10405 Best Sights in USA

This clean, sandy, 3-mile beach, with a dozen volleyball nets, gymnastics equipment, and a playground for kids, is an all-around favorite. The surf is gentle, perfect for swimmers and beginning surfers, and crowds are frequently smaller than in other spots along the shore. However, it's best to avoid the beach after a storm, when untreated water flows from storm drains into the sea. Amenities: parking; lifeguards; toilets; food and drink; showers. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

A humorist, actor, and rambling cowboy, Will Rogers lived on this site in the 1920s and 1930s. His ranch house, a folksy blend of Navajo rugs and Mission-style furniture, has become a museum of Rogers memorabilia. A short film shown in the visitor center highlights Rogers's roping technique and homey words of wisdom. Open for docent-led tours Thursday through Sunday, the ranch house features Rogers's stuffed practice calf and the high ceiling he raised so he could practice his famed roping style indoors.

Rogers was a polo enthusiast, and in the 1930s his front-yard polo field attracted such friends as Douglas Fairbanks Sr. for weekend games. Today the park's broad lawns are excellent for picnicking, and there are miles of eucalyptus-lined trails for hiking, as well as a horseback riding concession. Free non-holiday weekend games are scheduled from May through October, weather permitting.

Also part of the park is Inspiration Point Trail. Who knows how many of Will Rogers's famed witticisms came to him while he and his wife hiked or rode horses along this trail from their ranch? The point is on a detour off the lovely 2-mile loop, which you can join near the riding stables beyond the parking lot. The panorama is one of L.A.'s widest and most wow-inducing, from the peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains in the east and the Oz-like cluster of Downtown skyscrapers to Catalina Island looming off the coast to the southwest. If you're looking for a longer trip, the top of the loop meets up with the 65-mile Backbone Trail, which connects to Topanga State Park.

Take a trip back in time to experience the story of Oregon's early pioneers and the industrial revolution. The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill Museum complex (circa 1889), complete with working waterwheels and millstream, looks as if the workers have just stepped away for a lunch break. Teasel gigging, napper flock bins, and the patented Furber double-acting napper are but a few of the machines and processes on display. The Jason Lee House, the John D. Boon Home, and the Methodist Parsonage are also part of the village. There is nothing grandiose about these early pioneer homes, the oldest frame structures in the Northwest, but they reveal a great deal about domestic life in the wilds of Oregon in the 1840s.

Along pastoral lowlands by the Willamette River, this serene park holds the largest black cottonwood tree in the United States. A thick-barked behemoth by a small pond, the 275-year-old tree has upraised arms that bring to mind J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Ents. Site of Reverend Jason Lee's 1834 pioneer mission, the park also offers quiet strolling and picnicking in an old orchard and along the river. The Wheatland Ferry, at the north end of the park, began carrying covered wagons across the Willamette in 1844 and is still in operation today.

Behind the Capitol, across State Street but half a world away, are the brick buildings and grounds of Willamette University, the oldest college in the West. Founded in 1842, Willamette has long been a breeding ground for aspiring politicians. Hatfield Library, built in 1986 on the banks of Mill Stream, is a handsome brick-and-glass building with a striking campanile; tall, prim Waller Hall, built in 1867, is one of the oldest buildings in the Pacific Northwest. It's also home to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the third-largest art museum in the state.

A 4-acre beach that swarms on hot summer days with residents and visitors, Willard Beach offers easy swimming and boating, as well as views of Fort Gorges. Convenient and free parking, lifeguards, a snack shack, and restrooms all add to its popularity. Dogs are permitted after sundown in the summer or all day in the off-season. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunsets; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Fourteen brilliant stained-glass windows are the centerpiece of the chapel interior, a Louis Comfort Tiffany creation with mosaic-inlay floors and nine leaded-glass chandeliers. It's the only known Tiffany-designed chapel interior still intact. A lunchtime music series is held here in July and August.

If you visit in winter, you can see some of the more than 10,000 sandhill cranes that roost at the Willcox Playa, a 37,000-acre area resembling a dry lake bed 10 miles south of town. They migrate in late fall and head north to nesting sites in February, and bird-watchers migrate to Willcox the third week in January for the annual Wings over Willcox bird-watching event held in their honor.

About 20 miles northwest of Northampton, in the scenic hills west of the Pioneer Valley, is the country estate of the 19th-century poet and author William Cullen Bryant. The 195-acre grounds overlooking the Westfield River Valley are a great venue for bird-watching, cross-country skiing, and picnics. Experience one of the many literary-themed events held throughout the year on the property.

This clapboard church is one of tiny Metlakatla's nine churches. The original burned in 1948. The current version, topped with two steeples, was rebuilt several years later. Nearby, Father Duncan's Cottage, maintained to appear exactly as it would have in 1891, contains original furnishings, personal items, and a collection of turn-of-the-20th-century music boxes.

This 613-acre site includes the ancestral home of William Floyd, a politician, general, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and prominent Long Island plantation owner. Over a 250-year period, eight generations of his family occupied the estate, a satellite property of the Fire Island National Seashore 18 miles east of Sayville. The house began as a two-story wood-frame structure in 1724, and saw several renovations, including one in 1857 in which the house took on a Greek Revival style and another in the 1920s that expanded the mansion to its current 25 rooms. Tours of the property are available; leave plenty of time to explore the Old Mastic House, it's artifacts, and the grounds, which include several outbuildings and a cemetery.

Be prepared for mosquitoes and ticks in spring and summer.

Now a modest but engaging house museum, this 1808 Federal-style structure was designed by Asher Benjamin. From 1845 to 1859, it was the home of noted historian William Hickling Prescott, and today it's the headquarters for the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Guided tours venture through rooms furnished with period furniture, including Prescott's former study with his desk and "noctograph," which helped the nearly blind scholar write. Fun fact: Prescott's secret staircase allowed him to escape into his study when bored by guests in the parlor.

This Greek Revival home was the birthplace and boyhood home of Taft (1857–1930), the 27th U.S. president and a chief justice of the Supreme Court. The National Park Service, which bought the house in 1969 and spent $3 million renovating it, has furnished some rooms as they were during Taft's years there; others hold exhibits about the president's family and career. Taft's adult residence, which is privately owned, is not far away, on MacMillan Street.

In the eyes of the world, Little Rock became a global destination in 2004 when the William Clinton Presidential Center and Park opened on 29 riverfront acres adjacent to the city's central business district. The Clinton School of Public Service is housed on-site in a renovated historic train station; the offices for the Clinton Foundation are also here. This energy-efficient, environmentally conscious complex is an architectural icon visualizing a "bridge to the future," mirroring Little Rock's six other bridges across the Arkansas River. See replicas of the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, and President Clinton's limousine. Permanent and rotating exhibits, films, lectures, special events, and activities recount Clinton's years in office.

Located 12 miles north of Stillwater, along the banks of the scenic St. Croix River, this 2,200-acre state park is paradise for outdoor adventurers and nature lovers alike—hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and swimming are all available and the river's channels are stocked with walleye, bass, and trout. Canoes can be rented from mid-April to late October. In addition to a 112-site campground, three cabins offer electricity and overnight camping from April to October. There is also a year-round cabin.

A signer of the Declaration of Independence, William Paca (pronounced "PAY-cuh") was a Maryland governor from 1782 to 1785. His house was built from 1763 through 1765, and its original garden was finished by 1772. The main floor (furnished with 18th-century antiques) retains its original Prussian blue–and–soft gray color scheme, and the second floor houses more 18th-century pieces. The adjacent 2-acre pleasure garden provides a longer perspective on the back of the house, plus worthwhile sights of its own: upper terraces, a Chinese Chippendale bridge, a pond, a wilderness area, physic garden, and formal arrangements. An inn, Carvel Hall, once stood in the gardens, now planted with 18th-century perennials. Guests can take a self-guided tour of the garden, but to see the house, take the docent-led tour. Private tours can be arranged. The last tour leaves 1½ hours before closing.

This wide, sandy beach edges a protected cove on both sides of San Simeon Pier. Fish from the pier or from a charter boat, picnic and barbecue on the bluffs, or boogie board or bodysurf the relatively gentle waves. In summer you can rent a kayak and paddle out into the bay for close encounters with marine life and sea caves. The NOAA Coastal Discovery Center, next to the parking lot, has interactive exhibits and hosts educational activities and events. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

Carrying on a Virginia tradition of wine making that began with early settlers, Virginia's largest winery produces 60,000 cases yearly. The winery offers guided tours, a well-stocked wineshop, a 17th-century tasting room, and a museum of wine-making artifacts. Be sure to give the cabernets and merlots a try. The Gabriel Archer Tavern serves a casual lunch daily. At the tavern try a wine flight of four wines. Cafe Provencial serves an elegant dinner paired with wine. There is also a country inn, Wedmore Place, on the premises.

For more information on Franklin and its attractions, contact the Williamson Country Visitor Center.

All the Nashville classics are amassed here at the Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and General Store: fringe leather goods, zebra print flasks, cowboy hats, fudge, Goo Goo Clusters, and Donald Trump voodoo dolls. At the back of the general store, buy a ticket and go through the door on your right into the 5,000-square-foot museum. There you’ll find instruments, awards, photos, costumes, and other Willie Nelson memorabilia on display. Even if you’re not a huge Willie Nelson fan, the “and Friends” part of the Willie Nelson and Friends Museum may entice you. There's also memorabilia from the likes of Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, and dozens of other country music superstars.

Back in the 1970s, when the mainstream country music scene was based in Nashville, Willie Nelson kept his feet firmly planted in Texas. Playing around Austin at old haunts like the Armadillo World Headquarters, Nelson developed a name for himself strumming his beloved tunes, like the classic "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and his own "On the Road Again." Today, he's a living legend here in town, and in 2012 on, when else, 4/20, he was immortalized with his very own 8-foot-tall bronze statue, complete with his signature braids and his famed guitar Trigger, standing proudly right in front of ACL Live at the Moody Theater.

You'll often see moose grazing in this marshy area, in part because of its flourishing willow bushes, where moose both eat and hide. Elk also graze here, and you'll occasionally see grizzly bears and wolves pursue their calves at the start of summer. This is also a good place to see birds and waterfowl, and the short Lunch Tree Hill Trail heads from the overlook parking area past beaver ponds to some vibrant bird-watching terrain.

Wilmington was once a major railroad hub on the East Coast, and that legacy lives on at this museum that includes a caboose, engine, and freight car (complete with hobos), a children's play area, and a huge model-train display that's controlled by patrons via foot pedals. The museum holds the record for the longest model train ever assembled (925 feet, 6 inches), a feat that's commemorated among the exhibits.

Completed in 1867, this 32-room mansion was built over the course of eight years by a Vermonter who married a British aristocrat. Within the opulent setting are 84 stained-glass windows (one inset with 32 Australian opals), hand-painted Italian frescoes, and 13 fireplaces. The place is magnificently furnished with European and Asian objets d'art. October evenings bring haunted castle tours.

One of Temecula's busiest tasting rooms sits amid inviting parklike grounds. Wilson Creek is known for its Almond sparkling wine, but it also produces appealing still wines. Among these the Petite Sirah, Viognier, reserve Merlot, white Cabernet Sauvignon, and bourbon-barrel Zinfandel all merit a taste. For the premier Library Collection, reservations are recommended for tastings. 

Late millionaire Naomi Wilzig's collection of some 4,000 erotic items is on display at this unique museum. Expect sexy art of varying quality—fertility statues from around the globe and historic Japanese shunga books (erotic art offered as gifts to new brides on their wedding night) share the space with some kitschy knickknacks. If this is your thing, an original phallic prop from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and an over-the-top Kama Sutra bed are worth the price of admission. Kids 17 and under are not admitted.

One of the Bay Area’s grandest and strangest attractions is the 24,000-square-foot, 160-room Victorian mansion once owned by Sarah Winchester, the heiress to a firearms manufacturing fortune. Much of its mystique centers around the tragedies that Winchester faced in her life and the mystery of what drove her to build and live as a recluse in this sprawling mansion after the deaths of her husband and young daughter. The mystery name, though, came after she passed away and the famous magician Harry Houdini visited the home in 1924 to investigate the stories of ghostly visitors. Apparently even Houdini was spooked by the home, and so what was the Llanada Villa became known as the Winchester Mystery House.