10450 Best Sights in USA

Self-guided historical tours here include a peek at what operations in the once-functional lighthouse were like during the 1870s. Perched on a small hill, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1933. Surrounding it are the 5 acres of wooded land and hundreds of acres of parkland of the Old Mission State Park, with trails for hiking, running, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing; there are also picnic spots and bird-watching opportunities. It's not uncommon to spot an "Indian tree" while on the trails; these were purposely bent by Native American as trail markers. Visitors can also check out the historic Hessler Log Cabin and walk along the park's beachfront on Old Mission Peninsula.

Known as the King of the Missions, the 18th, the largest, and the most prosperous of California's missions was founded in 1798 by Franciscan friars under the direction of Father Fermin Lasuen to help educate and convert local Native Americans. After years of abandonment, it was reestablished in 1895. The sala (parlor), the kitchen, a friar's bedroom, a weaving room, and a collection of religious art and old Spanish vestments convey much about early mission life. A special behind-the-scenes tour starts at 11 am on Saturday, and Mass is held in the main building at noon weekdays.

Built in 1871, the old Montana Territorial Prison did not shut down until 1979. It's now where you can enter cells and learn about early Montana law. Also on display is the gallows tree taken from town to town in territorial days to hang convicted prisoners.

At this bridge, the Concord minutemen turned the tables on the British on the morning of April 19, 1775. The Americans didn't fire first, but when two of their own fell dead from a Redcoat volley, Major John Buttrick of Concord roared, "Fire, fellow soldiers, for God's sake, fire." The minutemen released volley after volley, and the Redcoats fled. Daniel Chester French's famous statue The Minute Man (1875) honors the country's first freedom fighters. The lovely wooded surroundings give a sense of what the landscape was like in more rural times. Guests who take the Liberty Ride trolley tour from Lexington Center will be treated to a quick stop at the bridge.

Founded in the 1880s, Old Orchard Beach is the state's premier family-resort destination. The carnival lights and sounds of the amusement park Palace Playland have pulled in residents and visitors for generations, while shops and stands hawking souvenirs line Grand Avenue. But the star attraction is 7 miles of sandy oceanfront that’s popular for swimming, walking, socializing, and just plain gazing out at the ocean. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: partiers; sunset; surfing; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

The building houses both the Raton Arts & Humanities Council and the Old Pass Gallery, which presents exhibits of regional art, books, and jewelry.

Designed by Robert Smith in 1768, Old Pine is the only remaining Colonial Presbyterian church and churchyard in Philadelphia. Badly damaged during the Revolution, it served as a hospital and then a stable. In the mid–19th century, its exterior had a Greek Revival facelift that introduced Corinthian columns. In the 1980s, the interior walls and ceiling were stenciled with thistle and wave motifs, a reminder of Old Pine's true name—Third, Scots, and Mariners Presbyterian Church—which documented the congregation's mergers. The beautifully restored church is painted in soft shades of periwinkle and yellow. In the churchyard are the graves of 100 Hessian soldiers from the Revolution, and that of Eugene Ormandy, former conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Although the building is now the Waldorf Astoria Washington, D.C., the Old Post Office Tower (within the hotel) is still open for public tours through the National Park Service. The building, a symbol of the modern American spirit when constructed in 1899, was the first government tower to have its own electric power plant. Now, tourists can see the 360-degree view from the top of the tower, the second-tallest building in D.C. Tours (from 9 am to 4 pm daily) are free, but tour guests must enter through a specified entrance for the general public.

Except from 1899 through 1949, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House has been the site of an active Presbyterian congregation since 1772. Scottish pioneers founded the church, and Scottish patriots used it as a gathering place during the Revolution. Four memorial services were held for George Washington here. The tomb of an unknown soldier of the American Revolution lies in a corner of the small churchyard, where many prominent Alexandrians—including Dr. James Craik, physician and best friend to Washington, and merchant John Carlyle—are interred. The original sanctuary was rebuilt after a lightning strike and fire in 1835. The interior is appropriately plain; if you'd like to visit the sanctuary, you can stop in the office or call ahead for a tour; a historian is generally there on weekdays.

This 1892 Romanesque courthouse, known as "Old Red," contains a museum on Dallas County's history. Each gallery has a short film, interactive exhibits, artifacts, and historical photographs. Discover some of Dallas's claims to fame, such as the invention of the integrated circuit, air conditioning for cars, and the frozen margarita, as well as sports memorabilia. A special draw is the hands-on learning center, where children can dress in period costume, play marbles, and answer history questions on touch-screen monitors.

A jumble of historic attractions and bonafide tourist traps—the Sacramento History Museum and the superb California State Railroad Museum representing the former and a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and salt-water taffy and T-shirt concessions the latter—occupies several square blocks of the Sacramento River's eastern banks a quarter-mile west of the Capitol. Shining bright metallic gold, the Tower Bridge, designed in the art-deco Streamline Moderne style and completed in 1935, anchors the waterfront's southern flank.

Four miles of boardwalks and unpaved footpaths (as well as a 3-mile paddling trail) take you through this mix of wetlands and forest. Besides cypress trees, water lily fields, and wildlife, the draw is a historical one: the last portion of the country's first true canal, constructed in large part through the labor of enslaved people. An interpretive center details the history of the canal, which was used to transport goods from upstate South Carolina to the port of Charleston for the first half of the 19th century. The circa-1840 Stony Landing Plantation House is furnished with period reproductions. Also on-site (and included in admission) is the Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center, which tells the story of the county's cultural and natural history, including spotlighting the enslaved people who built the rice and mineral extraction industry that enabled this interior area to flourish. Prefer to explore by boat? Rent a canoe for $5 per half hour.

This long, beautiful crescent of soft white sand is anchored by the Sea Crest Beach Resort at one end. It's especially good for small children because a sandbar keeps it shallow at the southern end and creates tidal pools full of crabs. Very popular, this beach has its share of crowds on nice, sunny days. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Members of Old South Meeting House, of Tea Party fame, decamped to this new site in 1873, a move not without controversy. In an Italian Gothic style inspired by the art critic John Ruskin and with an interior decorated with Venetian mosaics and stained-glass windows, the "new" structure could hardly be more different from the plain meetinghouse they vacated. The sanctuary is free and open to the public seven days a week.

Consisting of some of the oldest roads in Texas, the Old Spanish Trail (OST) links cities of Spanish-conquest settlement from St. Augustine, Florida, to San Diego, California, and is commemorated by the 0-mile marker stone on the lawn of San Antonio's city hall. As the trail meanders through the city, a decorative stone bench recognizing the trail is at 3400 Fredericksburg Road. The Old Spanish Trail Centennial Celebration Association (OST100) was organized to promote and preserve the sights along the OST. They plan to end their decade-long celebration with a motorcade grand finale from St. Augustine to San Diego in 2029. 

The architectural centerpiece here is a stark-white 1888 Carpenter Gothic church that overlooks the town and the bay from its hillside perch. Surrounding the church, which was dedicated as a historical monument in 1959, is a wildflower preserve that's spectacular in May and June, when the rare Tiburon paintbrush and Tiburon black jewel flower bloom. Expect a steep walk uphill to reach the preserve. The Landmarks Society arranges guided tours by appointment. The hiking trails behind the Landmark wind up to a peak that has views of the entire Bay Area.

In 1733 a tiny chapel was established by Jesuits for Philadelphia's 11 Catholic families. It was one of the first places in the English-speaking colonies where Catholic mass could be legally celebrated, a right granted under William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, which guaranteed religious freedom. But freedom didn't come easy; on one occasion Quakers had to patrol St. Joseph's to prevent a Protestant mob from disrupting services. The present church, built in 1839, is the third on this site. The late-19th-century stained-glass windows are notable.

Dedicated in 1854, this church served as the city's Catholic cathedral until 1891. The verse below the massive clock face beseeched naughty Barbary Coast boys: "Son, observe the time and fly from evil." Across the street from the church in St. Mary's Square, a Beniamino Bufano statue of Sun Yat-sen towers over the site of the Chinese leader's favorite reading spot during his years in San Francisco. On Tuesdays at 12:30 pm, the church hosts free chamber music concerts ( noontimeconcerts.org).  A surprisingly peaceful spot, St. Mary's Square also has a couple of small, well-kept playgrounds, perfect for a break from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown.

The city's second-oldest Catholic church, circa 1763, became its first cathedral when the city's archdiocese was formed in 1810. Though the interior was renovated in the 1960s, the stained-glass windows and brass chandeliers that once hung in the Founders Room of Independence Hall are historic highlights. Commodore John Barry, a Revolutionary War naval hero, and other famous Philadelphians are buried in the small churchyard.

When this turreted Gothic Victorian castle was constructed between 1847 and 1852, it was declared by some a masterpiece, by others a monstrosity. No one can deny that the restored building is colorful and dramatic. In the entrance hall a stunning cast-iron spiral staircase with gold leafing winds toward a stained-glass atrium. The building is now an education and research facility with audiovisual exhibits including the "assassination room," which covers the legendary Huey Long's final moments and is a major draw. Tours (including self-guided audio tours) are free. The Ghost of the Castle Exhibit ($2) is a 12-minute 4-D presentation that tells the history of the building, as narrated by an actress playing Sarah Morgan, whose father sold the land on which the building was built.

This Federal-style building with an elaborate cupola and roof balustrade was designed in the early 1700s by Charles Bulfinch, architect of the U.S. Capitol. It served as Connecticut's state capitol until a new building opened in 1879, when it became Hartford's city hall until 1915. In the 1820 Senate Chamber, where everyone from John Adams and Abraham Lincoln to Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush has spoken, you can view a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart; and in the Courtroom, you can find out about the trial of the Amistad Africans in the very place it began. In summer, enjoy concerts and a farmers' market (which dates back to the 1600s).

The site contains several 18th- and 19th-century buildings, including the 1772 church that served as a fort during its early years. A log stockade was erected in 1777, and the building came under attack by the British three years later. During the Civil War it was used as an armory. Converted to a museum in 1889, the interior serves as a museum within a museum, with hundreds of artifacts exhibited in cases that have changed little in the past century.

Washington's oldest surviving building, this fieldstone house in the heart of Georgetown, was built in 1765 by a cabinetmaker named Christopher Layman. A succession of occupants used the house as a residence and business place until 1953 when the National Park Service purchased it. Over the next seven years, it underwent an extensive restoration that has preserved the building's Revolutionary War–era architecture and design. The furnishings of several of the rooms reflect the times, with the simple, sturdy artifacts—plain tables, spinning wheels, and so forth—of 18th-century middle-class life. You can take a self-guided tour of the house and its lovely English-style gardens.

This reconstructed Dutch farmhouse dating back to 1699 played a central role in the Battle of Brooklyn, one of the largest battles of the Revolutionary War. In the 1880s, it served as the clubhouse of the early Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, and today it's a small, family-friendly museum that looks back at the history of the site, from the Lenape tribes to Revolutionary times in Brooklyn, from the 1640s to 1783. Art exhibits, concerts, plays, and other community events take place year-round.

Part of Pike Place Market’s recent expansion, Old Stove—which is brewed on-site—might be the kid-friendliest taproom in town. Choose from 24 drafts at the award-winning brewery and restaurant; try to nab a seat on the patio or by the window (especially at sunset) so you can watch ferries glide across Puget Sound from the 80-foot west-facing window that frames Elliott Bay and the mountains.

A former beet-sugar refinery a 15-minute drive south of downtown in Clarksburg now houses the tasting rooms of 14 Northern California wineries. The Clarksburg AVA (American Viticultural Area), which straddles Sacramento, Yolo, and Solano counties, is known for Chenin Blanc and Petite Sirah, though all the wineries also purchase grapes elsewhere. Clarksburg Wine Company, which owns the on-site wine-making facility, is a worthy first stop. Draconis Wines and Three Wine Company also merit investigation, with Bump City, co-owned by the Oakland-based Tower of Power's keyboard player, Roger Smith, another popular stop.

Old Town was known in the mid-1800s as the Cabbage Patch (for its German immigrant inhabitants’ proclivity for planting, well, you guessed it) and took turns in the 20th century as a stronghold for LGBTQ+ rights and an incubator for artists and comedians. Today the neighborhood feels more polished and less bohemian, but hints of the old world can still be found in the narrow cobbled alleys, the tolling bells of historic St. Michael’s church, and the barroom banter at mainstay Old Town Ale House. Head to Wells Street, the main drag, for independent shops and good bars and clubs (including the famed Second City).

One of the nation’s oldest continually operating farmers' markets has served Alexandria residents since 1753. On Saturday mornings, residents and visitors alike can get fresh meat, dairy, fish, fruits, and vegetables from area farmers. Local artists also sell their work in the bustling Market Square. Stop by year-round.