10405 Best Sights in USA

White, rosé, red, and dessert wines are all in the portfolio of this winery founded in 1975, reinvigorated by second owner Carolyn Rafaelian of Alex and Ani jewelry fame, and now the domain of acclaimed local foodies Marissa Stasheko and James Davids, who have substantially upgraded the winery's dining options. If you've ever wondered what a Rhode Island Red (not the chicken!) might taste like, here's your chance to find out. Several of the wines are award winners. In the winery's tasting room you can sample five of them and keep the glass.

Several stream crossings and boulder outcrops add interest to this winding trail. Turnhole Bend Trail intersects it at 3.8 miles. At 7.2 miles, Sal Hollow backcountry campsite is accessible via a short spur trail. At 8.3 miles a trail on the left leads to the Miles-Davis Cemetery. Another trail at that point leads to the Bluffs backcountry campsite 0.6 miles westward. The trail ends at a junction with Buffalo Creek Trail. Horses and hiking only. 8.6 miles. Moderate.

A fully restored 1912 passenger depot offers a fascinating look at the history of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, whose anticipated arrival led to the creation of the city of Salamanca. Exhibits include old switches and lanterns, an extensive collection of vintage photographs, and a restored red caboose outside.

Near Derby Wharf, this 9¼-acre site focuses on Salem's heritage as a major seaport with a thriving overseas trade. It includes the 1762 home of Elias Derby, America's first millionaire; the 1819 Custom House, made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter; and a replica of the Friendship, a 171-foot, three-masted 1797 merchant vessel. There's also an active lighthouse dating from 1871, as well as the nation's last surviving 18th-century wharves. The 1770 Pedrick Store House was moved from nearby Marblehead and reassembled right on Derby Wharf; the two-story structure once played a vital role in the lucrative merchant seaside trade. The grounds are open 24/7, but buildings open on a seasonal schedule.

This ancient and constricted thoroughfare, one of the two main North End streets, cuts through the heart of the neighborhood and runs parallel to and one block west of Hanover. Between Cross and Prince streets, Salem Street contains numerous restaurants and shops. One of the best is Shake the Tree, one of the North End's trendiest boutiques, selling stylish clothing, gifts, and jewelry. The rest of Salem Street is mostly residential, but makes a nice walk to the Copp's Hill Burying Ground.

An informative and fascinating introduction to Salem's witchcraft hysteria, this museum offers a look at 1692 with 13 life-size stage sets featuring narration of what life was like at that time. There is also a 15-minute guided tour through the exhibit Witches: Evolving Perceptions, which describes witch hunts through the years, from Europe to America. Tickets are sold online exclusively. In winter, the museum might not open in bad weather, plus it closes for a couple of weeks in January for upkeep. Call ahead to confirm hours.

Dedicated by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel in 1992, this quiet, contemplative space—an antidote to the relentless marketing of the merry-witches motif—honors those who died because they refused to confess that they were witches. A stone wall is studded with 20 stone benches, each inscribed with a victim's name, and sits next to Salem's oldest burying ground. Many people leave small tokens on the sites to commemorate the victims to this day. Six locust trees were planted to represent the injustice of the trials, as they are the last to bloom and the first to lose their leaves.

The world-famous biological research facility founded by polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk sits on 27 clifftop acres. The twin structures that modernist architect Louis I. Kahn designed in the 1960s in consultation with Dr. Salk used poured concrete and other low-maintenance materials to clever effect. The thrust of the laboratory–office complex is outward toward the Pacific Ocean, an orientation accentuated by a foot-wide "Stream of Life" that flows through the center of a travertine marble courtyard between the buildings. Architects-to-be and building buffs will enjoy the tours of the property; register online in advance. You can, however, stroll at will through the dramatic courtyard during the week—simultaneously monumental and eerie. Architectural docent-led tours lasting one hour are offered on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10 am and 11:30 am. Private docent-led group tours may be requested for weekdays between 9 am and 3 pm (reservations required 10 days in advance, see website for details).

There's an unusual historic landmark on the Sausalito Ferry Pier—a drinking fountain inscribed "Have a drink on Sally" in remembrance of Sally Stanford, the former San Francisco brothel madam who became Sausalito's mayor in the 1970s. Sassy Sally would have appreciated the fountain's eccentric attachment: a knee-level basin with the inscription "Have a drink on Leland," in memory of her beloved dog.

Get out your camera and set it for high speed at the fish ladder, a series of pools arranged like steps that allow fish to travel upstream around a dam or falls. When the salmon start running, from June onward, thousands of fish leap the falls or take the easier fish-ladder route. They spawn in Ketchikan Creek's waters farther upstream. Many can also be seen in the creek's eddies above and below the falls. The falls, fish ladder, and a large carving of a jumping salmon are just off Park Avenue on Married Man's Trail. The trail was once used by married men for discreet access to the red-light district on Creek Street.

Little Bloomfield sits at the crossroads of the Four Corners. It's a great place to stay if you're heading south to Chaco Canyon; it's equally good as a stepping-off point to Farmington, Aztec, Navajo Lake, and Mesa Verde. Pick up supplies here, refuel at one of the locally run cafés, and absolutely leave time to tour Salmon Ruins.

Salmon (pronounced sol-mon) Ruins, which dates from the 11th century, is a large Chacoan Anasazi living complex on the northern edge of the San Juan River. It's a distinctive example of pre-Columbian Pueblo architecture and stonework—the masonry is more finely finished than that at Aztec; the Chaco connection is immediately clear here. The site is named for a homesteader whose family protected the ruins for nearly a century. Heritage Park contains the restored George Salmon Homestead, a root cellar, bunkhouse, sweat lodge, hogan, and other types of native housing structures. Salmon also runs off-road and Journey into the Past tours, all amiably guided by field experts; check with them about routes through Chaco Canyon, Bisti Badlands, and the rarely seen Dinétah pueblitos, their specialty.

It's about 1½ miles east from the trailhead to reach this eerily beautiful 2,000-acre expanse of gypsum sand dunes, the largest of which climbs to heights of 60 feet. Allow a couple of hours to walk 3 or 4 miles through this brilliant white-sand landscape, which also offers fine views east of the Guadalupe Mountains western escarpment. Moderate.

The castle-like seat of city government was the city's tallest building from its 1894 construction to 1973. On Washington Square, at the spot where the original Mormon settlers circled their wagons on their first night in the Salt Lake Valley, this building served as the state capitol for 19 years. Hundreds of trees, including species from around the world, and many winding paths and seating areas make the grounds a calm downtown oasis. In summer the grounds host major Salt Lake arts and music festivals. Free tours are given on Monday at noon during the summer and by request at other times through Preservation Utah.

A great family spot, Salt Pond Beach Park features a naturally made, shallow swimming pond behind a curling finger of rock where keiki (children) splash and snorkel. This pool is generally safe except during a large south summer swell. The center and western edge of the beach are popular with bodyboarders and bodysurfers. The beach is also an easy spot to see stilts, tattlers, shearwaters, and other seabirds, as well as an occasional resting monk seal. Pavilions with picnic tables offer shade, and there's a campground that tends to attract a rowdy bunch at the eastern end. On a cultural note, the mudflat behind the beach is the last spot in Hawaii where salt is harvested in the dry heat of summer, using pans passed down within families. The park is popular with locals, and it can get crowded on weekends and holidays. Amenities: lifeguard; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

The draw here is a natural saltwater spring where Atlantic blue crabs come to spawn each summer.

Each year, this huge recreation area on the sea's northeastern shore draws thousands of campers, hikers, anglers, paddlers, and bird-watchers (the park is on the Pacific Flyway). Ranger-guided walking tours take place during the winter migration season (November to February) when up to 4 million birds visit daily. Fishing is best from June through September.

Formerly known as Galilee State Beach, Salty Brine was renamed in 1990 for a Rhode Island radio legend. It's a small but popular destination, especially for foodies. Located near the state's largest commercial fishing port of Galilee, Salty Brine is permeated with the sights, sounds, and scents of Rhode Island's maritime culture. The 100-yard-long beach, near bustling seafood restaurants, provides the best seat in the state for viewing the steady parade of ferries, fishing boats, and charters moving in and out of the channel while noshing on a lobster roll or fried clams. People flock here for the annual Blessing of the Fleet parade of vessels on the last weekend in July. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: saltwater fishing; sunset; swimming; walking.

Swim, fish, boat, and walk for miles at this 1,852-acre park on the shore of Seneca Lake. The museum honors the nation's second-largest naval training station during World War II. The Air Force took over the station during the Korean War, and an Air Force Museum, in the same building, tells that story. A boat launch and 120 berths surround the marina, next to a gravel swimming beach. More than 240 campsites are nestled among wooded areas. Tennis courts, playgrounds, and a concession stand, open in summer, are also part of the complex.

The Boston beer company's Jamaica Plain facility is where it conducts research and develops new products. A variety of tours (21-plus only) are available at different price points, all including samples; most tours must be booked online (though a few spots are reserved for walk-ins). Whether you take a tour or not, you can enjoy a beer in the taproom, which is open daily, or the beer garden, in nice weather. Parking is limited, so consider taking the T to Stony Brook.

At the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, 19th- and 20th-century photographs and American and European paintings, along with a core collection of works on paper, are focal points.

Located in the heart of the famed Griffith Observatory, the 290-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium may be on the modest side as far as planetariums are concerned, but the shows held here are no less epic and electrifying. This state-of-the-art theater has an aluminum dome and a Zeiss star projector that plays awe-inspiring multimedia exhibitions that address the mystery of the cosmos. There are typically three 30-minute ticketed shows in rotation, so be sure to allow time to catch one while spending a day at the park.  Sit in the back for the best experience.

Stroll through 38 acres of formal gardens, wildflower-spangled meadows, native Texas vegetation, fascinating historical structures, and diverse sections designed to educate and delight nature lovers at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. You can walk the Texas Native Trail, which represents three distinct regions of Texas. The garden's stunning centerpiece is the 90,000-square-foot Lucile Halsell Conservatory, with five futuristic glass structures exhibiting plants and flowers found in worldwide environments from the desert to the tropics.

Other highlights include the Zachry Foundation Culinary Garden and Chef Teaching Kitchen, which promotes healthy food choices and encourages visitors to participate in planting, harvesting, and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables. The Kumamoto En, a gift from San Antonio sister-city Kumamoto, is a serene, authentic Japanese garden with stone walks and water features. The Family Adventure Garden encourages kids to run, climb, and splash in 2½ acres of nature space.

Exhibits on Apache history and culture are displayed at the San Carlos Apache Cultural Center, along with explanations of cultural traditions, such as the Changing Women Ceremony, a girls' puberty rite. Crafts are sold here as well.

Even if you don't know a choke from a chassis, you're bound to admire the sleek designs of the autos in this impressive museum. On rotating display are gems from the museum's core collection of vintage motorcycles and cars—ranging from a pair of Steve McQueen's dirt bikes and an extremely rare Bizzarrini (only three were ever made) to a 1981 silver DeLorean (remember the time machine in Back to the Future?)—as well as a series of visiting special exhibits. Be sure to see the Fabulous Car of Louis Mattar, which was ingeniously kitted out to set the cross-country endurance record in 1952 (6,320 miles nonstop from San Diego to New York City and back, refueling from a moving gas truck); a video display shows highlights such as Mattar and his codrivers changing the tire while in motion and pouring a glass of water from the onboard tap. There's also an ongoing automobile restoration program and an extensive automotive research library.

Check the calendar if visiting in December, as the museum has varying early closing hours during the holiday season.

More than 5,300 rare, exotic, and endangered plants are on display on 37 landscaped acres. Displays include plants from Central America, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Himalayas, Madagascar, and more; the most diverse collection of bamboo in North America; California native plants; and subtropical fruits. The park contains the largest interactive children's garden on the West Coast, where kids can roll around in the Seeds of Wonder garden, explore a baby dinosaur forest, discover a secret garden, or play in a playhouse. An Undersea Garden displays rocks and succulents that uncannily mimic an underwater environment.

The San Diego Historical Society maintains its research library in the basement of the Casa de Balboa and organizes shows on the first floor. Permanent and rotating exhibits, which are often more lively than you might expect, survey local urban history after 1850, when California entered the Union. A 30-minute, Emmy Award-winning film, Balboa Park: The Jewel of San Diego, plays hourly in the museum's theater. 

When the exhibits at this 27,000-square-foot museum are in operation, you can hear the sounds of chugging engines, screeching brakes, and shrill whistles. Local model railroad clubs built and maintain the four main displays, which represent California railroads in "miniature," with the track laid on scale models of San Diego County terrain. Out back, the Centennial Railway Garden features replicas of the streetcars and scenes of Balboa Park during the 1915 Exposition. The Toy Train Gallery has an interactive Lionel exhibit and whimsical vignettes.

There are 8 million fossils, dinosaur models, and even live reptiles and other specimens under this roof. Favorite exhibits include the Foucault Pendulum, suspended on a 43-foot cable and designed to demonstrate the Earth's rotation, and an Allosaurus fragilis dinosaur skeleton made from casts of original fossil bones. Permanent exhibits highlight citizen scientists and the regional environment, and traveling exhibits also make a stop here. Films shown at the museum's giant-screen theater are included with admission. Check the website for information about films, lectures, and free guided nature walks.

The museum space is housed in a New England–style, wood-frame house prefabricated in the Eastern United States that was shipped around Cape Horn in 1851. The building has been restored to replicate the newspaper's offices of 1868, when the first edition of the San Diego Union (now known as the San Diego Union-Tribune) was printed.

Founded in 1965, this nonprofit promotes water-based media through workshops, exhibitions, and an impressive collection of work by talented plein air painters. With over 700 members, it is one of the most active watercolor societies in America.