263 Best Sights in USA

Bowling is just one reason families, couples, locals, and visitors head here for a night out, or indoor fun on a rainy—or sunny!—day. There are arcade games, billiards, foosball, cornhole, shuffleboard, darts, air hockey, and dancing and live music (check the website), plus 10 bowling lanes. Spirits Bar Grill & Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and folks stop in for ice cream, house-made donuts and bagels, or an espresso, settling in upfront in a curvy lounge seat or at the soda fountain--like counter. Images of fish, moose, loons, and Rangeley Lake are smattered on the dance floor and antler chandeliers cast a mellow glow, but the woodsy decor throughout this large establishment is modern and fun, not overdone. Between the dance floor and bowling lanes, the bar is faced with river stone veneer as are pillars inside and out. Here there's table seating, couches, and around the firepit, roomy armchairs. Order at the counter: food is delivered to your table, seat, lane, or game spot. The delish pub fare (try the chipotle sweet potato fries) is served until close. 

This interesting landmark is located about 42 miles from Cortez, 65 miles southeast of Bluff, and 6 miles north of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. The Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park is owned and operated by the Navajo Nation. On the Colorado side is the Ute Mountain Ute of the Corners. Primarily a photo op, 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 you can be in six places at one time: four states and two tribal parks meet at one single point. Bring plenty of water.

Live oak trees do as much to define the Lowcountry landscape as do its salt marshes, and this gorgeous specimen is likely the oldest—and biggest—in the country. One branch reaches 187 feet. The tree is surrounded by a 17-acre fenced park, which is free to visit. Bring a picnic and bask in the magnificent shade.

The closest thing you'll get to a Willy Wonka experience in Vermont, the 30-minute tours at the famous ice cream brand's factory are unabashedly corny and only skim the surface of the behind-the-scenes goings-on, but this flaw is almost forgiven when the samples are dished out. To see the machines at work, visit on a weekday (but call ahead to confirm if they will indeed be in operation). Another highlight is the "Flavor Graveyard," where flavors of yore are given tribute with tombstones inscribed with humorous poetry.

The west side's main picnic area offers stunning views of the High Peaks and access to some key trailheads. Look for knifelike Machete Ridge looming in the distance. There are few trees for shade, however, and it can get hot in summer. Restrooms and drinking water are available.

Chimneys, just off Newfound Gap Road and a little more than 6 miles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, may be the most loved picnic area in the park. Along both sides of a well-shaded loop road through the area are 68 picnic tables with grills. Some are wheelchair accessible. The prime spots along the wadeable stream that runs through the site fill up first. Huge boulders in the stream make for a striking view from your table. Potable water and flush toilets are available, but there is no group pavilion.

Expect the unexpected at this wildly fun, award-winning museum that's truly a playhouse for adults and kids alike. It's housed in a 100-year-old, 600,000-square-foot warehouse (the former International Shoe Building) that incorporates repurposed architectural and industrial objects to create features like metal walkways (miles of them), slides, caves, tunnels, and secret passages. There's also a rooftop school bus and a Ferris wheel. Oh, and a circus and a train.

Also known as Cold Beer, New Mexico (which is painted in huge white letters on the exterior), this little red roadhouse on the way to Cimarron from Raton continues a tradition from the Prohibition era. Among the joint's trademarks are an ongoing card game, Shiner Bock (a beloved beer from Shiner, Texas) on tap, Saturday-night dances, and a winter Jeopardy! tournament. The colorful staff and crowd make you feel right at home, especially if you're wearing cowboy boots.

This attraction is perfect for individuals and groups who like to play in a life-size sandbox—and use big toys to do it. In this case, the toys are heavy construction machinery: bulldozers, excavators, wheel loaders, backhoes, mini-excavators, and skid-steer track loaders. Guests don hard hats and spend 90 minutes or more driving the equipment on a big dirt lot, moving around giant tires, digging holes, and more. You can even crush a car, in an Aggression Session, and you can request specific equipment. There are experiences for kids starting as young as age 2 (15 minutes), up to 2 1/2 hours for teen-agers. Or book a  group session, to give team-building a whole new meaning.

This nonprofit focuses on marine mammal conservation, and you can help it by participating in one of the educational offerings. One popular option is the Connect to Protect, an immersive water program that begins with an educational briefing, after which you enter the deep-water lagoon to interact with the dolphins. Prefer to stay mostly dry? Opt for the tour of the facility or the general admission, which provides unlimited viewing of the dolphin lagoons, trainer talks, and educational exhibits.

This unique outdoor entertainment and arts venue is spread across 64 fun-filled acres, with plenty to do, no matter your interests. You’ll find sculptures and murals scattered throughout the property as well as the world’s most extreme miniature golf course, pickleball courts (and tournaments), a beer garden, and stages for live music and films.

This picnic area's sunsets and whale-watching are unequaled. A ½-mile trail leads from here to the beach.

Oddly enough, you'll find the world's largest indoor adventure ropes course within Jordan's Furniture Store. The 60-foot-high courses have more than 100 activities, like walking across zigzag-swinging beams, rope ladders, bridges, moving planks, a 50-foot free-fall jump, four 200-foot-long ziplines, and more. At Little IT, toddlers and little kids can zip along, too.

For 10 weeks every summer, the tiny town of Becket becomes a hub of the dance world. This dance festival showcases world-renowned performers of ballet, modern, and international dance. Before the main events, works in progress and even some of the final productions are staged outdoors, often free of charge.

America's space program—past, present, and future—is the star at this must-see attraction, just 45 minutes east of Orlando, where you're treated to a multitude of interactive experiences. Located on a 140,000-acre barrier island, Kennedy Space Center was NASA's launch headquarters from the beginning of the space program in the 1960s until the final shuttle launch in 2011. Thanks to an invigorated NASA program and to high-tech entrepreneurs who have turned their interests to space, you can once again view live rocket launches from the Cape. In fact, there were a record 56 of them from the Space Coast in 2022, with even more expected in 2023.

The visitor center is divided into Mission Zones, with tours and exhibits organized chronologically, beginning with the Heroes & Legends attraction, which celebrates the men and women who've journeyed to space and features the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. The original Mercury 7 team and the later Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and shuttle astronauts have contributed artifacts and memorabilia to make it the world's premium archive of astronauts' personal stories. You can watch videos of historic moments in the space program and see one-of-a-kind items such as Wally Schirra's Sigma 7 Mercury space capsule, Gus Grissom's space suit (colored silver only because NASA thought silver looked more "spacey"), and a flag that made it to the moon. Throughout the visitor center, a wide range of hands-on interactive exhibits teach about space travel. One of the more challenging activities is a space-shuttle simulator that lets you try your hand at landing the craft—and afterward replays a side view of your rolling and pitching descent.

Opened in 2022, Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex simulates the Space Port of the Future, offering a glimpse of a world when catching a flight to a distant planet is as routine as jetting from Chicago to Boston. You choose from among four journeys and are taken on an immersive ride packed with interstellar marvels. The Red Planet trip soars over Mars' ancient oceans, while the Uncharted Worlds journey ventures 40 light years away to the Trappist-1 system of exoplanets. While waiting in the main concourse to board your flight, you can check departure and arrival listings and view rockets landing, taking off, and taxiing to their gates. 

The IMAX film Journey to Space, narrated by Star Trek legend Sir Patrick Stewart, fills a five-story movie screen with dramatic footage shot by NASA astronauts during missions highlighting the bravery of all space travelers and capturing the spirit of the human desire to explore and expand. The film also honors the milestones of the Space Shuttle Program—deploying and repairing the Hubble Space Telescope, assembling the International Space Station—and then looks forward to the deep-space exploration missions to come, offering a glimpse of the Space Launch System rocket that will send the Orion crew capsule toward Mars.

The drama of the IMAX films gives you great background for the many interactive programs available at the complex. The bus tour included with admission (buses depart every 15 minutes) takes you past iconic spots, including the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and launch pads, where rockets once more await departure. Stops include the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where you can look up in awe at one of three remaining Saturn V moon rockets, the largest ever built. Attractions include artifacts in the Treasure Gallery and the Lunar Theater, which shows the first moon landing. You can also dine next to a genuine moon rock at the cleverly named Moon Rock Café.

Several in-depth tours (extra charge) offer more intimate views of the VAB and the Cape Canaveral launch pads, where NASA, SpaceX, and the United Launch Alliance rockets await takeoff. Other iconic images include the countdown clock at NASA’s Press Site, a giant crawler transporter that carried Apollo moon rockets and space shuttles to the launch pad, and the Launch Control Center.

The space shuttle Atlantis attraction offers views of this historic spacecraft as only astronauts have seen it—suspended as if in space, rotated 43.21 degrees with payload bay doors open and its robotic arm extended, as if it has just undocked from the International Space Station. The attraction includes a variety of interactive highlights, including opportunities to perform an Extravehicular Activity (EVA), train like an astronaut, and create sonic booms while piloting Atlantis to a safe landing.

Don't miss the outdoor Rocket Garden, with walkways winding beside a group of vintage rockets, from early Atlas spacecraft to a Saturn IB. The Children's Playdome enables kids to play among the next generation of spacecraft, climb a moon-rock wall, and crawl through rocket tunnels. Astronaut Encounter Theater has two daily programs where retired NASA astronauts share their adventures in space travel and show a short film.

More befitting a theme park (complete with the health warnings), the Shuttle Launch Experience is the center's most spectacular attraction. Designed by a team of astronauts, NASA experts, and renowned attraction engineers, the 44,000-square-foot structure uses a sophisticated motion-based platform, special-effects seats, and high-fidelity visual and audio components to simulate the sensations experienced in an actual space-shuttle launch, including Max Q, solid rocket booster separation, main engine cutoff, and external tank separation. The journey culminates with a breathtaking view of Earth from space.

A fitting way to end the day is a stop at the black-granite Astronaut Memorial, which honors those who lost their lives in the name of space exploration.

The café at this baker's heaven is a fine spot for both the pit-stop sandwich and the leisurely pastry and latte. The adjacent shop and market area is a must-see for those who love bread; the shelves are stocked with all the ingredients and tools in the company's Baker's Catalogue, including flours, mixes, and local jams, and syrups. The bakery has a viewing area where you can watch the products being made, and you can learn to bake them yourself at classes conducted in the on-site baking school.

Self-guided tours reveal how chinook salmon are released into the Wenatchee River in the hope they will return someday to spawn and keep the species thriving. Even if nothing's spawning, the view of millions of eggs in the nursery or thousands of small, 4-inch "fries" wriggling in the aquarium is something to see. Be sure to set aside time to walk the pretty, 1-mile Icicle Creek Nature Trail loop, an easy and enjoyable stroll with wildlife viewing platforms, interpretive signs, and great bird-watching. A butterfly garden is in front of the hatchery building.

An all-in-one, surf-themed recreation complex at Hoakalei Resort (a master-planned community) on the Ewa Beach waterfront, the LineUp celebrates Hawaii’s connection with water, surf, and cultural traditions. It centers around the Wai Kai Wave, a 100-foot wave pool that emulates river surfing, and there's also a 52-acre lagoon for paddling or floating. Wai Kai doesn’t have a hotel yet, but it serves as a popular community hub, with three restaurants and numerous programs and activities, such as farmers markets, surfing classes, and performances. It’s just a 10-minute drive from Kapolei and worth the drive to check out the complex. You can ride a shuttle to Wai Kai from West Oahu (Ko Olina, $35 round-trip) or Waikiki (from various resorts, $35 round-trip).

Once an ambitious visual and musical arts collective, Meow Wolf is now a dazzling multimillion-dollar arts complex located inside the shell of a former bowling alley (with much of the funding coming from Santa Fe–based Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin). Visitors flock to the arts complex's first permanent exhibition: a self-billed "immersive art installation"House of Eternal Return, an interactive phenomenon that has become one of the city's leading attractions. Give yourself at least a couple of hours to tour this sci-fi-inspired, 20,000-square-foot interactive exhibit in which you'll encounter hidden doorways, mysterious corridors, ambient music, and clever, surrealistic, and often slyly humorous artistic renderings. It's a strange and enchanting experience, wildly imaginative, occasionally eerie, and absolutely family-friendly. Tickets are good throughout the day—you can leave and reenter the installation, and perhaps break up the experience by enjoying a light bite and craft beer at the lobby bar/café. Be aware that the experience is highly sensory and can be a little overstimulating for those who are sensitive to noise, changing lighting, and crowds. Meow Wolf is open until 8 most evenings and 10 on Friday and Saturday. It's also a frequent venue for sold-out music concerts.

Southport's main claim to fame is this 1929 movie house, which shows independent and classic films on its two screens. Live organ music provides a retro preamble. Before the house lights dim, look up to admire twinkling stars and clouds on the ceiling.

What started as an apple shed has become a 14-acre fun park and plaza with eateries, a petting zoo, a candy store, a creamery, train rides, shops, trout fishing, gold panning, local artisans, archery, a cider mill, and more. Be sure to grab a fresh-baked apple pie from Apple Annie’s Bakery. Some activities are seasonal.

Built in the early 1800s and part of the park service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, the 192-foot-tall, green-domed Old Courthouse is a neoclassical masterpiece situated across a 250-foot grassy pedestrian bridge from the national park visitor center. A life-size sculpture of Dred and Harriett Scott outside the courthouse entrance serves as a poignant reminder of the determination it takes to change the course of history. Inside, it's humbling to stand in the exact spot where history did, indeed, change. The courtrooms here served as center stage for two landmark 19th-century cases: when two enslaved people, Dred and Harriet Scott (Dred Scott v. Sanford), sued for their freedom and when suffragist Virginia Minor fought for women’s right to vote (Minor v. Happersett). The gorgeous, three-tiered rotunda is modeled after the dome in Rome's St. Peter’s Basilica, and four murals painted by Carl Wimar highlight significant moments in St. Louis history. In addition to visiting two of the original courtrooms, you can participate in ranger-led tours; experience trial reenactments and other special events throughout the year; and see the 17-minute film, Slavery on Trial: The Dred Scott Decision, and the 10-minute film, Lewis and Clark, Preparation for the Expedition. The Old Courthouse will reopen in 2025 after a two-year, $27.5 million renovation, which was the final piece of the $380 million CityArchRiver project that revitalized Gateway Arch National Park, the St. Louis Riverfront, and Kiener Plaza in Downtown St. Louis. Be sure to snap a photo of the courthouse framed by the Gateway Arch—a quintessential St. Louis shot.

While touring the idyllic west side of Paso Robles, take a break from wine tasting by stopping at Pasolivo. Find out how the artisans here make their Tuscan-style olive oils on a high-tech Italian press, and test the acclaimed results. If you're in downtown Paso Robles, stop by Pasolivo's urban tasting room at 1229 Park Street.

Short of hiking up to the rugged High Peaks, this picturesque picnic area is the best place to catch a glimpse of them (off to the west). You might spot hawks and other birds as well. The area has restrooms and a few picnic tables, and drinking water is available.

Here you'll also find the beginning of a section of the Bench Trail that's been graded and resurfaced for wheelchair accessibility—it winds through a shady stand of oak.

The 14,000-square-foot outdoor ice rink, right in the heart of downtown Providence, is twice the size of the one at New York City's Rockefeller Center. The facility is open for skating and ice bumper cars daily, late November–mid-March, and skate and helmet rentals are available. In summer, kids love driving the bumper cars, roller skating (and roller disco!), and bubble soccer (trying to score while wearing a giant bubble). The center also occasionally hosts movies, summer concerts, festivals, and other events.