133 Best Sights in USA

Based on the movie about the gigantic-eared baby elephant who learns he can fly, the ride consists of flying pachyderms, each packing a couple of kids and a parent. A joystick controls your Dumbo's up-and-down movement. A popular feature for parents and children: the Big Top "play while you wait" indoor area chock-full of climbing equipment for kids of most ages. As you enter the colorful circus tent, a Disney "ringmaster" hands you a pager that buzzes when it's your turn to join the ride queue. Parents can supervise tots in a small circus ring of play equipment while older kids burn up energy on multilevel climbers like the Thrilling Tower of Flames. Adults enjoy the bench seating. For people with disabilities: If using a wheelchair, prepare to transfer to a ride vehicle. This is a great place to visit in the afternoon when kids may need to run around and parents may need to sit down. Let the kids enjoy the play area before riding.

This well-meaning, circa 1990, ride is looking (and even smelling) a little tired, although you might still get a kick out of the take on Steven Spielberg's E.T. Once Spielberg himself advises you that it's your mission to help E.T. return to his planet, you board a bicycle mounted on a movable platform and fly 3 million light-years from Earth, past a squadron of policemen and FBI agents, to reach E.T.'s home. Here colorful characters climb on vines, play xylophones, and swing on branches in what looks like an alien Burning Man festival. Listen very closely for the payoff: having given your name to a host at the start of the ride, E.T. is supposed to bid you a personalized good-bye.

This ride isn't suitable for guests with heart, back, neck, or motion-sickness problems. For people with disabilities: Guests with mobility issues must be in a standard-size wheelchair or transfer to a ride vehicle. Service animals aren't permitted. There's some sudden tilting and accelerating, but those for whom these movements are a concern can ride in E.T.'s orbs (spaceships) instead of on the flying bicycles.

For fans of the film franchise, the chance to join the crew on a hair-raising car chase is the appeal of this virtual reality attraction. Two preshows lead to a ride vehicle that travels down the highway in a bumper-to-bumper, side-by-side, combination race and gunfight (including helicopter gunships) complete with adrenaline-inducing rocking-and-rolling movements.

For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must be able to transfer to the ride vehicle. Waiting in line here can be fun: cars from the film are displayed in the queue area, and a game on the Universal Orlando app tests your knowledge of Fast & Furious trivia and lets you take a quiz to determine which vehicle suits your personality.

This kid-friendly coaster is a simple way to introduce your children to the pleasures of g-forces and vertigo. The queue takes you past Hagrid's hut and then on board for a "training flight" above the grounds of Hogwarts Castle. On the brief journey, there are some nice little twists and dips that'll give them a pint-sized dose of adrenaline—just enough to please parents as well as the kids themselves. That said, this ride isn't appropriate for people with heart, back, or neck problems or who are prone to motion sickness. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Lines are usually long, so consider using Express Pass for this one.

At the beach end of Bay Street twirls one of the oldest carousels in America, built by the Charles W. F. Dare Company of New York City and part of a traveling carnival that came to Watch Hill before 1883. The carved wooden horses with real horsehair manes and leather saddles are suspended from chains attached to the ceiling, creating the impression the horses are flying. Riders must be under 13. Grab the brass ring from one of the outside horses to win a free ride.

A National Historic Landmark, this is the nation's oldest continuously operating merry-go-round. Handcrafted in 1876—the horses have real horsehair and glass eyes—and brought from Coney Island in 1884, the ride gives children a taste of entertainment from an era before smartphones. Kids delight in trying to grab the brass ring for a free ride.

Families who scale Mount Mayday have to haul their raft to the peak before the adventure begins. Upon takeoff, a 6½-foot-long inflated raft plunges down the slide with impressive speed, with things getting bumpy at times along the 300-foot river. It's a pleasant ride for families—not too scary for kids, and not too dull for adults. Those who are pregnant or have heart, back, or neck problems should sit this one out.

The inner tubes are heavy, so have at least two willing carriers. Also be prepared to ride with two to four riders (five if some are smaller kids).

Let a gondolier "o sole mio" you down Vegas's rendition of Venice's Grand Canal. We love this attraction because it's done so well—the late owner Sheldon Adelson was obsessed with getting the canals just right: he had them drained and repainted three times before he was satisfied with the hue, and the colossal reproduction of St. Mark's Square at the end of the canal is authentic right down to the colors of the facades. The gondoliers who ply the waterway are professional entertainers and train for two weeks to maneuver the canals. It all makes for a rather entertaining way to while away an hour on the Strip. Outdoor gondola rides along the resort's exterior waterway are also available, weather permitting. Photo packages are available with all rides. Whether or not you ride, keep your eyes peeled for The Gondolier March at 9:45 am and 4:20 pm, as they begin or end the day in song.

In this attraction—which shines with the polish of enhanced facades, sound system, and boat-ride props—Donald teams with old pals José Carioca (the parrot) and Panchito (the Mexican charro rooster) from the 1944 Disney film The Three Caballeros. The Gran Fiesta Tour film sweeps you along for an animated jaunt as the caballeros are reunited for a grand performance in Mexico City. Donald manages to disappear for his own tour of the country, leaving José and Panchito to search for their missing comrade. For people with disabilities: The boat is accessible to guests using wheelchairs, but those using ECVs or oversize chairs must transfer to a Disney model. Equipped for handheld-captioning and audio-description devices. It's worth a visit if lines aren't long, especially if you have small children, who usually enjoy the novelty of a boat ride.

Hand-carved grizzly bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and river otters gallop through the center of town on this carousel, which operates most afternoons (except on major holidays). You can also buy locally made premium ice cream and fudge here.

In a waterfront park near the Virginia Air and Space Center is the Hampton Carousel. Its prancing steeds and bright-color chariots carry riders round and round to the tunes of carnival music. Expert artisans have meticulously restored the 1920 carousel, which was a fixture at the city's former Beach Amusement Park for 60 years, and the carousel and building are now climate-controlled and air-conditioned.

Colorful and quirky miniature Seussian trains on separate tracks embark on a slow and pleasing tour that provides an aerial view of the area, with Seusslike narration along the way. You'll roll right through the Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous and along the shores of the lagoon, where you can see the Sneetches as they enjoy the beaches. Kids love trains, and with its cartoonish design, they'll love this one even more. A treat for kids (and grown-ups, too!). For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Kids love trains, so plan to get in line (or possibly use Express Pass), especially if you have young ones.

A trip on the Hogwarts Express will enchant you—from departure at Hogsmeade Station to arrival at King’s Cross Station (on Platform 9¾ no less) in Universal Studios. Settle into the compartment, and gaze out your window at the village of Hogsmeade and towering Hogwarts Castle. As the train leaves the station on its four-minute journey, Hagrid waves good-bye, centaurs gallop beside you, and the Weasley brothers fly by on their broomsticks. Hogwarts gradually recedes, and you move briskly through the rainy British countryside and to the streets of London. When the train stops, you're just steps from the magic of Diagon Alley. Remember that to travel between one area of the land known only to wizards and the other, you need a two-park Universal ticket.

When Universal announced the Studios’ Diagon Alley would connect to IOA’s Hogsmeade via a train ride, many people assumed an open-air train ride through the park’s backstage area. But many people aren’t nearly as creative as the geniuses at Universal. To reach Hogsmeade, you walk through an exact re-creation of a London rail station, where a magical effect takes you to Platform 9¾. When the train arrives, settle into the compartment with other guests. Outside your window as you chuff away from the station, an owl follows you, music plays, and it feel as if you’re traveling through the English countryside.

Adding to the magic, silhouettes of Harry, Ron, and Hermione appear in the corridor outside your window, with their narration adding to the drama of the trio's attempt to banish Dementors (and to corral a loose box of chocolate frogs). By the time Hagrid appears, and you arrive in Hogsmeade, you really feel as if . . . you’ve arrived in Hogsmeade. You need a two-park ticket to travel between the wizarding worlds. Also, Express Pass is available here, but it might not save much time except later in the day, when lines can be especially long.

This attraction comes stamped with the postscript "Turtle and Whale," which simply means that when you reach the top you'll find two tubes (the other being the "Ika Moana" of Honu Ika Moana). It's similar to other rides where you slip into an inner tube and then ride through a slick channel, but the difference here is that you join three others in a four-person raft. Although the speed isn't as fast as single-rider attractions, the sensations are just as enjoyable as the raft sloshes and sweeps around huge walls and rounded corners, into tubes and then out again, before flopping into the final pool. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool without assistance or with help from members of their party.

The basic question here is: do you want to get scared out of your wits in four seconds flat? Three side-by-side speed slides drop 214 feet downhill at a 60-degree angle in seconds. Oh yes, and then you go through a cave. In the dark. The average speed is 30 mph, but you can really fly if you lie flat on your back, cross your ankles, wrap your arms around your chest, and arch your back. A couple caveats: the ride lasts only a few seconds—too short for us—and lines are often too long to requeue for another plunge. Also, this ride isn't appropriate for guests who are pregnant or who have heart, back, or neck problems.

Race against your friends or family.

The counterpart to the Honu four-passenger raft is a few feet away in this five-passenger raft. The ride is slow, sloshy, and easy to handle, even when the raft glides around turns and passes over geysers that erupt like whale spouts. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer to the ride raft unassisted or with help from members of their party.

The twist at this new-in-2023, laser-shootout attraction is that instead of sitting in a ride vehicle and blasting away, you're issued a colorful handheld E-Liminator X blaster that's charged up and ready to go, and you step onto a conveyor belt. You then roll through a succession of towering rooms flooded from floor to ceiling with a colorful montage of rapidly moving animated figures—including a mess of minions and a volume of villains—that are nearly all potential targets for you to blast and rack up points, which are tallied on your weapon. It's an immersive, video-game-like experience that's both mighty weird and mighty fun. That said, if you're bothered by flashing lights and loud noises, you might want to skip this. For people with disabilities: Although it's accessible to guests in stationary wheelchairs, this attraction doesn't accommodate mobility scooters or ECV vehicles. As a new attraction, there may be a line which, with the conveyor belt process, may flow smoothly. If not, use Express Pass.

Just seeing this attraction from the sidewalk is a thrill: its cars shoot out from a 150-foot catapult that propels them from 0 to 40 mph in less than two seconds. If this piques your interest, get in line, where the wait for the prized front-row seats is the longest. That said, every seat lets you experience flesh-pressing g-forces that match those of an F-16 fighter. When you're launched into the ride (and we mean launched), you're whipped into an upside-down, zero-g position more than 10 stories up before being zipped into a dive at some 60 mph. You then race along the track before spinning through seven rollovers and plunging into two deep, foggy, subterranean enclosures. Just when you think it's over—it's not. This coaster seems to keep rolling along well after you've exhausted your supply of screams and shrieks. Powerful.

The smooth track creates a smooth ride for the neon-trimmed train cars; this also makes the ride itself quieter—an aspect that seems to amplify the sound effects and screams. Pregnant women and people with neck, back, heart problems, or motion-sickness issues shouldn't ride. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Come here first (effects are best in the morning and up front). Loose articles are not permitted, so stow things in a convenient locker.

Visiting Walt Disney World and not stopping for this tribute to terminal cuteness—why, the idea is practically un-American. The attraction is essentially a boat ride through different bright-color lands, each representing a continent, complete with landmarks. First created for the 1964–65 New York World's Fair, the original ride opened in Disneyland with the same peppy theme song of international brotherhood and friendship written by the Sherman Brothers (of Mary Poppins fame). You'll float by 450 dolls created by Disney legend Mary Blair—Dutch babies in clogs, Spanish flamenco dancers, sari-wrapped Indians waving temple bells, Swiss yodelers, Japanese kite fliers, Middle East snake charmers, and young French cancan dancers, to name just a few—all singing the earworm song together. Take enchanted tots through again if the line is short. For people with disabilities: You can board with your standard wheelchair through the designated entrance; if you use a scooter, transfer to one of the attraction's standard chairs available at the ride entrance. Equipped for handheld-captioning and audio-description devices.

Figment, a fun-loving dragon, takes you on a sensory adventure designed to engage your imagination through sound, illusion, gravity, dimension, and color. After the ride you can check out Image Works, where several interactive displays allow you to further stretch your imagination. Although this ride is geared to smaller kids, there are a few bangs and a brief period of darkness. Though Disney hasn't announced anything, there is constant speculation that this attraction is going to be updated or closed during the EPCOT renovations. For people with disabilities: Ride and Image Works are wheelchair accessible. Equipped for handheld-captioning and audio-description devices.

Cruise through three continents and along four rivers: the Congo, the Nile, the Mekong, and the Amazon. The canopied launches are loaded, the safari-suited guides spin the helm, and the Irrawady Irma or Mongala Millie is off for another "perilous" journey. The guide's shtick is surprisingly funny in a wry and cornball way, provided he or she has mastered the art of enunciation. Along the way, you'll encounter Disney's famed Audio-Animatronics creatures of the African veld: bathing elephants, slinky pythons, an irritated rhinoceros, and a bunch of hyperactive hippos. Then there's Old Smiley, the crocodile, who's always waiting for a handout—or, as the guide quips, "a foot out."

The animals are early generation and crude by Disney standards—anyone who's seen the real thing at the Animal Kingdom or even a good zoo won't be impressed. Unless you're an old-school Disney fan, the Jungle Cruise isn't really worth longer than a 45-minute wait. For people with disabilities: Several boats have lifts that allow wheelchair access. The ride is equipped for assisted-listening, and sign language is provided some days.  Don't go after dark—you miss too much.

Your excursion begins as a peaceful raft cruise on a mysterious river past friendly, vegetarian dinosaurs. Naturally, something has to go awry, and a wrong turn is all that it takes to float you into the Raptor Containment Area. Drifting into a research lab, you'll see that it's been overrun by spitting dinosaurs and razor-clawed raptors—and this is when things get plenty scary: straight ahead is a towering, roaring T. rex, ready to use its sharp claws and teeth the size of hams to guard the getaway route.

Just when you think you're about to become a Cretaceous period entrée, your raft slips down a tremendously steep, 85-foot plunge that will start you screaming. Smile! This is when the souvenir photos are shot. Thanks to high-capacity rafts, the line moves fairly quickly. The ride is not, however, suitable for guests who are pregnant or who have heart, back, or neck problems. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle; assisted-listening devices are available. Come early in the morning and/or use Express Pass.

Formerly known as Pole Position, this electric miniature race car track is now part of a chain with locations all over the country. If it's no longer a uniquely Las Vegas experience, it's still likely the only location next door to a casino (The Palms). And the appeal of souped-up carts that reach up to 45 mph is undeniable on a hot summer day. You and up to 12 competitors zip around the ¼-mile indoor track full of twists and turns. Computers track your overall performance from race to race, and over multiple visits. You'll get a score sheet giving a detailed score breakdown to compare with your friends. There's a pizza lounge with beer and wine for spectators.

A sign stating that this is a "freefall slide that starts when a trap door is removed" could be a warning to some, an invitation to others. If you're among the latter, then step into the volcano that's the centerpiece of the park, and begin your ascent. Scaling what seems like endless stairwells, you'll be sprinkled with water dripping from intertwined blue and green tubes twisting overhead. These are Kala and Tai Nui, which are soon to be your ride home. As you climb higher and higher, occasionally you'll catch a wonderful aerial view of the park (as well as neighboring I–4), a vista that reveals just how far you've come—and just how far you'll fall.

When you enter your tube, cross your arms, cross your feet, and then just wait for gravity to do its stuff. When the door drops, so do you, shooting down the slick, splashing tube as it sends you into high, banking corners and spinning around for nearly 25 seconds in a thrilling race (with the person in the opposite tube) to a splashdown finish. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool unassisted or with help from members of their party. This ride accepts only the Express PLUS Pass.

Asia's thrilling water adventure ride mixes the fun of a rafting experience with a solemn message to save pristine lands and animal habitats that are threatened by development. Aboard a round raft that seats 12, you run the Chakranadi River. After passing through a huge bamboo tunnel filled with jasmine-scented mist, your raft climbs 40 feet upriver, lurches and spins through sharp twists and turns, and then approaches an immense waterfall, which curtains a giant carved tiger face. After traveling amid rain forests and temple ruins, you find yourself face-to-face with the denuded slope of a logged-out woodland burning out of control. There are many more thrills, but why spill the beans?

You will get wet—possibly even soaked. Unless you want to wring out your clothing in the nearest restroom afterward, bring a poncho. Better yet, bring a change of clothing in a plastic bag. Nearby lockers can keep bags dry while you ride. If you are pregnant or have heart, back, neck, or motion-sickness problems, sit this one out. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride raft. No service animals. The line moves fast and is rarely one of the longest. To avoid soggy sneakers, bring a pair of flip-flops—you have to wear shoes while on board, though.

This ride is inspired by the intergalactic creatures that make an occasional appearance in Springfield. About a dozen flying saucers encircle a towering statue of Kang (or Kodos), the one-eyed, fang-toothed, octopus-tentacled alien. Once you've climbed into your saucer, the spinning ride takes flight and whirls you and your copilot around Kang (or Kodos). Kids who love the opportunity to take the controls raise and lower the craft in hopes of avoiding the jets of water shot from surrounding poles. It's a pleasing, fun, low-thrill ride.

If you need to chill out after the high-velocity Humunga Kowabunga, venture up to Keelhaul Falls, a laid-back trip down the left side of Mount Mayday. Just kick back and relax as your blue tube cruises down the 400-foot slide and into a pool. Although its winding path and scenic descent can be satisfying, thrill seekers might be disappointed. Nevertheless, this ride isn't appropriate for guests who are pregnant or who have heart, back, or neck problems.

Ride before or after Mayday Falls.

The towering, steaming volcano commands attention from every part of the park. But even that doesn't compare to the experience waiting inside the volcano. The ride is based on the concept that a body remains at rest until acted upon by another force. You step onto a seemingly solid floor that supports your body weight; the "other force" is gravity, when the door disappears. That's when the reaction is your body falling through the void and into a 70-degree, 12-story drop—a dizzying descent that rockets you right into the splashdown pool. Rinse and repeat. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool unassisted or with help from members of their party. This ride accepts only the Express PLUS Pass.

A sign that reads "Greater than any man-made thrill" greets you at this attraction. But is it really greater? You'll find out after you slip into a four-person canoe that speeds down a toboggan-style run, whips around corners, shoots you through dark tubes, and then drops you down steep falls again and again and over and over until you're alternately screaming and laughing. A quick 60 seconds later, you plunge toward the finish through a shimmering waterfall. So, yeah, it's pretty great. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer to the ride's canoe.