10457 Best Sights in USA

On the corner of Maunakea and Hotel streets is this busy plaza surrounded by shops and an air-conditioned indoor market and food court where you can buy fresh seafood and seasonal local produce or chow down on banana lumpia (spring rolls) and fruit smoothies or bubble tea (juices and flavored teas with tapioca balls inside). It gets packed during Chinese Lunar New Year.

Established in 1923, this quiet community at the western end of the highway once housed workers for the island's pineapple plantation. There's not much in Maunaloa anymore, but it's the last place you can stock up on supplies before exploring nearby beaches. You can also stop at Maunaloa's Big Wind Kite Factory to talk with Uncle Jonathan, who has been making and flying kites here for more than three decades.

This museum contains one of the largest collections of Alaska Native artifacts. Over the course of several decades, Maxine Whitney, a gift-shop owner, amassed the ivory and baleen pieces, masks, dolls, fur garments, and other objects. Whitney donated her collection to Prince William Sound Community College in 1998; the museum is adjacent to the college.

Tapping a significant collection of Southwestern artifacts and archival photos, the Maxwell's engaging shows encompass three fascinating fields: archaeology, cultural anthropology, and evolutionary anthropology. As the first public museum in Albuquerque (established in 1932), its influence has grown over the years, but its compact space ensures that exhibits are scaled to the essentials. A viewer—whether of a permanent exhibit on peoples of the Southwest or a temporary one—will be intrigued and informed, but not overwhelmed. Of special note is their rare and substantial collection of Mimbres pottery from AD 800–1000. The museum's gift shop has a fine selection of reliably vetted Native American crafts.

This legendary outdoor bazaar, which operates every last Sunday of the month from May to October, is part of Chicago's cultural landscape. Relocated by the city amid much controversy in the 1990s as the University of Illinois at Chicago's campus expanded, the market returned to its original location in 2024 and remains a popular spot, particularly for Latino immigrants, to buy and sell wares year-round. The finds aren't so fabulous, but the atmosphere sure is fun, with live blues and stalls peddling Mexican street food.

Sixteen themed discovery rooms encourage hands-on learning for visitors of all ages. Rooms are devoted to vertebrates and invertebrates, communication, health, American Indians, optics and sound, water and bubbles, energy, simple machines, and other subjects.

The Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village, a 15-building complex adjacent to the Mayborn, gives visitors a view of Texas life from the early 20th century.

This 460-foot slide in bright-yellow inner tubes is the longest and bumpiest of the three falls. It's a long trek up—even higher than that at Keelhaul—but the increased speed and longer descent are worth the climb since the watery route slips through caves, slides under bridges, and skims past thundering waterfalls before splash down. This ride isn't appropriate for guests who are pregnant or who have heart, back, or neck problems.

 While you're in the neighborhood, ride Keelhaul Falls, too.

This seaworthy replica of the 1620 Mayflower was built in England through research and a bit of guesswork, then sailed across the Atlantic in 1957. As you explore the interior and exterior of the ship, which was extensively refurbished in time for Plymouth's 400th anniversary in 2020, sailors in modern dress answer your questions about both the reproduction and the original ship, while costumed guides provide a 17th-century perspective. This attraction is part of the Plimoth Patuxet Museums system. Plymouth Rock is also nearby.

Northeast of Silverton, the Mayflower Mill (also known as the Shenandoah-Dives Mill) is a beautifully restored landmark with tours that explain how precious gold, silver, and other metals were extracted and processed.

On this 100-acre Victorian estate, one can explore the lavish Maymont House museum, a carriage collection, and elaborate Italian and Japanese gardens. A true family attraction, Maymont's complex includes the Nature Visitor Center, native wildlife exhibits, and a children's farm. Kids love the pair of playful otters in the aquarium and the waterfall above the Japanese garden. A Bald Eagle Habitat and Raptor Valley are popular additions to the wildlife areas of the park. Take the hop-on, hop-off tram for $3 to see this huge park and its exhibits. Guided mansion tours are on the hour and half hour until 4:30 pm. A café is open for lunch. Carriage rides are also available for $15.

Midway between Orderville and Mount Carmel Junction, you can tour the final summer residence of the famous painter of Western life and landscapes. Dixon lived from 1875 to 1946 and was married to the renowned WPA photographer Dorothea Lange, and, following their divorce, to San Francisco muralist Edith Hamlin. He and Hamlin summered on this property from 1939 until his death; shortly after, she scattered his ashes on a ridge behind the property, which consists of the original log cabin structure and an exceptional Western Art gallery, both of which are maintained by the nonprofit Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts. From March through November, self-guided and docent-led tours (by appointment only) are offered. The gallery and gift shop are open daily year-round.

New England's only air-and-space center offers a full day of activities focused mostly on the heavens. See yourself in infrared light, learn about lunar spacecraft, examine a replica of the Mercury-Redstone rocket, or experience what it's like to travel in space—you can even try your hand at being a television weather announcer. There's also a café.

On the University of Tennessee campus, this museum has diverse collections of dinosaur fossils and exhibits on geology, archaeology of native peoples, the Civil War, and fine arts. Of special note is a room devoted to ancient Egyptian artifacts.

The handsome 14-room Federal-style mansion on the Westfield village green was built in 1820. The Chautauqua County Historical Society runs the house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and is decorated in high Victorian style. Displays include Civil War documents and American Indian and military artifacts.

Located in the southwest tower of the DuSable (Michigan Avenue Bridge), this engaging museum provides a glimpse into the complicated history of the Chicago River System and its movable bridges---and has some great city views, too. The Chicago River has undergone an incredible transformation over the past 40 years, from a polluted waterway to a thriving, living river full of wildlife. On lift days visitors can see the gears that still raise the bridge put to work. This is the only bridge house in Chicago that is open to the public. See the website for a lift schedule; reservations are recommended on lift days.

McCoy Hollow Trail is a rugged, challenging trail with loose rock, switchbacks, steep climbs, and wet places, but it rewards the hiker with some splendid views out over the hollows. The Three Springs backcountry campsite can be accessed by a spur trail at 0.8 mile, and the McCoy Hollow backcountry campsite spur is found at 4.4 miles. The trail ends at a junction with Wet Prong Trail. Horses and hiking only. 6.4 mi. Difficult. Note: McCoy Hollow Trail forms a 19.1-mile loop with First Creek Trail and Wet Prong Trail that can be accessed from either First Creek Trailhead or Temple Hill Trailhead.

More than 750 varieties of azaleas bloom in the 5-acre McCrillis Gardens from late March through July, and usually peak around May 1. Ornamental trees and shrubs, including a remarkable collection of rhododendrons, bloom in the warm months. The Brookside Gardens School of Botanical Art and Illustration classes are held inside the home.

Small buildings clustered on piers along the downtown waterfront are what remains of the nation’s last herring smokehouse, which operated here from the 1890s until 1991. Restoration is ongoing, but you can take a guided tour of the skinning and packing sheds, which have exhibits about the smoking operation and the sardine canning industry that once thrived along the Down East coast; your guide might be someone who worked here years ago and is helping preserve this legacy. On the National Register of Historic Places, the smokehouse is part of Lubec Landmarks and there are photos and a video about the industry. Next door, the organization's seasonal Mulholland Market Gallery, in a yellow 1860s shop front with bright green trim, has art exhibits and sells works by area artisans.

Majestic royal palms, some planted by Thomas Edison, line one of the city's most scenic streets and are the root of its "City of Palms" moniker. The boulevard runs from downtown to Summerlin Road, which takes you to the barrier islands.

Housed in a converted 1916 school building, McGuffey Art Center contains the 2nd Street Gallery and the studios of painters, printmakers, metalworkers, and sculptors, all of which are open to the public.

Highway 126, as it heads east from Eugene, is known as the McKenzie River Highway. Following the curves of the river, it passes grazing lands, fruit and nut orchards, and the small riverside hamlets of the McKenzie Valley. From the highway you can glimpse the bouncing, bubbling, blue-green McKenzie River, one of Oregon's top fishing, boating, and white-water rafting spots, against a backdrop of densely forested mountains, splashing waterfalls, and jet-black lava beds. The small town of McKenzie Bridge marks the end of the McKenzie River Highway and the beginning of the 26-mile McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, which heads north through the Willamette National Forest along portions of the Old Santiam Wagon Road.

In summer, Indian dances take place nightly in the artful contemporary surround of the open plaza at the McKinley County Courthouse and Courthouse Square. Come in (after a security check) and tour the marvelous array of paintings and murals (by Lloyd Moylan, Gene Kloss, and other period luminaries) inside the lovely multistory 1938 Pueblo Revival court building—they're all products of the WPA federal arts project, even the courthouse itself.

The McKinley Station trail begins at the Visitor Center and follows a winding path toward Riley and Hines Creeks. While the trail drops more than 100 feet during its 1.5-mile-long path, the grade is never very steep and is made of compacted gravel for easy walking. Easy.

Signs along this nearly 1-mile loop explain the geological and botanical history of the area, and the views, while not spectacular, are engaging. You can take the loop in either of two directions when you come to a fork in the trail. Easy.

More than 200 species of birds have been identified here, and many waterfowl make it their winter home. But the 15,000 acres of water and marsh, croplands, grasslands, trees, and shrubs are most enjoyable in spring and summer. The Environmental Education Center features hands-on exhibits. A self-guided 2-mile trail winds through the marshes, and a cabinlike blind hidden in the reeds allows you to watch wildlife up close. Other recreation includes boating, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding.

In 1985, crews completed construction of an irrigation dam across the Dolores River, forming the McPhee Reservoir, the second largest in the state. It draws anglers looking to bag a variety of warm- and cold-water fish along its 50 miles of shoreline, which is surrounded by spectacular specimens of juniper and sage as well as large stands of pinyon pine. There are two boat ramps. The area also has camping, hiking, and a relatively easy mountain-bike trail, and the mesa offers panoramic views of the surrounding San Juan National Forest.

Disguised as a teetering-tottering ship that's moored on the edge of Toon Lagoon, this fantastic, three-story playground has, from bow to stern, dozens of climbing and other activities to keep kids busy. Toddlers enjoy crawling in Swee' Pea's Playpen, and with high-powered squirt guns, older children and their parents can take aim at unsuspecting riders twisting through the rapids over at Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges ride. The most excited participants are small kids, who can't get enough of the whistles, bells, tunnels, and ladders. Check out the view of the park from the top of the ship. For people with disabilities: The playground area is wheelchair accessible. Come in the morning or around dinnertime.

The opulent Meadow Brook Hall was built in the late 1920s for Matilda Dodge, widow of auto pioneer John Dodge. The 110-room, 88,000-square-foot, Tudor-revival style mansion includes a two-story ballroom, original art and furnishings, and formal gardens.