10405 Best Sights in USA

Built in 1875, the courthouse is a striking example of Victorian Italianate style. The upper two floors contain a museum of early Merced history whose highlights include ornate restored courtrooms and an 1870 Chinese temple with carved redwood altars.

The center displays paintings, sculpture, and photography and presents plays and concerts.

A restored 1889 Victorian, "the Meux" contains furnishings typical of an upper-class household in early Fresno. The house's namesake, Thomas Richard Meux, was a Confederate army doctor during the Civil War who became a family practitioner after moving to Fresno. The Meux can be viewed on guided tours only.

This lake at the top of Friant Dam is a great place for boating, fishing, camping, and summertime swimming. The lake and its surrounding hills are wintering grounds for bald eagles, and boat tours are available to view the birds between December and February.

The site, north of the Historic District, commemorates where America's first mass was celebrated. A 208-foot-tall stainless-steel cross (purportedly the world's tallest) allegedly marks the spot where the mission's first cross was planted in 1565. Also on the property is the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, the first shrine devoted to Mary in the United States. The landscape is exquisitely maintained, and the mission is crisscrossed with paths. A museum and gift shop are also on the property.

In the center of Santa Clara University's campus is the Mission Santa Clara, the site of the first college of higher learning in California (est. 1851). Some of the roof tiles of the current building, a reproduction of the original, were salvaged from earlier structures, which dated from the 1770s and 1820s. Restored original adobe walls (1822) and a spectacular rose garden (viewable, but not open to the public) remain intact as well.

Some of the canyon's most magnificent stone spires and buttes visible from this lesser-known overlook include the Tower of Set; the Tower of Ra; and Isis, Osiris, and Horus temples. From here you can view the 5,401-foot Cheops Pyramid, a grayish rock formation behind Dana Butte, plus some of the strongest rapids on the Colorado River.

The Mohegan Tribe, known as the Wolf People, operate this casino west of Ledyard and just south of Norwich, which has more than 300,000 square feet of gaming space, including 6,000 slot machines and more than 250 gaming tables. Also part of the complex: the Kids Quest family-entertainment center, a 130,000-square-foot shopping mall, more than 40 restaurants and food-and-beverage suppliers, and a 34-story, 1,200-room luxury hotel with a full-service spa. A 10,000-seat arena, home to the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, draws major national acts, while a swanky 300-seat cabaret hosts intimate shows and comedy acts. Mohegan After Dark is a 22,000-square-foot complex with three nightclubs.

You can partake of the southern Central Valley's agricultural bounty at the farm's Big Red Barn location—owners Steve and Vickie Murray promise more free samples than Costco, and they deliver. You'll find whatever's in season, including peaches, plums, apricots, and 18 cherry varieties. There are prepared foods, too, and activities for kids (jumping pillow, petting zoo, hay rides, AstroTurf sledding hill). The Cal-Okie Kitchen sells tasty fry pies filled with eggs and other ingredients for breakfast and pulled chicken and other meats for lunch and dinner.

Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society is best known for its magazine, and entering this welcoming 13,000-square-foot exhibition space feels like stepping into its pages. The compact museum offers family-friendly, if pricey, interactive exhibitions delving into the historical, cultural and scientific research that distinguishes National Geographic Magazine. There are items from the permanent collections—cultural, historical, and scientific—as well as traveling exhibitions. It also has a new virtual-reality theater experience introduced in 2018. Nat Geo Nights—presentations by explorers with interactive activities, music, and food and drink specials—are held the third Thursday of every month. The M Street Lobby photography exhibit, as well as the outdoor photo display around the perimeter of the museum, are free.

A possible site of the first Spanish view into the canyon in 1540, this overlook is also at the highest natural elevation (7,461 feet) on the South Rim.

The most convenient picnic spot in the Needles District is a sunny location on the way to Big Spring Canyon Overlook. There are picnic tables, but no other amenities.

Guided walking and site tours depart the Newport Historical Society's information center and museum in the 1762 Brick Market on Washington Square. Designed by Peter Harrison, the building houses a gift shop and a Newport history exhibit. Tour themes include Rogues and Scoundrels, about the history of pirates, criminals, and other unsavory types; and Road to Independence, a look at Newport's role in the American Revolution.

Routes 14, 5, 58, and 100 make for a scenic drive around the Northeast Kingdom, so named for the remoteness and stalwart independence that have helped preserve its rural nature. You can extend the loop and head east on Route 105 to the city of Newport on Lake Memphremagog. Some of the most unspoiled areas in all Vermont are on the drive south from Newport on either U.S. 5 or Interstate 91 (the latter is faster, but the former is prettier).

You can sample the wares at this homey factory complex, which has tastings (try the aged Gouda) and cheese-making tours, a store, and a bakery. Outside are a picnic area and a petting zoo.

Ten miles east of Biddeford lies Ocean Park, a vacation community founded in 1881 by Free Will Baptist leaders as a summer assembly with both religious and educational purposes, following the example of Chautauqua, New York. The 1881 Temple, in an unusual octagon shape, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the community hosts an impressive variety of cultural events, from concerts to sand-sculpture contests. There's even a public shuffleboard area for vacationers not interested in the neon carnival attractions in Old Orchard Beach just up the road. Get an old-fashioned raspberry-lime rickey at the Ocean Park Soda Fountain, at Furber Park.

One of the most photographed structures in the country, this 185-year-old workhorse mill still grinds the flour and meal used for cooking at the nearby Old Mill Restaurant and the Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille. Join millions of visitors who have purchased sacks of stone-ground products to take home as a special memory from the Smokies—not only a wide variety of flours and mixes (pancake, fish batter, etc.), but also jams, jellies, honeys, specialty foods, retro candies, and nostalgic crafts. Most of all, take time to listen to the sound of the 1830s mill grinding the grain. You might even want to try recording the sound with your smartphone as a unique no-cost souvenir.

The restored Victorian storefronts that line the four historic blocks of Oakland's original downtown now contain restaurants, cafés, offices, shops, galleries, and a Friday morning farmer's market. Architectural consistency distinguishes the area from surrounding streets, giving it a distinct neighborhood feel. Old World–inspired Caffè 817 (817 Washington St.) serves poached eggs and polenta, fresh-pressed panini, and bowls of café latte in an artsy atmosphere. Stop in for a deli sandwich at Ratto's International Market (827 Washington St.), an Italian grocery that's been in business for more than a century, or head over to the renovated Swan's Market (538 9th St.), where you can choose from an array of high-caliber multicultural eateries that offer takeout. Pacific Coast Brewing Company (902 Washington St.) pours a mean microbrew, while The Trappist (460 8th St.) wins loyalty for its exhaustive selection of Belgian ales. Various pop-up boutiques and permanent shops throughout the neighborhood are reinvigorating the storefront scene.

The restored brick buildings of a former lumber-industry district now hold antiques shops, art galleries, restaurants, and saloons. At the visitor center (or online) you can access a walking-tour map. To get here from Fresno, head east on Herndon Avenue for about 10 miles to Clovis Avenue and drive south. Not much is open on Sunday.

Known as the Gonzalez-Alvarez House, Florida's oldest surviving Spanish-colonial dwelling is a National Historic Landmark. The current site dates from the early 1700s, but there's been a structure here since the early 1600s. Much of the city's history is seen in the building's modifications and additions, from the coquina blocks—which came into use to replace wood soon after the town burned in 1702—to the house's enlargement during the British occupation. The complex also includes the Manucy Museum; the Page L. Edwards Gallery and its rotating exhibits; a gift shop; and an ornamental garden.

This tiny 18th-century building of cypress and cedar served not only as a schoolhouse but also as a tearoom, a farmhouse, and a guardhouse and sentry shelter during the Seminole Wars. In 1939, members of the Class of '64 (1864, that is) dressed out the school as they remembered it, and today automated mannequins instruct you on the education of 150 years ago. Apparently teachers had more leeway then because miscreants were given "time out" in a cubby beneath the stairs. And the heavy chain wrapped around the building? It was to hold the structure down during hurricanes. Kids will like the school bell and wishing well in the charming courtyard garden.

Like the tentacles on a huge plastic octopus, a series of tunnels and tubes snake off the platform to provide multiple options for different starting points. Regardless of where you start, once you climb into an inner tube and slide into the slipstream you'll be riding and bouncing through some slick tubes, skimming past some half-pipe tunnels, and then sliding over some slippery moguls that splash you up on the side during some high-bank turns. Fast and furious. Keep an eye on the line, and hop in when it's short.

The natural forces that created the towering sand dunes along this section of the Oregon Coast are explained in interpretive exhibits. The center, which also sells maps, books, and gifts, is a good place to pick up free literature on the area.

A nonstop chorus of "aarrrps" and "yawps" coming from behind Sea Lion & Otter Stadium leads you to the 2½-acre home of California sea lions and harbor and fur seals. This naturalistic expanse of beaches, waves, and huge outcroppings of upturned rock, designed to replicate the northern Pacific coast, has a calming effect. The area is roughly circular. Stroll around the edge of the surf zone, a favorite hangout for fun-loving pinnipeds, who swim up close for a share of the smelt you've just bought ($5) or flop over on their sides and laze in the Florida sun. On the far side of the complex you can walk down into a grotto where a large Plexiglas wall allows you to see them darting and diving and playing underwater. Priceless. For people with disabilities: This attraction is completely accessible to guests using wheelchairs. Come anytime. It shouldn't be too hard to find a place away from the crowds.

When this Berkeley-born coffee chain opened at Vine and Walnut Streets in 1966, the unparalleled dark roast java was roasted in-store and brewed by the cup. Enjoy a splash while viewing a small exhibit in the back room that chronicles the company's evolution.

If a quarantine is not in effect (watch for signs), from November through April you can look for mussels amid tidal pools and rocky outcroppings at Pescadero State Beach; a fishing license is required. Any time of year is good for exploring the beach, the north side of which has several secluded spots along sandstone cliffs. Across U.S. 101, the 243-acre Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve has hiking trails and is the site of a large and active blue-heron rookery. Early spring and fall mornings are the best times to come, when there are lots of migrating birds and other wildlife to see. No pets on the beach or in the preserve. Amenities: parking (fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; sunset; walking.

About a dozen dogs, a dozen-plus cats, and an assortment of ducks, doves, parrots, and a pot-bellied pig (nearly all rescued from local animal shelters) are the stars of this lively, hilarious show. The animals perform complex stunts on a stage that looks like a seaside village. From stealing a string of sausages to driving their "girlfriends" on a date, these cute-as-a-button actors perform feats that are each more incredible than the last. Look around and you'll notice that the show is just as appealing to foreign guests; you don't have to speak English to enjoy what is essentially a live version of a silent movie. Stick around and you'll have a chance to shake paws with the stars. For people with disabilities: Special seating for guests using wheelchairs and assisted-listening devices are available. Gauge the crowds and arrive early if necessary.

With its laid-back restaurants (including Half Moon Bay Brewing Company) and waters full of fishing boats and sea lions, the harbor is a nice place to wander, and you can pick up shoreline trails at nearby Pillar Point.

Enjoy a bird's-eye view of Tonto Platform and Tonto Trail, which winds its way through the canyon for more than 70 miles. Also to the west, two dark, cone-shaped mountains—Mount Trumbull and Mount Logan—are visible on the North Rim on clear days. They rise in stark contrast to the surrounding flat-top mesas and buttes.