10457 Best Sights in USA

This picnic area's sunsets and whale-watching are unequaled. A ½-mile trail leads from here to the beach.

The West is actually quite wild, and this combo museum-zoo proves it. Kids will love the up-close-and-personal encounters with Gila monsters, snakes, porcupines, birds of prey, and otters. Characters in costume take part in the summertime Living History series, where you can chat with stagecoach drivers, boomtown widows, pioneers, homesteaders, and sawmill operators. Peruse the 110,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibits, such as Spirit of the West and a historic family ranch, to experience how the past can truly come alive.

This museum's permanent collection includes 19th- and 20th-century American works, including many by African American artists. It also has some stellar examples of contemporary and outsider art—don't miss the works by the self-taught artist Rev. Howard Finster. The building itself is a work of art; the American Institute of Architects listed the sleek structure, designed by Richard Meier, among the 10 best works of American architecture of the 1980s. An expansion designed by Renzo Piano doubled the museum's size to 312,000 square feet with three new aluminum-paneled buildings. The roof features a system of 1,000 "light scoops" that filter light into the skyway galleries. The High often partners with other major museums, including the Louvre and New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Opened in December 2013 to rave reviews from local enthusiasts, this facility is 28,000 square feet of wall-to-wall climbing excitement: lead, top-rope, and auto-belay walls, as well as a 15-meter speed-climbing wall, plus beginner areas, boulder pits, and adjustable walls. But if none of those terms means anything to you, High Point has professional climbers who are eager to share their passion and teach you their skills. Nonclimbers are welcome to cross-train in a variety of specialty areas: yoga, weight, and aerobic rooms are each outfitted with equipment to maximize your investment of time and effort. Just be aware: owners Lisa Rands and Wills Young might make you climb over a rock to leave the building.

From Chimayó to Peñasco, the High Road is home to a number of mostly low-key but generally high-quality art galleries, many of them run out of the owners' homes. During the final two weekends in September each year, more than 30 artists show their work in the High Road Art Tour; for a studio map, or plenty of useful information on galleries open not just during the tour but year-round, visit the website.

From the Logan Pass parking lot, hike north along the Garden Wall and just below the craggy Continental Divide. Wildflowers dominate the 7.6 miles to Granite Park Chalet, a National Historic Landmark, where hikers with reservations can overnight. Return to Logan Pass along the same trail or hike down 4½ miles (a 2,500-foot descent) on the Loop Trail. Moderate.

Keep your camera handy and steering wheel steady along this entrancing 123-mile route that begins at U.S. 89 just south of Panguitch and meanders in a generally northeasterly direction through Red Canyon, the south end of Bryce Canyon National Park, and the towns of Escalante and Boulder, before climbing Boulder Mountain and winding through the Dixie National Forest to Torrey, just west of Capitol Reef National Park. The roughly 25-mile stretch from Escalante to Boulder is the most spectacular. Allow time to pull off and stop at the many scenic overlooks; almost every one will give you an eye-popping view, and interpretive signs let you know what you're looking at. Pay attention while driving, though. The road is sometimes twisting and steep—the section over Hogback Ridge, with its sheer drop-offs on both sides, will really get your heart pumping.

Open mid-May to roughly mid-October (or the first big snowfall), this two-lane paved road climbs 1,400 feet in elevation as it passes through the Kaibab National Forest. Also called the North Rim Parkway, this scenic route crosses the limestone-capped Kaibab Plateau—passing broad meadows, sun-dappled forests, and small lakes and springs—before abruptly falling away at the abyss of the Grand Canyon. Wildlife abounds in the thick ponderosa pine forests and lush mountain meadows. It's common to see deer, turkeys, and coyotes as you drive through such a remote region. Point Imperial and Cape Royal branch off this scenic drive, which runs from Jacob Lake to Bright Angel Point.

It is difficult to quantify owner and master brewer Shaun Hill's contribution to the international explosion of craft beer. Hill Farmstead has won Best Brewery in the World eight times since 2012, and it's a key player in Vermont tourism, where beer contributes as much to the state economy as skiing and hiking. Since opening in 2010, Hill's eighth-generation family farmstead off a rural mountain pass, miles from cell service, has drawn millions of local and international travelers pilgrimaging for a coveted pint and a growler to-go. A beautiful bar is surrounded by acres of woods and lawnspace, and a small pond sits at the bottom of a sloping field—a nice spot for pondering over a pint.

One of the city’s best farmers' markets, Hillcrest features 175 vendors that sell farm-fresh produce, handmade clothing, jewelry, and other types of handicrafts every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm. Browse the market and plan to stay for lunch: there are several vendors selling top-notch ready-to-eat food, from freshly made crepes and tamales to African and Indian cuisine.

The 200 vendors here—stretching a couple of blocks at the bayfront—sell a profusion of tropical flowers, locally grown produce, aromatic honey, tangy goat cheese, hot breakfast and lunch items, and fresh baked specialties at extraordinary prices. This colorful, open-air market—the largest and most popular on the island—opens for business Wednesday and Saturday from 7 am to 3 pm. A smaller version on the other days features more than 30 vendors. Free parking is available.

The centerpiece of downtown Ogden's highly successful renaissance, this broad, lively street with restaurants, bars, and shops set inside handsomely restored 19th-century buildings is a great spot for a stroll any time of day. Historical markers tell the story of the pubs, brothels, and gambling houses that thrived here a century ago, an anomaly in heavily Mormon Utah. The three-block stretch from Union Station to Washington Boulevard is especially vibrant, but the action continues a couple of blocks north to 23rd Street, where you'll find the Salomon Center (an indoor complex of gyms and fitness enterprises that includes a bowling alley, surfing and wakeboarding park, climbing wall, and indoor wind tunnel) and a big multiscreen movie theater at the corner of Kiesel Avenue. As you venture east, beyond Grant Avenue and between 24th and 26th Streets, you'll encounter the rapidly emerging Nine Rails Creative District, a hub of galleries, start-up businesses, and creative endeavors that's anchored around the multiuse Monarch Building ( 455 25th St.), with its art studios and murals.

Set in a wooded 183-acre wildlife preserve, this was the site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina. The reconstructed village showcasing the mid-18th-century community includes the original 1788 Gemeinhaus congregation house, a colonial homestead, and well-maintained medicinal gardens. God's Acre, the first colony cemetery, is a short walk away. Children love the reconstructed fort from the French and Indian War, and hiking trails head off into the hills around the settlement. Brochures for self-guided walking tours are available year-round at the visitor center, where interpreters in period attire help bring this bygone era to life.

This 107-acre outdoor museum complex and Revolutionary War historic site emphasizes the period surrounding the British occupation of 1780. Several structures dot the site, including the 1789 Craven House, the Blacksmith Shed, and the Kershaw House, a reconstruction of the circa-1770 home of Camden's founder, Joseph Kershaw, which also served as Cornwallis's headquarters; it's furnished with period pieces. Recently relocated here is the Bonds Conway House, a circa-1812 structure with impressive woodwork that was built by the first African American in Camden to buy his freedom. It now serves as the home of the Kershaw County Historical Society. The grounds also include a nature trail, fortifications, powder magazine, picnic area, and a crafts shop. Guided tours are at 10:30 and 2:30.

This peaceful and picturesque 4½-mile section of the old Historic Columbia River Highway begins just east of downtown Hood River at the Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead and Visitor Center. Known as the Twin Tunnels segment, this paved trail that's closed to vehicular traffic is great for biking, jogging, or strolling. It first twists and turns upwardly through a dense ponderosa pine forest before passing through the tunnels and descending beside jagged volcanic-rock formations and semi-arid terrain into the small town of Mosier. This portion of the trail is one of a few segments of the old highway that's been converted to paved trail—there are nearly 13 miles in all, with additional sections west of Hood River with access at Starvation Creek and Viento state parks, and well west of here in Cascade Locks, with access from the parking lot at the Bridge of the Gods.

In this vibrant year-round beach town, restored buildings house art galleries, a coffee shop, a bookstore, a charming (active) schoolhouse, and a nonprofit dedicated to the wild horses that wander the beach and surrounding maritime forest.

The road ends in Corolla—to access the beach north of here, you need a 4x4 vehicle.

With 52 buildings on 93 acres, Historic Deerfield provides a vivid glimpse into 18th- and 19th-century America. Along the tree-lined main street are 12 museum houses, built between 1720 and 1850, some with original doorways. Four are open to the public on self-guided tours, and the remainder can be seen on guided tours that begin on the hour. The Frary House displays arts and crafts from the 1900s; the attached Barnard Tavern was the main meeting place for Deerfield's villagers. Other houses depict 18th-century life, including everything from kitchens to adult cradles for those who had fallen victim to tuberculosis. Also of note is a one-room schoolhouse, an old burial ground, and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, which contains needlework, textiles, and clothing dating back to the 1600s. The visitor center is located at Hall Tavern, 80 Old Main Street. Plan to spend at least one full day at Historic Deerfield.

Take a 30-minute tour of the east, west, or beachfront area of Cape May aboard one of the MAC-sponsored red trolleys that ply town streets. Combination trolley/Physick Estate tours are offered, along with children's rides, Romantic Moonlight tours, and Stairway to the Stars, a trolley trip combined with a trek to the top of the Cape May Point Lighthouse to stargaze (remember to bring the mosquito repellent).

Music lovers will revel in the behind-the-scenes peek into Music Row’s storied past at Historic RCA Studio B. Known as Nashville’s “Home of 1,000 Hits,” visitors are permitted into the studio space where hits like Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” Roy Orbison’s “Only the Lonely,” and many more were recorded; guides provide history, commentary, and priceless stories about the likes of Elvis Presley, who recorded more than 240 songs at the studio. Tours depart daily from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and are only available as an add-on to museum admission.

The bustling center of downtown Taos, the Plaza is also filled with some of the town's most important history. The first European explorers of the Taos Valley came here with Captain Hernando de Alvarado, a member of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s expedition of 1540. Basque explorer Don Juan de Oñate later arrived in Taos in July 1598 and Spanish settlements began to be established in the 1600s. In 1796, the King of Spain gave the Don Fernando de Taos land grant to 63 Hispanic families—the most significant settlement in the area second only to Taos Pueblo. It was then developed into two plazas: one was a thriving business district for the early colony, while the second, a walled residential plaza, was constructed a few hundred yards behind it. The plaza was guarded by sentries and the only way in or out was through a large gate. At night, livestock were brought into the enclosed space for security. Some ditches from the original hand-dug acequia system that brought water from nearby rivers through town for agricultural irrigation can still be seen in the downtown area. A gruesome, but important, historic chapter took place at Taos Plaza in 1847, during the Mexican-American War. The Taos Rebellion, or Taos Revolt, was an effort by the Indo-Hispano and Taos Pueblo communities to resist the American invasion of Northern New Mexico. This resulted in the murder of newly-appointed Governor Charles Bent and other Americans and a massacre at Taos Pueblo by the U.S. Army who killed women and children as well as men. Following a jury trial at the Taos County Courthouse weighted to favor the American view, a number of local men were declared guilty and publicly executed by hanging on Taos Plaza. The scars of that event still mark the people who live here, many of them descendants of those killed. Be sure to visit the recently renovated historic old Taos County Courthouse on the north side of the Plaza, the site of these convictions. A series of dramatic murals depicting the use and misuse of the law were painted on its walls in the 1930s by Taos artists. The initiative, a project of the Works Progress Administration, was led by Emil Bisttram who studied fresco techniques under Mexican artist Diego Rivera. Luckily for modern-day visitors, today’s plaza is the home to summer fiestas, family-friendly concerts, and other community events, and houses gift shops, galleries, and restaurants.

This neighborhood, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is close to the Milwaukee River and is made up of a mix of large, often historic buildings that were formerly furniture store warehouses. Many have been restored and now house upscale shops, restaurants, and condos as the area transforms into an arts district. Old-fashioned street lamps illuminate the area, and a small park and a pedestrian mall along Broadway Street strike a verdant note. The ward is also home to the Milwaukee Public Market on Water Street and St. Paul Avenue and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (273 E. Erie St.)

This museum plunges into the history of man's thirst for undersea exploration. Amid its 13 galleries of interactive and other interesting displays are a submarine and helmet re-created from the film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Vintage U.S. Navy equipment, diving helmets from around the world, and early scuba gear explore 4,000 years of diving history. Nifty scavenger hunt printouts make this fun for little ones. 

Discover a treasure trove of colorful stories about the region's history. Exhibits celebrate the city's multicultural heritage, including an old Miami streetcar and unique items chronicling the migration of Cubans to Miami. Truth be told, the museum is not wildly popular with tourists; however, the museum's tours certainly are. You can take a wide range of walking, boat, coach, bike, gallery, and eco-history tours with varying prices, including culture walks through Little Haiti, informative and exciting Little Havana Arts and Culture Walks, and an evening of storytelling during the Moon Over Miami tour led by HistoryMiami historian Dr. Paul George, where you'll float through Downtown on the Miami River, learning all about Miami's early history circa the Tequesta tribe's days.

A 2022 and 2023 recipient of a James Beard Foundation nomination for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, this intimate vintner and farm set down a shaggy dirt lane produces lean elegant wines, from estate-grown Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris to a complex red blend of Sardinian and southern Italian grapes. Winery experiences are offered in a smartly furnished tavern room and always include the chance to feast on Hiyu's exquisite farm-to-table-style cuisine: book either the tavern tasting with six small plates, or the more substantial family-style farmer's lunch. 

Though located in the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, this nature center is an independent organization. The exhibit hall houses live baby alligators, crocodiles, a scary-looking tarantula, and more—and is a child's delight. Just off the center's entrance is a mile-long nature trail loop that snakes through three different kinds of habitats: coastal hammock, estuary beach, and sand pine scrub, which is one of Florida's most unusual and endangered plant communities and what composes much of the refuge's nearly 250 acres.

Among the center's more popular events are the annual nighttime sea turtle walks, held between May and June; reservations are accepted as early as April 1.

South of Forks, an 18-mile spur road links Highway 101 with this unique temperate rain forest, where spruce and hemlock trees soar to heights of more than 200 feet. Alders and big-leaf maples are so densely covered with mosses they look more like shaggy prehistoric animals than trees, and elk browse in shaded glens. Be prepared for precipitation: the region receives 140 inches or more each year.

From the Hoh Visitor Center, this rain-forest jaunt takes you into the Hoh Valley, wending its way for 17½ miles alongside the river, through moss-draped maple and alder trees and past open meadows where elk roam in winter. Families can choose to hike part of this long trail. Moderate.

The founders of this woodsy hilltop winery 7 miles south of Apple Hill tasted Châteauneuf-du-Pape on their honeymoon, sparking a lifetime passion for Rhône wines made in classic French style. Mourvèdre is a specialty, by itself and in blends with Grenache, Syrah, or both. Carignane, Counoise, and other Rhône reds are also made, along with whites that include the Roussanne-dominant Patriarche Blanc blend. Taste these estate wines in a space with views extending 75 miles on a clear day.

The name might be Hollywood, but there's nothing hip or chic about Hollywood North Beach Park, which sits at the north end of Hollywood before the 2½-mile pedestrian Broadwalk begins. And this is a good thing. It's an easygoing place to enjoy the sun, sand, and sea. The year-round Dog Beach of Hollywood, between Pershing and Custer Streets, allows canine companions to join the fun a few days a week. Walk along the Broadwalk for a throwback to the 1950s, with mom-and-pop stores and ice cream parlors, where couples go for long strolls and families build sandcastles. The popular stretch has spiffy features like a pristine pedestrian walkway, a concrete bike path, a crushed-shell jogging path, an 18-inch decorative wall separating the Broadwalk from the sand, and places to shower off after a dip. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; swimming; walking.

For those seeking a quintessential Los Angeles experience, a concert on a summer night at the Bowl, the city's iconic outdoor venue, is unsurpassed. The Bowl has presented world-class performers since it opened in 1920. The L.A. Philharmonic plays here from June to September; its performances and other events draw large crowds. Parking is limited near the venue, but there are additional remote parking locations serviced by shuttles and a dedicated ride-share drop-off/pickup lot. You can bring food and drink to any event, which Angelenos often do, though you can only BYOB to L.A. Phil performances and some rock and other shows. (Bars do, however, sell alcohol at all events, and there are dining options.) It's wise to bring a jacket even if daytime temperatures have been warm—the Bowl can get quite chilly at night. Visitors can sometimes watch the L.A. Phil practice for free during the season, usually on a weekday; call ahead for times.