10457 Best Sights in USA

At the south end of the island, this beach allows you free access to the same gorgeous sands used by vacationers at the nearby Ritz-Carlton. It has a large parking area, a picnic area, barbecue grills, and three lifeguard towers. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

The refuge's 2,178-acre Petit Manan Point Division is a sanctuary of fields, forests, and rocky shorefront at the tip of Pigeon Hill Peninsula. In August, it's a popular spot for handpicking wild blueberries. Whatever the time of year, you can explore here—keeping an eye out for wildlife—on two trails. Mostly a loop, the 1.8-mile Hollingsworth Trail has a gorgeous shore stretch on Pigeon Hill Bay where it's easy to head off-path to clamber on the large granite ledges. Petit Manan Lighthouse—Maine’s second tallest, on one of five lighthouse islands belonging to the refuge—towers in the distance beyond a wide cove. Birch Point Trail (4.2 miles round-trip) crosses a blueberry field, then leads to salt marshes and mudflats on Dyer Bay, with side trails to a cove and rocky beach. Along the trail's logging roads, families and groups can walk together.

Just a tiny pull-out that most visitors pass by, this memorable stop features acres upon acres of reddish-gold, petrified sand dunes. There's no trail here, so roam as you like while keeping track of where you are. If you do lose your way, heading west will take you back to the main road.

Although bits of petrified wood have been found all over the park, the densest collection is in the South Unit's west end, accessible via the Petrified Forest Loop Trail from Peaceful Valley Ranch (10 miles round-trip) or from the park's west boundary (3 miles round-trip), which is the most recommended route

Scattered among other rocks at this public beach are three dozen or more large stones bearing designs and pictures chiseled by unknown ancient artists. No one knows why the rocks at this curious site were etched the way they were, or even exactly how old the etchings are. You can access the beach via a boardwalk, where you'll find signs describing the site, along with carved replicas of the petroglyphs. Most of the petroglyphs are to the right between the viewing deck and a large outcropping of rock in the tidal beach area. Because the original petroglyphs can be damaged by physical contact, only photographs are permitted. But you are welcome to use the replicas to make a rubbing with rice paper and charcoal or crayons (available in local stores).

Beneath the stumps of five extinct volcanoes, this park encompasses more than 25,000 ancient Native American rock drawings inscribed on the 17-mile-long West Mesa escarpment overlooking the Rio Grande Valley. For centuries, Native American hunting parties camped at the base, chipping and scribbling away. Archaeologists believe most of the petroglyphs were carved on the lava formations between 1100 and 1600, but some images at the park may date back as far as 1000 BC. Accessible in three separate (and mostly shade-free---bring water and a hat!) sections, each is a short drive from the helpful Visitor Center, where rangers will supply maps and help you determine which trail is best for the time you have. The somewhat sandy but packed flat 1½-mile (round-trip) Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail has readily visible petroglyphs all along its length; at 2.2 miles, the unpaved trail at Rinconada Canyon reveals its large concentration of petroglyphs about halfway in; and, closest to the Visitor Center is the Boca Negra Canyon loop trail, with three paved spurs that each take you up close to distinctive clusters of petroglyphs as well.

The grounds of the Freeport Historical Society's saltwater Pettengill Farm—140 beautifully tended acres along an estuary of the Harraseeket River—are open to the public. It's about a 15-minute walk from the parking area down a farm road to the circa-1800 saltbox farmhouse, which is open by appointment. Little has changed since it was built, and it has rare etchings (called sgraffiti) of ships and sea monsters on three bedroom walls.

At Pewabic Pottery, founded in 1903, you can see where the brilliantly glazed ceramic Pewabic tiles found in buildings throughout the nation—including the Detroit Public Library and Washington National Cathedral—are made. The pottery now houses a ceramics museum, a workshop, a store, and a learning center.

This was the home of a prominent colonist and revolutionary who served as attorney general under the British, then as Speaker of the House of Burgesses, and later as president of the first and second Continental Congresses. The oak-paneled bedroom and Randolph family silver are remarkable.

Among the many hiking trails at Pfeiffer Big Sur, a short route through a redwood-filled valley leads to a waterfall. You can double back or continue on the more difficult trail along the valley wall for views over miles of treetops to the sea.

From this point you can get a close look at Phantom Ship, a rock formation that resembles a schooner with furled masts and looks ghostly in fog.

Built in 1885, the brewery building originally housed the Weisbrod & Hess Oriental Brewing Company.  Since 2001, the brewery has been the headquarters of the Philadelphia Brewing Company, which produces year-round beers like Pennsylvania Pale Ale and Newbold IPA, as well as seasonal and specialty brews. For non-beer drinkers, there's the Phizzie hard seltzer. Free brewery tours are offered every third Saturday at noon and 2 pm; reservations are recommended. 

The Contributionship, the nation's oldest fire insurance company, was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1752; the present Greek Revival building with fluted marble Corinthian columns dates from 1836 and has some magnificently elegant salons (particularly the boardroom, where a seating plan on the wall lists Benjamin Franklin as the first incumbent of seat Number One). The architect, Thomas U. Walter, was also responsible for the dome and House and Senate wings of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. This is still an active business, but a small museum is open to the public by appointment.

Erected in 2003 to honor the victims of the Irish Famine (1845–1849), the memorial features 35 life-size bronze figures that depict the famine in Ireland, as well as people moving to and arriving in America; more than 1 million people died in the famine and more than 1 million people left the country. The memorial was designed by Glenna Goodacre. (Note: the statue is currently in a temporary location at 109 Spruce Street, until the construction project at Penn's Landing is completed). 

Designed by the well-known Philadelphia architect William Strickland and built in 1832, this impressive Greek Revival building served as the city's commercial center for 50 years. It was both the stock exchange and a place where merchants met to trade goods. In the tower a watchman scanned the Delaware River and notified merchants of arriving ships. The exchange stands behind Dock Street, a cobblestone thoroughfare. The building houses a small exhibit on its history and now serves as the headquarters for Independence National Park.

Opened in 1874, the 42 acres of America's first zoo are home to more than 1,900 animals representing six continents. Small and well landscaped, it has naturalistic habitats that allow you to get close enough to hear the animals breathe, though it's easy to feel some animals might like more space. Remember to look up: some animals travel around the grounds via see-through overhead trails called Zoo360. Conservation information boards and talks by keepers are excellent. At this writing, a major Bear Country exhibit will open in spring 2026. There's plenty to see, with some areas, such as the interactive Flamingo Cove habitat, more modern than others. The Reptile and Amphibian House houses species from 15-foot-long snakes to seven Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoise hatchlings (born in 2025), and the 2½-acre Primate Reserve is home to species such as gorillas and orangutans. Other attractions include the McNeil Avian Center, a state-of-the-art nest for birds; and African Plains, with giraffes, rhinoceroses, and zebras. The children's zoo, KidZooU, has indoor and outdoor learning areas. The Wild Explorer VR experience (extra charge) takes visitors from the depths of the ocean to the African plains.   It takes two or three hours to explore the exhibits. Advance online ticket purchase (timed entrance) recommended for general admission.  

Step into one of only five museums in the United States to display a unique combination of historical home, art collections, and gardens. The mansion is a 72-room 1927 Italian Renaissance villa, originally called Villa Philbrook, built by Tulsa oil baron Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve as a place for their children, who were ages 16 and 10 at the time, to entertain friends. It's a fine setting for the collections of European, American, Native American, and Asian antiquities, plus modern and contemporary art and design. The gardens cover 23 acres of formal and informal plantings. On the second Saturday of every month admission is free, and there are family-friendly art activities, tours, and scavenger hunts.

On the bank of the Pocantico River sits this 18th-century farm and provisioning plant owned by Frederick Philipse III, whose Dutch family owned most of the land in the region. Guides in period costume conduct tours of the Dutch stone house filled with 17th- and 18th-century antiques. The museum focuses, however, on the lives and stories of the 23 enslaved Africans who lived here and on slavery in the colonial north. Check out the water-powered gristmill, 18th-century New World Dutch barn, slave garden, and reconstructed tenant house.

This museum, and the Dinosaur Field Station next door, is an official repository for fossils found in the Judith River basin. The highlight of the dinosaur display is a reconstructed albertosaur skeleton, which towers above the rest of the collection. There are also exhibits on outlaws who spent time here: Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry, the Tall Texan, and other members of the Wild Bunch gang. Ask about tours of the H.G. Robinson House and gardens next door. The house, ordered from a Sears & Roebuck catalog and erected in 1900, is an example of frontier simplicity.

The grounds of this elite 1,100-student prep school, open to the public, resemble an Ivy League university campus. The school's library is one of the masterworks of modernist architect Louis I. Kahn. The Lamont Gallery, in the Frederick R. Mayer Art Center, mounts free contemporary art exhibitions.

The largest scouting venue in the world, 137,000-acre Philmont Scout Ranch has hosted nearly 1 million Boy Scouts throughout its history—about 21,000 currently visit every summer, and on any given day about 3,000 of them are out plying the property's miles of rugged trails. Phillips Petroleum magnate and Boy Scouts of American benefactor Waite Phillips established the mountainous ranch. The museums of the Philmont Scout Ranch include Villa Philmonte, the restored 1927 Spanish-Mediterranean summer home of Waite Phillips, furnished with European and Southwestern antiques and Native American and Southwestern art. Tours of the mansion are conducted in July and August. Scouting cofounder Ernest Thompson Seton donated most of the holdings of the Philmont Museum & Seton Memorial Library, among them New Mexican art and artifacts, Native American rugs and pottery, and books on natural history and the history of the Southwest.

This is the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743 to promote \"useful knowledge.\" The members of the oldest learned society in America have included Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette, Emerson, Darwin, Edison, Churchill, and Einstein. Erected between 1785 and 1789 in what has been called a \"restrained Federal style\" (designed to complement, not outshine, adjacent Independence Hall), Philosophical Hall is brick with marble trim, has a handsome arched entrance, and houses the Society's museum, open to the public Friday to Sunday. The society's library is across the street in Library Hall.

The paintings and bronze sculptures of George Phippen, along with works by other artists of the West, form the permanent collection of this museum about 5 miles north of downtown. Phippen met with a group of prominent cowboy artists in 1965 to form the Cowboy Artists of America, a group dedicated to preserving the Old West as they saw it. He became the president but died the next year. A memorial foundation set up in his name opened the doors of this museum in 1984.

About 2 miles south of "Billionaire's Row" on Ocean Boulevard sits this public oceanside park, with two metered parking lots separated by a fire station. There are four entry points to the beach, but the north side is better for beachgoers. At the southern entrance, there is a six-court tennis facility. The beach is narrow and has natural rock formations dotting the shoreline, making it ideal for snorkelers. There are picnic tables and grills on site, as well as the Little Red Schoolhouse, an 1886 landmark that hosts educational workshops for local kids. If a long walk floats your boat, venture north to see the megamansions, but don't go too far inland, because private property starts at the high-tide line. Parking is metered and time limits strictly enforced. There's a two-hour time limit for free parking—but read the meter carefully: it's valid only during certain hours at some spots. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; walking.

This museum is one of the most visually appealing pieces of architecture in the Southwest. Basking in natural light, the museum makes great use of its modern, open space by tastefully fitting more than 17,000 works of art from around the world—including sculptures by Frederic Remington and paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe, Thomas Moran, and Maxfield Parrish—within its soaring concrete walls. The museum hosts more than 20 significant exhibitions annually and has one of the most acclaimed fashion collections in the country.

At the Phoenix Gold Mine a seasoned miner leads tours underground, where you can wield 19th-century excavating tools or pan for gold. Whatever riches you find are yours to keep.

The only remaining tower of three of this type that once existed in Baltimore, this brick structure was used to make shot pellets by pouring molten lead from the top. As the drops fell, they formed balls that turned solid in cold water at the bottom. In the summer months the tower may close due to heat.

Four designated trails wind through this 125-acre zoo, replicating such habitats as an African savanna and a tropical rain forest. Meerkats, warthogs, desert bighorn sheep, and the endangered Arabian oryx are among the species here. The zoo is full of interactive stops for kids of all sizes. Harmony Farm introduces youngsters to small mammals, and a stop at the Big Red Barn petting zoo provides a chance to interact with goats, cows, and more. In December the zoo stays open late (until 10) for the popular ZooLights exhibit, which transforms the area into an enchanted forest of more than 225 million twinkling lights, many in the shape of the zoo's residents. Starry Safari Friday Nights in summer are fun, too.

Named after the eponymous character in Charles Dickens's Pickwick Papers, Pickwick Dam is considered by locals to be the playground of southwestern Tennessee's Hardin County.

Pickwick Landing State Resort Park has a resort inn, a restaurant, playgrounds, swimming beaches, picnic areas, campsites, and a par-72, 18-hole golf course.