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A quick walk from the parking lot at Skyline Arch, 16½ miles from the park entrance, gives you closer views and better photos. The short trail is less than a ½ mile round-trip and takes only a few minutes to travel. Mostly flat, this is an especially great hike for little kids or people whose mobility issues keep them from longer treks, though you should still be cautious of uneven ground.
Check out a bit of surviving Americana at this dusty drive-in, where you can watch the latest Hollywood flicks among the Joshua trees and starry night sky. Keep in mind the old-time speakers are no more; sound is tuned in via car radio.
Why get a crick in your neck—or worse, risk looking like a tourist—while appreciating New York City's famous skyscrapers? Instead, visit this small museum, where you can appreciate highly detailed, hand-carved miniature wood models of Midtown and Lower Manhattan; explore the past, present, and future of the skyscraper—from New York City's Empire State Building to Dubai's Burj Khalifa (taller than the Empire State Building and Chicago's Willis Tower combined)—and examine the history of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center. Exhibits continue to evolve, so expect models of current or future buildings, videos, drawings, floor plans, and talks that reveal the influence of history, real estate, and individuals on shaping city skylines.
Take a seat in one of the Ferris wheel’s 42 climate-controlled cars perched 20 stories above Downtown for spectacular views of Centennial Olympic Park and miles beyond. The ride lasts 15 minutes. The wheel comes alive at night with an ever-changing display of colors outlining its rim and spokes powered by the same lighting system as the Eiffel Tower. In true Atlanta fashion, there’s a VIP experience that lets you skip long lines and sit privately with your group in a gondola outfitted with Ferrari leather seats and a glass floor for a longer ride. Discount parking is available in nearby lots.
A formerly industrial slice of Northwest, this mini neighborhood epitomizes New Portland, with a walking-scale grid of stylish apartment buildings and repurposed warehouses filled with some of the city’s most hyped restaurants. While Slabtown loosely refers to the blocks stretching north from Lovejoy Street to the Willamette River, most of the action is sandwiched between Northrup and Thurman Streets.
Located just south of downtown Fredericksburg, this collaborative concept evolved from a family-operated boutique winery called 1851 Vineyards before restructuring as Slate Mill Collective. The collective expanded the vineyard, winery, and tasting room to include 35 planted acres and a state-of-the-art wine-making facility. It’s also a great place for visitors to come for a production tour (with plenty of samples along the way) to learn more about the Texas wine industry. Afterward, head to the tasting room to enjoy labels from multiple local producers, like Wine for the People, Tatum Cellars, and C.L. Butaud.
Within the stately grounds of this park along the Ten Mile River are picnic tables, tennis courts, a playground, dog park, bike path, and a disc golf course. The park's Looff Carousel, built by Charles I. D. Looff in 1895, has 44 horses, three dogs, a lion, a camel, a giraffe, and two chariots that are the earliest examples of the Danish immigrant's work—rides operate spring through fall and cost 50¢. The Haunted Tunnel in the park is a popular Halloween attraction.
Discovered in the 1930s by a local goatherd, this cave is one of the most popular secondary sites in the park, about a 40-minute drive southwest of the visitor center (you'll follow a ranger in your own vehicle from the visitor center to get there). Both the hike to the cave mouth and the tour will take about half a day, but it's worth it to view the deep cavern darkness as it's penetrated only by flashlights and sometimes headlamps. From the Slaughter Canyon parking area, it takes about 45 minutes to make the steep ½-mile climb up a trail leading to the mouth of the cave. The cave consists primarily of a single corridor, 1,140 feet long, with numerous side passages.
Wear hiking shoes with ankle support, and carry plenty of water. No kids under 10. It's a great adventure if you're in shape and love caving. Tours are sometimes suspended due to staffing issues.
Beginning at the Slaughter Canyon Cave parking lot (four-wheel-drive or high-clearance vehicles are recommended; check with visitor center for road conditions before setting out), the trail traverses a heavily vegetated canyon bottom into a remote part of the park. As you begin hiking, look off to the east (to your right) to see the dun-color ridges and wrinkles of the Elephant Back formation, the first of many dramatic limestone formations visible from the trail. The route travels 5½ miles one-way, the last 3 miles steeply climbing onto a limestone ridge escarpment. Allow a full day for the round-trip, and prepare for an elevation gain of 1,850 feet. Difficult.
The main house of this museum features displays on slave life and the Underground Railroad that enabled slaves to escape to free states and Canada. It's located in an older neighborhood a few miles north of downtown on the former estate of Jacobs Burkle, a German immigrant and wealthy resident of Memphis in the mid-19th century.
Although its true name is Nounou, this landmark mountain ridge is more commonly known as the Sleeping Giant because of its resemblance to a very large man sleeping on his back. Legends differ on whether the giant is Puni, who was accidentally killed by rocks launched at invading canoes by the Menehune, or Nunui, a gentle creature who has not yet awakened from the nap he took centuries ago after building a massive temple and enjoying a big feast. The ridge can be experienced up close via one of several trails that traverse the giant's body from the east and west ( see Hiking).
Surrounding the Old Dutch Church is the famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. It was featured in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as the site of the Headless Horseman's hauntings; some of the book's characters come from names on the gravestones. The cemetery is open daily 8:30–4:30.
This garden cemetery on the National Registry of Historic Places served as a place of inspiration and a final resting place for American literary greats like Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Each Memorial Day, Alcott's grave is decorated in commemoration of her death.
Great views of the Hudson River and the Tappan Zee Bridge can be seen from this 65-foot-tall all-metal beacon built in 1883.
Wear a hat and carry plenty of water if you're on this trail—you won't find any shade along the 2.4-mile round-trip loop. This is the rare frontcountry site where you might spot one of the few remaining native herds of bighorn sheep in the national park system and nice panoramic views. Easy.
A good place for a picnic, Slide Rock is 7 miles north of Sedona. On a hot day you can plunge down a natural rock slide into a swimming hole (bring an extra pair of jeans or a sturdy bathing suit and river shoes to wear on the slide). The site started as an early-20th-century apple orchard, and the natural beauty attracted Hollywood—a number of John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart movies were filmed here.
A few easy hikes run along the rim of the gorge. One downside is the traffic, particularly on summer weekends; you might have to wait to get into the park after midmorning. Unfortunately, the popularity of the stream has led to the occasional midsummer closing due to E. coli–bacteria infestations; the water is tested daily, and there is a water-quality hotline at 602/542--0202.
This natural rock waterslide, fueled by 11,000 gallons of mountain water every minute, deposits you into a clear cold pool. Wear tennis shoes and bring a towel. Lifeguards are on duty daily 10 to 6 from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and usually on the weekends in September and October). On warm summer days the parking area is often very crowded. No picnicking is allowed, but there are grounds nearby.
This community-funded gallery embraces the ethos that art is for the people. It's a central initiative in Seattle's local art scene. Slip Gallery's frequently shifting exhibits are eclectic, modern, and thought-provoking, featuring timely art often tied to political, climate, and social justice themes. From drag shows and community art days to Belltown Art Walk and a magazine launch, Slip occasionally hosts events in this creative space.
In mid-September, hundreds of elk congregate in the morning and evening at the Slippery Ann Wildlife Viewing Area. During the autumn mating season the bulls bugle and spar with their antlers while herds of cows come to watch and be courted. Be sure to bring binoculars and zoom lenses for your camera, because you must keep your distance from these massive animals.
A small picnic area with two tables is available at Sloan's Crossing Pond. Accessible.
Sloan's Crossing Pond is an anomaly—a standing body of water in a place where most water disappears under the earth. This accessible boardwalk encircles the pond, offering turnouts with outdoor exhibit panels explaining the aquatic life of a woodland pond. A small picnic area is available. 0.4 miles. Easy.
Two 400-ton blast furnaces that fired Birmingham’s longtime, lucrative steel industry are preserved along with boilers, steam-driven blowing engines, and slag granulators. Some 40 buildings, a web of pipes, and tall smokestacks vividly illustrate the 20th-century industrial age, and steel’s hold on the city’s economy. Tours pass enormous machinery and wind through the underground railroad tunnel. Visiting and resident artists exhibit their work and teach metal crafting.
Starting at Slough Creek Campground, this trail climbs steeply along a historic wagon trail for 1½ miles before reaching expansive meadows and prime fishing spots, where moose are common and grizzlies occasionally wander. Allow two or three hours for the full 3.4-mile round-trip hike. Moderate.
The transformation of an industrial boiler house into an edgy arts compound is quintessential DUMBO. This 12,000-square-foot structure now hosts large-scale avant-garde exhibitions and runs a prestigious residency program. Don't be surprised if you pass a smartphone-clutching event planner on your way in; it's also a popular wedding venue.
Located in Southpoint Park, right before the entrance to Four Freedoms Park, this fenced-off, ivy-covered ruin was an 1856 smallpox hospital that was in operation during the island's time as Blackwell's Island. While this city landmark is off-limits, informative placards on the site tell much about the building's history and design by James Renwick Jr., whose resume includes the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. The hospital ruins are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you're in a taxi on the FDR Drive across the river, you'll notice the ruins are floodlit at night, creating an eerie spectacle from afar. While in this area, also see the FDR Hope Memorial, a bronze sculpture depicting Roosevelt in his wheelchair, greeting a young girl wearing leg braces.
A beloved destination for generations of Mainers and visitors, Smalls Falls regularly lands on Maine’s “best waterfalls” lists. The four falls are along a scenic Sandy River gorge at a roadside rest area on a mountainous stretch of Route 4. There's a viewing bridge, and a path (fenced in part) heads up for a closeup look at the falls, which are carved through rock walls of varied color. The tallest drop is 25 feet, and together they total 54 feet, including a 3-foot cascade. Folks wade and swim in the pools below the falls, but don’t risk a dangerous plunge. There are picnic tables, grills, and bathrooms.
If you want to see masterpieces but don't want to spend a long day wandering around one of the major art museums, the Smart, which turned 50 in 2024, may be just your speed. Its diverse exhibition program features art from around the globe.
The nation's largest liberal arts college for women opened its doors in 1875, funded by a bequest from Sophia Smith, a local heiress. Renowned for its School of Social Work, Smith has a long list of distinguished alumnae, among them activist Gloria Steinem, chef Julia Child, and writer Margaret Mitchell. One of New England's most serene campuses, Smith is a leading center of political and cultural activity. The on-campus
