10451 Best Sights in USA

With an amusement park and rows of eclectic local shops, this 2-mile-long beach has a carnival vibe and is the closest thing you'll find to Coney Island on the West Coast. It's lively year-round but draws a huge crowd on hot summer days. A wide boardwalk paralleling the beach is popular with walkers, joggers, skateboarders, and bicyclists. To escape the crowds, head to South Mission Beach. It attracts surfers, swimmers, and volleyball players, who often play competitive pickup games on the courts near the north jetty. The water near the Belmont Park roller coaster can be a bit rough but makes for good bodyboarding and bodysurfing. For free parking, you can try for a spot on the street, but your best bets are the two big lots at Belmont Park. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

As the oldest unrestored stone church in the United States, Mission Concepción looks much like it did when it was dedicated in 1755. It is a fine example of Spanish Colonial architecture, and was known for its colorful frescoes, most of which are long gone. The most striking remaining fresco is the "Eye of God" on the ceiling of the library, a face from which rays of light emanate.

Two churches stand side by side here: a newer multidomed basilica and the small adobe Mission San Francisco de Asís, the latter being the city's oldest standing structure along with the Presidio Officers' Club. Completed in 1791, it's the sixth of the 21 California missions founded by Franciscan friars in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Its ceiling depicts original Ohlone Indian basket designs, executed in vegetable dyes. The tiny chapel includes frescoes and a hand-painted wooden altar.

There's a hidden treasure here: a 20-by-22-foot mural with images including a dagger-pierced Sacred Heart of Jesus, painted with natural dyes by Native Americans in 1791, was found in 2004 behind the altar. Interesting fact: Mission San Francisco de Asís was founded on June 29, 1776, five days before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The small museum in the mission complex covers its founding and history, and the pretty cemetery—which appears in Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo—contains the graves of mid-19th-century European immigrants. The remains of an estimated 5,000 Native Americans who died at the mission lie in unmarked graves.

The southernmost mission, Acequia was named for St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the monastic order of Franciscans. The mission's full name is Mission San Francisco de la Espada. It includes an Arab-inspired aqueduct that was part of the missions' famous acequia water management system.

Between the Bitteroot Valley and the Flathead Valley, Highway 93 winds its way around the west side of Flathead Lake. Known for the two-lane, often slow-going traffic, this route has many places to stop and drink in the mountain backdrop that frames the lake. Along the way, wine lovers should check out the family-owned Mission Mountain Winery, where you can sample wines from Montana's first bonded winery. The pinot noir and pinot gris, both from grapes grown in the property's vineyard, are award-winners.

From much of the Mission Valley and Flathead Indian Reservation you can see the Mission Mountains, on which there's a 73,877-acre wilderness area full of hiking, camping, and fishing opportunities. The area is probably best known as the location of the first formal tribal wilderness area and the 1,000-foot drops of Elizabeth and Mission falls. Glorious McDonald Peak looms at 9,280 feet; it's a favorite of grizzly bears, who gather on the snowfields to eat swarms of cutworm moths and ladybugs. Try the Mission Reservoir Trail for a relatively easy hike up a beautiful valley. Those who aren't tribal members must obtain a recreation permit to hike, fish, and camp here among the mountain lions, lynx, wolverines, black bears, and grizzlies. Recreational permits are available at local grocery and sporting-goods stores and most gas stations. Call the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes at the number below for camping permits and information on the recreation permits.

A newly built micro neighborhood within the greater Mission Bay neighborhood, this 28-acre waterfront development across McCovey Cove from Oracle Park is a public-private development between the Giants, the Port of San Francisco, and Tishman Speyer (a real-estate corporation). Its crowning glory, China Basin Park, was unveiled in 2024 and features a beach-like area with Adirondack chairs and a Willie McCovey statue, plus plenty of green space for dogs and humans to enjoy. The ballpark and skyline views throughout the park are sensational.

Further inland within the small set of high-rise buildings, the credit card company Visa now has its global headquarters. Several popular San Francisco restaurants, including Trick Dog, Flour + Water Pizzeria, and Che Fico, are expected to open-dining concepts in the "neighborhood" in 2025.

The ninth of the 21 California missions, Mission San Buenaventura was established in 1782, and the current church was rebuilt and rededicated in 1809. A self-guided tour takes you through a small museum, a quiet courtyard, and a chapel with 250-year-old paintings.

Established in 1771 as the fourth of 21 missions founded in California, this massive adobe complex was dedicated by Father Junípero Serra to St. Gabriel. Within the next 50 years, San Gabriel Arcángel became the wealthiest of all California missions. In 1833 the Mexican government confiscated the mission, allowing it to decline. The U.S. government returned the mission to the church in 1855, but by this time the Franciscans had departed. In 1908 the Claretian Missionaries took charge and poured much care into preserving the rich history, albeit without a focus on the indigenous people who built the mission. A devastating arson fire in 2020 has resulted in a grand reopening with newly reimagined museum exhibitions centering the thousands of Native Americans who built and were baptized on the site. The cemetery here, the first in L.A. County, is said to contain approximately 6,000 Gabrieleños. Tranquil grounds are lushly planted and filled with remnants of what life was like two centuries ago. Public mass is held at the mission Sunday morning at 7 and 10, but check ahead as times are subject to change. If you're lucky, you'll hear the six bells that ring out during special services—a truly arresting experience. You can take a self-guided tour of the grounds here by purchasing a map in the gift shop.

On a visit to Mission San Juan, you'll find a white exterior and Romanesque arches on on the outside while the inside has a serene chapel and a small museum. This mission once supplied all its own needs, from cloth to crops. The shaded Yanaguana Trail behind the mission winds along the low river-bottom land and provides a look at many indigenous plants along with wildlife like turtles, owls, and snakes. The San Antonio Food Bank has a partnership with the Farm at Mission San Juan to create a living demonstration farm fed by a historic acequia (community-operated water canal).

On the site of a 17th-century Spanish mission and Apalachee town, this 63-acre living-history museum and archaeological research project showcases life in the late 1600s, when this and three nearby villages had a population of more than 1,400. Several buildings have been reconstructed to give a sense of how the Spaniards and Apalachee coexisted. Particularly impressive is the Native American Council House, a five-story, 120-foot-diameter, palm-thatched structure. Guides in period dress act as the mission's 17th-century residents, and the state-of-the-art visitor center displays artifacts from the site and has a gift shop.

Sun-dappled Mission Plaza fronts the fifth mission established in 1772 by Franciscan friars. A small museum exhibits artifacts of the Chumash Indians and early Spanish settlers. Guided tours are offered Wednesday–Sunday at 1:15 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. 

In the early 20th century the Mission Santa Fe Depot, a 1903 Spanish Mission Revival structure, serviced several dozen trains daily (Amtrak still stops here).

On the mainland east of the Alburgh Peninsula, the refuge consists of 6,729 acres of federally protected wetlands, meadows, and woods. It's a beautiful area for bird-watching, canoeing, and walking nature trails.

Get ready for hands-on fun inside this interactive museum where exhibit space covers nearly half a football field! Five predominating themes—Mississippi heritage; literacy; health and nutrition; the arts; and Mississippi industry—are packaged with such creativity that children may not realize how much they are actually learning.

As part of a process to create a cultural corridor in downtown Jackson, the Mississippi Museum of Art now represents the "open door" philosophy of the arts community. You'll feel welcome in light-bathed galleries flanked by a huge outdoor garden, where dancing fountains, outdoor sculptures, and a performance stage liven the green space. As a symbol of the museum's commitment to hospitality, admission to "The Mississippi Story," a part of the permanent collection, is free. Be sure to see photography by Mississippi literary giant Eudory Welty.

For a medium-sized facility, this museum packs a big punch—especially for families—with a combination of indoor and outdoor exhibits and activities, including a 100,000-gallon aquarium and a swamp-style greenhouse, as well as 2.5 miles of nature trails in part of LeFleur's Bluff State Park. Rotating exhibits, themed programs, and outdoor performances make this a good choice for return visits.

When facing the river with the French Quarter at your back, you will see, to your right, the Crescent City Connection, a twin-span bridge between downtown New Orleans and the West Bank, and a ferry that crosses the river every 30 minutes. The river flows to the left downstream for another 100 miles until it merges with the Gulf of Mexico. Woldenberg Riverfront Park and Spanish Plaza are prime territory for watching everyday life along the Mississippi: steamboats carrying tour groups, tugboats pushing enormous barges, and oceangoing ships. Directly across the river from the Quarter are the ferry landing and a dry dock for ship repair.

Each year two-dozen changing contemporary art exhibits join a permanent collection featuring works by E.S. Paxson, Walter Hook, Rudy and Lela Autio, and modern-day Native American artists. The 1903 Carnegie Library building, which was extensively remodeled in 2006, has eight galleries, one of which is dedicated to contemporary American Indian art, a bookstore, a non-lending library, and classrooms.

Known locally as Shaw's Garden for founder Henry Shaw, the garden is a 15-minute drive southwest of Downtown. Highlights include a Japanese garden; the Climatron, a tropical rain forest housed in a geodesic glass dome; an Ottoman Turkish style garden; and a 2-acre children's garden representing Missouri's major ecosystems.

The Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center puts the fabled Missouri Breaks in perspective, and offers a virtual glimpse of the river to those not floating down the Mighty Mo and maps for those who do. The front of the building, on Fort Benton's historic levee, looks like the stunning White Cliffs of the Missouri; the rear resembles the deck of a paddlewheel steamer. Inside, photos and films of the river and its wildlife, interactive exhibits, and history lessons await. Don't miss the rifle surrendered by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce.

The Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers come together to form the mighty Missouri River within Missouri Headwaters State Park, a National Historic Landmark. At 2,340 miles, the Missouri is the country's longest river. Lewis and Clark named the three forks after Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, Secretary of State James Madison, and President Thomas Jefferson. The park has historical exhibits, interpretive signs, picnic sites, hiking trails, and camping.

Also in Fleming Park is Missouri Town 1855, a reproduction 1800s town created from more than 30 transplanted period houses, barns, stores, and outbuildings. The staff and volunteers wear period clothing. It's closed on weekdays in fall and winter, and Monday in spring and summer.

This sandy trail follows the glaciated South Fork Canyon through forest and chaparral, past several rapids and cascades, to one of the largest waterfalls in the two parks. Eight miles round-trip, the hike is relatively flat, but climbs 600 feet in the last 2 miles. It takes from four to five hours to complete. Moderate.

Except for Lower Yosemite Fall, more visitors take this trail (or portions of it) than any other in the park. The trek up to and back from Vernal Fall is 3 miles. Add another 4 miles total by continuing up to 594-foot Nevada Fall; this portion of the trail becomes quite steep and slippery in its final stages. The elevation gain to Vernal Fall is 1,000 feet, and to Nevada Fall an additional 1,000 feet. The Merced River tumbles down both falls on its way to a tranquil flow through the valley. Moderate.

Founded by Albert and Vera List, pioneer collectors of modern art, this MIT center has three galleries showcasing exhibitions of cutting-edge art and mixed media. Works from the center's collection of contemporary art, such as Thomas Hart Benton's painting Fluid Catalytic Crackers and Harry Bertoia's altarpiece for the MIT Chapel, are on view here and around campus. The center's website includes a map indicating the locations of more than 20 of these public works of art.

The MIT Museum is a place where art, science, and technology meet, with intriguing and extensive exhibits dedicated to the exciting worlds of artificial intelligence, MIT's renowned robotics, genetic technologies, and solar-powered vehicle Nimbus, to name a few. Allow an hour or two for a visit, and check the schedule for special programs and demonstrations by MIT researchers and inventors.

Founded in 1977, the Mitchell Museum houses more than 10,000 Native American artifacts from the Paleo-Indian period through modern times. Permanent exhibits focus on tribes in the Plains, Southwest, Northwest Coast, Woodlands, and Arctic areas. Guided tours, lectures, and kids' craft mornings (weekends only) are a regular part of the programming here.

You can still play "catch the brass ring" at this 1920s carousel, housed in a round, gleaming glass structure, the highlight of Greenport's renovated waterfront.

Known to locals simply as "The Domes," the conservatory consists of three 85-foot-high glass domes that house tropical, arid, and seasonal plants and flowers. Its lilies and poinsettias are spectacular at Easter and Christmas, respectively.