10457 Best Sights in USA

This gorgeous Greek Revival building, erected in 1910, has an equally lavish interior. It was originally the Anshe Sholom Synagogue.

Between 1899 and 1902, Belgian-born priest and self-taught artist Father John Velge painted the walls, columns, and ceiling of this Roman Catholic church with religious scenes in the colorful style of Christian folk art found throughout the South Pacific. The tiny chapel evokes the European Gothic cathedral tradition and is listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. It's closed to tours Saturday through Monday, but masses held these days welcome all; call to check times.

This domed neoclassical church dominates the southwest side of Spring Lake. Inside look for the gilded vaults and the intricately painted rotunda depicting religious figures.

Winemaker Elaine St. Clair and wine-business executive Laina Brown founded this "urban winery" and nanobrewery a few blocks north of downtown. Most tastings unfold across the street from the dual production facility in a colorful culinary garden. St. Clair produces crisp yet complex whites and balanced layered reds, among them Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. Making beer wasn't an afterthought for St. Clair, the first woman in the United States to earn a degree in both wine making and brewing. A few of her award-winning beers are always on tap. You can sample them, the wines, or zero-proof cocktails solo or with addictive appetizers.

The Bywater neighborhood is home to dozens of alternative art spaces, many of which have banded together under the loose umbrella of the St. Claude Arts District (SCAD). From old candle factories to people's living rooms, this burgeoning scene—centered around St. Claude Avenue and nearby streets—produces some of the most intriguing and innovative work in the city, with several major artists and arts organizations. In addition to galleries, several independent theater spaces have sprung up as well, offering venues for live performances, magic and burlesque shows, fringe theater, and more. There is also a monthly art market and occasional gallery crawls. Check the website for an updated events calendar.

If you want to see an authentic ghost town, head 15 miles west on County Road 162. Once the supply center for the Mary Murphy Mine and dozens of smaller mines, St. Elmo is the best-preserved ghost town in Colorado. It doesn't take long to walk along the main street and peer into some of the rickety old buildings. There is a B&B, as well as a general store that's open in the summer. Be aware that this area is very busy with ATVs in summer.

Nestled at the foot of Mt. Hood, St. Francis has earned national acclaim for its pairings of wines and small bites. With its bell tower, red-tile roof, and views of the Mayacamas Mountains to the east, the winery's California Mission–style visitor center occupies one of Sonoma County's most scenic locations. The charm of the surroundings is matched by the wines, among them Cabernet Sauvignons and rich earthy Zinfandels. The five-course pairings might include Chardonnay with lobster bisque or Cabernet Sauvignon with wine-braised beef ribs.

The downtown centerpiece of St. George's growing art scene occupies an attractively reimagined former sugar-beet warehouse. The permanent collection celebrates the works of mostly regionally based potters, photographers, and painters, many of them depicting the region's spectacular landscapes. Rotating exhibits highlight local history and lore and showcase emerging contemporary talents. There's also a Family Discovery Center, with materials for kids to create their own works.

Next to Town Square Park and the downtown library and set inside a former school building with a striking red-stone exterior, this well-designed museum contains two floors of touch-friendly exhibits, including an earthquake-simulation table, a science discovery lab, a transportation center with planes and an auto shop, and a miniature version of St. George's red-rock–framed Tuacahn Amphitheatre.

Unearthed in 2000 by property developers, this site preserves and exhibits ancient footprints left by dinosaurs from the Jurassic Period millions of years ago. A modern museum displays dinosaur fossils and replicas and presents several short informative videos about the Jurassic era. There's an interactive area for children and a Dino Park outside the museum with shaded picnic tables and a "Walk Through Time" exhibit.

St. George Island is home to more than 100 people and sustains an array of bird and animal life, including fur seals and millions of seabirds. The volcanic landscape features steep cliffs that rise over 1,000 feet above the shoreline. Rarely visited, the island offers bird and animal watchers a remarkable experience. The weather and limited transportation mean flexibility and planning are essential. Saint George the Great Martyr Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1935 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

This is one of the best-preserved pioneer buildings in the entire state, and it's still used for public meetings and community events. Mormon settlers began work on the tabernacle just a few months after the city of St. George was established in 1863. Upon completion of the sandstone building's 140-foot clock tower 13 years later, Brigham Young formally dedicated the site. Visits are by guided tour.

The red-sandstone temple, plastered over with white stucco, was completed in 1877 and was the first Mormon temple in southwest Utah. It has served as a meeting place for both Mormons and other congregations over the decades. Today, only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can enter the temple, but a visitor center next door offers guided tours of the visitor center and grounds.

Built in 1758, this beautiful church—one of the most beautiful in Maryland—is all that survives of a prerevolutionary plantation. In addition to stunning stained-glass windows, parishioners have adorned each kneeler with scenes from Maryland culture. The adjacent graveyard, one of the oldest in the United States, is a history in stone of the families of the church and the region. Several veterans of the Revolution are buried here, alongside Jesuit priests who served here. A stop here is well worth a detour. To see inside the church, ask for the key at the sentry box of the naval installation next door.

The St. Ignatius Mission—a church, a museum, and collection of other buildings—was built in the 1890s with bricks made of local clay by missionaries and Native Americans. The 61 murals on the walls and ceilings of the church were used to teach Bible stories to the Indians. In the St. Ignatius Mission Museum (an old log cabin) there's an exhibit of early artifacts and arts and crafts. The mission is still a functioning church; mass is offered every Sunday morning in the rectory. To reach the mission from St. Ignatius, take Main Street south to Mission Drive.

This small, stone 15th-century chapel with tiny stained-glass windows was moved from its original site near Lyon, France, to Long Island in 1927. In 1964, the chapel was dismantled stone by stone and reconstructed here in a courtyard at Marquette University. One of the stones was reputedly kissed by Joan before she was sent to her death and is discernibly colder than the others.

Verdigris copper onion domes perch atop cedar-shingled structures at the Ukrainian cultural complex built without using a single nail in the 1960s by Ukrainian expatriates who settled in the surrounding mountains. You can see the interior during services on Sunday mornings at 10.

Little of early Hampton survived the shellings and conflicts of the past, but the brick walls of St. John's Church (1728) have. Today a stained-glass window honors Pocahontas, the Native American princess who is said to have saved the life of Captain John Smith in 1608. The communion silver on display, made in London in 1618, is the oldest such service still used in this country. The parish, founded in the same year as the city (1610), also claims to be the oldest Protestant church in continuous service in America. You may listen to a taped interpretation or take a guided tour (by arrangement) and visit a small museum in the parish house.

St. John's is the third-oldest college in the country (after Harvard and William and Mary) and adheres to a Great Books program: all students follow the same four-year, liberal-arts curriculum, which includes philosophy, mathematics, music, science, Greek, and French. Students are immersed in the classics through small classes conducted as discussions rather than lectures. Start a visit here by climbing the slope of the long, brick-paved path to the cupola of McDowell Hall.

Down King George Street toward the water is the Carroll-Barrister House, now the college admissions office. Once home to Charles Carroll (not the signer of the Declaration, but his cousin), the house was built in 1722 at Main and Conduit streets and moved onto campus in 1955. The Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Art Gallery, on the east side of Mellon Hall, presents world-class exhibits and special programs that relate to the fine arts.

Built in 1852, this church is famous for its whimsical chimes and stained-glass windows. The extraordinary parish house is the revered Green-Meldrim House, the only remaining Gothic-style private home in the Historic District. An interesting bit of trivia: on Christmas 1864, after General Sherman moved into the Green-Meldrim House, his army chaplain conducted the church's Christmas service. Though the house is still an active parish house, tours are available on a limited basis. Contact the church to learn whether a house tour is available for your selected date.

For security reasons, the rebellious Second Virginia Convention met in Richmond instead of Williamsburg; it was in this 1741 church on March 23, 1775, that Patrick Henry delivered the speech in which he declared, "Give me liberty or give me death!" His argument persuaded the Second Virginia Convention to arm a Virginia militia. The speech is reenacted Memorial Day to Labor Day on Sundays at 2 pm. The cemetery includes the graves of Edgar Allan Poe's mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, and many famous early Virginians, notably George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The visitor center, in a restored redbrick schoolhouse, has Colonial crafts and other items for sale. Guided tours are led on the half-hour.

Completed in 1904 and Ketchikan's oldest house of worship, St. John's has an interior constructed of red cedar cut in the Native-operated sawmill in nearby Saxman. When cruise ships are in town, a docent is on hand to answer questions.

At this small, white church, a quick stop off the highway, you can learn more about Father Damien and his work. It's a state historic site and place of pilgrimage. The door is often open; if it is, slip inside, sign the guest book, and make a donation. The congregation keeps the church in beautiful condition.

Built at the turn of the 20th century, this basilica has a copper dome modeled after the one atop St. Peter's in Rome. Inside is a collection of relics, statues, and European icons.

This museum has a celebrated collection of 19th-century American painting, in addition to fine pre-Columbian and German expressionist works (including many paintings and drawings by Max Beckmann). Over the years, the museum has acquired important works of early modernism by Matisse, Monet, Picasso, van Gogh, Degas, and other early 20th-century artists. Works by Anselm Kiefer, Franz Kline, Gerhard Richter, and Jenny Holzer are among the more recent acquisitions.

One block from the entrance to City Park, at the end of Esplanade Avenue, stands this cemetery, on an area of high ground along Bayou St. John. It opened in 1854 on the site of an old leper colony. Governor Galvez had exiled the lepers here during the yellow fever outbreak of 1853, but they were later removed to make room for the dead. The remains of Storyville photographer E. J. Bellocq are here, and the cemetery is notable for its neat rows of elaborate aboveground crypts, mausoleums, and carved stone angels. Many tour companies, including Save Our Cemeteries, offer tours that include St. Louis No. 3, but it's also perfectly safe to walk through and explore on your own.

The center, located in the southeast part of Forest Park, contains more than 600 hands-on exhibits on ecology, space, and humanity. You'll also find life-size animated dinosaurs and exhibits showcasing technology and the environment. The two main buildings of the Science Center are connected by a bridge over U.S. 40 (which contains radar guns to measure the speed of cars below).

Located in Forest Park, this is one of the country's best zoos and a leader in conservation efforts. Natural open-air habitats allow visitors excellent views of animals from the African savanna, including lions, tigers, elephants and zebras; curious giraffes have been known to stick their necks out to be petted by wide-eyed visitors. The zoo's "River's Edge" is an immersion exhibit that allows visitors to get close to such creatures as warthogs, wild pigs, black rhinos, bush dogs, giant anteaters, and aardvaks. There's also a children's petting area with goats, sheep and other animals.

Highlights here include a Seminole dugout canoe, pictures from the Hill Photographic Collection, and a life-size re-creation of the P. P. Cobb General Store. A room is also devoted to the U.S. Navy Amphibious Training Base of World War II, which was located on St. Lucie's beaches. A guided tour of the Gardner House (the 1908 home of the Register family), with furnishings typical of the period, is included in the price of admission.

Steeped in New York City history and shaded by graceful gingko trees, this somewhat-hard-to-find section of Leroy Street has 15 classic Italianate brownstone and brick town houses (1851–54). Novelist Theodore Dreiser wrote An American Tragedy at No. 16, and poet Marianne Moore resided at No. 14. (Robert De Niro later lived here for decades—in mid-2012 he sold it for $9.5 million.) The colorful (and corrupt) Mayor Jimmy Walker (first elected in 1926) lived at No. 6; the lampposts in front are \"mayor's lamps,\" which were sometimes placed in front of the residences of New York mayors. This block is often used as a film location: No. 4 was the setting of the Audrey Hepburn thriller Wait Until Dark. Before 1890, the James J. Walker Park, on the south side of the street near Hudson, was a graveyard where, according to legend, the dauphin of France—the lost son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette—is buried.