176 Best Sights in USA

Unlike what its silver exterior suggests, this 60-000-square-foot museum is a gold-medal experience for visitors of all ages and one of the most inclusive and accessible museums in the world. Race a virtual Olympian on the rubber track or try to keep a skeleton bobsled on course at the interactive athlete training exhibit, which also features hands-on archery, skiing, and goalball (a soccer-like game played by the visually impaired) games. After checking in, visitors work their way through three floors of displays that seamlessly combine Olympic and Paralympic history, uniforms, ice skates, running shoes, a dented rugby wheelchair, helmets, and other gear. Highlights include the Hall of Fame; a display case filled with Olympic torches, including those used in the more recent Atlanta, Sydney, Sochi, and PyeongChang games; and a gift shop where you can "virtually" try on apparel. Electronic visitor passes allow you to quickly find your favorite sports and learn about your favorite athletes as you make your way through the museum; you can also save the information to an online locker for future reading. Don't miss one of the last and most popular exhibits—one of the most complete collections of Olympic medals in the world. If you're lucky, you might even hear staff cheering as current and former Olympians visit the museum, which is located next to America the Beautiful Park connecting to miles of walking and biking trails. Hour-long guided tours are available.

Once a staple at Playland at the Beach, San Francisco's early-20th-century amusement park, the antique mechanical contrivances at this time-warp arcade—including peep shows and nickelodeons—make it one of the most worthwhile attractions at the Wharf. Some favorites are the giant and rather creepy "Laffing Sal"; an arm-wrestling machine; (supposedly) the world's only steam-powered motorcycle; various retro pinball machines; and mechanical fortune-telling figures. This is a truly fun and somewhat surreal experience.   Admission is free, but you'll need quarters to bring the machines to life.

Seattle’s most debated architectural landmark, this 140,000-square-foot complex was designed by Frank Gehry, who drew inspiration from electric guitars for its gleaming, curvaceous form. Inside, the building’s bold design sets the stage for rock memorabilia from legends like Bob Dylan and the heavyweights of Seattle’s grunge era. A permanent exhibit traces the city’s musical evolution, while the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame showcases iconic artifacts from across pop culture—including an Imperial Dalek from Doctor Who, Captain Kirk’s command chair from Star Trek, and Neo’s coat from The Matrix Reloaded.

These 3-foot-high walls bear the names of more than 21,000 American police officers killed in the line of duty since 1791. On the third line of Panel 13W are the names of six officers killed by William Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid. J.D. Tippit, the Dallas policeman killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, is honored on the ninth line of Panel 63E. Other names include the 72 officers who died due to the events of 9/11. Directories here allow you to look up officers by name, date of death, state, and department. Call to arrange for a free tour. A National Law Enforcement Museum is in the works; until then, a small visitor center ( 400 7th St.) has a computer for looking up names, a display on the history of law enforcement, and a small gift shop.

One of this natural history museum's most popular attractions is Dinosaur Hall, with reconstructed skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and some 30 others of its ilk, but interactive stations with docents and exhibits on topics including current environmental issues also help visitors engage with science and nature. Other areas are the Big Dig (open weekends at this writing), where you can hunt for real fossils, and Outside In, a hands-on experience where kids can climb into an eagle's nest, visit with animals, and more. State-of-the-art changing exhibitions are another highlight. The more than 35 dioramas of animals from around the world displayed in their natural habitats still have appeal and are gradually being renovated. Founded in 1812, the academy is considered the oldest natural history institution in the western hemisphere and a world leader in the fields of natural-science research and education; the present building dates from 1876.  Plan your visit ahead using the website's floor plan and program list. Weekdays and late afternoons are generally less busy times to visit.

The state's unique aviation history is presented here with more than 25 vintage aircraft, a flight simulator, a theater, and an observation deck along the world's busiest seaplane base. Highlights include a 1928 Stearman C2B, the first plane to land on Denali back in the early 1930s, and a well-done exhibit on the Battle of Attu, the only North American land battle of World War II. You may see volunteers busily restoring an aircraft in one of the hangars and docents eager to talk about their bush pilot experiences. A free shuttle to and from Anchorage Airport is available, as is luggage storage.

Affectionately known as the Big House, this large Tudor-style building was home to members of the Allman Brothers Band and their families during the early 1970s. It was here that they collaborated and wrote some of the band's early songs, which would eventually bring them stardom and launch a new genre of music—Southern rock. In 2010, the home was restored and opened as a museum showcasing the band's guitars, clothing, photographs, posters, gold records, and other memorabilia. It's now home to the largest collection of Allman Brothers Band memorabilia in the world.

The main focuses at this natural history museum are bald eagles and associated fauna of the Chilkat Preserve. Lectures, displays, videos, and a taxidermy-heavy diorama help tell their stories, and there's a raptor center that has live presentations and an aviary displaying live eagles.

Ever since Philadelphian Harold Pitcairn made the first rotorcraft flight in 1928, southeastern Pennsylvania has been considered the birthplace of the helicopter industry, and the impressive aircraft filling this museum in a business park near Brandywine Regional Airport reflect this heritage. A number of leading manufacturers remain in the region. About three dozen vintage and modern aircraft, a room of models, and information boards and short videos reflect the copter's historic roles in war and rescue missions, agriculture, and police surveillance. Docents provide context, and visitors can climb aboard a few aircraft and try the (nonmoving) flight simulator to get a sense of the helicopter experience. The museum is packed with information, but older children will appreciate it. 

Included in the largest collection of different species of living rattlers in the world are such rare and unusual specimens as an albino western diamondback and a melanistic (solid black) diamondback. From the outside the museum looks like just a plain old shop—aside from the friendly crew of tortoises who are usually there to greet you—but inside, the museum's exhibits, its engaging staff, and explanatory videos supply visitors with the lowdown on these venomous creatures. Did you know that they can't hear their own rattles and that the human death rate from rattlesnake bites is less than 1%? The mission here is to educate the public on the many positive benefits of rattlesnakes, and to contribute to their conservation.

This museum houses the world's largest collection of angling art and angling-related objects—more than 1,400 rods, 1,200 reels, 22,000 flies, including the tackle of Winslow Homer, Babe Ruth, Jimmy Carter, and other notables. Every August, vendors sell antique equipment at the museum's fly-fishing festival. You can also practice your casting out back.

One person's wide-ranging, entertaining collections of pop culture Americana from as far back as 1870 fill 100,000 square feet of a former tire factory, stuffed with delights such as a Chuck E. Cheese animatronic band, a hundred-foot-long Slinky surrounded by stuffed animals and circus posters, a giant Walkman, a Christmas village from Philly's long-closed Lit Brothers department store. A guided 45-minute tram ride through the Toy Box area provides endless visual stimulation (and auditory; you hear a few of the museum's many Wurlitzers in action). The arrangement is eccentric but amusing: a Hooters sign rises above a vintage Corvette. Visitors can see the classic cars section and the Music Room on their own. Even these are quirky: why are dolls propped on the radios and automatic pianos? All but the most anti-nostalgia types will find something that sparks memories—or amazed laughter from those too young to remember much of this stuff—in this cultural jumble.

This dramatic museum celebrates the city's legacy as the hot-air ballooning capital of the world. Albuquerque's high altitude, mild climate, and a fortuitous wind pattern known as the Albuquerque Box make it an ideal destination for ballooning. The fun, massive facility is named for Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo, who pioneered ballooning here and were part of a team of three aviators who made the first manned hot-air balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1978. Filling the airy museum space are several fully inflated historic balloons, and both large- and small-scale replicas of gas balloons and zeppelins. You'll also see vintage balloon baskets, china and flatware from the ill-fated Hindenburg and an engaging display on that tragic craft, and dynamic exhibits that trace the history of the sport, dating back to the first balloon ride, in 1783. Interactive stations are set up so kids can design their own balloons.

Kids young and old get a thrill out of the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the state. You can also pan for gold and see changing exhibits from around the world.

A favorite of locals and visitors alike, this museum/arcade features 70 vintage pinball machines and video games. Bring the kids, who'll probably ignore the modern machines in favor of those from the 1930s. There's also a bar serving snacks and craft beers and restrooms labeled Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man.

Enter through the second floor of the Audubon Aquarium to find this relocated museum, with newly imagined exhibits on life as a bug and all the big ways these small animals live and work. Explore the world's insect myth and lore, venture into a Louisiana swamp, and marvel at the hundreds of delicate denizens flying free in the Japanese butterfly garden overlooking the Mississippi River. At Bug Appétit, sample (or simply observe) as chefs cook the world's most edible insects into creative culinary inventions.

Next door to the O. Henry Museum and the Susanna Dickinson Museum, this hidden gem is housed in Central Fire Station No. 1, Austin’s busiest firehouse. The small museum has a collection of items from the “horse-drawn era" of 19th-century firefighting—leather fire helmets, brass firefighting nozzles, and bugles—as well as various other pieces of equipment that date through today. Displays cover specific incidents, local firefighting companies, Austin fire stations, and historic photographs, and are available to view on weekend afternoons or weekdays by appointment. 

The famous Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was founded on the site that now houses this museum, which contains more than 120 full-size locomotives and a great collection of railroad memorabilia, from dining-car china and artwork to lanterns and signals. The 1884 roundhouse (240 feet in diameter and 120 feet high) contains exhibits and historic objects. It adjoins one of the nation's first railroad stations. Train rides are available Wednesday through Sunday (weekends only in January). TraxSide Snax serves food and drinks.

Even if you never intend to go climbing, you may enjoy learning about lofty adventures showcased at the American Mountaineering Museum here. Visual exhibits display photos and items from experiences climbing some of the world's highest mountains. Artifacts from famous climbs are alongside exhibits about the 10th Mountain Division—men who fought in Italy in World War II, some of whom founded several of Colorado's ski resorts.

This ramshackle barn houses a surrealistic collection of props used by the world-renowned Bread and Puppet Theater. The troupe has been performing social and political commentary with the towering (they're supported by people on stilts) and eerily expressive puppets for more than 50 years. In July and August, there are performances on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with museum tours before Sunday shows.

One of the city's best free offerings, this museum is an absolute must for kids and compelling for adults, too. You can even ride a cable car here—all three lines stop between Russian Hill and Nob Hill. The facility, which is inside the city's last remaining cable-car barn, takes the top off the system to show you how it all works. Eternally humming and squealing, the massive powerhouse cable wheels steal the show. You can also climb aboard a vintage car and take the grip, let the kids ring a cable-car bell, and check out vintage gear dating from 1873.

A large collection of surfing memorabilia, going back to the earliest days of the sport, is on display here, along with old black-and-white photos, vintage boards, apparel, and accessories.

This museum, located in the Richard Foster Building, holds the long-term exhibit Nome: Hub of Cultures and Communities Across the Bering Strait, which centers on five Arctic themes and involves interactive environments, such as an Iñupiat skin boat and miner's tent, along with hands-on technology to help engage the narratives. A second space contains a changing contemporary exhibit that typically features a regional artist or artists.

Snoopy, Wonder Woman, Batman, and other colorful cartoon icons greet you at the Cartoon Art Museum, established with an endowment from the late cartoonist-icon Charles M. Schulz. The museum's strength is its changing exhibits, which have highlighted subjects such as emerging artists, "Sunday Funnies" comic strips (which supposedly may have started in the San Francisco Examiner in the late 1800s), and artwork that highlights the landmarks of San Francisco. Serious fans of cartoons—especially those on the quirky underground side—will likely enjoy the exhibits; those with a casual interest may be bored. The store here carries cool titles to add to your collection.

Exhibits at the Cave Creek Museum depict pioneer living, mining, and ranching. See an original 1920s tuberculosis cabin and a collection of artifacts from the Hohokam and Yavapai tribes.

On the campus of Washington State University, this museum has the finest collection of stuffed birds and mammals and preserved invertebrates in the Pacific Northwest; more than 700 are on display and the entire collection of specimens numbers over 60,000.

A playground for kids of all ages, this museum features hands-on exhibits where children learn by playing. Venture through the "noodle forest," relax in the book loft, or get a crash course in economics by role-playing at the on-site market.

The exhibits here explore commercial fishing and the cannery industry, the era of fish traps, the social life of Petersburg, and Tlingit culture. Don't miss the 126½-pound king salmon—the largest ever caught commercially—as well as the Tlingit dugout canoe; the Cape Decision lighthouse station lens; and Earth, Sea and Sky, a 3D wall mural outside.

Just outside Golden is the Colorado Railroad Museum, a must-visit for any train lover. More than 100 vintage locomotives and cars are displayed outside the museum. Inside the replica-1880 masonry depot are historical photos and memorabilia of Puffing Billy (the nickname for steam trains), along with an astounding model train set that steams through a miniature-scale version of Golden. In the Roundhouse you can witness a train's restoration in progress, and in winter, the popular tale of The Polar Express is theatrically performed.