10455 Best Sights in USA

This walk-through attraction is a three-part experience that begins underground where wide windows reveal a pool inhabited by surprisingly graceful manatees. (SeaWorld, by the way, has rescued more manatees than anyone else in the world and has rescued an estimated 20,000 birds, fish, and animals since 1964.) Part two takes you to a room where rescued sea turtles can be seen swimming past as a host discusses the life cycle of these docile creatures. This bit of background leads to the final room, a domed 360-degree 3-D theater where you are introduced to Nyah, a sea turtle who defies the odds and scurries into the ocean after being hatched. From here, you follow Nyah through a series of near disasters until she returns to the beach to lay her own eggs. Note that the predators attempting to get at Nyah and her siblings may be too intense for kids, and the volume may be cranked up to rock-concert levels. If you have a tinge of motion sickness, hang on to the support rails, because the film makes it seem as if the world's gone topsy-turvy. If you can't handle the virtual motion of the movie, skip the film and take a peek at the manatees and turtles from an outdoor observation area. If there's a long line, the fee-additional Quick Queue pass works here.

The only place to see the triple-tier Umauma Falls, this kid-friendly 200-acre park has 14 waterfalls and a classy visitor center. Options include a zip and rappel, where zip liners can zip, swim, and rappel over caves, waterfalls, and pools; the standard zip adventure; and the zip and dip, a refreshing swim in a private waterfall pool after a nine-line zip. Visitors can also choose various à la carte adventures, such as a walk through the tropical grounds, a flume trail hike, kayaking, and a giant swing.

The collection at the largest military museum west of the Mississippi includes Japanese, German, and American uniforms, German bayonets and daggers, a Japanese Namby pistol, a Gatling gun, and nearly 20,000 other items. The museum is also home of the Legion of Valor, dedicated to those who have received the nation's highest decorations for heroism and service. The staff is extremely enthusiastic.

Two levels of special tours are offered with Expedition SeaWorld (formerly the VIP Tour) ranging from $59 for children and $79 for adults. With that, you receive instant access to Manta, Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, Turtle Trek, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, and Wild Arctic plus reserved seating at the One Ocean, Blue Horizons, and Clyde and Seamore shows; a chance to feed sea lions, dolphins, and rays; and enjoy a meal at an All Day Dining Deal restaurant. Note that you'll be traveling with a group of up to 12. If you invest in the substantially more expensive Private VIP Tour (from $299 or, with park admission, from $349), it will be limited to you and your guests and included preferred parking, reserved seating at shows, and replace the buffet lunch with an upscale meal at Sharks Underwater Grill. Another plus is that the Private VIP Tour can be completely customized (i.e., if there are only adults, you can skip Happy Harbor and other kids' activities; if there are kids, then the tour will add stops just for them).

This modest little seaside town flanked by chiseled cliffs is worth a visit. Home to more Native Hawaiian families than Kailua to the north or Hawaii Kai to the south, Waimanalo's biggest draws are its beautiful beaches, offering glorious views to the windward side. Bellows Beach is great for swimming, bodysurfing, and camping, and Waimanalo Beach Park is also safe for swimming. Down the side roads, as you head mauka (toward the mountains), are little farms that grow a variety of fruits and flowers. Toward the back of the valley are small ranches with grazing horses. If you see any trucks selling corn and you're staying at a place where you can cook it, be sure to get some in Waimanalo. It may be the sweetest you'll ever eat, and the price is the lowest on Oahu.

A colorful 60-foot "rain fortress" anchors 15,000 square feet of family slides, pools, climb- and crawl-through trails, and two humongous buckets that are filling up constantly and, just as constantly, dumping their contents on frolickers far below. This is a fantastically creative play space comparable to Shamu's Happy Harbor at SeaWorld. Kids that are too big for Kata's Kookaburra Cove are at home here—they treat it as the most amazing aquatic playground they've ever experienced. The slides attached to the play structure flow slowly enough for beginners (note that kids aren't permitted to ride on grown-ups' laps on this one), and supercharged water cannons add another level of fun. Save this area for later, when you're worn out but the kids want to play.

A 3-acre water park in the neighboring city of Vista is one of the few places in the country with a flowrider, a type of standing wave that allows riders on bodyboards to turn, carve, and slash almost as though they were surfing on a real wave. If you haven't learned how to do that, you can tube down the park's own river or slip down the 35-foot waterslide. There's even a lap pool for serious swimmers.

Because water park guests can never get enough slipping and sliding, Aquatica offers this quadruple slide with an assortment of twists and turns. Depending on which tube you select, you'll enjoy a completely different experience. Like its partner slides, much of the attraction here is sliding straight into a darkened stretch; you know for sure that you're heading somewhere, but you're never exactly sure where. In the end, the answer reveals itself: you're heading down the final stretch on a long slide into the splashdown pool. Rinse and repeat. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall and able to retain an upright position unassisted; under 48 inches must wear a life vest. Try it at lunchtime or near day's end.

At this pseudo ice station, you embark on a soaring and swooping virtual helicopter ride that takes you over the Arctic and through some dangerously close calls (if you're sensitive to the very real rolls and pitches, you can opt out for a stationary virtual helicopter). Then you exit onto a long walk through interactive, educational displays which lead to above- and below-water stations where you can watch Beluga whales, polar bears, and groaning tusked walruses (some weighing as much as 3,000 pounds) hoisting themselves onto a thick shelf of ice. This is a diverse and cute collection of animals you certainly don't see everyday, which makes this sneak peak at their lifestyle vastly entertaining. Those who are pregnant or who suffer from neck, back, or heart conditions or motion sickness should opt out of the virtual-helicopter part of the attraction. For people with disabilities: You must transfer from your wheelchair to the ride vehicle. Come early, late, or during a Shamu show. You can skip the simulated helicopter ride if you just want to see the mammals.

On this hour-long program, you'll be able to interact with seals, walruses, and beluga whales. Trainers are there to take your questions—and you'll be delighted when you come face to snout with a whiskered walrus. Too cute! From $59 adults and children.

The permanent collection of this museum includes European and American paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and sculptures from the 16th century to the present. Its galleries also host changing exhibitions, lectures, recitals, and readings. The museum has a café and museum shop.

As this river meanders through most of Discovery Cove, swimmers float lazily through different environments—a sunny beach; a dense, tropical rain forest; an Amazon-like river; a tropical fishing village; an underwater cave; and the aviary. The only drawbacks? The rough bottom of the river can annoy bare feet, and the too-often repeated scenery along the way can make it a little tedious. Still, this is a great option when you'd like a respite from the heat and a unique way to get around the park. For people with disabilities: Guests with mobility issues who can maneuver themselves with limited assistance can enjoy a tour of the river. Slip in when it gets hot. All are welcome, but it appeals most to teens and adults.

At 16,000 square feet, the expansive Wo' P'in Spa at this Hilton-managed Pojoaque Tribe–owned gaming resort just north of Santa Fe is one of the largest in the state. With its huge outdoor pool and Roman baths–inspired indoor pool, swanky salon, and extensive manicure and pedicure options, Wo' P'in is more a place for pampering—in the style of a Vegas resort—than meditative serenity or spiritual enrichment. The spa can tailor any massage or treatment with a number of add-ons, ranging from reflexology sessions to deep-foot massage to sugar-scrub exfoliations. One recommended treatment is the mocha mud coffee scrub that ends with a coconut-chocolate body-butter application. This is one of the few spas in the region with Vichy shower treatments, but these are sometimes suspended when water restrictions are in effect (which is often in Santa Fe). It's $170 for an 80-minute massage.

The Central Valley's largest urban park, with 300 acres of jogging trails, picnic areas, and playgrounds, is especially pretty in spring, when plum and cherry trees, magnolias, and camellias bloom. Outdoor concerts take place in summer. The Shinzen Friendship Garden (shinzenjapanesegarden.org) has a teahouse, a koi pond, arched bridges, a waterfall, and Japanese art.

Built as a merchant's house and store in 1798, the place became a boardinghouse in the 1800s and has been restored to look like it did during its inn days—romantic yet severe, with balconies that hearken back to Old Spain and sparely appointed rooms. Docents lead you around the property; be sure to look at the fascinating St. Augustine street scenes, painted in 1854 by an itinerant artist. Amazingly, much of what you see in the paintings is extant.