10457 Best Sights in USA

The heart of Missoula is the Clark Fork River, which cuts through Hellgate Canyon between Mount Sentinel and Mount Jumbo, and then flows by the university and through downtown. A 6-mile-long riverside trail (as well as the connecting 2½-mile Kim Williams Trail) makes for pleasant walks, with plenty of picnic spots and benches along the way. Look down from Higgin's Bridge and watch the surfers, kayakers, and paddleboarders on Brennan's Wave. Take note: the powerful currents of the Clark Fork are dangerous—they've taken many lives over the years.

Just south of downtown, the city's redeveloped historic waterfront along the Christina draws locals and visitors to its restaurants, sights, and the popular 1½-mile blue-and-white-signed Riverwalk promenade. Businesses and housing have also sprung up in this neighborhood. By the Riverwalk's northeastern end is Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park ( Rosa Parks Dr.), a recreational area that has a statue of abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett helping enslaved people as they fled to freedom along the Underground Railroad in the state. The Hare Pavilion at the foot of Old West Street hosts events; nearby, away from the river, is Delaware Contemporary ( 200 S. Madison St.), a museum presenting contemporary art exhibits. Also along the Riverwalk, the Delaware Children's Museum ( 550 Justison St.) has interactive exhibits aimed mostly at children ages 8 and under; Riverwalk Mini Golf operates seasonally right nearby. A regional visitor center ( Closed Mon.–Wed.) is at 920 Justison Street, Suite 5. There's parking at a Beech Street lot, at attractions, and on Justison Street. 

One of the oldest stock-car racing tracks in the country and the only NASCAR track in the New York Metropolitan area, Riverhead Raceway also hosts monster truck rallies, school bus demolition derbies, and hosts special events including amusement rides and fireworks. Bring ear plugs if you don't like loud noises.

Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan designed this museum that houses a significant collection of works by Robert Williams, Takashi Murakami, Shag, Käthe Kollwitz, James Gurney, Marc Chagall, Millard Sheets, Shepard Fairey, Corita Kent, and Don O’Neill. In 2022, the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture joined the museum to showcase Chicano art in the form of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures by artists including Patssi Valdez, Sandy Rodriguez, Carlos Almaraz, Frank Romero, and Gilbert “Magú” Luján.

with its immense colony of Gunnison's prairie dogs and family activities most weekends, anchors the east end of the city's lovely and revivifying River Corridor. A 3¼-mi walkway and bike path meanders along the Animas River; hidden, yet right in the center of town, it passes through Animas and Berg parks and ends just behind the Scott Avenue hotel strip on the west. The corridor contains 5½ additional mi of side trails for walkers, runners, cyclists, and wildlife- and bird-watchers, as well as a man-made, 300-yard-long white-water course. Join them at the center Tuesday mornings at 8 for guided bird-watching walks.

This 2.2-mile round-trip hike that's also sometimes referred to as the Gateway to The Narrows Trail shadows the Virgin River. In spring, wildflowers bloom on the opposite canyon wall in lovely hanging gardens. The trail, which begins at the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, is one of the park's most visited, so be prepared for crowds. The Riverside Walk is paved and suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, though some wheelchair users may need assistance. Round-trip it takes about 90 minutes. At the end, The Narrows Trail—which is much more challenging—begins. Easy.

Lakeview Drive was originally proposed as a way for local communities to reach their family cemeteries, after being displaced from their homes for the Fontana Dam project in the 1940s. An environmental issue halted the construction of Lakeview Drive, earning it its nickname as the “Road to Nowhere.” Today, the road begins at the park's entrance from Fontana Road in Bryson City, and ends at a tunnel six miles into the park. The drive is quite scenic, with an overlook of Fontana Lake and a few trailheads along the way. A network of hiking trails (including a 3.2-mile loop) begin at the tunnel.  It's surprisingly dark and eerie in the tunnel, especially if you're there alone. If you end a loop hike at the tunnel and don't want to walk through it, there's a bypass trail.

You can obtain wilderness permits, maps, and information about the backcountry at this station, where bear canisters, a must for campers, can be rented or purchased. When the station is closed (typically October–mid-May), complete a self-service permit form.

Known as the "Enchanted Highway," this self-guided 30-mile driving tour east of Dickinson features seven giant metal sculptures designed by a local artist, including a 51-foot Teddy Roosevelt. Massive sculptures include a deer crossing, grasshopper family, pheasants on the prairie, a 150-foot-long gaggle of geese, and a tin family with a 45-foot father, 44-foot mother, and 23-foot son.

This multifunctional attraction sits on the waterfront in Manteo. Costumed interpreters conduct tours of the 69-foot ship Elizabeth II, a representation of a 16th-century vessel, but you can also help them set the sails, plot a course, and swab the decks. The 25-acre park is home to the interactive Adventure Museum, representing 400 years of local history. There's also a re-created 16th-century settlement site, a Native American exhibit, a fossil pit, arts-and-crafts exhibitions, boardwalk trails along the marsh, and seasonal plays and concerts at the impressive outdoor stage fronting Shallowbag Bay.

Roaring Fork was settled by Europeans beginning in the 1830s. At its height, around the turn of the 20th century, there were about two dozen families in the area. Most lived a hardscrabble existence, trying to scrape out a living from the rough mountain land. The Noah "Bud" Ogle Self-Guided Nature Trail, on Orchard Road just before entering the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, offers a walking tour of a farmstead and the surrounding forest. Highlights include a log cabin, barn, streamside mill, and a wooden flume system designed to bring water to the farm. Among the historic structures on the Motor Nature Trail are the Jim Bales Cabin, the Ephraim Bales Cabin, and the Alfred Reagan House, one of the more "upscale" residences at Roaring Fork.

The 6-mile Roaring Fork offers a dramatic counterpoint to Cades Cove Loop Road, which meanders through a wide-open valley. Roaring Fork closes in, with the forest sometimes literally just inches from your fender. This one-way paved road is so narrow in places that RVs, trailers, and buses are not permitted. The trail starts just beyond the Noah "Bud" Ogle Farmstead and the Rainbow Falls trailhead. Pick up a Roaring Fork Auto Tour booklet at the information shelter. Numbered markers along the route are keyed to 16 stops highlighted in the booklet. A favorite sight is the old Alfred Reagan House, which is painted in the original blue, yellow, and cream, "all three colors that Sears and Roebuck had," according to a story attributed to Mr. Reagan. There are several good hiking trails starting along the road, including the Trillium Gap Trail to Mt. LeConte. The road follows Roaring Fork Creek a good part of the way, and the finale is a small waterfall called "The Place of a Thousand Drips," right beside the road.

While most of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail takes you on a narrow and winding one-way road through forested areas where the views are limited, at the beginning of the drive the first and second overlooks present good views of the distant mountain ridges. The best scenery is from the second overlook, marked as the number 3 site on the Roaring Fork Auto Tour.

Take a shady five-minute walk to this forceful waterfall that rushes through a narrow granite chute. The trail is paved and mostly accessible. Easy.

Silver-sided tarpon—huge, prehistoric-looking denizens of the not-so-deep—congregate around the docks at this authentic local marina. Children (and many adults) pay $4.50 for a bucket of sardines to feed them and $2.50 each for dock admission. You can also grab a bite to eat indoors or out; shop at a slew of artisans' booths; or charter a boat, kayak, or other watercraft.

Walk right up to cows, camels, and more than 200 other animals. Old McDonald's has been educating children about farm life since 1986. The complex includes a calf-raising facility as part of a 1,200-acre working farm. There's also a miniature-golf course, pony rides, and a hayride.

Plaques along this easy 1.2-mile wooded trail bear quotations from Frost's poems. A picnic area is across the road from the trailhead.

Robert Frost came to Shaftsbury in 1920, he wrote, "to plant a new Garden of Eden with a thousand apple trees of some unforbidden variety." The museum, now part of Bennington College, tells the story of the poet's life and highlights the nine years (1920–29) he spent living in the house with his wife and four children. It was here that he penned "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and published two books of poetry. You can wander seven of the Frost family's original 80 acres. Among the apple boughs you just might find inspiration of your own.

In recent years, Robert Hall Winery—known for its Bordeaux-based reds, Rhone-based reds and whites, and sparkling wines— has become a regional leader in sustainable and regenerative viticulture at its 130-acre estate. The pet-friendly, kid-friendly property has an on-site kitchen with a seasonal menu, and you can taste wine (from $25) and sign up online in advance for various tours, including the Sustainability Tour and Tasting ($75), Cavern Tour and Barrel Tasting ($75), and Paired Culinary Experience ($75).

The city's oldest residence still standing, this small brick house was built in 1765 as both home and business office for Robert Long, a merchant and quartermaster for the Continental Navy who operated a wharf on the waterfront. Furnished with Revolutionary War–era pieces, the parlor, bedroom, and office seem as if Long himself just stepped away. A fragrant, flowering herb garden flourishes in warm months.

In 1887 the author of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island spent a year in Saranac Lake being treated for tuberculosis. Today the quaint farmhouse where he lived contains his original furniture as well as a collection of Stevenson memorabilia, including early photographs, personal letters, and his velvet smoking jacket.

The rare manuscripts, first editions, photographs, childhood toys, and other artifacts at this small museum document the life and literary career of Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). One exhibit examines the months Stevenson, at the time impoverished, spent in an abandoned miners' bunkhouse north of Calistoga in what's now Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. The interlude inspired the author's book The Silverado Squatters. Check before visiting to make sure the museum will be open, as staffing is sometimes an issue.

The classic, columned 1823 house was named for its architect, who later designed the Washington Monument. It has opulent Regency furniture, marble mantels, and spacious grounds. This is the home of the Historic Columbia Foundation and gift shop, where you can get walking and driving tour maps of historic districts and buy tickets to other historic homes.

Arguably the most influential participant in the Napa Valley's rise to international prominence, the late Robert Mondavi established his namesake winery in the 1960s. In an era when tasting rooms were downscale affairs, Mondavi commissioned architect Cliff May to create a grand Mission-style space to receive visitors. The winery is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, which Mondavi marketed as the more elegant-sounding Fumé Blanc, but also makes wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and several other grapes. The winery closed in 2023 for extensive renovations, expected to be completed by early 2026. Until the Oakville property reopens, tastings will take place in downtown Napa at Arch & Tower in the Borreo Building, 930 3rd Street.

Once a homestead, the site today contains one of the country's largest (if not the largest) colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs.

Built in 1859 and styled after an Italian villa, this home is one of the largest in the district. Doric and Corinthian columns support its rounded galleries. It is believed to be the first house in New Orleans with "waterworks," as indoor plumbing was called then.

With miles of trails that wind through wetlands and mangroves to lookout towers and peaceful waterfront spots, this Manatee County park is a must for anyone who likes a quiet walk (or run) and sweeping views of the landscape and the wildlife that inhabit it. There's also a kayak launch here, which links into a network of trails for small watercraft.

Toward the front of the property, the historic Valentine House, which was moved from its original site in Palmetto and restored, now serves as a visitor center and offers a few wonders of its own, including reptiles and shells the kids will dig.

The Robinson-Rose House, on Wallace Street facing Old Town Plaza, was the original commercial center of Old San Diego, housing railroad offices, law offices, and the first newspaper press. Built in 1853 but in ruins at the end of the 19th century, it has been reconstructed and now serves as the park's visitor center and administrative headquarters. It contains a model of Old Town as it looked in 1872, as well as various historic exhibits. Ghosts came with the rebuild, as the house is now considered haunted. Just behind the Robinson-Rose House is a replica of the Victorian-era Silvas-McCoy house, originally built in 1869.

Stop at this 40-acre estate to sip wines under the wisteria-covered pergola, nosh on farm-to-table dishes (so fresh the organic veggies still have their greens attached), and gaze at the vineyard views. Winemaker Max Marshak specializes in Rhone varieties, unusual white wines, and deep reds.