, date from 1853, when Queen Kalama allowed a young German doctor to lease a portion of her land. More than 170 years later, you can see these trees and many others along with bromeliads, orchids, and other tropical plants, some of which are rare or endangered. Look out in particular for the cannonball tree and the redwood-size quipo tree.

One of the Seattle art scene's heaviest hitters has digs as impressive as the works it shows: a century-old building with high ceilings and 7,000 square feet of exhibition space. Works by internationally acclaimed Northwest masters Kenneth Callahan, Mark Tobey, Alden Mason, and George Tsutakawa are on permanent display.

Take the ½-mile loop boardwalk to see the fumaroles (steam vents), blue pools, pink mudpots, and mini-geysers in this thermal area. The trail is popular, and sometimes a bit overcrowded, in summer and winter because it's so accessible. Easy.

Everything and everyone from parades to politicians stop here at the center of Downtown. The centerpiece of this Queen City landmark is the Tyler Davidson Fountain, which was cast in 1867 at the Royal Bavarian Foundry in Munich, Germany. The fountain depicts the importance of water through the use of 13 allegorical figures. The main female figure, called the Genius of Water, stands with her arms stretched out, and water sprays from the palms of her hands. The city cleaned and moved the fountain as part of a $43 million renovation of the square and its underground parking facilities in 2005 and 2006 that yielded a more open configuration, a giant outdoor video screen, and, in the winter, an expanded ice rink. The square is a popular lunch spot in fair weather, as well as being the site of the city's annual Oktoberfest ceremony.

About 30 mi west of Shiprock you can reach the only place in the United States where you can stand in four states at the same time—at the intersection of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Wide-open skies—broken occasionally by a distant mesa—surround the site, which was refurbished in 2010 on this very spot, refuting a flock of reports that the original 1912 marker for it might have been a few miles off. Native American artisans sell their wares here nearly every day of the year. Facilities include picnic tables and restrooms, but you must bring your own drinking water.

The Navajo Nation manages this landmark about 65 miles southeast of Bluff and 6 miles north of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. Primarily a photo-op spot, you'll also find Navajo and Ute artisans selling authentic jewelry and crafts, as well as traditional foods. It's the only place in the United States where four states meet at one single point. Surveyors now believe the monument—a stone and metal marker sitting at the intersection of Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico—is roughly 1,800 feet east of the correct spot. The small entry fee of $8 per person is cash-only, so be sure to get money prior to heading out.

An inlaid brass plaque marks the only point in the United States where four states meet: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Despite the Native American wares and booths selling greasy food, there's not much else to do here but pay a fee and stay long enough to snap a photo; you'll see many a twisted tourist trying to get an arm or a leg in each state. The monument is a 75-mile drive from Kayenta and is administered by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department. The entry fee is payable by card only now, and dogs are not allowed.

If you decide to hike up Four-Mile Trail and back down again, allow about six hours for the challenging, 9½-mile round-trip. (The original 4-mile-long trail, Yosemite's first, has been lengthened to make it less steep.) The trailhead is on Southside Drive near Sentinel Beach, and the elevation change is 3,220 feet. For a considerably less strenuous experience, you can take a morning tour bus up to Glacier Point and enjoy a one-way downhill hike. Difficult.

A welcome visual and physical oasis amid the high-rise hubbub of North Michigan Avenue, this Gothic Revival house of worship is the oldest building on North Michigan Avenue apart from the Old Water Tower complex (which survived the Chicago Fire of 1871). Designed by Ralph Adams Cram, the church drew many of its congregants from the city's elite but now reflects the city's diversity. Local architect Howard Van Doren Shaw devised the cloister and companion buildings.

In July and August, free concerts are staged every Friday at 12:10 beside the courtyard fountain off Michigan Avenue; other months they're performed in the sanctuary.

Once an industrial area, this walkable stretch of Fourth Street north of University Avenue has transformed into the busiest few blocks of refined shopping and eating in Berkeley. A perfect stop for lovers of design, curated taste experiences, artful living, and fashion, the vibrant district boasts more than 70 shops, specialty stores, cafés, and restaurants. Find inspiration at Builders Booksource and Stained Glass Garden or sip a perfect drip coffee at Artís, where you can watch small-batch coffee roasting in progress—one pound at a time.

Charlotte's popular old neighborhood began as a political subsection created for electoral purposes in the mid-1800s. The architecture and sensibility of this quiet, homespun neighborhood provide a glimpse of life in a less hectic time.

This historic 1¼-mile loop trail begins across Skyline Drive from the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, allowing visitors a peek into rural mountain life by stepping foot onto what was once a family farm. Stroll past carefully placed rock walls, periwinkle vines, and a family cemetery filled with grave sites of the Fox family, one of more than 400 families that lived on the land before Shenandoah National Park was established in 1935. Hiking time is less than one hour. No pets allowed on this trail. Easy.

Towering over the 20th Century Fox studio lot in Century City is Fox Plaza, a 34-story skyscraper where former president Ronald Reagan once had an office. Savvy screen watchers will undoubtedly know it by its more famous name---Nakatomi Plaza. Starring in the blockbusting juggernaut Die Hard, the building is shot at, blown apart, and set on fire as Bruce Willis takes down a German terrorist cell. It can be fun to see if you're a fan of the movie, but be aware this is just an office building, so there’s not a whole lot to do but look at it.

Some of the region's best wines are produced at this winery, opened in 1990 in a converted Civil War–era dairy barn on the shores of Seneca Lake. All the wines are winners, but the Rieslings, gewürtztraminer, and dry reds are particularly notable. In 2008, Fox Run was the first New York State winery in 22 years to be chosen as one of the top 100 wineries in the world by Wine and Spirits magazine. Tours are given every hour on the hour (weather permitting) until 4 pm. A café serves homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches, prepared fresh daily by the CIA-trained chef; all of Fox Run's wines are available by the glass in the café. Note: it has an address in Penn Yan, but is actually closer to Geneva.

Set on the slope of Black Rock Mountain, this outdoor museum re-creates life in Appalachia before the days of electricity and running water. The museum features a collection of authentic and reconstructed log cabins, a gristmill, a blacksmith's shop, and an operating weaving workshop, along with tools and displays about life in daily life and mountain culture. The Foxfire organization was born in 1966 when students at the Rabun Gap–Nacoochee School wrote articles for a magazine based on generations-old family stories. Their excitement in chronicling life in the Appalachians has led to more than a dozen Foxfire books, which have sold nearly 9 million copies.

Owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on reservation lands near Ledyard, Foxwoods is the largest resort casino in North America. The enormous compound, which opened in 1992, draws 40,000-plus visitors daily to its seven casinos with more than 3,400 slot machines, 300 gaming tables, and a 3,600-seat bingo parlor. This 9-million-square-foot complex includes four luxury hotels, a 5,500-square-foot pool "sanctuary," two full-service spas, a retail concourse, numerous dining options, several theaters and other venues that attract national performers, a video arcade, extreme sports facilities, a bowling alley, children's activities, an 18-hole championship golf course, and—as counterpoint to all that action—marked trails through the surrounding woods. The newest attraction, the Great Wolf Lodge, opened in 2025 on 13 acres next to the casino; it incorporates a 91,000 square-foot water park, and a 61,000 square-foot family entertainment center.

One block north of the Rotunda, the Fralin Museum of Art (formerly known as the University of Virginia Art Museum) houses art from around the world, including pieces from ancient times to present day.

Vassar was the first college in the United States to have an art gallery, and that gallery eventually grew into the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, housed in a 1993 Cesar Pelli building. The center's collections include more than 19,000 works, from Egyptian and Asian relics to 19th- and 20th-century paintings. Highlights are the Warburg Collection of Old Masters prints and several significant Hudson River School paintings donated by Matthew Vassar.

The contains galleries large enough for oversize works and innovative installations, a 150-seat presentation room, and multimedia classrooms for lectures and film screenings. The rooftop is the setting for summer concerts.

Built in 1850, this two-story, brick, Greek Revival townhouse is the former private residence of the architect who designed the Lanier and Shrewsbury–Windle houses. An architectural marvel due to the complex design and construction within a small space, it features twin fireplaces, egg-and-dart moldings, and a portico with two fluted columns capped with Corinthian capitals. Fine woodwork throughout is another testament to Costigan's skill as an architect. Period furniture and wallpaper provide a peek at late-1800s interior design.

The famous film director sold his namesake winery, but the hospitality complex he once called his "wine wonderland" still contains memorabilia from his movies and those of other Coppola family members. A bandstand reminiscent of one in The Godfather Part II is the centerpiece of a large pool area, where in season you can rent a cabine (changing room with shower) and bask poolside, perhaps ordering food from the adjacent café. The more elaborate Rustic restaurant overlooks the vineyards. Walk-ins are welcome to view the movie exhibits and sip a few of the winery's 40-plus wines at the bar, but reservations are recommended for seated experiences.