10455 Best Sights in USA

Another only-in-Joshua Tree spot not to be missed, this museum displays all kinds of crocheted creations inside a reimagined drive-through photo stand. Tucked off the street in Art Queen's courtyard, it earned global recognition when it appeared in an international advertising campaign. Before you get back in the car, detour around the front to see another eclectic collection at the Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum ( beautybubble.net). The working salon displays more than 3,000 pieces of vintage equipment, toys, products, and advertising related to the hair/beauty industry.

This handsomely designed, contemporary museum across from the Oregon Zoo contains interactive and multimedia exhibits about forest sustainability. A white-water raft ride, smoke-jumper training simulator, and Timberjack tree harvester all provide different perspectives on Pacific Northwest forests. On the second floor the forests of the world are explored in various travel settings. A canopy lift ride hoists visitors to the 50-foot ceiling to look at a Douglas fir.

Each August, Long Beach hosts the Washington State International Kite Festival; the community is also home to the Northwest Stunt Kite Championships, a competition held each June. At the only U.S. museum focused solely on kites and kiting, you can view an array of kites and learn about kite making and history. 

This shrine to the brown soda's image, products, and marketing is, at 62,000 square feet, twice the size of its previous building and features more than 1,200 artifacts never before displayed to the public. You can sip samples of 100 different Coca-Cola products from around the world and peruse more than a century's worth of memorabilia from the corporate archives. The gift shop sells everything from refrigerator magnets to handbags.

Set in a restored 1936 Coast Guard station, this museum—geared as much to kids as adults—features the life of a "Coastie" in the early 1940s, told through personal accounts of the WWII history of St. Simons Island. Exhibits explore how small communities like St. Simons came close to conflict due to the threat of German U-boats just offshore, and how the military shipbuilding industry sprung up in nearby Brunswick. The museum demonstrates how Georgia's Golden Isles were transformed during and after the Second World War and the important role civilians played on the home front.

The impact of World War II on Unalaska/Dutch Harbor is visible practically everywhere you look: remnants of war bunkers, tunnels, Quonset huts, pillboxes, and other military relics are scattered throughout town. You can explore these pieces of history hands-on when at Bunker Hill, Memorial Park, Unalaska Lake, Mt. Ballyhoo, and other sites.

Knoxville hosted the World's Fair in 1982, and the legacy is a green space maintained in the heart of the city. The centerpiece is the Sunsphere, a gold-domed observation tower with 360-degree views of the city. Below, there's a splash pad that's popular with children during summer and a festival lawn and amphitheater that host events throughout the year.

In the 1920s, this building shaped like an 18th-century chest of drawers was constructed to call attention to the city's standing as the "Furniture Capital of the World." The 36-foot-high building, complete with a 6-foot-long pair of socks dangling from one of its drawers, remains one of the strangest sights in North Carolina to this day. Nearby Furnitureland South has actually built a much larger chest of drawers as the facade to one of its showrooms, although it is not freestanding.

Showcasing some of the world's greatest classic toys, as well as a few modern ones, this museum is fun not only for children, but also for adults wanting to get nostalgic about their childhood. There are more than a million toys here, and collections include vintage toy trains, old school lunchboxes, tin toys, toddler pull toys, and many decades' worth of Barbie dolls and action figures. The gift shop is well stocked with classic toys to take home, including plenty of Mr. Potato Head figurines.

Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun are two adjoining theme parks with roller coasters, shows, water shenanigans, and attractions for people of all ages.

In 1736, General James Oglethorpe gave 500 acres to Noble Jones, who was required to build a small fort to protect Savannah from an attack up the Skidaway River. Wormsloe is the only property in Georgia remaining in the hands of descendants of the original owners. Over the years, the land was used to produce cotton, as well as fruits, vegetables, and silk. In later years it served as a dairy farm and rice mill. Many of the 400 oaks planted along the 1½-mile entry in 1891 still stand proud today—you might recognize them from the movie Forrest Gump. Today, you can tour the tabby fort ruins, wander around the historic cemetery, and take in colonial plantation reenactments.

A stone obelisk marks the mass grave at the site of the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee, where several hundred Sioux---including many women and children---were killed by U.S. Army soldiers after a skirmish broke out at what had been a peaceful encampment. Only a handful of visitors make pilgrimages to the remote site today, which is simple and largely unchanged from its 1890 appearance. The short dirt road leading up the hill to the site from the highway is sometimes too rutted to drive. If you go, be advised that this is a place of deep solemnity for many people. Visitors should be quiet and respectful.

This facility interprets the history of the December 29, 1890, Wounded Knee Massacre through interactive exhibits with historical photos and documents. Many visitors choose to stop at this convenient location off I--90 in lieu of a stop at the isolated massacre site 80 miles to the south on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where several hundred Native American victims remain buried in a mass grave after being killed by U.S. Army troops.

Covering a 100-by-70-mile area, the Wrangells tower over the 2,500-foot-high Copper River Plateau, with the peaks of mounts Jarvis, Drum, Blackburn, Sanford, and Wrangell rising from 15,000 feet to 16,000 feet above sea level.

The College of William and Mary, founded in 1693, is the second-oldest college in the United States after Harvard University. The campus extends to the west; the Wren Building (1695) was based on the work of the celebrated London architect Sir Christopher Wren. Its redbrick outer walls are original, but fire gutted the interiors several times, and the current quarters are largely reconstructions of the 20th century. The faculty common room, with a table covered with green felt and an antique globe, suggests Oxford and Cambridge universities, the models for this New World institution. George Wythe became America's first law professor at the college and taught law to Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay, James Monroe, and John Marshall. Tours, led by undergraduates, include the chapel where Colonial leader Peyton Randolph is buried. Among the portraits of college presidents on the second floor of the Wren Building is an arresting painting of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who visited William and Mary during her tenure.

Named for James Wright, Georgia's last colonial governor, this square has an elaborate monument in its center that honors William Washington Gordon, founder of the Central of Georgia Railroad. A granite boulder from Stone Mountain adorns the grave of Tomochichi, the Yamacraw chief who befriended General Oglethorpe and the colonists, giving his permission for the English settlers to establish their colony on Yamacraw Bluff.

Just a few blocks from the waterfront, Wright's Ferry Mansion was the residence of English Quaker Susanna Wright, a silkworm breeder and intellectual who counted Benjamin Franklin among her friends. Docents guide visitors around the 1738 stone house, which showcases period furniture in the William & Mary and Queen Anne styles as well as an extensive collection of English needlework, clothing, ceramics, and glass, all predating 1750.

Near Loma Prieta, as high as one can go in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this fun winery balances high-quality wines with a more laid-back atmosphere that encourages relaxing all afternoon. There’s a boccie court, splendid vineyard views, and excellent estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Charcuterie boards are sold for hungry tasting groups, and once a month or so there's a food truck on hand. This is one of the few local wineries that welcomes both children and dogs.

Clean, wide beaches here provide the setting for all sorts of water sports. Surfers dominate the sunrise waves at Crystal Pier. Kayakers, parasailers, and paddleboarders all share the waters here while shoreline runners and walkers hit the sand, which is also perfect for sandcastle building and people-watching. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (Memorial Day to Labor Day); parking (fee); toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming.

Families from the Sinagua and other Ancestral Puebloans are believed to have lived together in harmony on the site that is now Wupatki National Monument, farming and trading with one another and with those who passed through. The eruption of Sunset Crater may have influenced migration to this area a century after the event, as freshly laid volcanic cinders held in moisture needed for crops. Although there's evidence of earlier habitation, most of the settlers moved here around 1100 and left the pueblo by about 1250. The 2,700 identified sites contain archaeological evidence of a Native American settlement.

The national monument was named for the Wupatki (meaning "tall house" in Hopi) site, which was originally three stories high, built above an unexplored system of underground fissures. The structure had almost 100 rooms and an open ball court—evidence of Southwestern trade with Mesoamerican tribes for whom ball games were a central ritual. Next to the ball court is a blowhole, a geologic phenomenon in which air is forced upward by underground pressure.

Other sites to visit are Wukoki, Lomaki, and the Citadel, a pueblo on a knoll above a limestone sink. Although the largest remnants of Native American settlements at Wupatki National Monument are open to the public, other sites are off-limits. On Saturdays November through March, free guided 2.5-mile hikes to backcountry pueblos and petroglyphs are offered (reservations required). A 1.3-mile hike to East Mesa is also available during this time. Between the Wupatki and Citadel sites, Doney Mountain affords 360-degree views of the Painted Desert and the San Francisco Volcanic Field. It's a perfect spot for a sunset picnic.

In late 2014, Congress re-designated this quiet, sunken garden to honor General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, the first—a century ago—to hold the title General of the Armies. An official unit of the National Park System, the memorial currently includes engravings on the stone walls recounting pivotal campaigns from World War I, when Pershing commanded the American Expeditionary Force and conducted other military exploits. Steps and small tables surround a fountain and duck pond, making for a pleasant midday respite. The park had a $46-million renovation of the memorial in 2021. 

Between the 1690s and 1973, Wyck sheltered nine generations of the Wistar-Haines family. Their accumulated furnishings are on display, along with ceramics, children's needlework, dolls, and artifacts generally contemporary with the mid-1800s. On one side is the oldest rose garden in the United States, dating to the 1820s, which blooms in May, as well as a magnolia tree from that time. Out back are a large lawn, where you can picnic, and a vegetable garden—the land has been continuously farmed since 1690, and during the summer it hosts many kid-friendly garden-related events as well as workshops. Known as the oldest house in Germantown, Wyck was used as a British field hospital after the Battle of Germantown. Walk-in tours are offered April–November, Thursday–Saturday, noon–4 pm, and the grounds are open for wandering Tuesday–Friday 10 am–4 pm. Off-season and specialty tours are available by appointment.

Built in 1923 as a vaudeville theater called the Lotus, the WYO Theater was closed and nearly demolished in the early 1980s. A strong show of support from the community saved the building, and now the refurbished art deco structure hosts everything from orchestras and ballets to lectures and Broadway revivals, especially in the summer.

Cold steel and concrete, the Death House, and the Yard are all part of the tour of the Wyoming Frontier Prison, which served as the state's penitentiary from 1901 until 1981. There are occasional midnight tours, and there's a Halloween tour. During the summer months, the prison is open every day of the week.

Between 1905 and 1976 (when the state built a new residence for the governor), 19 Wyoming first families made their home in this Colonial Revival building. Period furnishings and ornate chandeliers remain in nearly every room.

At the Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum, the emphasis is on the Wyoming pioneer settlers and overland immigrants, but this small state-operated museum on the state fairgrounds also has displays on Native Americans and the frontier military.

Construction on this Corinthian-style building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was authorized by the Ninth Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1886. The dome, covered in 24-karat gold leaf and visible from all roads leading into the city, is 50 feet in diameter at the base and 146 feet high. Inside the building, you'll find a statue of Esther Hobart Morris, a proponent of women's suffrage. One of Wyoming's nicknames is the "Equality State" because of its early advocacy of women's rights. Thanks to Wyoming's informal ways, it's not unusual to find the governor wandering the halls of the capitol. You can take a self-guided tour of state offices and the Senate and House chambers. Guided tours are also provided by appointment when time permits.

Several permanent exhibits are dedicated to exploring the heritage, culture, and landscape of Wyoming, covering everything from natural resources to wildlife to historical events. There's a hands-on exhibit geared to children, and the museum hosts several additional temporary exhibits each year. Be sure to check out the semipermanent exhibit of hundreds of whimsical wooden miniatures crafted by Earl Newell. His folk-art pieces from the 1930s show a micro version of Wyoming life, including farm animals, people, and itty-bitty tools.

Perhaps because of the bedlam of the early days, Laramie became the site of the Wyoming Territorial Prison in 1872. Until 1903 it was the region's federal and state penal facility, locking down Butch Cassidy and other infamous frontier outlaws. Today the restored prison is a state historic site that brings to life the legends of frontier law and justice. Open year-round, with curtailed hours in the winter.