10450 Best Sights in USA

This 5-acre park on a 2,100-foot-elevation bluff just north of Goldendale's compact downtown contains one of the nation's largest public telescopes, and the town's remote location, far from the lights of any cities, is ideal. A major renovation and expansion in 2021 added a number of interesting interpretive exhibits to the observatory, and seating capacity has been tripled. Fascinating astronomy programs and sky-watching events are held during the day and evening, year-round by reservation only.

This magnificent 1876 Victorian-gingerbread "wedding cake" theater on the Connecticut River—so called for its turrets, mansard roof, and grand filigree—is widely recognized for its role in the preservation and development of American musical theater. More than 20 Goodspeed productions have gone on to Broadway, including Annie and Man of La Mancha. Performances take place from May through December; one-hour Opera House tours are offered on the first Saturday of the month.

Born in a small brewpub in 1988, the Goose Island brand has spread worldwide, with pubs in China, Brazil, London, and South Korea (thanks to the help of their owners, Anheuser-Busch, who took over in 2011). Goose Island made their name on fan-favorite beers like their Honkers Ale (a mellow, toasty, English-style bitter) and 312 Wheat Ale, a sweet and lightly citrusy thirst-quencher that is perfect for a hot summer day. 

Their original location on Clybourn Avenue finished its 35-year-run at the end of 2023, but their Fulton Avenue taproom remains a destination for lovers of the brewery’s many beers, including their famed line of barrel-aged brews: Bourbon County Brand Stout. Every year’s release of BCBS is different, with variants through the years including a bananas foster beer and an Earl Grey tea beer. Barrel-focused variants feature beers aged in casks from distilleries like Old Fitzgerald, Eagle Rare, and Elijah Craig.

Three-mile-long Goose Rocks, a 10-minute drive north of Kennebunkport, has a good long stretch of smooth sand and plenty of shallow pools for exploring. It's a favorite of families with small children. Pick up a $30 daily parking permit at one of two kiosks along the beach: one outside of Goose Rocks Beach General Store at 3 Dyke Road and the other at the Proctor Avenue beach path. Dogs are allowed (on a leash), but only before 9 and after 5 during the summer season. There is one Porta Potty behind the General Store, but otherwise no facilities are available at the beach. Amenities: parking (fee). Best for: swimming; walking.

You'll find pretty much everything the Hood River Valley is famous for growing and producing at this picturesque, century-old farm anchored by a Dutch Colonial farmhouse and surrounded by acres of U-pick flowers, apple and peach trees, and blackberry and blueberry bushes. After strolling through the farm fields, stop inside the main house to sample local wines from Kennedy Family Farms and Cellars. Out back, there's a farm store, another tasting room serving local craft cider, and a garden patio with seating and a food-truck-style café serving delicious burgers, pear-goat cheese quesadillas, cherry-bacon flatbread pizzas, and other light fare.

The ¼-mi-long, 98-acre concourse includes modern art and sculpture, the New York State Museum, the State Library, the elliptical performing-arts center, and the New York State Vietnam Memorial. At the center of the plaza is a rectangular reflecting pool. The capitol crowns the plaza's north end. On weekdays in July and August you can take a free hour-long tour, which examines the plaza's history, architecture, monuments, and artworks. Tours start at 11 and 1 at the concourse-level visitor center.

Not many churches can boast an altarpiece by Keith Haring and two labyrinths, but this one, the country's third-largest Episcopal cathedral, does. The soaring Gothic-style structure took 14 (often interrupted) years to build, beginning in 1927 and eventually wrapping up in 1964. The gilded bronze doors at the east entrance were taken from casts of Lorenzo Ghiberti's incredible Gates of Paradise, designed for the Baptistery in Florence, Italy. A sculpture of St. Francis by Beniamino Bufano greets you as you enter.

The 34-foot-wide limestone labyrinth is a replica of the 13th-century stone maze on the floor of Chartres Cathedral. All are encouraged to walk the ⅛-mile-long labyrinth, a ritual based on the tradition of meditative walking. There's also a granite outdoor labyrinth on the church's northeast side. The AIDS Interfaith Chapel, to the right as you enter, contains a bronze triptych by the late artist Keith Haring (a gift from Yoko Ono) and panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The church offers self- and docent-led tours. Especially dramatic times to view the cathedral are during Tuesday-evening yoga (6:15 pm), Thursday-night evensong (5:15 pm), and special holiday programs.

Graceland, the estate once owned by Elvis Presley, is 12 miles south of Downtown. A guided tour of the mansion, which Elvis bought in 1957 at age 22, as well as the adjoining automobile museum reveals the spoils of stardom. Graceland might be the only colonial suburban home on record to have a jungle room, a pink Cadillac, and close to 700,000 guests annually. Elvis is buried outside the mansion, and tours conclude with many fans leaving tokens at his gravesite. Reservations are recommended, especially in August during "Elvis Week."

After entering at Clark Street and Irving Park Road, you'll quickly discover that this graveyard has crypts that are almost as strikingly designed as the city skyline. A number of Chicago's most prominent citizens, including city planner Daniel Burnham, railroad magnate George Pullman, and retail icon Marshall Field, are spending eternity here. Architect Louis Sullivan (also a resident) designed some of its more elaborate mausoleums. Free maps, available at the cemetery office, will help you find your way around the pastoral 119-acre property.

Grafton Notch Scenic Byway (Route 26) runs through its namesakes—the park and the notch—at the northeastern reach of the Mahoosuc Range (White Mountains). A favorite fall foliage destination stretching along the Bear River valley 14 miles north of Bethel, it's a short walk from roadside parking areas to the waterway's distinctive Screw Auger Falls, which drops through a gorge, creating pools (.4 mile trail network); V-shaped Mother Walker Falls (.2 mile round-trip); and Moose Cave, a feature of another gorge (.4 mile loop trail; watch for slippery rocks). Also aside the road: the nicely shaded Spruce Meadow picnic area and the trailhead for the Appalachian Trail, the departure point for day hikes that follow or incorporate it. Table Rock Loop Trail (2.4 miles round-trip; moderate) rewards hikers with views of mountains and the notch from a ledge. More challenging is the 7.6-mile round-trip trek (advanced) via the AT to the viewing platform atop 4,180-foot Old Speck Mountain, one of Maine's highest peaks. Some of the AT's toughest sections run through Grafton Notch and 31,764-acre Mahoosuc Public Land, whose two tracts sandwich the park, offering stunning, if strenuous, backcountry hiking (also backcountry campsites). In winter, the park's snowmobile trail along Bear River is popular; ungroomed trails draw snowshoers and cross-country skiers.

Boston's cemeteries are among the most historic in America, and the Granary, established in 1660, is no exception. Headstones are elaborately ornamented with skeletons, winged skulls, and other carved Colonial folk art. Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere are among the impressive list of the estimated 5,000 folks interred here; there hasn't been a new burial since 1880. Note the winged hourglasses carved into the stone gateway of the burial ground; they are a 19th-century addition. This is Freedom Trail stop 4.

If downtown Salt Lake City is growing fast, this historic manufacturing and railroad district on the southwest side of downtown is positively booming. Many of the neighborhood's handsome late-19th-century and early-20th-century warehouses and factory buildings have been converted into mixed-use developments, and in seemingly every direction, shiny new condos and apartments are going up. Many of the city's hottest drinking, dining, and shopping venues are in the Granary District, including Fisher Brewing, Laziz Kitchen, Water Witch, and The Pearl. West 900 South, between 300 West and South West Temple, is especially rife with buzzy places to eat and drink.

This cantilevered glass terrace is suspended nearly 4,000 feet above the Colorado River and extends 70 feet from the edge of the Grand Canyon. Approximately 10 feet wide, the bridge's deck, made of tempered glass several inches thick, has 5-foot glass railings on each side creating an unobstructed open-air platform. Admission to the skywalk is an add-on to the basic Grand Canyon West admission. Visitors must store personal items, including cameras, cell phones, and video cameras, in free lockers before entering. A professional photographer takes photographs of visitors, which can be purchased from the gift shop.

The modern interpretive center at the Grand Encampment Museum holds exhibits on the history of the Grand Encampment copper district and logging and mining. A pioneer town of original buildings includes the Lake Creek stage station, the Big Creek tie-hack cabin, the Peryam homestead, the Slash Ridge fire tower, a blacksmith shop, a transportation barn, and a two-story outhouse. Among the other relics are three towers from a 16-mile-long aerial tramway built in 1903 to transport copper ore from mines in the Sierra Madres. You can take guided tours, and there's also a research area. A living-history day, with music, costumes, and events, takes place the third weekend in July.

You can reach Yellowstone's largest hot spring, 370 feet in diameter and arguably an even more dazzling sight than Old Faithful, by following a ⅓-mile boardwalk loop. The spring, in the Midway Geyser Basin, is deep blue in color, with yellow and orange rings formed by bacteria that give it the effect of a prism. For a stunning perspective, view it from the overlook along the Fairy Falls Trail.

This breathtaking, immense, and often difficult-to-access wilderness became a national monument in 1996. And although its federal status continues to generate controversy that has led to reductions and subsequent restorations of its boundaries, this nearly 1.9-million-acre tract of red rock canyons, stepped escarpments (the Grand Staircase), sheer rock ridges, and sweeping mesas continues to beguile hikers, canyoneers, and other outdoors enthusiasts. Unlike parks and monuments operated by the National Park Service, Grand Staircase–Escalante is administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and visiting its key attractions requires a bit more research and effort than, for example, Bryce or Capitol Reef, which are relatively more compact and accessible.

The best way to plan your adventures within the park is by stopping by one of the four visitor centers in the area, the best of these being the stunning Escalante Interagency Visitor Center in downtown Escalante. The smaller BLM Visitor Center in Cannonville is also helpful, or if you're entering the monument from the south, check out the BLM Visitor Centers in Kanab and Big Water. Given that many of the monument's top attractions are in remote areas with limited signage and access via unpaved (and sometimes very rough) roads, many visitors hire one of the area's many experienced outfitters and guides—this is an especially smart strategy if it's your first time in the area. Some of the monument's top attractions are big draws—including Calf Creek Recreation Area and the several hikes and vistas along Hole-in-the-Rock Road accessed from Escalante, the Burr Trail up near Boulder, and the Paria Movie Set and Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness east of Kanab.

This 360-degree view is the main event for many visitors to Island in the Sky, though ongoing construction limits access during weekdays (the trail is open intermittently, so make sure to check  www.nps.gov/cany or head to the visitor center to verify opening hours). Look down into the deep canyons of the Colorado and Green Rivers, which have been carved by water and erosion over the millennia. Many people just stop at the paved overlook and drive on, but you'll gain a breathtaking perspective by strolling along this 2-mile round-trip, flat cliffside trail. On a clear day you can see up to 100 miles to the Maze and Needles Districts of the park and each of Utah's major laccolithic mountain ranges: the Henrys, Abajos, and La Sals. Easy.

Grant Grove is only 128 acres, but it's a big deal. More than 120 sequoias here have a base diameter that exceeds 10 feet, and the General Grant Tree is the world's third-largest sequoia by volume. Nearby is the Robert E. Lee Tree, recognized as the world's 11th-largest sequoia. Also along the easy-to-walk trail are the Fallen Monarch and the Gamlin Cabin, built by 19th-century pioneers. Easy.

This memorable ramble to one of the park's most distinctive rock formations begins with a 6½-mile drive along a maintained but slightly rough dirt road across a yucca and sagebrush desert north of Chisos Mountains Basin Junction. From the parking area, a relatively flat and easy 2.2-mile round-trip trail leads to a wonderland of igneous laccolith rock spires and boulders. Near the end of the trail, you'll scramble a bit up a rocky slope to balanced rock, a giant stone wedged rather improbably across vertical rock piles, creating a "window" through which you can see across the park's southeastern reaches. Although the drive can be managed in a standard car, it's easier with a high-clearance vehicle, especially during wet conditions. Easy–Moderate.

One of the Gulf Coast's most scenic spots, this 2,220-acre park is composed primarily of untouched Florida woodlands within the Coastal Lowlands region. It also has salt marshes; rolling dunes covered with sea oats; crystal-white sand and contrasting blue-green waters; and Western Lake, a 100-acre rare dune lake that you can explore by canoe and kayak (rentals are available). Other offerings include facilities for swimming, fishing, and snorkeling; an elevated boardwalk that winds over the dunes to the beach; and walking trails around the marsh and into the piney woods. Note that the "bushes" you see are actually the tops of full-size slash pines and Southern magnolias, which have been partially buried by the shifting dunes. Thirty fully equipped cabins and a campground provide overnight options. Accessible cabins, campsites, and beach access are also available. Amenities: parking; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; sunrise; sunset; walking.

Facing the C&O Canal National Historical Park across the Potomac River on the Virginia side, this is where the steep, jagged falls of the Potomac roar into the narrow Mather Gorge, the rocky narrows that make the Potomac churn. No matter the time of year, the views of the falls and river are spectacular, and more than 150 species of birds make their home in and around the 800-acre park. Great Falls Park is a favorite for outings; here you can follow trails past the old Patowmack Canal and among the boulders and forests lining the edge of the falls. There are three overlooks in the park, two of which are accessible to people with disabilities. Camping and alcoholic beverages are not allowed, but you can fish (a Virginia or Maryland license is required), climb rocks (climbers must register first at the visitor center or lower parking lot), or—if you're an experienced boater with your own equipment—go white-water kayaking (below the falls only).

As is true all along this stretch of the river, the currents are deadly. Despite frequent signs and warnings, there are those who occasionally dare the water and drown.

Staff members conduct special tours and walks year-round.

Just minutes from Interstate 64 and White Sulphur Springs, this state forest spans an area of 5,130 acres, with 13 miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails; hunting, camping, and picnicking are also popular. There's an archery range, a horseshoe pitch, a volleyball court, and a heated outdoor swimming pool. If you want to stay the night, but prefer not to camp, you can rent a one- or two-bedroom cabin, complete with kitchen and bathroom, from April through October.

You'll never see another carousel quite like this gorgeous, hand-carved custom one that brings to life the air, sea, and land animals that are native to New England—think peregrine falcon, monarch butterfly, lobster, and gray squirrel among many others. Installed in 2013, this delightful children's ride doesn't have nearly enough mileage on it yet.

Depending on the season, the 20-minute walking tour of this working farm takes in various stages of coffee production, including a look at the 100-year-old coffee trees. The Greenwell family played a significant role in the cultivation of the first commercial coffee in the Kona area (as well as the first grocery store). No reservations are required, unless you are booking for a private party, which does have a cost. You can also book a master brewing class.

From almost 5,000 feet on Gregory Bald, you have a breathtaking view of Cades Cove and Rich Mountain to the north and Fontana Lake to the southeast. Gregory Bald is one of only two balds in the Smokies that are kept clear of tree growth by the Park Service. This is a view that just a few thousand people a year will see, as it's reachable only by a strenuous 11.2-mile round-trip hike via the Gregory Ridge Trail, with 2,700 feet of elevation gain. The trailhead is at the end of Forge Creek Road in Cades Cove. In early summer, this difficult hike through old-growth forests to Gregory Bald offers an astounding display of hybrid flame azaleas. Difficult.

One of the country’s largest municipal parks, the 4,210-acre Griffith Park is a must for nature lovers, the perfect spot for respite from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city. Plants and animals native to Southern California can be found within the park’s borders, including deer and coyotes. Bronson Canyon (where the Batcave from the 1960s Batman TV series is located) and Crystal Springs are favorite picnic spots.

The park is named after Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, a mining tycoon who donated 3,000 acres to the city in 1896. As you might expect, the park has been used as a film and television location for at least a century. Here you’ll find the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo, the Greek Theater, two golf courses, hiking and bridle trails, a swimming pool, a merry-go-round, and an outdoor train museum.

Home to grizzlies and grey wolves, this nonprofit wildlife park provides an up-close look at Yellowstone's largest and most powerful predators. In summer, you can also view birds of prey, and the river otter exhibit is a hit with kids. The comprehensive "Bears: Imagination and Reality" exhibit compares myths about bears to what science has revealed about them. This is the only facility that formally tests bear-resistant products such as coolers and canisters in cooperation with state and federal agencies.

Adjacent to the Original Farmers Market, this popular outdoor mall is known for live entertainment as well as the "dancing" water and light show. A vintage-style, double-decker trolley runs through The Grove for visitors to take in the sights and sounds.