10451 Best Sights in USA

This installation of roadside art designed to resemble an actual Prada store is one of the most Instagrammed sights in all of Texas for creativity. Built in 2005, the $80,000 sculpture "store" lies just outside of the small town of Valentine, about 37 miles northwest of Marfa, and it has and will never open for business (though it has been vandalized).

"If door is locked, ring bell," reads a sign outside the weathered-redwood tasting shack at this family-run winery known for red, white, and tawny Ports. The sign, the bell, and the thousands of dollar bills tacked to the walls and ceilings inside are your first indications that you're drifting back in time with the old-school Pragers, who have been making regular and fortified wines in St. Helena since 1979. In addition to Ports, the winery produces a late-harvest Riesling dessert wine. Some tastings take place in a garden outside the tasting room or on the crush pad.

At the Prairie Dog Town on the monument grounds between Devils Tower and the Belle Fourche River, you can observe the burrowing, chirping rodents in their natural habitat. Prairie dogs were once plentiful on the Great Plains, but ranching and development have taken their toll; today, most sizeable populations of the animal are found on protected federal lands.

This 7.8-mile round-trip loop, which starts and finishes at Morefield Campground, is the longest hike inside the park. It provides fine views of Morefield Canyon to the south and the San Juan Mountains to the north. About halfway through the hike, you'll see a cut-off trail that you can take, which shortens the trip to 5 miles. Difficult.

The Pratt is an art gallery, and a cultural and natural-history museum rolled into one. The gallery showcases some of Alaska's finest artists, as well as special exhibits that rotate regularly. You can also explore botanical gardens, nature trails, and a gift shop, and spy on wildlife via the robotic video cameras set up on a seabird rookery and at the McNeil River Bear Sanctuary. A refurbished homestead cabin and outdoor summer exhibits are along the trail out back.

A steep, serpentine, half-mile climb leads to a series of carvings chiseled into a prominent sandstone outcropping. With only slight sarcasm, the whitewashed carvings are noted as the "Rushmore of the East." According to local lore, Zadock Pratt commissioned sculptor Andrew W. Pearse to create the cameo-like carvings in exchange for room and board. Images of Pratt's son George, a colonel who was killed in the Civil War, and Pratt's favorite horse are visible from the mountainside as you hike.

The muralists of this nonprofit design and create murals and lead guided walks. Tours are given on most Saturdays and cover several murals throughout the neighborhood, along with providing insightful historical context to the outdoor art. You can pick up a map of 24th Street's murals at the center and buy art supplies, books, T-shirts, postcards, and other mural-related items.

As you round a bend between Port Orford and Gold Beach, you'll see one of those sights that make grown-ups groan and kids squeal with delight: a huge, open-jawed Tyrannosaurus rex, with a green Brontosaurus peering out from the forest beside it. You can view 23 other life-size dinosaur replicas on the trail that runs through this property that's been delighting visitors since 1955.

Ever since the 1910s, archaeologists have been coming to this rural area to excavate rare natural treasures, including dinosaur bones, eggs, skeletons, and fossilized tracks. These are all on exhibit at Utah State University Eastern's Prehistoric Museum. For families, this museum offers a small but excellent kids' discovery area where children can experiment with excavating dino bones all on their own. A second hall is devoted to indigenous peoples, with displays of beadwork, clay figurines, a walk-in teepee, and other area artifacts. You can't miss the museum's gigantic mammoth and saber-toothed tiger replicas.

The drive down a mountainous section of AZ 89A from Jerome to Prescott is gorgeous (if somewhat harrowing in bad weather), filled with twists and turns through Prescott National Forest. A scenic turnoff near Jerome provides one last vista and a place to apply chains during surprise snowstorms. There's camping, picnicking, and hiking at the crest of Mingus Mountain. If you're coming to Prescott from Phoenix, the route that crosses the Mogollon Rim, overlooking the Verde Valley, has nice views of rolling hills and is less precipitous.

Picnicking is popular at this 3½-acre waterfront park near Strawbery Banke, whose spectacular garden with fountains is perfect for whiling away an afternoon. The park contains Point of Graves, Portsmouth's oldest burial ground, and two 17th-century warehouses. The summerlong Prescott Park Arts Festival features concerts, outdoor movies, and food-related events.

This 22-acre state historic site 10 miles south of central Charlotte marks the humble birthplace and childhood home of the 11th U.S. president, nicknamed "Napoléon of the Stump" for his excellent speeches. Guided tours of the log cabins (replicas of the originals) show what life was like for settlers back in 1795.

In June 1862, President Lincoln moved from the White House to this Gothic Revival cottage on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home to escape the oppressive heat of Washington and to grieve for the loss of his son Willie. Lincoln and his wife, Mary, lived in the cottage until November of that year, and because they found it to be a welcome respite from wartime tensions, they returned again during the summers of 1863 and 1864. Lincoln ultimately spent a quarter of his presidency at this quiet retreat; he was here just one day before he was assassinated. One of the most significant historic sites of Lincoln's presidency, it was here that he developed his ideas for what would become the Emancipation Proclamation. Visitors may picnic on the cottage grounds, which have been landscaped to look as they did when Lincoln lived here.

As you go up the hill toward the Cottage, there's a panoramic view of the city, including the Capitol dome. The 251-acre Soldiers' Home sits atop the third-tallest point in D.C.

This site commemorates the location of the home of U.S. presidents George Washington and John Adams from 1790 to 1800, as well as nine enslaved Africans who worked as household staff. This outdoor monument, which is open 24 hours a day, shows video clips that bring the house's history alive. Inside, take note of the bow window, which is thought to have inspired the shape of the Oval Office at the White House, as well as the remains of a passage torn down in 1832 that connected the main house to the slave quarters.

This easy hike along a boardwalk and down some stairs leads to the very base of the mountain. Although the trail is thickly forested, you'll have more than ample opportunity to look straight up the noses of the four giant heads. The trail is open year-round, so long as snow and/or ice don't present a safety hazard.

This 1886 Second Empire–style confection with projecting surfaces and Mansard-style roofs casts a striking image over downtown. A quick elevator ride and a short flight of stairs will put you out on the cupola for a not-to-be-missed panorama of the Marfa Plateau and nearby Davis Mountains. Be sure to glimpse the Goddess of Justice, perched on top of the dome.

This spot has been significant for centuries. Its first incarnation was as a Native American village for the Rumsien tribe. The Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno landed here in 1602, and Father Junípero Serra arrived in 1770. Notable battles fought here include the 1818 skirmish in which the corsair Hipólito Bruchard conquered the Spanish garrison that stood on this site and claimed part of California for Argentina. The indoor museum tells the stories; plaques mark the outdoor sites.

An excellent place to begin a historical tour of the Presidio, the Officers' Club offers a walk through time from the Presidio's earliest days as the first nonnative outpost in present-day San Francisco to more than a century as a U.S. Army post. Start with the excellent short film about life here from the time of the Ohlone people to the present, then peruse the displays of artifacts, including uniforms and weaponry. In the Mesa Room, you can literally see layers of history: parts of the original adobe wall from the 1790s, the brick fireplace in the 1880s commander's office, and the Mission revival–style fireplace in the 1930s billiard room. The Heritage Gallery is open Friday through Sunday.

Excavation of the Presidio continues: outside, a canopy covers the Presidio Archaeology Field Station, where you can sometimes see archaeologists at work. There is a docent on hand each Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm to answer questions about the dig.

The hillsides of the 40-acre green space overlooking Old Town from the north end of Taylor Street are popular with picnickers, and many couples have taken their wedding vows on the park's long stretches of lawn, some of the greenest in San Diego. The park offers a great ocean view from the top, and more than 2 miles of hiking trails below. It's a nice walk from Old Town to the summit if you're in good shape and wearing the right shoes—the uphill climb takes about half an hour. You can also drive to the top of the park via Presidio Drive, off Taylor Street.

If you walk, look in at the Presidio Hills Golf Course on Wallace Street. It has an unusual clubhouse that incorporates the ruins of Casa de Carrillo, the town's oldest adobe, constructed in 1820. At the end of Mason Street, veer left on Jackson Street to reach the presidio ruins, where adobe walls and a bastion have been built above the foundations of the original fortress and chapel. Also on-site is the 28-foot-high Serra Cross, built in 1913 out of brick tiles found in the ruins. Continue up the hill to find the Junípero Serra Museum, built at the sight of the original Mission San Diego de Alcalá and often mistaken for the mission. Open weekends, the Serra Museum commemorates the history of the site from the time it was occupied by the Kumeyaay Indians through its Spanish, Mexican, and American periods. Then take Presidio Drive southeast to reach the site of Fort Stockton, built to protect Old Town and abandoned by the United States in 1848. Plaques and statues also commemorate the Mormon Battalion, which enlisted here to fight in the battle against Mexico.

Due to its proximity to transportation hubs and the vast array of green spaces, visitors may notice a number of homeless people in the area. Thanks to its high-traffic location, however, Presidio Park and the greater Old Town area are considered generally safe.

History buffs and ghost hunters love poking around this fantastically creepy, 156-room, Romanesque Revival structure erected in 1894 to house troubled youth. Having fallen into disrepair, the building is slowly undergoing restoration. On tours, which take place on many Saturdays between April and August, you'll hear all sorts of spine-tingling tales.

The long driveway at homespun Preston, flanked by vineyards and punctuated by the occasional olive tree, winds down to farmhouses encircling a large, shady yard. Year-round, a small shop near the tasting room sells olive oil, organic produce, homemade sourdough bread, and other items grown or made on-site. Only estate organic grapes—Sauvignon Blanc, Barbera, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Viognier, Zinfandel, and several others—go into the wines here. Tastings and tables for bring-your-own picnics on the lawn require a reservation. Call ahead for same-day visits.

The scent of fir and spruce trees mingle with the ocean’s salty tang at this secluded seasonal picnic spot on the quiet western side of Mount Desert Island. A handful of picnic tables, including the park's only covered ones, are set close to a stairway leading down to the shore alongside Pretty Marsh Harbor.

Tiny green islets rise out of the surging waters of the Bering Sea in the misty, fog-bound Pribilof Islands, where seabirds and northern fur seals breed and feed. Treeless, the small land masses display rippling belts of lush grass contrasting with volcanic rock. In early summer, seals return from far off Pacific waters to mate, and the larger islands, St. Paul and St. George, are overwhelmed with frenzied activity. Although St. Paul and St. George are less than 50 miles apart, the island group itself is a 1,600-mile round-trip from Anchorage, over the massive snowy peaks of the Alaska Peninsula and north of the rocky islands of the Aleutian chain.

Few visitors go to the Pribilofs except commercial fishermen and dedicated bird and animal watchers. Yet together, St. Paul and St. George Islands are seasonal homes to hundreds of thousands of fur seals (about 80 percent of them on St. Paul) and nearly 250 species of birds, some who migrate from as far away as Argentina, while others are year-round residents. Most spectacular of all is the islands' seabird population: each summer more than 2 million seabirds gather at traditional Pribilof nesting grounds and about 90 percent of them breed on St. George.

The 200-foot-long mural inside the Price Municipal Building is a visual narration of the history of the town and of Carbon County, beginning with the first trappers and white settlers. The painting took artist Lynn Fausett almost four years to complete back in the late 1930s.

This ride is great for families and for romantics, young and old. Seventy-two of the 90 dashing wooden steeds date from the original carousel built in 1917 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company; additional mounts were made of fiberglass. All are meticulously painted, and each one is completely different. One wears a collar of bright yellow roses; another, a quiver of Native American arrows. For a bit of extra magic, look for the horse with a golden ribbon in its tail: this is Cinderella's horse. Eighteen panels beneath the wooden canopy depict scenes from Disney's 1950 film Cinderella. As the ride spins, the mirrors sparkle, the fairy lights glitter, and the band organ plays favorite Disney movie tunes. For people with disabilities: If using a wheelchair, or if you have a service animal, check with a host for boarding information.

Named after King George II, this church still serves the Anglican parish established in 1721. It was built in 1737 with bricks brought from England.

A field next to Prince Kuhio Condominiums honors the birthplace of Kauai's beloved Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole. Known for his kind nature and tireless work on behalf of the Hawaiian people, he lost his chance at the throne when Americans staged an illegal coup against Queen Liliuokalani in 1893 and toppled Hawaii's constitutional monarchy. He served as a delegate to the U.S. Congress for 19 years after Hawaii became a territory in 1900. An annual commemoration is held around his March birthday, a state holiday. This is a great place to watch wave riders surfing a popular break known as PKs, or to see the sun sink into the Pacific.