10457 Best Sights in USA

Though most of Great Diamond is closed to the public, the Inn at Diamond Cove welcomes visitors and offers plenty to do. Housed in what was once Fort McKinley, a United States Army coastal defense fort built in the late 1800s and retired in the 1940s, it’s a combination resort, with several eateries as well as private residences. Guests can play tennis and indoor basketball, lounge at the pool, or use the complimentary bikes. Visitors often take the ferry just for the day, or for dinner at the property's fine dining establishment, Diamond's Edge. The area is car-free, so if you're not staying at the Inn, be prepared to explore on foot or bring your own bike.

Meanwhile, Little Diamond can be accessed on foot at low tide via Lamson Cove, and is filled with private residences, many of which can be rented during the summer months.

If you're not a nature lover, hiker, or biker, don't take the time to visit the Great Dismal Swamp. If you are, do take mosquito repellant. The forbidding name was possibly assigned to the area by William Byrd on one of his early-18th-century surveying expeditions. George Washington once hoped to drain it. Today the swamp is a 106,000-acre refuge that harbors bobcats, black bears, and more than 220 varieties of birds. A remarkably shallow lake—3,000 acres, 6 feet deep—is surrounded by skinny cypress trees that lend the scene a primeval quality. One hundred miles of hiking and biking trails, including a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk, stand in stark contrast to nearby downtown Portsmouth and Norfolk.

Starting just north of the entrance road on South Beachview Drive, this 20-acre stretch of beach runs alongside Main Street and the convention center to South Dunes Beach at Glory Boardwalk (built when the final battle scene of the film Glory was shot here), next to the soccer complex. This is one of the most accessible beaches on the island, with parking at both ends and good shower-restroom facilities. The white-sand beach is backed by dunes, which are protected wildlife areas, while calm, shallow water, and a mild shore break make this a good spot to swim and play in the surf. It's the most popular beach for families on the island. Amenities: parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.

Six roller coasters are among the 125-plus rides at this theme park. The water-park area (open Memorial Day through Labor Day) includes labyrinthine slides, a 25,000-square-foot wave pool, and a raft ride with waterfalls and water bombs. Shows include a high-dive act.

"Don't touch" are words never spoken here. The museum is hands-on through and through, with an art studio, replica vet's office and grocery store, a "beach" with real sand, a touch tunnel, and other interactive play areas. Kids and grown-ups alike will marvel at Reefscape, a brilliantly colorful fabric and yarn interpretation of Florida's underwater ecosystems.

The oldest surviving house of worship in Rhode Island reflects the quiet reserve and steadfast faith of Colonial Quakers, who gathered here to discuss theology, peaceful alternatives to war, and the abolition of slavery. Built in 1699, the two-story structure has wide-plank floors, simple benches, a balcony, and a wood-beam ceiling. The Newport Historical Society can arrange group tours; the group's tour exploring religious tolerance also stops here.

Housed in the town's former fire station, this museum promotes and celebrates the Mount Desert Island region's maritime heritage. Inside, a map of the Great Harbor at the mouth of Somes Sound anchors a display that helps visitors orient themselves to the area as well as the museum. Interesting changing exhibits about local history have a nautical theme and include photographs and objects like ship models from the museum’s collection as well as other area institutions.

America's only all-freshwater aquarium, on the harbor at the foot of Fifth Avenue West, has been open since 2000. In addition to fish native to Lakes Superior and Erie, it houses—all under one roof—a natural-history center, science center, and cultural exhibits covering regional topics like Great Lakes shipwrecks, management of water systems in national forests, and the invasion of zebra mussels. Classroom space hosts educational programming for children and adults, and typically sells out during the summer months. There's also a café and a gift shop.

Three of the six buildings that make up the brewing complex were stables and a warehouse for the Schlather Brewing Company at the turn of the 20th century; they've been restored to expose the grandeur of their gabled roofs and cork walls. The two-story brewhouse has full glass walls so you can see the brewmasters at work, while the tap room houses artifacts excavated from the old Schlather Brewing Company site—including the building's hallmark keystones, beer bottles, and brass serving plates. The restaurant and bar attached to the brewery is smoke-free, a testament to the owners' renowned environmentally friendly practices. Tours leave on the hour.

More than 400 interactive exhibits and daily demonstrations and an OMNIMAX theater await you at this indoor-outdoor educational center. Science and technology displays include a bridge of fire, a touchable indoor tornado, and an especially good area that focuses on the environment of the Great Lakes region. A working wind turbine on the front lawn provides the museum with supplemental, renewable power.

The truly great 14-acre oval has endured billions of footsteps, thousands of ball games, hundreds of downpours, scores of concerts including regular events by the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, the annual Global Citizen concert of superstars, and even the crush of people attending one papal Mass. The lawn and adjoining Turtle Pond are located on the site of a former reservoir for the 19th-century Croton Aqueduct system, which was filled in early in the 20th century. Yet it's the stuff of a suburbanite's dream—perfectly tended turf (a mix of rye and Kentucky bluegrass), state-of-the-art drainage systems, automatic sprinklers, and careful horticultural monitoring. The area hums with action on weekends and most summer evenings, when its softball fields and picnicking grounds provide a popular and much-needed outlet for city folk (and city dogs) of all ages, just as the Sheep Meadow does a bit farther south in the park. Although Central Park is dog-friendly, dogs must be on a leash.

In 2023, Universal Orlando joined the escape room trend to create two of its own, each one themed to a legendary film. After entering a classic movie theater and passing into a lobby, you'll embark on your chosen adventure—either Back to the Future: Outatime or Jurassic Park Escape—following a series of hidden clues and tasks through eight rooms to complete your mission. This involves either tracking down Biff, who's stolen Doc Brown's latest time-travel device, or solving a puzzle that will keep you from coming face-to-face with an escaped dinosaur (which technically could be avoided if you had Doc Brown's time-travel device).

You can go solo, but you might be assigned to participate with a group of other guests (no more than six other people). Plus it's much more fun solving puzzles, completing tasks, and looking for clues with a group. The venue is open daily, with the first experiences starting at around 10:45 am and the last ones at around 10:30 pm. In addition, two on-site bars serve beer and wine as well as specialty cocktails and mocktails.  Reservations are a good idea, and you should arrive about 15 minutes before the start of your experience, which will take about an hour to complete. 

Hand-carved grizzly bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and river otters gallop through the center of town on this carousel, which operates most afternoons (except on major holidays). You can also buy locally made premium ice cream and fudge here.

Since its inception in 1968, nearly 8 million spectators have attended this larger-than-life experience, making it the most attended outdoor drama in the United States (according to the Institute of Outdoor Drama at the University of North Carolina). The performance features 170 actors and hundreds of live animals on a three-stories-tall set the size of two football fields, built into the side of a hill. Other attractions on the grounds include a sacred art museum, a Bible museum, a replica of parts of the Holy Land, and the 67-foot high statue, "Christ of the Ozarks," erected here in 1966. An all-you-can-eat buffet is also available for an extra charge. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

This surprisingly sophisticated little museum right next door to the Phillips County Historical Museum houses some of Montana's finest fossils and includes a fossil preparation laboratory that visitors can view. Specimens on display include Roberta, a well-preserved brachylophosaur, and Leonardo, which has been celebrated as the best-preserved dinosaur fossil ever discovered. Both specimens were unearthed near Malta. Other gems include rotating exhibits of fossil collections and a great kids' education program. The station includes a gift shop. Amateur dino hounds can sign up here for a guided dig.

Parts of Great Salt Lake are as much as nine times saltier than the ocean and second only to the Dead Sea in salinity. What makes this massive body of water so briny? There's no outlet to the ocean, so salts and other minerals carried by rivers and streams become concentrated in this enormous evaporation pond. Easy access to this wonder is possible at this state park on the lake's south shore, 16 miles west of Salt Lake City. A pavilion, souvenir shop, and dance floor honor the park's glory days when ballroom dancing and the lake brought thousands of visitors to its shores.

The state park used to manage the beaches north of the pavilion, but the lake is generally too shallow here for floating (Antelope Island State Park is better for that). What you can do here is walk down the boat ramp to Great Salt Lake State Marina and stick your legs in the water to experience the unique sensation of floating on water that won't let you sink. Your feet will bob to the surface, and you'll see tiny orange brine shrimp floating with you. Depending on water levels, you can also rent boats and stand-up paddleboards here and shower off at the marina.

View exhibits and artwork, browse in the bookstore, and watch a 20-minute film with an overview of the dunes. Facilities include restrooms and a vending machine, but no other food.

This wonderfully wild, ecologically unique 1,576-acre preserve takes up much of Great Wass Island, which is linked by causeway to Beals Island. Hiking here can be challenging, and it's fog-prone even for the Maine coast, but the rewards may include spotting gray seals as you make your way among the rocks and boulders at Little Cape Point. Just beyond the only trailhead is the start of the 4½-mile loop to the point, made up of three trail sections. Plan six hours for the round-trip as hiking here is moderate to difficult. One half of the loop passes through woods with a deep rug of moss, looks out from ledges on a coastal raised bog, and has a boardwalk through a sedge-shrub marsh. The other leads to a fjord-like cove and crosses pink granite cliffs, revealing “wow” views of neighboring islands; near Cape Point, the loop's halfway point, the trail runs along a cobble beach. Stunted jack pines and rare plants like beachhead iris grow in the preserve's cool, humid climate, created by converging ocean waters. No pets are allowed; if it’s been raining, it may be too wet for hiking.

Dominating the Grotto picnic area near Zion Lodge, this massive Navajo sandstone peak juts 2,000 feet above the valley floor. The popular formation lies about 3 miles north of Canyon Junction.

At 8,681 feet, Greathouse Peak is the tallest mountain in the Big Snowies. Vehicles are permitted on Forest Service roads that reach partially to the peak, but the simplest way up is to hike the 6 miles of unmarked trails that zigzag up the slope from Halfmoon Canyon. The main trail, which is only mildly strenuous, doesn't quite make it to the top; to reach the summit, you'll need to hike a few yards off the main path. You'll know you've reached the highest point when you see the stone cairns. The Judith Ranger Station in Stanford is your best source for Snowies information.

This small strip may as well be half a world away from the rest of the West Loop. Greek restaurants are the main draw here. Continue west on Madison, past the slew of new condo developments and vintage conversions in progress, and you'll come to one of Chicago's popular dining and nightlife destinations. On a stretch of Madison roughly between Sangamon and Elizabeth streets, you'll find boutiques, trendy bars and lounges, and popular restaurants. The National Hellenic Museum, at 333 South Halsted, explores the Greek immigrant experience and the influence of Greek culture.

Fanciful animals and geometric shapes populate this large topiary garden on a Narragansett Bay--side Victorian estate that served as the summer residence of a Fall River, Massachusetts, textile mill owner. In addition to the whimsical topiaries, there are flower and herb gardens, orchards, and winding pathways. Picnicking among the shrubbery is encouraged.

On Saturday morning from April through November and Wednesday from May through October, the market takes over a large swath of grass at the south end of Lincoln Park. Farm stands showcase locally grown fruits and vegetables, as well as meats, cheeses, and pastas. Visitors can also dine at food booths and watch cooking demonstrations by local celebrity chefs. When the outdoor season ends, an abbreviated version of the market sets up shop in a warehouse in Avondale.  

This beautiful 342-acre park is a favorite of Seattleites, who jog, bike, and walk their dogs along the 2½-mile paved path that surrounds the lake. Beaches on both the east and west sides (around 72nd Street) have swimming rafts. Canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats can be rented (seasonally) at Green Lake Boat Rental on the eastern side of the lake. There are also basketball and tennis courts and baseball and soccer fields. A first-rate play area includes a giant sandbox, swings, slides, and all the climbing equipment a child could ever dream of—and the wading pool is a perfect spot for tots to cool off (in summer, when the temp is above 70 degrees). The park is generally packed, especially on weekends. And you'd better love dogs: the canine-to-human ratio here is just about even. Surrounding the park are lovely homes, plus a few compact commercial districts where you can grab snacks or dinner after your walk.

This is a wonderful place to discover Vermont's outdoor wonders. The center's 255 acres of diverse habitats are a sanctuary for all things wild, and the 5 miles of trails provide an opportunity to explore the workings of differing natural communities. Events include bird-monitoring walks, wildflower rambles, nature workshops, and educational activities for children and adults.

This station is manned with friendly rangers and has dozens of recreational maps.

On tours of this factory co-op, you can watch workers using vintage equipment spin alpaca, mohair, wool, and organic cotton into yarn. The shop sells yarn, knitting accessories, and patterns.

Head to the Green Pleasure Pier for a good vantage point of Avalon Harbor. On the pier you can find a visitor information office, fish-and-chip snack stands, a bait shop, a dive shop, and a tour boat ticket stand. This is also a gathering spot where tourists rent small motorboats and paddleboards.