10457 Best Sights in USA

Considered one of North America's most beautifully renovated lighthouses, the Tybee Light Station has been guiding Savannah River mariners since 1736. It's not the first lighthouse built on this site; the original was constructed on orders of General James Oglethorpe in 1732. You can walk up 178 steps for amazing views at the top. The lightkeeper's cottage houses a small theater showing a video about the lighthouse. The nearby museum is in a gun battery constructed for the Spanish-American War.

This is Tybee's "grand strand," the center of the summer beach action. Anchored by a 700-foot pier that is sometimes host to summer concerts, this stretch of shoreline is your best bet for people-watching and beach activities. Just off the sand at the bustling intersection of Tybrisa Street and Butler Avenue, a cluster of watering holes, souvenir shops, bike shacks, and oyster bars makes up Tybee's main business district. There are public restrooms at the Pier and at 15th and Tybrisa Streets. The pier is popular for fishing and is also the gathering place for fireworks displays. There's metered street parking as well as two good-sized lots. Both fill up fast during the high season, so arrive early.

The route north from Cameron Trading Post on U.S. 89 offers a stunning view of the Painted Desert. The desert, which covers thousands of square miles stretching to the south and east, is a vision of subtle, almost harsh beauty, with windswept plains and mesas, isolated buttes, and barren valleys in pastel patterns. About 30 miles north of Cameron Trading Post, the Painted Desert country gives way to sandstone cliffs that run for miles. Brilliantly hued and ranging in color from light pink to deep orange, the Echo Cliffs rise to more than 1,000 feet in many places. They are essentially devoid of vegetation, but in a few high places, thick patches of tall cottonwood and poplar trees, nurtured by springs and water seepage from the rock escarpment, manage to thrive.

At Bitter Springs, 60 miles north of Cameron, U.S. 89A branches off from U.S. 89, running north and providing views of Marble Canyon, the geographical beginning of the Grand Canyon. Like the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon was formed by the Colorado River. Traversing a gorge nearly 500 feet deep is Navajo Bridge, a narrow steel span built in 1929 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Formerly used for car traffic, it now functions only as a pedestrian overpass.

The 68 miles between the park and Ely make a beautiful drive with diverse views of Nevada's paradoxical geography: dry deserts and lush mountains. You'll catch an occasional glimpse of a snake, perhaps a rattler, slithering on the road's shoulder, or a lizard sunning on a rock. Watch for deer. A straight drive to Ely takes a little more than an hour; if you have the time to take a dirt-road adventure, don't miss the Ward Charcoal Ovens or a peek at Cave Lake.

This museum, at Fort Eustis, traces the history of army transportation by land, sea, and air, beginning with the Revolutionary War era. More than 90 vehicles, including experimental craft and numerous locomotives and trains dating to the 1800s, are on display. The museum's Korean War and World War II–era trucks can be toured inside and out. Be prepared to show a driver's license or other identification at the military checkpoint at the base entrance.

The 100-acre cluster of redbrick buildings you see overlooking the Thames River makes up one of the four U.S. military academies. Visitors are welcome, and security is obviously tight, but being there when the Coast Guard training ship, the barque Eagle, is in port is a special treat. A small museum, located in Waesche Hall on the grounds, explores the Coast Guard's 230+ years of maritime service and includes some 200 ship models, as well as figureheads, paintings, uniforms, life-saving equipment, and cannon.

The outside of the building is plain, but inside, a wealth of art, contained in two separate collections, reflects the department's work. The Office of the Secretary Art Collection, featuring heroic oil paintings of dam construction, gold panning, and cattle drives, is found throughout the building's hallways, offices, and meeting rooms. The Department of the Interior Museum Collection outlines the work of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, and other department branches. On Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm, you can view 26 photographic murals by Ansel Adams and more than 40 dramatic murals painted by Maynard Dixon, John Steuart Curry, and other artists. Reservations are required for the Murals Tour; call at least two weeks in advance. The Indian Craft Shop across the hall from the museum sells Native American pottery, dolls, carvings, jewelry, baskets, and books.

Once used to store currency, this is one of the most impressive Greek Revival buildings in the United States. Robert Mills, the architect responsible for the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, designed the colonnade on 15th Street. After the death of President Lincoln, the Andrew Johnson Suite was used as the executive office while Mrs. Lincoln moved out of the White House. One of the highlights is the Cash Room. Initially opened in 1869, it served as a bank, providing essential services to the public and supplying local banks with coins and currency. Renovated in 1985, visitors can tour the historic room. Tours of the Treasury Building are available only to U.S. citizens or legal residents, and you must make the reservation in advance through your congressional office.

Displays of model ships and memorabilia from naval heroes and fighting vessels tell the story of the U.S. Navy. The Rogers Ship Model Collection has nearly 80 models of sailing ships built for the British Admiralty, the largest display of 17th- and 18th-century ship models in North America. Kids of all ages will enjoy watching the restoration and building of model ships on the ground level and might even learn a few tricks of the trade should they wish to purchase a model ship kit to build when they get home.

A 15-minute drive north of Bremerton (not far from Poulsbo), this museum is fronted by a can't-miss sight: the 88-ton Trieste II submarine, which dove to the deepest spot in the ocean (the Marianas Trench) in 1960. The main building presents rotating shows and contains excellent permanent exhibits on oceanography, torpedo technology, submarine rescues, mine warfare, and the navy's strategic war deterrence initiative. 

Kick back in this plush 60-seat auditorium as professors from the University of Alaska Anchorage add live commentary to Northern-focused science and education films, including several titles produced by the university itself in hard-to-reach Alaska destinations.

At 500 feet deep and ½ mile across, this crater resulted from underground steam and gas explosions, some as recently as 300 years ago. Volcanic ash spreads out over most of the area, and the cinders lie as deep as 150 feet near the crater's rim. Trek down to the crater's floor or walk around the 2-mile rim counterclockwise to avoid the steep uphill climb. Either way, you need about an hour and will be treated to fantastic views. The hike from the floor can be strenuous, especially because of loose terrain.

The 2,000-acre University of California Santa Cruz campus nestles in the forested hills above town. Its sylvan setting, ocean vistas, and redwood architecture make the university worth a visit, as does its arboretum ($10, open daily from 9 to 5), whose walking path leads through areas dedicated to the plants of California, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Free shuttles help students and visitors get around campus, and you can join a guided tour (online reservation required).

With a collection that includes thousands of Kodak Brownie and Zeiss Ikon cameras, this museum—the centerpiece of UCR ARTS—surveys the history of photography and the devices that produced it. Exhibitions, some of contemporary images, others historically oriented, are always top-notch and often incorporate photographs from the permanent collection of works by Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and other greats. The museum also hosts films, performances, and other cultural events. 

On the grounds of the former Modena Plantation, the University of Georgia runs this aquarium with revolving exhibits about the state's coastal wildlife and ecosystems. Kids love the touch tanks featuring creatures from tidal creeks, the ocean beaches, and the open waters of the continental shelf up-close. The sea turtles are especially popular. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the fresh air after visiting the aquarium, and don't miss the nearby nature trails and ADA-approved salt marsh boardwalk.

Inside the Uintah County Heritage Museum are collections of Fremont and Ute Indian artifacts, including baskets, water jugs, and beadwork, as well as pioneer items like carriages, guns, saddles, and old-fashioned toys. Be sure to check out the wooden cataract boats built by local river-running legend A. K. Reynolds. They're still in great shape considering they date back to the late 1940s. The most off-beat installation is a collection of kitschy handmade porcelain dolls modeled after the nation's First Ladies, from Martha Washington to Nancy Reagan.

Modern and contemporary art fans with an interest in the artistic achievements of the Ukrainian diaspora head to this small museum at the far western edge of the Ukrainian Village. One of its two galleries is dedicated to changing exhibitions; the other features the museum's permanent collection of mixed media, sculpture, and painting from the 1950s to the present. Some of the most interesting works are kinetic steel-wire sculptures by Konstantin Milonadis, the constructed reliefs of Ron Kostyniuk, and painted wood structures by Mychajlo Urban. 

From the late 19th century through the end of World War II, tens of thousands of Ukrainians made their way to New York City—and particularly to \"Little Ukraine,\" as much of the East Village was known. This museum examines Ukrainian Americans' dual heritage, with a permanent collection made up of folk art, fine art, and documentary materials about immigrant life. Ceramics, jewelry, hundreds of brilliantly colored Easter eggs, and an extensive collection of Ukrainian costumes and textiles are the highlights. To continue the Ukrainian experience, head to nearby Veselka restaurant for borscht and pierogi.

For a glimpse of how the working class lived at the turn of the 20th century, head south of Wicker Park to the Ukrainian Village. In its center, on Haddon Avenue and on Thomas and Cortez streets between Damen Avenue and Leavitt Street, you'll find a well-preserved group of workers' cottages and apartments. At the corner of Leavitt and Haddon Streets, gilded cupolas mark Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral (tours offered occasionally; schedule at  holytrinitycathedral.net), an early-20th-century church designed by renowned Chicago architect Louis Sullivan.

A refuge within a refuge, the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge consists of more than 20,000 acres of wilderness entirely within the boundaries of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Its primary mission at the moment is to rescue one of the nation's most endangered animals: the black-footed ferret. The ferrets depend on the high concentration of prairie dog towns for food. There are also plenty of grouse and burrowing owls, who use abandoned prairie dog tunnels for homes.

In business since the 1950s, Ulrich's Fossil Gallery has fossils from around the world on display. You can even buy some specimens, particularly fish fossils. Ulrich's also runs fossil-digging excursions at private quarries; call for more information.

New York's first constitution was drafted on this site in 1777, in an earlier building. Then its first chief justice, John Jay, was sworn in in that courthouse. Shortly thereafter, in the same year, the British burned down Kingston; the current courthouse was built in 1818. Sojourner Truth was freed in 1826, and she immediately—and successfully—sued, in this courthouse, to have her son freed from slavery in Alabama. The courthouse is open to the public while court is in session between 8:30 and 4:30 on weekdays. No photography is allowed.

Livestock, local crafts, baking and preserves competitions, pig races, and amusement rides constitute a genuine old-fashioned county fair. Held in late July/early August, it runs Tuesday through Sunday.

Find this spot—where signs near a heiau (shrine) also explain Kailua's early history—tucked next to the Windward YMCA. Although they may look like piles of rocks to the uninitiated, heiau are sacred stone platforms for the worship of the gods and date from ancient times; this one is 140 feet by 80 feet. Ulupo means "night inspiration," referring to the legendary Menehune, a mythical race of diminutive people who are said to have built the heiau under the cloak of darkness.

Honoring his service in the Civil War, a group of Galena Republicans presented this 1860 Italianate bracketed home to Ulysses S. Grant in 1865. He lived here with his family until in 1868, taking his seat in the White House as the 18th President. Much of the furnishings are original to the home, which is now a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Three rugged, secluded wilderness areas attract backpackers to this 1.4-million-acre forest: the Wenaha-Tucannon, the North Fork Umatilla, and the North Fork John Day. Umatilla is derived from a word in the indigenous Shahaptian language meaning "water rippling over sand," and the forest has its share of fishable rivers and streams as well. Home to the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway and 38 campgrounds, the diverse forestland is found both east and south of Pendleton, and extends south almost as far as John Day, where it borders the Malheur National Forest. To the east it is bordered by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Major thoroughfares through the forest include Interstate 84, U.S. 395, and Highways 204 and 244.

This shady enclave adjacent to Zilker Park is where famed sculptor Charles Umlauf lived and worked. Umlauf, who taught at the University of Texas' art department from 1941 to 1981, created an incredibly diverse body of work that ranged in style from realistic to abstract, using such materials as marble, bronze, wood, and terra-cotta. His subjects were equally wide-ranging, from religious figures and nudes to whimsical animals and families. Visitors can admire his works installed throughout the verdant beauty of the house's surrounding gardens, which also hosts special events and community happenings, like food festivals, live music, outdoor yoga classes, and free family days, in addition to a coveted register of weddings.

Some of the highest sand dunes in the country are found in this 50-acre park between Florence and Coos Bay, near the small town of Reedsport. The first Umpqua River Lighthouse, built on the dunes at the mouth of the Umpqua River in 1857, lasted only four years before it toppled over in a storm. It took local residents 33 years to build another one. The "new" lighthouse, built on a bluff overlooking the south side of Winchester Bay and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, stands at 65 feet and is still going strong, flashing a warning beacon out to sea every five seconds. The Douglas County Coastal Visitors Center adjacent to the lighthouse has a museum and can arrange lighthouse tours.

This 5-mile, three-hour loop starts at 8,300 feet and winds south through the forest, past Roaring Springs and Bright Angel canyons. The highlight of this rim hike is Uncle Jim Point, which, at 8,244 feet, overlooks the upper sections of the North Kaibab Trail. Moderate.