10457 Best Sights in USA

This little corner of Narragansett is a working fishing village, where you can eat lobster on a deck overlooking the wharf, go for a swim at one of two state beaches, or watch fishermen unload their catch and sell fresh seafood right from the docks. This is also the location of the mainland terminal for the ferry service to Block Island.

Atop the bluff that is Port Orford Heads, a trail loops the rocky outcropping between the Pacific and the Port Orford Lifeboat Station, taking in the hillside below, from which crews once mounted daring rescues on the fierce sea. From May through September, the lifeboat station and adjoining museum is open for free tours Wednesday–Monday, 10–3:30. Their motto? "You have to go out . . . you don't have to come back."

Port Republic School No. 7, a classic one-room schoolhouse built in the 1880s, looks for all the world as if today's lesson could begin any minute. Here, you can find a restored classroom with archetypal desks, inkwells, and a school bell. Until 1932 a single teacher taught children in seven grades here.

Along the waterfront at Fort Worden State Park, the small but informative center is divided into two sections. The marine lab and aquarium building, in a former World War II military storage facility at the end of a pier, houses several aquarium displays, as well as touch tanks with sea stars, crabs, and anemones. The museum has displays detailing the region's geography and marine ecology, including one of the only orca whale skeletons in the country. Beach walks, cruises, and camps and other programs are offered throughout the summer. There's also a visitor center downtown at 1001 Water Street containing a gallery with additional exhibits and a gift shop.

The 1964 earthquake destroyed the town of Portage. The ghost forest of dead spruce in the area was created when the land subsided by 6 to 10 feet after the quake and saltwater penetrated inland from Turnagain Arm, killing the trees.

This trail originates 13 miles north–northwest of Port Alsworth at the Joe Thompson Public Use Cabin. The cabin can be accessed by floatplane, and the hike is 3¼ miles and ascends 1,850 feet,ending in the tundra. Difficult.

The glacier is a frequently visited tourist destinations. A 6-mile side road off the Seward Highway leads to Begich-Boggs Visitor Center on the shore of Portage Lake, named after two U.S. congressmen who disappeared on a small-plane journey out of Anchorage in 1972. The center is staffed by Forest Service personnel, who can help plan your trip and explain the natural history of the area. A film on glaciers is shown hourly, and icebergs sometimes drift down to the center from Portage Glacier. Due to global climate change, Portage, like most of the glaciers in Alaska, has receded greatly in recent years, and it's no longer visible from the road. However, you can view it on a scenic cruise or via a hike.

The former site of a steel mill has been reclaimed as a beach with a paved 0.9-mile trail alongside the Burns Waterway and a pavilion with restrooms and a seasonal snack bar. There are also picnic tables and fishing access. Amenities: food and drink; parking (entrance pass required); toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Historically a route used by the Chugach Alaska Natives, Russian fur traders, and early settlers, this 1-mile hike (one-way) now offers tremendous views of Portage Glacier. To access the hike, drive through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel to Whittier and take the first right after the railroad tracks, onto a gravel road marked “Forest Access.” The trail will be just a short way up from there on the right. There’s a 750-foot elevation gain, so bring your hiking poles.

Vintner Jane Portalupi's grandmother, Marina, was her Italian village’s winemaker, and later in Prohibition-era San Jose, California, sold wine in milk bottles at her grocery store to help keep her family afloat. Portalupi and her husband, Tim Borges, also the winemaker, celebrate Jane's heritage with whites from Italian grapes like Arneis and Vermentino, along with reds that include Barbera (a strong suit) and Nebbiolo. Heavier wines include Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, and there's a Pinot Noir. The ultrafriendly staffers serve these vibrant wines in a storefront space with sofas and chairs that, except for the tall ceiling, has a living-room feel. On good-weather weekends, the sidewalk parklet often fills up.

Just southwest of Indiana Dunes State Park and northeast of Cowles Bog, Porter Beach has limited facilities but it often draws big crowds. Amenities: parking (entrance pass required); toilets (seasonal). Best for: swimming; walking.

The easygoing tastings at this down-home family farm take place in or just outside a small redwood-beamed structure. Porter Creek makes notably good wines, some from estate biodynamically grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Its vineyards climb up steep hillsides of volcanic soil that is said to impart a slight mineral note to the Chardonnays; cover crops planted between the vines provide erosion control in addition to nutrients. Winemaker Alex Davis also makes two wines from old-vine grapes, Carignane from Mendocino County and Zinfandel from Sonoma County, and his lineup includes Viognier and Syrah.

About a mile northwest of Harvard Square lies Porter Square, an area that consists of several blocks along Mass Ave. that boast shopping centers and eateries. As you walk north (away from Harvard) past the heart of Porter Square, you'll find ethnic eateries all along a few blocks (several Asian ramen and sushi spots can be found in the 1920's art deco Porter Exchange building), many of them excellent and far cheaper than Harvard Square restaurants. There are also quite a few unique shops along the way, including thrift shops and music stores.

The 150-acre sanctuary has a few miles of trails, including one known for ample woodpecker sightings, as well as access to the miles of trails in the adjoining Forest Park. There's also a hospital for injured and orphaned birds here, as well as a gift shop stocked with books and feeders. The society supplies free maps and sponsors a flock of bird-related activities, including guided bird-watching events and the annual Wild Arts Festival in mid-December.

Portlandia, the second-largest hammered-copper statue in the world, surpassed only by the Statue of Liberty, kneels on the second-story balcony of one of the earliest postmodern buildings in the United States. Built in 1982, and architect Michael Graves's first major design commission, this 15-story office building is buff color, with brown-and-blue trim and exterior decorative touches. Locals tend to either love or hate it, and its current need for a nearly $100 million renovation has plenty of critics calling—probably in vain—for its demolition. A huge fiberglass mold of Portlandia's face is exhibited in the second-floor Public Art Gallery, which provides a good overview of Portland's 1% for Art Program, and the hundreds of works on display throughout the city.

Begun as a temporary exhibit on the city's Chinatown—more than 10% of Portland's population identified as Chinese American in the 1900s, making it the second-largest such community in the country—at the Oregon Historical Society Museum, this museum now occupies a 2,500-square-foot permanent space in the heart of Chinatown. Exhibits document the community's continuously important contribution to the city, including the vibrant Chinese American–owned businesses that have prospered here since Portland's founding, as well as art, music, food, and important aspects of the community. The museum also presents rotating art and history exhibits as well as occasional concerts, lectures, and oral-history presentations.

Snag a peek into Old Port's extremely active fish commerce at the 20,000-square-foot Portland Fish Exchange. You'll find inside coolers teeming with cod, flounder, and monkfish; watch auctions take place over fish in real time; and find fishermen repairing nets outside.

This octagonal observatory on Munjoy Hill was built in 1807 by Captain Lemuel Moody, a retired sea captain, as a maritime signal tower. Moody used a telescope to identify incoming ships and flags to signal to merchants where to unload their cargo. Held in place by 122 tons of ballast, it's the last remaining historic maritime signal station in the country. The guided tour leads all the way to the dome, where you can step out on the deck and take in views of Portland, the islands, and inland toward the White Mountains.

Chinatown's living room buzzes with activity: the square, with its pagoda-shape structures, is a favorite spot for morning tai chi, and by noon dozens of men huddle around Chinese chess tables, engaged in competition. Kids scamper about the square's two grungy playgrounds. Back in the late 19th century this land was near the waterfront. The square is named for the USS Portsmouth, the ship helmed by Captain John Montgomery, who in 1846 raised the American flag here and claimed the then-Mexican land for the United States. A couple of years later, Sam Brannan kicked off the Gold Rush at the square when he waved his loot and proclaimed, "Gold from the American River!" Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island, often dropped by, chatting up the sailors who hung out here. Some of the information he gleaned about life at sea found its way into his fiction. A bronze galleon sculpture, a tribute to Stevenson, anchors the square's northwest corner. A plaque marks the site of California's first public school, built in 1847.

One of the early Yakima Valley wineries, established in 1981, Portteus is beloved by red-wine drinkers and offers one of the better tasting deals in the region: eight of the winery's many varieties for $5. Options includes Malbec, Syrah, Zinfandel, and several Italian grapes, with Barbera leading the pack. The modest tasting room sits among acres of vineyards with nice Mt. Adams views.

At this small, rural post office you can mail a coconut anywhere in the world. You'll need to bring your own, and it needs to be dried, with no holes from bugs and no sprouts. You can then decorate (colored markers are provided) and address your coconut, and post office staff will affix eye-catching stamps to it from their extensive collection. Costs vary according to destination and weight; the only countries that won't receive the charming postcards are Australia and New Zealand.

The first museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to posters, this spot was opened in 2019 by a group of poster enthusiasts who saw a gaping hole in the city's museum scene and decided to, ahem, poster over it. The museum hosts a series of moving exhibitions, Past shows have included the work of Czech art nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha and 1970s Blaxploitation movie posters, among other themes. There's free admission every Friday.

This gallery, first opened in the East Village in 1984 and open in TriBeCa since 2013, shows new and established conceptual artists of all ages. Postmasters exhibits both young and established artists working in all media, though it seeks out new forms of creative expression that are reflective of the current time.

Microscopic creatures lie dormant in pools that fill only after rare rainstorms. When the rains do come, some eggs hatch within hours and life becomes visible. If you're lucky, you'll hit Pothole Point after a storm. Whether wet or dry, don't walk on or touch the fragile ecosystem. The dramatic views of the Needles and Six Shooter Peak make this easy, 0.6-mile out-and-back hike worthwhile. Plan for about 45 minutes. There's no shade, so take precautions and plenty of water. Easy.

This park is 25 miles southwest of Moses Lake on the west side of O'Sullivan Dam next to the Potholes Reservoir, an artificial lake in a natural depression carved by the huge Spokane Floods. Open year-round, it's a great fishing lake, with trout in the fall, winter, and early spring, and ice fishing in the winter. Camping, boating, and wildlife viewing are other popular diversions. Five cabins are available to rent.

As you drive up U.S. 101 along the eastern side of the peninsula, you'll pass right through this 84-acre park that offers some of the best access to and prettiest views of Hood Canal. It's a great place to launch a kayak, stop for a picnic beneath the moss-draped evergreens, or scamper along the beach. There's a campground plus good fishing, clamming, and crabbing, too.

Walk along the waterfront and several forested paths to view striking examples of the monumental art form of totem pole carving, which is indigenous to Northwest Coast tribes. In addition to the totems, highlights include a carving shed where you can watch artists continue the work of their ancestors, a tribal house, and a large gift shop showcasing a wide range of authentic Native art. Also on the property are an antique car museum and antique firearm museum. Located adjacent to Totem Bight State Historical Park, Potlatch Park is 10 minutes north of town.

Just 15 miles north of town off Route 1, this winery has a gorgeous tasting room and beautiful restaurant in its French Mediterranean-style building. One of Potomac Point's most notable wines is the viognier. For romantics, it's also got a private "proposal tower" and a dedicated engagement and wedding coordinator.

Jump aboard a cruise ship from National Harbor's dock for a water tour of Mount Vernon or Alexandria and Georgetown. The trip to Mount Vernon includes admission to the grounds. The company also operates water taxis across the Potomac to the dock in Alexandria, where National Harbor's visitors can find even more shopping and dining options.