10457 Best Sights in USA

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.

Set on a private estate on the mauka (mountain side) of Kam Highway across from Princeville, these well-tended gardens include a diverse collection of native and “canoe” plants (brought by Polynesians), plus medicinal, rare, and endangered flowers. Visitors can join three-hour guided tours of the entire property, usually offered four mornings a week at 9:30 am. Tours include samples of seasonal fruit and honey from on-site beehives and a half-hour chocolate tasting. Reservations are required (no self-guided tours); book early, as tours fill well in advance.

Mountain streams flow out of the Ochoco Mountains and join together to create the Crooked River, which is dammed near Prineville. Bowman Dam on the river forms this park, where recreational activities include boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, and camping. Some anglers return here year after year, although temperatures can get uncomfortably hot and water levels relatively low by late summer. The reservoir is known for its bass, trout, and crappie, with fly-fishing available on the Crooked River below Bowman Dam.

If you don’t know where to find it, you’ll almost miss it. Printers Alley is a historic Nashville landmark reminiscent of a London side street that stretches between Church and Union Streets parallel to 3rd and 4th Avenues. It's full of watering holes, karaoke bars, and a jazz club, but you can have just as much fun chatting outside with the locals as you will entering any of its infamous haunts. The historic sign will let you know you’ve made it to the right place.

Bounded by Ida B. Wells Drive on the north, Polk Street on the south, Plymouth Court to the east, and the Chicago River to the west, this district fell into disrepair in the 1960s, but a neighborhood resurgence began in the late 1970s. Bibliophiles flock in for the Printers Row Lit Fest, a weekend-long literary celebration held each September. But, at any time of year, you can admire examples of buildings by the group that represented the First Chicago School of Architecture (including Louis Sullivan).

A wildly original local designer conceived the industrial-chic interiors for The Prisoner red blend’s tasting room. "Getting the varietals to play together" is senior director of wine making Chrissy Wittmann's mission with that wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petite Sirah in a recent vintage). The aim's the same with siblings like the Blindfold Blanc de Noir—mostly white Pinot Noir (no skin contact, so no purple color), with some Viognier and Gewürztraminer. Some experiences involve boldly flavored cuisine that pairs well with the company’s fruit-forward wines.  A separate salon showcases the Domaine Curry wines of entrepreneurs Ayesha Curry and Sydel Curry-Lee, the wife and sister, respectively, of NBA star Stephen Curry.

For exceptional accommodations and service, this company has it all. It books huge, luxurious condominium villas and private beach houses, and provides customized services with attention to the smallest details. Rates start at $750 per night for a villa up to $16,500 per night for a home.

In 1969, naturalist and conservationist icon Richard L. Proenneke built his cabin by hand with tools he created himself. He lived there and sustained himself off the land until his death in 1999. Located on the south shore of Upper Twin Lake, this cabin is only accessed by float plane or backpacking up to it. It is maintained by nearby park service employees.

Zesty limoncello was the first claim to fame of this distillery, whose nearly three dozen artisanal offerings also include other cellos (try the fig if it's being poured), gins, brandies, liqueurs, and bottled cocktails. You can sample six at the tasting room, down an alley due east of Sonoma Plaza. In addition to the alcoholic beverages, the shop sells bar paraphernalia, cocktail-related books, snacks, and coffee aged in bourbon barrels.

Take the rare opportunity to glimpse a Eurasian lynx, a clouded leopard, a jaguar, and other endangered wild cats at this conservation facility that shelters more than 30 big cats. A guided hour-long tour along a ¼-mile walkway leads to fenced habitat areas shaded by trees and overlooking the Central Valley.

High up on the Pocono Plateau, this park stretches across 3,000 acres of deciduous forest and has around 50 miles of hiking trails. Like much of the Northeast, Promised Land experiences four distinct seasons. In the summertime, people come to fish and swim on the park’s two lakes; snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and even ice-skating (weather permitting) are popular in the winter. There are four campgrounds, one of which is open year-round; rustic cabins from the 1930s as well as more modern digs can be rented throughout the year.

Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway. The 5-mi corkscrew road takes you most of the way up 2,035-foot Prospect Mountain. From the parking lot it's just 100 feet to the summit, which you may reach via a shuttle. The views can stretch to 100 mi and take in up to five states, along with Lake George and the High Peaks region. You may also hike all the way up from the village.

The Prospect Park Visitor Center is surrounded by gardens and has tourist information, exhibits, and a snack bar. The visitor center's Adventure Theater shows the "thrill film" Niagara: Legends of Adventure ($11), on a 45-foot-tall screen.

The 282-foot-tall Prospect Point Observation Tower offers dramatic views of all three falls from an observation deck high above the gushing waters. When the Maid of the Mist is in operation, you can take a glass elevator to boat launch at the base of the tower.

This pocket park in College Hill offers one of the most scenic views of Downtown, particularly in the fall when the surrounding foliage plays spectacularly off the urban backdrop. Prospect Terrace's centerpiece is a statue of Roger Williams, Rhode Island's forward-thinking founder—who here seems to be groovin' to the 1980s song "Walk Like an Egyptian." In reality, however, he's buried under the statue.

The 1829 mansion, run by the Geneva Historical Society, contains period rooms and local history exhibits. It's a good place to orient yourself to Geneva's rich social and cultural history.

Philadelphia architect William Strickland designed this 1838 Greek Revival library building in which Edgar Allan Poe courted the poet (and avid reader) Sarah Helen Whitman; the collection here includes a Poe-signed periodical containing "Ulalume," a poem he published anonymously. An 1870s Manet print that illustrated Poe's "The Raven" hangs in the rare book room, which also contains two medieval illuminated manuscripts. Raven signs are posted at eight points of interest on a self-guided library tour. Among them is a special cabinet modeled after an Egyptian temple, which houses the library's multivolume imperial edition of Description de l'Egypte (1809–22), commissioned by Napoléon.

Known as "Georgia's Little Grand Canyon," Providence Canyon State Park and Outdoor Recreation Area is actually made up of 16 canyons whose earthen walls display at least 43 different colors of sand. Providence Canyon is a favorite of geologists, photographers, and hikers, who enjoy peering over the canyon's rim and traversing its 10 miles of trails. It's located about 33 miles west of Plains.