10457 Best Sights in USA

Spread across 176,000 acres of arid mesa and canyon country, the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument holds more than 20,000 archaeological sites, the greatest concentration anywhere in the United States. Some sites, like apartment-style cliff dwellings and hewn-rock towers, are impossible to miss. Others are as subtle as the remains of agricultural fields, springs, and water systems. They are powerful evidence of the complex civilization of the Ancestral Pueblo people. Lowry Pueblo, in the northern part of the monument, is a 40-room pueblo with eight kivas (round chambers used for sacred rituals). Its Great Kiva is one of the largest known in the Southwest.

Exploring the monument area can be a challenge: roads are few, hiking trails are sparse, and visitor services are all but nonexistent. The visitor center, which is also a museum, is 3 miles west of Dolores on Route 184. The best bet is a guided hike with the nonprofit Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance ( www.swcocanyons.org/tours).

This multiple-gallery museum on the grounds of the Cape Playhouse has a permanent collection of more than 850 works by important Cape-associated artists such as Hans Hoffman, William Paxton, and Charles Hawthorne; Hawthorne was the founder of America's first artists' colony in 1899 in Provincetown. Rich in cultural programming, changing exhibits, special events, workshops, and classes are held throughout the year.

A short drive west from the heart of Brewster, this spacious museum and its pristine grounds include a shop, a natural-history library, and exhibits such as a working beehive and an aquarium with live specimens from local waters. Walking trails wind through 80 acres of forest, marshland, and ponds, all rich in birds and other wildlife. A pollinator path lined with blooming plants leads to a seasonal (June-Sept.) Butterfly House. The exhibit hall upstairs has a wall display of aerial photographs documenting the process by which the famous Chatham sandbar was split in two. In summer there are family field walks, nature programs, forest bathing, and nature classes for kids age 3--12. 

The region's most expansive national treasure, Cape Cod National Seashore was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, for whom Cape Cod was home and haven. The lands and waters of the Seashore comprise 44,000 acres of the Cape, extending from Chatham to Provincetown. The protected area includes 40 miles of pristine sandy beach; rolling dunes; swamps, marshes, and wetlands; and pitch-pine and scrub-oak forest. Self-guided nature trails, as well as biking and horse trails, wind through these landscapes. Hiking trails from Salt Pond Visitor Center lead to Nauset Marsh, Salt Pond, and the Buttonbush Trail, a quarter-mile nature path designed for people with low or no vision. A hike or bike ride to Coast Guard Beach leads to a turnout looking out over marsh and sea. A section of the cliff here was washed away in 1990, revealing the remains of a prehistoric dwelling. The National Seashore has two visitor centers, one in Eastham and one in Provincetown.

Salt Pond Visitor Center, open year-round at the southern end of the Seashore, reveals sweeping views of the Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh. Activities offered (typically from May to October) include ranger-led walks, canoe and kayak tours, demonstrations, and lectures, as well as evening beach walks, campfire talks, and other programs. The centerpiece of the visitor center lobby is a large map showing Cape Cod's location in the Gulf of Maine, displaying the Cape's glacial history and the powerful natural forces that continue to shape it. The visitor center's museum explores the cultural themes represented on Cape Cod, including the Wampanoag, "The First People of the Light," plus European settlement, fishing, life-saving, lighthouses, communication technology and tourism. An air-conditioned auditorium shows films on geology, sea rescues, whaling, Henry David Thoreau, and Guglielmo Marconi.

Part of the joy of visiting this windswept rocky outcropping that marks the northwesternmost point in the contiguous United States is making the picturesque 15-minute drive along winding Cape Loop Drive from Neah Bay. Once you've parked, follow the fairly easy ¾-mile trail, part of it along boardwalks and up and down wooden stairs, through a pristine evergreen forest to a wooden observation platform. From the platform, you can see the 1854 Cape Flattery Lighthouse standing tall on a rocky island half a mile away. Keep an eye out for sea lions, eagles, migratory birds, and whales, which often appear in the rocky cove below. To park on this land that's part of the Makah Reservation, you'll need to buy a Makah Recreation Pass (good for one year and with access to nearby Shi Shi Beach).

Authorized by Congress in 1794 to help prevent shipwrecks, this was the first lighthouse built in the region. The original structure was lost to erosion and Civil War damage; this 1870 replacement is, at 210 feet, the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. Endangered by the sea, in 1999 the lighthouse, with its distinctive black-and-white spiral paint and red-and-tan base, was raised and rolled some 2,900 feet inland to its present location. A visitor center is located near the base of the lighthouse. In summer the Museum of the Sea in the former keeper's quarters is open, and you can climb the lighthouse's 257 narrow steps to the viewing balcony (children must be 42 inches tall to climb). The lighthouse closed for a rebuild of its steps and windows in 2023, and is scheduled to reopen in 2026. This area also includes a National Park Service campground ($20/night) and a beach with lifeguards from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Bordering the lighthouse to the north is the 1,007-acre Buxton Woods Reserve, one of the largest intact maritime forests in the state. These groves of live oaks and cedars surrounding freshwater marshes can be explored via 7 miles of trails.

The town's public beach adjoins Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, the southernmost section of famously picturesque Three Capes Loop, and extends south to Bob Straub State Park. Adjacent to Cape Kiwanda's massive 240-foot-tall dune, it's a fun place for visitors of all ages to scamper to its summit—views take in a small cove and tide pools below, and the walk, or slide, down is infinitely easier than the climb. The beach is also popular with tailgaters—it's one of the few places in Oregon where you can legally park your vehicle on the sand. You can also park in the lot beside Pelican Pub. Amenities: none. Best for: partiers; walking.

A walk—or 4x4 journey—to the south tip of Cape Lookout on South Core Banks feels like standing on the world's edge. The island is watched over by a 169-foot, double-walled lighthouse built in 1859. The structure withstood retreating Confederate troops' attempts to blow it up to keep it out of Union hands (they stole the lens instead). With its white-and-black diamond markings, the beacon continues to function as a navigational aid. A small museum inside the visitor center on Harkers Island tells the story of the lighthouse from its first incarnation in 1812. Anyone 44 inches or taller may climb the tower's 207 steps from mid-May to mid-September, although renovations are underway with a scheduled 2025 reopening. A private ferry, Island Express Ferry Service, runs between both Beaufort and Harkers Island to the lighthouse and rents 4x4 Kubotas ($150/half day) that allow you to explore the entire island.   The National Park Service offers 23 rustic cabins on South Core Banks for an overnight experience. Camping is also allowed on the beach. Either requires reservations via Recreation.gov.

Located about 8 miles south of the beach town Netarts, this pristine and diverse park includes a moderately easy (though often muddy) 2-mile trail—marked on the highway as "wildlife viewing area"—that leads through giant spruces, western red cedars, and hemlocks, and ends with mesmerizing views of Cascade Head to the south and Cape Meares to the north. Wildflowers, more than 150 species of birds, and occasional whales throughout the summer months make this trail a favorite with nature lovers. The section of the park just north of the trail comprises a long, curving stretch of beach with picnic areas and campsites.

Park the car and see Cape May's historic district the way they did when these building were born—aboard an elegant horse-drawn buggy. A dispatcher at the edge of Washington Street mall can arrange thirty minute tours for couples group tours for up to eight adults and two children. A fixture on the scene for nearly 30 years, Cape May Carriage Company has a fleet of more than 20 horses that all live on the owners' nearby farm. There are also ghost tours and holiday lights tours.

This small gem of a zoo houses 250 species, including lions, giraffes, lemurs, snow leopards, red pandas, crocodiles, and pink flamingos. Take a walking safari on the raised boardwalk bordering the African savanna habitat, and visit the aviary and reptile houses. A carousel and minature train will lure the littlest ones and the surrounding county park is filled with picnic areas, playgrounds, bike trails, and a pond for fishing.

One of the oldest operating lighthouses in the United States, the 1859 beacon marks the southernmost tip of New Jersey and beams its light 24 mi out to sea. Climb up the winding stairs (199) to the top of the 157-foot-tall structure. From the watch gallery, under the reconstructed lantern, you have views of the Atlantic, Delaware Bay, and Cape May Point State Park. A small museum and gift shop are on-site.

Board the 80-foot M/V American Star for up-close wildlife viewing with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center. An onboard naturalist identifies species of whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals. There are four tours daily in summer and autumn. Complimentary coffee and donuts come with the dolphin breakfast cruise; free pizza and hot dogs are served in the evening.

The highest vehicle-accessible lookout on the Oregon Coast, Cape Perpetua towers 800 feet above the rocky shoreline. Named by Captain Cook on St. Perpetua's Day in 1778, the cape is part of a 2,700-acre scenic area popular with hikers, campers, beachcombers, and naturalists. Information, educational films and exhibits, and trail maps are available at the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center, 3 miles south of Yachats. The easy 1-mile Giant Spruce Trail passes through a fern-filled rain forest to an enormous 600-year-old Sitka spruce. Easier still is the marked Auto Tour, which begins by the visitor center and winds through Siuslaw National Forest to the ¼-mile Whispering Spruce Trail. Views from the rustic rock shelter extend 50 miles south. For a more rigorous trek, hike the St. Perpetua Trail to the shelter. Other trails lead from the visitor center down along the shore, including a scenic pathway to Devil's Churn, next to which a small snack bar sells sandwiches, sweets, and coffee.

Maritime forests, barrier islands, salt marshes, beaches, and coastal waterways make up this 66,287-acre refuge established in 1932 as a migratory bird haven. The Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center has information and exhibits on the property and its trails, as well as an outdoor enclosure housing endangered red wolves. The refuge is aiding the recovery of the threatened loggerhead sea turtle, and a video details the work. From the mainland refuge, you can take a $40 ferry ride to remote and wild Bulls Island to explore its boneyard beach and freshwater ponds teeming with alligators.

Built between 1860 and 1874 and topped by a 128-foot gilded dome, the Capitol functions as a working museum and, since 1869, the active seat of California's government. When it's open, you can wander freely past reproductions of century-old state offices or join a guided tour. Portraits of former governors on display include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronald Reagan, Earl Warren (later Chief Justice of the United States), and Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, whose father was also governor. Tours of the 40-acre Capitol Park, which contains a rose garden, a fragrant display of camellias (Sacramento's city flower), and more than 1,000 types of trees from around the world, take place on Sunday and Wednesday.

The narrow, unpaved road that begins at the end of Scenic Drive twists along the floor of the gorge and was a route for pioneer wagons traversing this part of Utah starting in the 1860s. After every flash flood, pioneers would laboriously clear the route so wagons could continue to go through. The gorge was the main automobile route into the area until 1962, when Highway 24 was built. This 2-mile drive with striking views of the surrounding cliffs leads to one of the park's most popular hikes, to several "tanks" eroded into the sandstone that fill naturally with rainwater and snowmelt.

Taking a cue from European shops selling everyday wines by the tap, Marco Cappelli, a respected winemaker and consultant, opened this downtown Placerville winery and tasting room in 2023. Although his wines are inexpensive, Cappelli knows where the best Northern California grapes grow. A Clarksburg Chenin Blanc and a Fair Play Barbera ranked among his early coups, all the more so given their price: less than $15 a bottle.

Connemara Farm is where the famed poet and biographer Carl Sandburg moved with his wife, Lillian, in 1945; he lived there until his death in 1967. Guided tours of their 1830s house—beautifully reconstructed in 2017—are given by National Park Service rangers. Sandburg's papers are still scattered on his desk as if he had just stepped away for a moment, and there are 11,000 of his books on shelves. Kids enjoy cavorting around the 264-acre farm, which still maintains descendants of the Sandburg family goats. There are also miles of trails.

Within this spacious, modern facility at the top of an escarpment, a 75-seat theater offers engrossing films and ranger programs about the different types of caves. Exhibits offer a primer on bats, geology, wildlife, and the early tribes and settlers who once lived in and passed through the area. There's also an excellent exhibit on Lechuguilla, the country's deepest limestone cave, which scientists began mapping in 1986 and have located some 150 miles (it's on the park's northern border and isn't open to the general public). Friendly rangers staff an information desk, where maps are distributed and cavern tickets are sold. There's also an extensive gift shop and bookstore, and a cafeteria-style restaurant.

The the Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, the Music Hall, and the Carnegie Library, are all under one Beaux-Arts roof. Don't miss the 19th-century French and 20th-century American paintings, the Hall of Architecture, the Hall of Mammals, Egyptian collections, and one of the country's oldest dinosaur collections.

The husband-wife team behind Cartograph believes in Pinot Noirs emphasizing "balance, nuance, and complexity, rather than power and intensity." To that end, they select vineyard sites based on climate and clone compatibility, harvest their grapes early, and intervene as little as possible during the wine-making process. The resulting wines please on their own and pair well with food. Unlike many Sonoma County Pinot producers, Cartograph eschews Chardonnay for its still whites, opting for the Alsatian grape Riesling, done in a refreshingly crisp and dry style.  Sometime in 2026, the winery plans to move 2 miles north to 280 Chiquita Road, where it will be open daily for indoor and outdoor tastings.

Take Jenny Lake Boating's 20-minute boat ride or the 2¼-mile (each way) Jenny Loop Trail around the south side of the lake from the Jenny Lake Visitor Center to the start of a gentle, ½-mile climb to 200-foot Hidden Falls, the park's most popular (though crowded) hiking destination. Listen for the distinctive bleating of the rabbitlike pikas among the glacial boulders and pines. The trail continues half a mile to Inspiration Point over a moderately steep, rocky path with sweeping lake views. From here, continue west another 1½ miles into the heart of Cascade Canyon, with its dramatic views through the mountains and out toward Petersen Glacier. With the 10-minute boat shuttle ($18 round-trip), plan on a couple of hours to experience this trail—add another two hours if you hike the whole way, which is your only option from October through mid-May, when the shuttle doesn't run. Easy–Moderate.

At this pristine, slightly off-the-beaten-path property managed by the Nature Conservancy, a dense, green trail winds through a rain forest where 100-inch annual rainfalls nourish 250-year-old Sitka spruces, mosses, and ferns. Emerging from the forest, hikers come upon grassy and treeless Cascade Head, an undulating maritime prairie. There are magnificent views down to the Salmon River and east to the Coast Range. Continuing along the headland, black-tailed deer often graze and turkey vultures soar in the sometimes strong winds. It's a somewhat steep and strenuous but tremendously rewarding hike—allow at least three hours to make the full nearly 7-mile round-trip hike, although you can make it out to the beginning of the headland and back in an hour.

For 66 miles, this nationally designated Scenic Byway meanders past a series of high mountain lakes and is good for fishing, hiking, and camping in the summer months. (Much of the road beyond Mt. Bachelor is closed by snow during the colder months.)

One of the state's most famous scenic drives, the popular 400-mile Cascade Loop encompasses areas of northwestern Washington from Puget Sound to the Cascades and beyond on a number of roads. Its eastern portion includes towns in the Methow Valley such as Winthrop, the Lake Chelan Valley, and the Wenatchee Valley and Cascade foothills. Winthrop has plenty of outdoor activities as well as a lively downtown; heading south on the loop brings you to the resort area of Chelan, on 50-mile-long Lake Chelan, and then to the fruit-growing center of Wenatchee and on to Leavenworth, with its Bavarian-style architecture and mix of old-style and hip shops and restaurants. Although you could drive this portion of the Cascade Loop in a day, the charming towns, landscapes, and outdoor adventures make it easy to linger for a few days or more.  

This extremely popular, 3¾-mile (one-way), four-hour trail is known for stunning panoramas from the great mountain divide. Dozens of peaks line the horizon as you make your way up the fairly flat, hairpin-turn track, the scene fronted by a blanket of alpine wildflowers from July to mid-August. Arrive before noon if you want a parking spot at the trailhead. If you're feeling fit (and ambitious), a much longer hike (23 miles) goes all the way to High Bridge, where you can catch a shuttle to Stehekin in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Moderate.

History tells us that Territorial Governor William Pope Duval was so entranced by a cascading waterfall, that he chose a nearby hill on which to build Florida's first capitol. Inhabitants were not kind to the site, which became a dump and, later, a water retention area. It was only recently that the city transformed it into what is now one of Tallahassee's most beloved outdoor spaces: the 24-acre Cascade Park, a hub for festivals celebrating Shakespeare, as well as books and music.

In addition to two lakes that hold and channel storm water downstream, the park has an amphitheater, which hosts free and ticketed concerts; dancing water fountains; a playground; a concrete waterfall (in a nod to the long-gone original); and a self-guided history tour. Wide, meandering sidewalks and paths welcome walkers, runners, and bikers. A brick building that once housed the city's electric utility is now a coffee shop and a restaurant, where diners can enjoy a water, sound, and light show with their dinner.

While not in Somerville, we would be remiss if we didn't mention that giant skyscraper on the Somerville horizon. Located in Everett, directly across the Mystic River from Assembly Row (accessible by car or water shuttle from Long Wharf North in downtown Boston), this Wynn Resort property is a feather in the area's cap. The casino boasts a main floor of 40-foot ceilings, red Rubino glass chandeliers, and 2,700-plus classic and state-of-the-art slot machines. The upstairs elegant terrace level is for table games, private gambling salons, high-limit gaming rooms, and a spectacular view of the action below.  

After a night at the casino tables, dining at one of the property's gorgeous restaurants (there are 10) is a safe bet. Seamark just opened to much fanfare, with a seafood-centric menu from local chef Micheal Schlow. Check out Red 8 for some of the best Chinese around, as well as Rare for the most uniquely curated steak program in New England, including exclusive Japanese cuts from Kobe and the Kagoshima prefecture and American Wagyu. The hotel is posh with grand rooms and suites.