10457 Best Sights in USA

It's great to read about and trade cards of your favorite players, but this museum puts you face-to-face with them. Thirty-odd baseball legends are immortalized in wax, and will perhaps interest kids more than adults. When your interest in all that wax starts to wane, you can slug it out in the virtual-reality batting cage, buy a team pennant or jersey in the gift shop, or grab lunch in the café.

Beautiful Keuka Lake views are one of the draws at this winery built by John and Josephine Ingle in 1977. John Ingle maintains the winery's Ingle Vineyards, which were planted on the western shore of Canandaigua Lake in 1972 and feature chardonnay, cabernet franc, merlot, Riesling, and pinot noir grapes. Heron Hill's winemaker, Thomas Laszlo, oversees the Heron Hill Vineyards, which were planted here in 1968 and include chardonnay and Riesling grapes. The Heron is open from May through October.

The 1.6-mile (one-way) route parallels the Little Calumet River through a section of the park near the Dunewood Campground. While the namesake great herons have moved on, it remains one of the best places to go bird-watching in the Midwest. It's also known for wildflowers in spring and fishing in spring and fall during the trout and salmon spawning runs. Easy.

This maritime museum, devoted to the sport of yachting, honors the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, maker of yachts for five consecutive America's Cup defenses. The museum's several dozen boats range from an 8½-foot dinghy to the Defiant, a 75-foot America's Cup winner. Halsey Herreshoff, a four-time cup defender and the grandson of yacht designer and company co-founder Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, established the Hall of Fame in 1992 as an arm of the museum, which hosts talks on yacht design and restoration and operates a sailing school for both kids and adults. Visitors can come by land or sea for a summer music series on the museum's lawn.

Herring Cove Beach is relatively calm and warm for a National Seashore beach, but it's not as pretty as some because its parking lot isn't hidden behind dunes. It's close to town, so in warm weather it's always crowded. The lot to the right of the bathhouse is a great place to watch the sunset. Daily parking is $25; the annual seashore pass grants access to all six national park beaches and costs $60. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets; showers. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

The old factory contains two operating carousels—one from 1916 and a smaller "kiddie carousel" from the 1940s—as well as a menagerie of hand-carved carousel animals, some quite elaborate.

Hershey Gardens opened in 1937 with a single 3½-acre plot of roses, and over eight decades has grown to include 11 theme gardens on 23 landscaped acres. Home to more than 3,500 rosebushes and 20,000 tulips, the gardens come to life in spring as thousands of bulbs burst into bloom. Flowering displays last until fall, when late roses open. The year-round Butterfly Atrium hosts hundreds of pollinators from around the world, and don't miss the chocolate-themed Children's Garden. A garden shop is on-site.

This multimedia experience features the life and work of Milton S. Hershey, who founded the town bearing his name—and just about everything in it. On display is a working Hershey Kiss wrapping machine plus other memorabilia from the company's long history. A highlight is the Chocolate Lab, which offers hands-on workshops (for a fee). The Pantry Cafe sells tasting flights of hot chocolates from around the world as well as light fare.

Chocoholics will rejoice at the sight of the two-story West Coast flagship of Hershey's Chocolate, which is a part of the streetscape fronting New York–New York. The attraction stocks more than 800 types of candies and includes a nearly 800-pound Statue of Liberty made of milk chocolate. Visitors can personalize Hershey's chocolate bar wrappers, star in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup TV ad, marvel at the Kisses and Jolly Rancher flavor walls, or indulge in a chocolate shake, Double Chocolate S'more, or another sweet treat from the bakery.

Just outside the gates of Hersheypark, Chocolatetown greets visitors with a gentle amusement-style ride through the chocolate-making process. The Hyperdeck virtual reality experience transports you away from all things chocolate; outside is the 1919 Carrousel with 66 hand-carved wooden horses and Candymonium, Hersheypark's tallest, longest, and fastest roller coaster. The year-round eateries include a full-service restaurant, ice cream parlor, and confectionery shop that all focus on chocolate (Heath Bar–crusted salmon, anyone?).

A limestone structure, rustic from the outside but modern within, contains tasting salons and a gallery exhibiting museum-quality works by artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Anselm Kiefer, and Robert Rauschenberg. Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is the portfolio's star, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir additional strong suits. Some experiences include a tour of the art Swiss founder Donald Hess collected; others might involve an ATV vineyard excursion, food pairings, or comparing Cabernets.

This free museum is part of Bard's highly respected Center for Curatorial Studies. Located on the south end of the Bard campus, it's known for cutting-edge exhibits of contemporary art and includes more than 3,000 works by some of most prominent artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Donald Judd, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Cindy Sherman.

Cookware for sale catches the eye at this contemporary concrete-and-glass tasting room before wine bottles do—the founder manufactures pots and pans for upscale outlets like Williams-Sonoma and in the 2020s introduced a line by chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry. Sit down for a tasting, though, and attention quickly shifts to the polished, almost voluptuous wines that two acclaimed winemakers craft for four separate labels. The Meyer and Stephanie Cabernet Sauvignons and the Stephanie Petit Verdot, all from grapes grown amid the southern Vaca Range, are particularly successful, as is the Vincent Christopher Pinot Noir.

When Congress approved the O'Shaughnessy Dam in 1913, pragmatism triumphed over aestheticism. Some 2½ million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area continue to get their water from this 117-billion-gallon reservoir. Although spirited efforts are being made to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley to its former, pristine glory, three-quarters of San Francisco voters in 2012 ultimately opposed a measure to even consider draining the reservoir. Eight miles long, the reservoir is Yosemite's largest body of water, and one that can be seen up close from several trails.

This opulent, Romanesque Revival mansion, also known as the Brewmaster's Castle, was the home of Christian Heurich, a German immigrant who made his fortune in the beer business. Heurich's brewery was in Foggy Bottom, where the Kennedy Center stands today. The building, a National Register of Historic Places landmark, is considered one of the most intact Victorian houses in the country, and all the furnishings were owned and used by the Heurichs. The interior is an eclectic mix of plaster detailing, carved wooden doors, and painted ceilings. The downstairs Breakfast Room, which also served as Heurich's bierstube (or beer hall), is decorated like a Rathskeller with the German motto "A good drink makes old people young." Heurich must have taken the proverb seriously. He drank beer daily, had three wives, and lived to be 102. Head to the website to see up-to-date hours and latest programming, which in the past has included guided tours, a holiday market, and outdoor happy hours.

This Georgian-style double house was the townhome of Thomas Heyward Jr., patriot leader, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and slaveholder. The city rented the residence for George Washington's use during the president's weeklong stay in Charleston in 1791. Inside, visitors find historic Charleston-made furniture, notably the withdrawing room's Holmes Bookcase, considered to be one of the most exceptional examples of American colonial furniture. Don't miss the formal gardens, which contain plants commonly used in the area in the late 18th century. Also significant is the 1740s kitchen building, as it's the only one of its kind open to the public in Charleston, and the laundry building, where new interpretive panels acknowledge the role that enslaved people played at the property.

Natural and cultural history of the Morongo Basin and high desert are the focus here. A small live-animal display includes scorpions, snakes, lizards, and little mammals. You'll also find gems and minerals, fossils from the Paleozoic era, taxidermy, and Native American artifacts. There's also a children's area and art exhibits.

This extremely popular trail leads to a natural bridge of Kayenta sandstone, with a 133-foot opening carved by intermittent flash floods. Early on, the route climbs a set of steps along the Fremont River. The trail splits, leading along the right-hand branch to a strenuous uphill climb to the Rim Overlook and Navajo Knobs. Stay to your left to see the bridge, and you'll encounter a moderate up-and-down trail with an elevation gain. Up the wash on your way to the bridge is a Fremont granary on the right side of the small canyon. Allow about two hours for the 1.8-mile round-trip, which has an elevation gain of about 400 feet. Moderate.

Hidden Lake Overlook is an easy, 1½-mile hike from the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Along the way, you'll pass through beautiful alpine meadows known as the Hanging Gardens. Enjoy incredible views of Hidden Lake, Bearhat Mountain, Mt. Cannon, Fusillade Mountain, Gunsight Mountain, and Sperry Glacier. It's common to see mountain goats near the overlook. If you want a challenge, continue hiking all the way down to the edge of the lake—a moderate 5.4-mile round-trip hike. Easy to moderate.

Lore claims that this 1-mile trail loops through a big-boulder valley often used by cattle rustlers as a hideout. Kids love to scramble on and around the rocks before sitting down for sammies at shaded picnic tables.

Set among huge rock formations, with picnic tables shaded by dense trees, this is one of the most pleasant places in the park to stop to eat.

Crawl through the rocks surrounding Hidden Valley to see where cattle rustlers supposedly hid out on a 1-mile loop. Easy.

Also called the Bluebird Building, this Queen Anne–style commercial structure, a granite, copper-domed building with red polychromed brick, occupies a block in the heart of downtown. On the National Register of Historic Places, it's now home to a bank and several shops, including Butterfly Herbs, a local favorite for coffee, tea, spices, and candy.

The high-alpine region east of the valley—a land of alpenglow and top-of-the-world vistas—is often missed by crowds who come to gawk at the more publicized splendors. Summer wildflowers, which pop up mid-July through August, carpet the meadows and mountainsides with pink, purple, blue, red, yellow, and orange. Hiking is the only way to get here. For information on trails and backcountry permits, check with the visitor center.

This isn't the park's highest dune, but it's high enough to provide a view of all the dunes from its summit. It's on the first ridge of dunes you see from the main parking area.

Stand on a bridge over the Genesee River, watch and listen to the High Falls cascading 96 feet, and feel the power that drove Rochester's flour mills in the 19th century. The Triphammer Forge, a reconstructed waterwheel, is one of the largest in the state. Frontier Field and Eastman Kodak world headquarters are across the street. The High Falls entertainment district has pubs, clubs, and restaurants, as well as frequent events in summer and a laser show every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

A spectacular 700-foot waterfall and ancient granite cliffs are highlights of the self-guided tour of this gorge. It was created as the Ausable River cut through the granite base of Whiteface Mountain. In winter, you can rent snowshoes, skis, or snowboards. Nearby are a shop, restaurant, and picnic areas. There are only two seasons to visit here: summer and winter.

The High Falls Visitor Center has a museum, with interactive exhibits, that give an overview of Rochester history.

Colorful and quirky miniature Seussian trains on separate tracks embark on a slow and pleasing tour that provides an aerial view of the area, with Seusslike narration along the way. You'll roll right through the Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous and along the shores of the lagoon, where you can see the Sneetches as they enjoy the beaches. Kids love trains, and with its cartoonish design, they'll love this one even more. A treat for kids (and grown-ups, too!). For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Kids love trains, so plan to get in line (or possibly use Express Pass), especially if you have young ones.