10457 Best Sights in USA

The complex, run by the Southold Historical Society, encompasses a dozen buildings, several of which are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places. Arranged as a quaint village, they include the home of the society's founder, Ann Currie-Bell, with antique dolls and toys, costume collections, and period rooms; the Thomas Moore House, a mid-18th-century carriage house and blacksmith shop; the circa 1821 Old Bay View School, which now looks as it did in 1914; and a buttery and icehouse.

The Southport Corridor, as this stretch of pavement is known, is lined with independent shops and high-end boutique chains to serve the area's well-dressed urban professionals with money to burn. Those stores are peppered amongst neighborhood pizza joints and classic taverns, bookended by music venue Schubas Tavern to the south and the historic independent movie theater The Music Box at the north. 

If you're approaching the town from Kure Beach and Fort Fisher via U.S. 421, the state-operated year-round car ferry provides a 35-minute Cape Fear River ride between Old Federal Point at the tip of the spit and the mainland. Bald Head Lighthouse on Bald Head Island is seen en route, as well as the Oak Island Lighthouse and the ruins of Price's Creek Lighthouse—in fact, this is the only point in the United States where you can see three lighthouses at the same time. It's best to arrive early (30 minutes before ferry departure), as it's first come, first served. During peak season, there are 16 scheduled ferries each day.

The only independent college of art in Texas, Southwest School of Art offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) as well as classes and studio programs for thousands of adults and children. The school is housed in the former Ursuline Academy, which in 1851 became the first girls' school in the city. The long halls of the once busy dormitory are now filled with photography, jewelry, fibers, paper making, painting, and the like. The very popular annual Fiesta Arts Fair is held on the grounds each year during Fiesta Week. The Gallery Shop sells handcrafted items, including silver Southwestern jewelry, hand-painted plates, and wooden Christmas ornaments. Grab a sandwich, homemade soup, a salad, or homemade dessert at the school's Copper Kitchen Café, which was once the dining room for the old Ursuline Academy and is now a favorite of staff, students, and the public. 

Seattle's most iconic building is as quirky as ever, and a 2018 remodel restored and improved it. The distinctive, towering, 605-foot-high structure is visible throughout much of Seattle—but the view from the inside is also great. A less-than-one-minute ride up to the observation deck yields 360-degree vistas of Downtown Seattle, the Olympic Mountains, Elliott Bay, Queen Anne Hill, Lake Union, and the Cascade Range through floor-to-ceiling windows, the open-air observation area, and the rotating glass floor. Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Needle has an app to guide you around and interactive experiences to leave your own mark. Schedule your visit for a day with a sunny forecast if you're lucky enough to have one. If you can't decide whether you want the daytime or nighttime view, buy the day/night pass that allows you to visit twice in one day. Also look for package deals with Chihuly Garden and Glass.

It may be hard to imagine as you gaze into the infinite blue of New Mexico's southern sky, but someday soon those wispy contrails you see lingering from rocket engines may be the residue of vehicles carrying tourists into Earth's orbit—and beyond.

In October 2005 the White Sands Missile Range hosted the first of a series of X Prize Cup competitions, aimed at enabling private industry to become involved in (relatively) economical space travel. Some of the launch technologies that resulted have been pivotal to the development, barely five years later, of the facility that will house Virgin Galactic and make space tourism a reality (though cash flow is more likely to come from suborbital satellite launches and payload cargo). Visitor centers in both Hatch and Truth or Consequences are planned to launch as soon as Spaceport flights are operational; bus tours that will originate from those centers are part of the program. But to get on board SpaceShipTwo, it will cost you around $200,000.

Inside the giant geosphere you are transported past tableaux that explore human progress and the continuing search for better forms of communication. The journey begins in the darkest tunnels of time, proceeds through history, and ends poised on the edge of the future. Revered author Ray Bradbury helped design the iconic ball and wrote the original story. Ten-time Emmy winner Bruce Broughton composed the musical score.

Audio-Animatronics figures present Cro-Magnon man daubing mystic paintings on cave walls, Egyptian scribes scratching hieroglyphics on papyrus, Roman centurions building roads, Islamic scholars mapping the heavens, and 11th- and 12th-century Benedictine monks hand-copying manuscripts. As you move into the Renaissance, there's Michelangelo and Gutenberg, and, in rapid succession, the telegraph, radio, television, and computer come into being. A family views the moon landing on TV, and soon the personal computer is born.

This ride has been updated multiple times over the years, always trying to incorporate the newest ideas for the future. The current Spaceship Earth emphasizes storytelling as what connects humanity, culminating in guests exiting at Dreamers Point, which honors Walt Disney who had his own gift for storytelling. For people with disabilities: You must be able to transfer to a standard wheelchair, then walk four steps to the ride vehicle. Guests with service animals should check with an attraction host for boarding information. The ride is equipped for handheld-captioning and audio-description devices available at Guest Relations.  Lines are longest in the morning and shortest just before closing.

The Colonel Zephaniah Spalding Monument commemorates the Civil War veteran who purchased this splendid property overlooking an area from Anahola to Kapaa in 1876 and established what became the Kealia Sugar Plantation. To reach it, turn onto Kealia Road toward the mountains, just after Mile Marker 10. Immediately on your right is a small post office and, on your left, rodeo grounds sometimes in use on summer weekends. The very rough road ascends, and 2½ miles later you'll reach a grassy area with the concrete remains of a monument, though all the interpretive signs have been destroyed.

A few miles east of Glendo State Park lies a vast stone quarry initially mistaken for the work of early Spanish explorers. Archaeologists later determined the site, known as the Spanish Diggings, to be the work of various indigenous tribes on and off for the past several thousand years. Tools and arrowheads carved from the stone quarried here, including quartzite, jasper, and agate, have been found as far away as the Ohio River valley. To see the diggings you'll have to drive through Glendo State Park.

Notice the expertly carved wooden doors at the entrance here: they tell the story of Spanish explorers in the New World, with the "baby face" representing America. San Antonio, then known as Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, was under Spanish rule from 1722 to 1821. This National Historic Landmark started as a one-room house built for the captain of the garrison in 1722. Walk through the self-guided tour with a map available at the entrance to see how and when the residence grew to 10 rooms, with period furnishings throughout and plaques that describe additions, such as the captain's office, an education room, dining room, kitchen, children's bedroom, and more. Relax on the cobblestone patio, enjoy the lovely courtyard, and make a wish at the wishing well.

In the Cuchara Valley you'll see fantastic rock formations with equally fanciful names, such as Profile Rock, Devil's Staircase, and Giant's Spoon. With a little imagination you can devise your own legends about the names' origins. There are more than 400 of these upthrusts, which radiate like the spokes of a wheel from the valley's dominating landmark, the Spanish Peaks. In Spanish they are known as Dos Hermanos, or "Two Brothers." In Ute, their name Huajatolla means "breasts of the world." The haunting formations are considered to be a unique geologic phenomenon for their sheer abundance and variety of rock types.

For a place to relax with a terrific view of the river, go to Spanish Plaza behind the former World Trade Center at 365 Canal Street. This large, sunken space with beautiful inlaid tiles and a fountain was a gift from Spain in 1976; here you can enjoy occasional live music and buy tickets for riverboat cruises in the offices that face the river. If you happen to be in town for Lundi Gras (the Monday before Mardi Gras), you can watch Rex, the King of Carnival, arrive here from across the river to greet King Zulu and take symbolic control of the city for a day.

At 76 acres and including extensive nature trails, this is by far one of the largest ocean parks in the southern half of Palm Beach County and a great pick for people who want more space and fewer crowds. Big groups, including family reunions, favor it because of the number of covered picnic areas for rent, but anyone can snag a free table (there are plenty) under the thick canopy of banyan trees. Even though the vast majority of the park is separated from the surf, you never actually have to cross A1A to reach the beach because tunnels run under it at several locations. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

At this quirky downtown museum, rooms filled with some of the world's earliest electrical appliances—light bulbs, phones, batteries, motors, radios, TVs—along with photos, news clippings, and interactive exhibits tell the story of how electricity transformed our world. A particularly interesting exhibit sparked by the film The Current War traces the competitive battle for technological supremacy among Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla. On weekends at 2:30, docents present a wildly entertaining electric light show, complete with 12-foot lightening bolts, in the museum theater.

Designed by Arthur Rossiter in 1925 in a Spanish–Pueblo Revival style, this was the main Albuquerque library for some 50 years (renowned Santa Fe woodblock artist Gustave Baumann contributed the lovely interior embellishments). Repurposed as the Special Collections division in 1975, the old library now houses local history resources—including an exemplary collection of Albuquerque-theme historical postcards—as well as a small museum comprised of historic printing presses and related ephemera, known as the Center for the Book. Changing exhibits and public programs in the dramatic double-story, viga-lined main reading room are always well presented.

In 2018, JWTR timber company opened the first portion of a fantastic new trail system on a nearly 7,500-acre tract of pristine conifer forest about 12 miles northwest of town, near the western shore of Upper Klamath Lake. There are currently 42 well-groomed trails open for mountain biking, running, and hiking (as well as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter), with the nearly 10-mile Spence Mountain Loop the property's showpiece. The trail rises steadily to a 5,800-foot peak that offers spectacular views of Upper Klamath Lake and the surrounding mountains.

Popular with local families because of its reef-protected waters, this white-sand beach is probably the safest beach in West Hawaii for young children. It's also generally safe for swimming year-round, which makes it a reliable spot for a lazy day at the beach. There is a little shade, plus a volleyball court and pavilion, and the soft sand is perfect for sand castles. It tends to get crowded with families and campers on weekends, but the beach is mostly clean. You won't see a lot of fish if you're snorkeling here, but in winter you can often catch sight of a breaching whale or two. The beach park lies just below Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Amenities: lifeguards (weekends and holidays only); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming.

Set on a spit along the Cascadia Marine Trail for kayakers, this popular spot for summer camping is on former Native American clamming, crabbing, and fishing grounds. A variety of campsites is available, from primitive tent sites to full hookups. This is one of the few Washington beaches where cars are permitted.

For a great view of the Missouri River's 90-degree angle, hike the 2.4-mile round-trip stretch of the much longer Achenbach Trail to this spot 430 feet above the riverbed.

This 17-mile round-trip add-on to the Sheep Creek Canyon Loop road leads past the Ute Lookout Fire Tower, which was in use from the 1930s through the 1960s.

There's plenty of family fun at this popular local water park, including more than 15 water play areas, slides, and pools. Float along the relaxing Rainforest River, catch a wave in the wave pool, or rent a cabana and cool off with a delicious Dole Whip. 

At this 96-acre water park you can ride an inner tube down the 1,300-foot-long Lazy River, passing waterfalls, geysers, and wave pools, or go for something more exhilarating (or scary). Attractions include Monsoon Lagoon, Mammoth River Ride, Kiddie Cove, and the new Bootleggers Run and Battle of Mutiny Bay water roller coasters. The park has three pools, a beach area, four restaurants, and the Parrots of the Carribean show.

Experience rocky jumbles, Joshua trees, cacti, and geological wonders along this relatively flat 2½-mile loop trail that includes a short spur to Face Rock. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife as this is a hot spot for birds and reptiles. Moderate.

Paralleled by a busy boulevard lined with sponge shops and Greek restaurants, this several-blocks-long waterfront showcases Tarpon Spring's Greek roots as well as the industry that first made the town thrive over a century ago. Stroll along the docks, and tons of small boutiques, bakeries specializing in baklava and the like, and several boat tours of the surrounding waters. Pop into the Sponge Docks Museum to see a film about the much-sought-after creatures from the phylum porifera and how they helped the town prosper in the early 1900s. You'll come away converted to (and loaded up with) natural sponges.

The fifth and sixth levels of the TD Garden house the Sports Museum, where displays of memorabilia and photographs showcase New England–based amateur and pro sports history and legends. Test your sports knowledge with interactive games, see how you stand up to life-size statues of heroes Carl Yastrzemski and Larry Bird, and take a 45-minute tour of the museum. Tours depart every half hour.

At the end of a long and often washboard gravel road, Spotted Bear is a remote entrance into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. You'll find there a ranger station, outfitter's ranch, campground, swimming, and rafting a short distance down the South Fork of the Flathead River to the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

This picnic site on Lake McDonald's eastern shore has tables, restrooms, and drinking water in summer.