10457 Best Sights in USA

Focusing on a region now covered by five states—the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, and Nebraska—this center features artifacts such as a Deadwood-Spearfish stagecoach. Outdoor exhibits include a log cabin, a one-room schoolhouse, and, in summer, an entire farm set up with antique equipment. Often on the calendar are cowboy poetry, a cowboy supper and show, live music, and historical talks.

When the sun is unforgiving, this overlook offers more shade than most of the other picnic areas. There are tables and bathrooms but no fire grates. This spot also has the park's most reliable cell phone reception.

Wander through the 1786 John Haley House and the 1801 Hoggatt House, where rotating exhibits highlight Piedmont history and Quaker heritage with local artifacts. On Saturdays, costumed reenactors demonstrate trades like traditional blacksmithing. The museum is home to native son John Coltrane's childhood piano and a school bus cab with operational lights that's fun for kids.

Standing more than 100 feet taller than the London Eye, the 550-foot-tall High Roller is the largest observation wheel in North America. The giant Ferris wheel at the east end of The LINQ features 28 glass-enclosed cabins, each of which is equipped to hold up to 40 passengers. One full rotation takes about 30 minutes, with visitors getting one-of-a-kind views of Sin City and the surrounding Las Vegas Valley. The experience begins and ends in a state-of-the-art wheelhouse, where visitors can read about the engineering behind the project as they wait in line, buy drinks to take with them on the ride, or pick up souvenirs commemorating the spin. There's also a Happy Half Hour option, which includes unlimited drinks and a bartender. The best time to ride the wheel is nighttime, when 2,000 LED lights on the wheel itself create an otherworldly vibe.

Nestled in between campsites 20 and 21 in the Black Rock Canyon Campground, this 1.4-mile loop climbs up a steep ridge to score views of nearby Mt. San Gorgonio (snowcapped in winter). You can pick up a pamphlet describing the vegetation you'll see along the way at any visitor center. It is 2.1 miles if you start at the Black Rock Nature Center. Moderate.

This difficult, roughly 8.6-mile (one-way) trail is the longest and most diverse trail within the park, traversing mixed-grass prairies, ponderosa pine forests, and the riparian habitats of Highland Creek, Beaver Creek, and Wind Cave Canyon. Even those in good shape will need a full day to cover this trail round-trip. Difficult.

Home to the Truro Historical Society, the 1907 Highland House was once a grand summer hotel in its time, boasting of many private rooms, meals, and even one shared indoor bathroom. Now a museum, each season a new exhibition highlights Truro's rich history; upstairs you can see how early settlers lived and the unique industries they created to survive. There is also a room dedicated to Edward and Jo Hopper and their art and lives in Truro. Throughout the summer, talks, live music events, and children's programs are offered.

Truly a breathtaking sight, this is the Cape's oldest lighthouse. The first light on this site, powered by 24 whale-oil lamps, began warning ships of Truro's treacherous sandbars in 1797—the dreaded Peaked Hills Bars, to the north, had claimed hundreds of ships. The current light, a 66-foot tower built in 1857, is powered by two 1,000-watt bulbs reflected by a huge Fresnel lens; its beacon is visible for more than 20 miles.

One of four active lighthouses on the Outer Cape, Highland Light has the distinction of being listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Henry David Thoreau used it as a stopover in his travels across the Cape's backside (as the Atlantic side is called). Twenty-minute tours of the lighthouse are given daily in summer. Children must be 48 inches tall to enter.

Established in 1888, this was Rochester's first public park. Site of the hugely popular Lilac Festival, Highland Park has more than 500 varieties of lilacs. Walking paths crisscross the park and lead to a reservoir that provides an unobstructed view for miles to the south.

In the center of Highlands, the Highlands Botanical Garden, run by Western Carolina University, is a 30-acre biological reserve of native plants. There's also a small nature center, open seasonally.

Highway 21 Drive In is a charming throwback that's fun for the whole family. Showing a variety of classic movies and recent hits, the outdoor theater has been attracting crowds since 1978. A recent change in ownership brought on a refresh, including updates to the projection system and grooming of the grounds. What hasn’t changed: the old-school concessions stand has everything from popcorn and candy to burgers and corn dogs, as well as funnel cakes and root beer floats. Even the ticket prices are a nod to another time and include double features on two screens. It’s totally worth the trip for this slice of nostalgia to see "where the stars come out at night." 

Travel north of Death Valley along Highway 395 for breathtaking views of Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain (14,496 feet) in the continental United States. Travel south this scenic byway, between Olancha and Big Pine, to see the massive salt-crusted Owens Lake, which was drained between 1900 and 1920 as water from the Sierra was diverted to Los Angeles.

Revered by the National Audubon Society, the lake is home to more than 240 migrating birds, including the snowy plover, American white pelican, golden eagle, and countless grebes, bitterns, blue herons, and cranes. On its northwest end are brilliant red salt flats, caused by billions of microscopic halobacteria that survive there. As tempting as it might be, don't drive onto the dry lake since tow rescues are complicated and costly. For the best views, drive the switchbacks toward Horseshoe Meadow.

From Trinidad, the scenic Highway of Legends curls north through the Cuchara Valley. As it starts its climb, you'll pass a series of company towns built to house coal miners. The Highway of Legends, also known as Route 12, takes you through some of the wildest and most beautiful scenery in southern Colorado. You can start the drive in Trinidad or La Veta.

Get a panoramic view of all the surrounding dunes from the top of High Dune. Since there's no formal path, the smartest approach is to zigzag up the dune ridgelines traversing about 2½ miles round-trip. High Dune is 688 feet high, and to get there and back takes about two hours, or longer if there's been no rain for some time and the sand is soft. If you add on the walk to the 736-foot Star Dune, plan on another three or four hours and a strenuous workout.

This stone platform, once an impressive temple dedicated to the god Lono, was built by King Kalaniopuu. When Captain Cook arrived in 1778, ceremonies in his honor were held here. It's still considered a religious site, so visit with respect and do not walk on the platform. There are small pathways nearby, and the heiau is tended to by lineal descendants of people who lived in the area.

Across Broadway from the University of Colorado campus is the Hill, a favorite student hangout. The neighborhood is home to restaurants, music venues, bars, coffeehouses, head shops, and boutiques.

You can view the exteriors of nearly 100 military aircraft dating from the early years of flight to the present at this impressive 30-acre indoor-outdoor museum at the north end of Hill Air Force Base, about 7 miles south of downtown Ogden. There are also missiles, military vehicles, munitions, uniforms, and thousands of other artifacts.

The small, quiet mountain town of Hill City is the gateway to Mount Rushmore. Despite having just 950 residents, the community claims four art galleries, a world-renowned dinosaur research institute, five wineries and craft breweries with tasting rooms, a vintage steam railroad, and a popular visitor center on its eastern flank.

With more than 5,300 acres of rolling hills, spring-fed creeks, and thick patches of live oaks, this natural park is a slice of backcountry paradise. Adventurers seeking an avenue for primitive camping, mountain biking, backpacking, limited fishing, and even horseback riding will find happiness here. Make sure to bring plenty of water, and you'll need to pack out what you bring in. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

Doug Hill farms grapes for prominent Napa wineries, but at the urging of his son, Ryan, the family began bottling its own Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and other wines. Crafted by Alison Doran, a protégé of the late Napa winemaker André Tchelistcheff, these are refined reds you can sample, along with whites that include Albariño and Chardonnay, on a 7½-acre estate. Alfresco tastings take advantage of classic valley views—vineyards and the board-and-batten winery building up close, the Mayacamas Mountains farther west. Appointment-only visits are limited to a few guests per day, but the family also operates a tasting salon less than a mile away in downtown Yountville. Ask about seasonal tours (with tasting) of a "secret garden" that grows produce for The French Laundry and other top restaurants.

Built in 1786, this is one of the oldest freestanding houses in Society Hill, with elegantly restored interiors and some of the finest Federal and Empire furniture in Philadelphia. Touches of Napoléon's France are everywhere—the golden bee motif woven into upholstery; the magenta Aubusson rug; and stools in the style of Pompeii, the Roman city rediscovered at the time of the house's construction. Upstairs in the parlor, there’s an inkstand that retains Benjamin Franklin's actual fingerprints. Originally built by a wealthy wine importer, the house's most famous owner was Philip Syng Physick, the \"Father of American Surgery\" and a leading physician in the days before anesthesia. His celebrated patients included President Andrew Jackson and Chief Justice John Marshall. The garden planted outside the house is filled with plants common during the 19th century; complete with an Etruscan sarcophagus, a natural grotto, and antique cannon, it’s one of the city’s loveliest. Tour times change throughout the year, so check in advance.

Converted from a private home into a museum by its talented owner, turn-of-the-20th-century female architect (unusual at the time) Theodate Pope, the house has a superb collection of French Impressionist art displayed in situ, including Claude Monet's Grainstacks and Edouard Manet's The Guitar Player hanging in the drawing room. Poetry readings take place in the elaborate Beatrix Farrand–designed sunken garden every other week in summer.

Buy freshly picked apples (usually early September to late November) at this 80-acre farm. Homemade jellies, jams, breads, and doughnuts are available at the farm's market and bakery. On September and October weekends, the Apple Pickin' Jubilee features live music, wagon rides, apple picking, and other activities. There's also a petting zoo and a picnic area.

The old Hillsboro Dude Ranch complex is probably the best known and easiest to reach of the four ranch ruins within the recreation area. There are old log cabins, cellars, chicken coops, and other buildings that belonged to Grosvener W. Barry, one of the area's more colorful characters in the early 20th century. He attempted three gold-mining ventures, all of which failed, before opening a dude ranch here.

About 2 miles north of Pompano Beach, you'll find a beautiful view across Hillsboro Inlet to a lighthouse, which is often called the brightest lighthouse in the Southeast and has been used by mariners as a landmark for decades. When at sea you can see its light from almost halfway to the Bahamas. Although the octagonal-pyramid, iron-skeletal tower lighthouse is on private property (inaccessible to the public), it's well worth a peek, even from afar. The Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society offers tours about eight times a year (sometimes on holiday weekends), and these include a boat ride to and from the lighthouse. Visit the society's website for the current schedule and tips on viewing vantage points. Tours cost around $35 per person.

Twelve miles north of Chapel Hill, Hillsborough shares Orange County, a loyalty to the Tar Heels, and a similar sensibility for culture and history. This is a small town with much of what you'd expect (historical homes, arts and crafts galleries, a picture-perfect town square) and a few things that may surprise visitors (a record store bar, a vintage jewelry store, farms with goat yoga). Good weather invites people to stroll along the Eno Riverwalk on the NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail, picnic outside the Federal-era Ayr Mount estate, or hike up Mt. Occoneechee. Last Fridays brings live music, gallery openings, and late shopping hours to Churton Street and downtown. A full events calendar includes the Handmade Parade, Hog BBQ Days, and a Solstice Celebration Lantern Walk.

Cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post was a celebrated philanthropist, businessperson, and socialite, who was also known for her passion for collecting art and creating some of the most beautiful homes of the 20th century. Of these, the 25-acre Hillwood Estate, which Post bought in 1955, is the only one now open to the public. The 36-room Georgian mansion, where she regularly hosted presidents, diplomats, and royalty, is sumptuously appointed, with a formal Louis XVI drawing room, private movie theater and ballroom, and magnificent libraries filled with portraits of the glamorous hostess and her family and acquaintances, as well as works from her rich art collection. She was especially fascinated with Russian art, and her collection of Russian icons, tapestries, gold and silver work, imperial porcelain, and Fabergé eggs is considered to be the largest and most significant outside Russia. She devoted equal attention to her gardens; you can wander through 13 acres of them. Allow two to three hours to tour.

With all the buzz about Kona coffee, it's easy to forget that estate-grown coffee is produced throughout the rest of the island; the Hilo Coffee Mill, on 24 acres in lush Mountain View, is a pleasant reminder of that. In addition to farming its own coffee on-site, the mill has partnered with several small coffee farmers in East Hawaii in an effort to put the region on the world's coffee map. You can sample the company's efforts, tour the mill, and watch the roasters in action. They host a farmers' market every Saturday from 9 to 2.

This small center at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park has exhibits about the area's flora and fauna. A starting point for ranger programs (daily in summer, some weekends the rest of the year), the center has restrooms and a picnic area.