10457 Best Sights in USA

This center for African American art and culture honors the legacy of the Hayti (HAY-tie) neighborhood, a once-thriving black community which was destroyed by the Durham Freeway construction. In addition to music and theater performances, dance classes, exhibitions of black art and history, and walking tours, the center hosts events like the Hayti Heritage Film Festival.

Learn more about the history of track-and-field at the University of Oregon by paying a visit to Hayward Hall, a 4,000-square-foot exhibition space featuring interactive displays and running-related ephemera. Windows near the entrance look out over the historic Hayward Field, which was demolished and rebuilt from scratch to host the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

A sizeable granodiorite rock formation provides a first-rate vantage point to savor views of Hazel Mountain and Buck Ridge in the distance. With southeast-facing views, it's also tops for a vibrant sunrise.

George W. Headley was a prominent designer of jewelry and small decorative art objects known as bibelots. Dozens of his pieces are on display here in a museum on his former estate.

Among the hikes in Capitol Reef's South District, this typically quiet (you may have it all to yourself) trek offers a great reward—it leads into a narrow slot canyon with soaring cliff walls—but requires relatively little effort. It takes only about an hour to complete this 2.2-mile round-trip trail with an elevation gain of about 400 feet. Easy.

Thousands of local historical artifacts are on display in the Headwaters Heritage Museum, including a small anvil and all that is left of a trading post, Fort Three Forks, established in 1810. The museum is free, but contributions are more than welcome.

Run by beach conservation group Heal the Bay, this live marine-life menagerie contains more than 100 species of marine animals and plants, all found in Santa Monica Bay. The Dorothy Green Room features live and interactive exhibits about local watersheds and shark feedings and short educational films on the weekends. The Kid's Corner provides books, games, and a puppet show. Don't miss this chance to learn about the area's ecology and the staggering evidence of how pollution is affecting ocean life. The aquarium can be tricky to find—look for it tucked under the eastern end of the Santa Monica Pier bridge along Ocean Front Walk. Follow the colorful seascape murals that cover the outside walls. Free admission for kids ages 3 and under.

On a tree-lined street in downtown Leadville you'll find the Healy House and Dexter Cabin, two of Leadville's earliest residences. The lavishly decorated rooms of the Healy's clapboard house provide a sense of how the town's upper crust, such as the Tabors, lived and played.

Old whaling equipment and Hearst Ranch and Hearst Castle memorabilia decorate this winery's casual Old San Simeon outpost. The tasting room occupies a historic warehouse building with a gift shop, deli, and an outdoor deck and umbrella-shaded tables overlooking San Simeon Cove. The flagship wines include the Bunkhouse Cabernet Sauvignon, named after the historic Hearst Ranch building designed by Julia Morgan, and Rhône-style white and red blends. Malbec and Tempranillo are two other strong suits.

Stroll through this 3½-acre green space, which includes a palm walk, a Japanese garden, and a collection of 100 bonsai trees. There is also a gift shop with whimsical and botanical knickknacks. Guided tours are available by appointment for an extra fee.

This lively complex at the base of the Heavenly Gondola has good shopping, an arcade for kids, a cinema, a skating rink in winter, miniature golf in summer, and the Loft for magic shows and other live entertainment. Base Camp Pizza Co., Azul Latin Kitchen, and Kalani's at Lake Tahoe for seafood stand out among the several restaurants.

The museum, a wonderful example of beaux-arts architecture two blocks from downtown Huntington, houses more than 1,800 paintings, sculptures, and drawings. The permanent collection spans more than five centuries of European and American art, including Georgia O'Keeffe's Machu Picchu (Peruvian Landscape) and contemporary work by artist Olafur Eliasson. The museum also hosts impressive traveling exhibits. It's on the grounds of pleasant Heckscher Park, which has a playground, pond, tennis courts, and a band shell.

The most widely recognized of Red Mountain's many acclaimed wineries occupies a spectacular hillside château that looks like it could have been plucked straight out of the Bordeaux countryside. Indeed, the estate specializes in the classic French grapes that excel in this terroir, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah leading the charge. On cool days, sip your wine by the fire in the grand tasting room; in summer, have a seat on the patio overlooking the neatly groomed gardens.

Northern California is known for wine, but it's a different buzz at this meadery situated just outside the center of Point Reyes Station. All of the meads are sparkling, made in the Champagne production style. The honey comes from local hives owned by the meadery and from hives around the country and the world. Flavors can vary from Tanzanian miombo wildflower to Oregon white clover blossom. The tasting room is open daily.

Heifer Village is a $7.5 million educational facility built on the site of the world headquarters for Heifer International, a global nonprofit organization whose goal is to relieve world hunger and poverty. The environmental footprint for the ecologically friendly headquarters building comprises a former industrial wasteland that has been converted to thriving wetlands. Throughout the Village, you'll learn about world hunger and other global issues through hands-on exhibits, videos, and activities in either self-guided or structured visits, ranging from one to three hours. A light lunch is available on-site at the Heifer Cafe. Overnight and multiday activity options are available at Heifer Ranch, about an hour west in Perryville.

One of the best spots to watch the sunset, Heintooga Overlook has sweeping views westward of the crest of the Great Smokies.

Begin this drive near mile marker 458 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, about 11 miles from Cherokee. Travel about 8 miles along the paved Heintooga Ridge Road, a mile-high drive that is lined with evergreens. At this elevation, you’re often literally in the clouds. Near the Heintooga Picnic Area, take the narrow, unpaved 18-mile Balsam Mountain Road, sometimes called Roundbottom Road. Although it's only one lane wide and has many sharp curves, Balsam Mountain Road is well-maintained and does not require a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Travel trailers and other large vehicles are prohibited. The roadside scenery changes from firs and hemlocks as you descend from Balsam Mountain to the lowlands around Cherokee. There is a profusion of flowers along Balsam Mountain Road especially in the spring. If you tire of driving, there are plenty of nearby trails, including the 11-mile Balsam Mountain Trail and 3.3-mile Palmer Creek Trail. Another 12 miles on Big Cove Road, mostly through rural areas outside the park, gets you back to Cherokee.

Located on a walking path along the cliff all the way to Laguna's Main Beach, Heisler Park is one of the most picturesque parks in Laguna Beach. Visitors come early in the summer to secure a picnic table overlooking palm trees and panoramic ocean views. Take the stairs down to Diver's Cove for snorkeling, scuba diving, and tide-pool exploring. This is also a popular area for plein air artists to set up an easel and chair and paint for hours.

For a scenic, topsy-turvy backcountry drive or a challenging mountain-bike ride, follow 35-mile Hell's Backbone Road (aka Forest Road 153) from Escalante, where it begins as Posey Lake Road, to Boulder. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s, it's a gravel-surface alternate route to scenic Highway 12. You can make the drive with an ordinary passenger car in summer (it's impassable in winter), assuming dry conditions, but a four-wheel-drive vehicle is more comfortable. Allow about two hours to drive it. At roughly the midway point, the dramatic 109-foot-long Hell's Backbone Bridge, which crosses over a breathtaking 1,500-foot chasm, makes for a memorable photo op.

An institution on the North Fork since 1976, this casual yet lovely restaurant (definitely more than a snack bar) offers beautifully prepared authentic Greek specialties and fresh, local fish such as fluke—and the homemade lemonade is heavenly. The appetizer platter overflows with favorites like spinach pie, souvlaki (kebabs), and tzatziki (a yogurt-cucumber based sauce). Try the saganaki (broiled Greek cheese with lemon), for something different. For dessert, try the hard-to-pronounce but delicious galaktobouriko (custard pie with phyllo pastry). It's open from 7 or 8 am and closes at 9, 9:30, or 10 pm, depending on the day and season.

If you eat outside, you may want to bring bug spray.

A 1903 stone-and-shingle summer residence furnished in period style, the mansion, originally called Pine Lodge, was erected by businessman I.W. Hellman of San Francisco and inherited by his daughter, Florence Hellman Ehrman. The structure, designed by Wayne Danforth Bliss (the son of nearby D.L. Bliss State Park's namesake), had electric lights and full indoor plumbing, the height of modernity for its day. Docents lead tours in summer. The estate and grounds are open year-round.

Most travelers take a scenic peek from the overlook on the 45-mile Wallowa Mountain Loop, which follows Forest Service Road 39 (part of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway) from just east of Halfway on Route 86 to just east of Joseph on Route 350. At the junction of Forest Service Road 39 and Forest Service Road 3965, take the 6-mile round-trip spur to the 5,400-foot-high rim at Hells Canyon Overlook. This is the easiest way to get a glimpse of the canyon, but be aware that Forest Service Road 39 is open only during summer and early fall. During the late fall, winter, and spring the best way to experience Hells Canyon is to follow a slightly more out-of-the-way route along the Snake River just off the Wallowa Mountain Loop. Following Snake River Road north from Oxbow, the 60-mile round-trip route winds along the edge of Hells Canyon Reservoir on the Idaho side, crossing the Snake River at Hells Canyon Dam on the Oregon-Idaho border. Be sure you have a full tank before starting out, since there are no gas stations anywhere along the route.

This is the site of one of the largest elk herds in the United States, plus around 350 other species, including bald eagles, bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, cougars, beavers, otters, and rattlesnakes. The peregrine falcon has also been reintroduced here. Part of the area was designated as Hells Canyon Wilderness, in parts of Oregon and Idaho, with the establishment of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in 1975. Additional acres were added as part of the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984, and the recreation area currently extends across more than 652,000 wild and rugged acres. Nine hundred miles of trails wind through the wilderness area, closed to all mechanized travel. If you want to visit the wilderness, it must be on foot, mountain bike, or horseback. Three of its rivers (the Snake, Imnaha, and Rapid) have been designated as Wild and Scenic. Environmental groups have proposed the creation of Hells Canyon National Park to better manage the area's critical habitat. You can access the canyon from several points—see the website for an overview map.

Located within the old Hotel Helper in the town's National Historic District, this excellent museum doubles as a visitor center. A labyrinth of rooms spread over four floors depict everyday activities of Helper's past and include uncountable trinkets, toys, clothing, and tools from the various businesses and homes here. Some visitors come just for the incredible historic photographs, including several by Dorothea Lange of a nearby coal camp in the 1930s. The museum also features one of the best collections in the state of WPA paintings from Utah artists, including Price's own Lynn Fausett. An exhibit on railroad and mining equipment is located outdoors.

Splashier than many of its neighbors and a draw as much for its restaurant and seasonal live music as its wines, family-operated Helwig occupies a hilltop steel, wood, and glass tasting space with knockout views. The winery specializes in fruit-forward reds, most notably Barbera, Graciano, and Tempranillo; the sparkling rosé of Sangiovese shines among the lighter wines.

The site of the 1968 World's Fair, Hemisfair is in the process of being transformed into a 40-acre public space for the city and residential developments for a diverse population. The site currently houses some of San Antonio's best-known attractions: the Tower of the Americas, the Mexican Cultural Institute, and the Yanaguana Playground and Splash Pad for children, which was recognized by the Urban Land Institute as an outstanding example of a vibrant, open urban space.

Plans for the park remain ongoing. The Mays Family Foundation donated $1 million to build a garden in their matriarch Peggy's honor, a 25,000-square-foot space near the remaining historic homes on the site. The park is open every day from 5 am to midnight, and almost any time of day or night you will see people on the walking paths, dog walkers (dogs must be on a leash), and residents and visitors enjoying community programming like free concerts and outdoor workouts. Hemisfair is also home to various annual festivals and city celebrations, including Jazz's Alive, and the largest Day of the Dead festival, Dia de los Muertos, in the fall. Check their website for upcoming events.

When Burney Henderson sold his family's land to the state, it preserved the last remaining coastal scrub area in Destin. The park has more than a mile of undisturbed beachfront, campsites, and a boardwalk atop 30-foot snow-white sand dunes. Make a day of it: Walk the nature trail early in the morning, spend the afternoon at the beach, and hang around to enjoy a spectacular sunset. Amenities: food and drink; parking; showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Two groves of ancient redwoods accessible via short trails from the parking lot are the main attractions at this 945-acre park also perfect for a picnic.

Visit the home of Pocahontas and the second successful English settlement in the New World. Costumed interpreters reenact the lives of Virginia's Native Americans and English settlers who helped create the nation we know today.

Omaha's celebrated zoo has the world's largest indoor rain forest—the Lied Jungle—and a saltwater aquarium with one of the country's largest penguin exhibits. The zoo is also home to the largest nocturnal desert exhibit below ground. You can see more than 500 species of birds take flight in the zoo’s aviary, which, at 4 acres, is the world’s second-largest free-flight aviary. There's also an IMAX theater and a number of fun rides, including an aerial lift and a miniature railway.