10457 Best Sights in USA

It's truly a family affair at this winery founded by Reynaldo Robledo Sr., a migrant worker from Michoacán, Mexico, and María de La Luz Robledo. Son and winemaker Everardo Robledo's lush reds, among them several Cabernets and a Tempranillo from grapes grown on 350-plus estate acres in several counties, stand out among the wines poured in a modest interior space or on a covered patio that juts into a Pinot Noir vineyard. Over these wines, preceded perhaps by a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Noir, guests hear inspiring multigenerational tales, sometimes firsthand from Everardo or one of his siblings.  Picnickers and pets are welcome here.

Everyone in the family can play with hands-on exhibits that focus on science and technology and their impact on our daily lives, as well as some nature and local cultural-heritage exhibits. Highlights include Light Here/Light Now, an optics exhibit; the interactive Expedition Earth, which delves into how the region was formed; a Seneca Indian exhibit; and the Strasenburgh Planetarium, which presents astronomy and laser-light shows and large-format films about space and Earth.

Claiming a pretty site, with patio tables overlooking the vineyards, this winery has an airy tasting room with an equally romantic view. Production is small, and fans on the winery's mailing list snap up most of the bottles, but Rochioli is still worth a stop to sample wines that usually include the estate Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and one other. Because of the cool growing conditions in the Russian River Valley, the whites' flavors are intense and complex, and the Pinot Noir, which helped cement the Russian River's status as a varietal powerhouse, is consistently excellent. Tastings are by appointment.

Ketchikan is known for its public art, and this bronze monument by local artist Dave Rubin provides a striking introduction. The Rock (2010) depicts seven life-size figures representative of Ketchikan's history: a Tlingit drummer, a logger, a miner, a fisherman, an aviator, a pioneer woman, and Tlingit chief George Johnson (the sculpture's only specific portrayal). The piece is located on the waterfront next to the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau.

The 3,000 Ancestral Pueblo petroglyphs on this working cattle ranch in Chevelon Canyon are startlingly vivid after more than 1,000 years. Ranch owner Brantly Baird and family will guide you down to the canyon, explaining Western and archaeological history. It's mostly an easy driving and walking tour, except for the climb in and out of Chevelon Canyon, where there are handrails. Baird houses his Native American artifacts and pioneer farming implements in his own private museum. It's out of the way and on a dirt road, but you'll see some of the best rock art in northern Arizona. Reservations are required.

Perched at the edge of the Allegany Mountains, Rock City is believed to have the largest exposure of quartz conglomerate in the world. Some of the towering prehistoric rock formations are several stories high. Pathways lead you over top and down through narrow crevices enclosed by huge boulders. Wear athletic footwear.

After following the Taiga Trail for a short time, the Rock Creek Trail splits to the west and offers a steeper, challenging, and quieter journey through the woods. Farther from the road than many of the trails near the park entrance, this 30-inch-wide trail can have a steep grade at times of up to 15%. All together the trail runs about 2.5 miles one-way, ending at the Sled Dog Kennels. Moderate.

Set on 33 acres, Historic Rock Ford Plantation is the restored homestead of General Edward Hand, a Revolutionary War commander, George Washington's confidant, and wealthy landowner. Period antiques and folk art are displayed in the 1794 Georgian-style mansion, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. In partnership with the African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania, the plantation presents programs on the legacy and stories of the slaves who lived and worked on Hand’s farm and in the household.

Built in 1767, this Georgian Colonial manor is one of Long Island's finest and best-preserved homes of the era. Home to Josiah Martin, a wealthy West Indian planter and British Loyalist during the Revolutionary War, it was given to the Town of Hempstead in 1948, and is presently on the National Register of Historic Places and part of the New York State Revolutionary War Heritage Trail. The home is now a museum with period furnishings and educational and cultural programs for all ages.

This harbor was the site of a War of 1812 skirmish in which the Orleans militia kept a British warship from docking. In the 19th century Orleans had active saltworks, and a flourishing packet service between Rock Harbor and Boston developed. Today it's the base of charter fishing and party boats in season, as well as a small commercial fishing fleet.

The historic Coast Guard vessel CG36500, featured in the book and film, The Finest Hours and owned by the Orleans Historical Society, is berthed at Rock Harbor each summer. The 36-foot wooden lifeboat, the only operating vessel of its class on the East Coast, can be viewed from the dock; talks and tours are sometimes scheduled. Sunsets over the harbor are spectacular, and it's a great place to watch the boats float past. At low tide, a small scoop of beach is revealed, popular with local families. Parking is free.

Fronting the harbor, the magnificently adorned Church of the Transfiguration ( www.artsempoweringlife.org) incorporates mosaics, frescoes, sculpted bronze, wood, stone, and glass to illustrate acts of God from Genesis to Revelation. Constructed of limestone, with a massive bell tower, the church is an architectural masterpiece. Concerts and weekend retreats are held on a regular basis and the church is typically open for tours (free) Monday through Saturday from 10-4; closed Wednesday. 

Life on the 912-acre, car-free Rock Island, home to this state park, is simple and rustic. Ferries depart daily from Jackson Harbor on the northeast tip of Washington Island. Only hike-in and backpack camping is permitted, although day trips are encouraged. Pottawatomie Lighthouse, on the island's far-northern tip, is Wisconsin's oldest lighthouse, fully restored to how it might have operated around 1910. Daily tours are led by live-in volunteer docents.

Attractions here range from the awe-inspiring (the quarry resembles the Grand Canyon in miniature) to the mildly ghoulish (you can consult a directory of tombstone dealers throughout the country) to the whimsical (an outdoor granite bowling alley). At the crafts center, skilled artisans sculpt monuments and blast stone, while at the quarries themselves, workers who clearly earn their pay cut 25-ton blocks of stone from the sheer 475-foot walls. (You may recognize these walls from a chase scene in the 2009 Star Trek movie.)

This short trail—partly boardwalk—leads to a campsite used 1,400 years ago by Native Americans; interpretive signs tell the history of human presence in the region. Easy.

During a 45-minute tour of "Arkansas's first legal distillery since Prohibition," you'll learn about the origin of bourbon, vodka, and gin, as well as the process by which each one goes from grain bin to bottle to produce award-winning craft spirits. At the end of the tour, you'll get to "taste the lightnin'," if you're 21 or over. Groups can schedule a group bottling party (by reservation only) volunteering to bottle spirits in exchange for free drinks and eats.

Though resembling a mansion, this impressive 1934 French Eclectic–style building originally housed personnel for the U.S. Navy base that operated at the tip of Schoodic Peninsula for decades. Now part of the campus of Schoodic Institute, a park-affiliated scientific research and education nonprofit, the first floor houses the park's seasonal Rockefeller Welcome Center. You can get information, watch a video about Schoodic, and check out kid-friendly exhibits about this neck of Acadia and the old Navy base. There's also a small gift shop. An automated fee machine inside the gatehouse at the campus entrance sells Acadia weekly park passes.

Local artifacts, including mining tools, cattle brands, and rifles, make up the collection at the Campbell County–run Rockpile Museum. The museum's name comes from its location next to a natural rock-pile formation that served as a landmark for pioneers and cattle drives.

The estate of John Jacob Glessner (1843–1936), one of the founders of International Harvester, now serves as a 1,400-acre conservation and education center. The property is named for the many surface boulders on the estate when Glessner bought it—some were used to erect the rambling rock walls that flanks the estate's striking shingle-style restored buildings. The Rocks presents natural-history programs and has self-guided tours and hiking trails with excellent views of the Presidential Range. Come winter, cross-country ski trails and a select-your-own-Christmas-tree farm open up. In early spring, you can watch how maple syrup is made. 

The museum has the largest collection of Western American art in the East. Art from the 19th and 20th centuries and American Indian artifacts and works show the people, places, and ideas of the West. Kids get to use special interactive backpacks as they go through the displays. The museum occupies an 1893 building, the old city hall, in the historic Market Street district. A Southwestern restaurant is on the premises.

A former tannery set on a three-acre lot alongside the Chicago River has been repurposed as an evolving hub for neighborhood tastemakers. The lofty brick space is home to a small-batch whiskey distillery (Judson & Moore) with a stylish tasting room, a shoe boutique, and a ceramics center with some single-session classes. Toward the back, Soul & Smoke serves excellent barbecue (the brisket's a don't-miss), while the riverside patio and small marina out back double as a launch for Chicago Electric Boat Company, which rents retro-looking "donut boats" by the hour (from $152) for impromptu river cruises.     

Leaving the Rockies far behind, U.S. 50 takes you toward the eastern plains, where rolling prairies give way to hardier desert blooms and the land is stubbled with sage and stunted pinyon pines. One fertile spot—50 miles along the highway—is the town of Rocky Ford, dubbed the "Sweet Melon Capital" for its famously succulent cantaloupes.

The visitor center features natural-history displays (including hands-on displays for kids), films, art, taxidermied animals, a world-record pair of elk antlers, and an outdoor nature trail. The foundation works to preserve wild lands for elk and other wildlife; since 1984 the nonprofit organization has saved almost 8 million acres from development.

The herbarium focuses on Rocky Mountain plants, but also includes other examples of flora from the Northern Hemisphere. But don't expect any living plants here. This is a working dry plant research facility, and features 1.3 million specimens mounted on paper. Visitors are welcome to take a tour.

On a peninsula within Gloucester’s working harbor, the town's creative side thrives in this neighborhood, one of the oldest continuously working artists' colonies in the United States. Its alumni include Winslow Homer, Maurice Prendergast, Jane Peterson, and Cecilia Beaux. While some venues stay open year-round, expect many to be closed in winter; but no matter the season, it's a picturesque place.

Enjoy fantastic mountain and lake views on this family-friendly, 1.9-mile trail along the western shore of Lake McDonald. Easy.

Created by artist A. Thomas Schomberg for the 1982 film Rocky III, the life-size statue was donated by the film’s director and star, Sylvester Stallone, to the City of Philadelphia after filming. The statue has moved around, but since 2006 it has stood at the bottom of the Philadelphia Art Museum’s steps. It continues to be one of the city’s most popular destinations, with visitors lining up patiently to get their selfie with the bronze version of the “Italian Stallion.” The city celebrates Rocky Day annually on December 3, and in 2026 celebrations around town will mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the first Rocky film. Steps from the Rocky statue, the Parkway Visitor Center kiosk sells Rocky merch among its offerings and services.  

This west-facing scenic overlook allows you to savor the views of cascading mountains, one right behind the next in the more rugged South District. Rockytop Mountain is the pointy one right in the middle, flanked on either side by Lewis Mountain and Loft Mountain.

built in 1856, is north of Thurmont, just off Route 15. The smallest of the covered bridges, it's surrounded by a cooling canopy of trees on either side and there's a small picnic area where you can have a bite while enjoying the view.

One of the few 18th-century structures in Havre de Grace, Rodgers House is a two-story redbrick Georgian town house topped by a dormered attic. The town's most historically significant building, it was the home of Admiral John Rodgers, who fired the first shot in the War of 1812. Like most of the other historic houses in Havre de Grace, it's closed to the public but still worth a drive past.