118 Best Sights in USA

Dedicated to Martha Berry, founder of Berry College, the museum includes exhibits on the history of the college (located just down the street) and a tour of Berry's 1884 Greek Revival family home, Oak Hill. Berry founded the college in 1902 to help impoverished mountain children gain an education and life skills. Today, it is recognized as one of the top small liberal arts colleges in the country. Oak Hill is preserved as it was when Berry died in 1927. Be sure to stroll the picturesque gardens and outbuildings. If time permits, drive through Berry College for a look at the Gothic-style stone Ford Complex built between 1925 and 1931 and donated by Berry's friend, Henry Ford.

The massive presence of Ohio State makes it a city within the city of Columbus. The Oval, the heart of the Columbus campus, is beautifully landscaped with 115 varieties of trees and surrounded by stately buildings including Orton Hall, the Main Library, and University Hall. There are guided tours available weekdays at 10 and 2 for groups of six or more. Call to schedule ([p]614/292–3030), preferably at least a month in advance.

It's a thrill to be on campus on game day, when students are a sea of orange and black cheering on their beloved Beavers. This 400-acre campus, west of the city center, was established as a land-grant institution in 1868. OSU has more than 27,000 students, many of them studying the university's nationally recognized programs in conservation biology, agricultural sciences, nuclear engineering, forestry, fisheries and wildlife management, community health, pharmacy, and zoology.

Local artist Fatima NeJame, who started the organization in Delray Beach in 1977, achieved her dream of a larger cultural site devoted to photography by moving into a 33,000-square-foot space in the West Palm Beach City Hall complex in 2009. The bright, spacious museum hall showcases changing exhibits; the second floor has classrooms and a large photo studio—but with the digital age in mind, there is no darkroom. Check the website for upcoming classes, workshops, and lectures.

If you have the kids along, check out the fictional 7,500-square-foot workshop of Professor Phineas T. Pennypickle, PhD. This elaborately decorated children's museum is filled with secret passageways, machines, wacky contraptions, and time-travel inventions.

Take one of the two-hour tours offered daily to get the most out of your visit.

The grounds of this elite 1,100-student prep school, open to the public, resemble an Ivy League university campus. The school's library is one of the masterworks of modernist architect Louis I. Kahn. The Lamont Gallery, in the Frederick R. Mayer Art Center, mounts free contemporary art exhibitions.

Originally one of two posh hotels Henry Flagler built in the 1880s, this building—which is now part of a small liberal-arts college—is a riveting Spanish Renaissance–revival structure with towers, turrets, and stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The former Hotel Ponce de León is a National Historic Landmark, having hosted U.S. presidents Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Warren Harding. You can view the building for free or take a guided tour offered daily through Flagler's Legacy Tours (check ahead for availability).

Port Republic School No. 7, a classic one-room schoolhouse built in the 1880s, looks for all the world as if today's lesson could begin any minute. Here, you can find a restored classroom with archetypal desks, inkwells, and a school bell. Until 1932 a single teacher taught children in seven grades here.

Across the street from Hermann Park is top-ranked Rice University, where 3,000 undergraduates from all over the country (and the world) live in an Oxford-inspired Residential College System. The campus is filled with live oaks, Mediterranean-style architecture, and some extremely hefty squirrels. It's a quiet place to escape from the city, and there are many wonderful places to picnic. Rice also houses the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, named for George H. W. Bush's secretary of state. The Rice Owls play football at Rice Stadium, where in 1962 President John F. Kennedy gave his famous "Moon Speech," in which he reaffirmed his earlier call to Congress and the nation that the United States would put a man on the moon in that decade. The 3-mi-long gravel path rings the campus; it's a popular place to walk or jog; massive trees shade most of the route.

The world-famous biological research facility founded by polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk sits on 27 clifftop acres. The twin structures that modernist architect Louis I. Kahn designed in the 1960s in consultation with Dr. Salk used poured concrete and other low-maintenance materials to clever effect. The thrust of the laboratory–office complex is outward toward the Pacific Ocean, an orientation accentuated by a foot-wide "Stream of Life" that flows through the center of a travertine marble courtyard between the buildings. Architects-to-be and building buffs will enjoy the tours of the property; register online in advance. You can, however, stroll at will through the dramatic courtyard during the week—simultaneously monumental and eerie. Architectural docent-led tours lasting one hour are offered on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10 am and 11:30 am. Private docent-led group tours may be requested for weekdays between 9 am and 3 pm (reservations required 10 days in advance, see website for details).

Formerly apartments and offices for the U.S. Navy base that operated here for decades, this massive 1934 French Eclectic-style structure is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Today, the building is known as Rockefeller Hall, and its home to the Schoodic Institute, which is home base for many ranger-led programs and family-friendly activities at the park’s Schoodic District, including public programs of its own (some have fees and require overnight stays; check the institute's website for more information); it’s the largest facility of its kind at a national park. The Rockefeller Welcome Center is on the first floor.

Located in Greenwood–Ashworth Park, the Science Center hosts laser shows, planetarium activities, and a space-shuttle simulator appropriate for all ages. Past films in the IMAX theater have documented the flight of butterflies and the bond between humans and animals. Also within the 11,000-square-foot space are plenty of hands-on exhibits, storytime for children, and activities demonstrating dry ice, life in space, stargazing, and weather forecasting.

Based here and in New York, this institute was founded in 1990 by environmental health scientist Dr. Susan Shaw to study how pollution affects humans, the oceans, and the planet. Programs for all ages are offered, including guided walks along the beach, as well as an environmental speakers series throughout the summer.

This four-year coeducational college, founded in 1903, sponsors year-round cultural events and entertainment, and is the summer home of the New York State Writer's Institute.

Jewish history and culture are the focus at this museum on the campus of Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion. Exhibits explore immigration, Jewish life-cycle events, the Holocaust, and the Torah.

The nation's largest liberal arts college for women opened its doors in 1875, funded by a bequest from Sophia Smith, a local heiress. Renowned for its School of Social Work, Smith has a long list of distinguished alumnae, among them activist Gloria Steinem, chef Julia Child, and writer Margaret Mitchell. One of New England's most serene campuses, Smith is a leading center of political and cultural activity. The on-campus Lyman Plant House is worth a visit. The flourishing Botanic Garden of Smith College covers the entire 150-acre campus.

Housed in the St. Lucie County Aquarium and run by the Smithsonian Institute, whose research facility next door is where scientists study local ecosystems (once-monthly tours are organized), this facility has a 3,000-gallon coral-reef tank, originally located in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The parklike setting, where children love to play, makes it an ideal picnic destination. Admission is free on the first Tuesday of every month.

The only independent college of art in Texas, Southwest School of Art offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) as well as classes and studio programs for thousands of adults and children. The school is housed in the former Ursuline Academy, which in 1851 became the first girls' school in the city. The long halls of the once busy dormitory are now filled with photography, jewelry, fibers, paper making, painting, and the like. The very popular annual Fiesta Arts Fair is held on the grounds each year during Fiesta Week. The Gallery Shop sells handcrafted items, including silver Southwestern jewelry, hand-painted plates, and wooden Christmas ornaments. Grab a sandwich, homemade soup, a salad, or homemade dessert at the school's Copper Kitchen Café, which was once the dining room for the old Ursuline Academy and is now a favorite of staff, students, and the public. 

St. John's is the third-oldest college in the country (after Harvard and William and Mary) and adheres to a Great Books program: all students follow the same four-year, liberal-arts curriculum, which includes philosophy, mathematics, music, science, Greek, and French. Students are immersed in the classics through small classes conducted as discussions rather than lectures. Start a visit here by climbing the slope of the long, brick-paved path to the cupola of McDowell Hall.

Down King George Street toward the water is the Carroll-Barrister House, now the college admissions office. Once home to Charles Carroll (not the signer of the Declaration, but his cousin), the house was built in 1722 at Main and Conduit streets and moved onto campus in 1955. The Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Art Gallery, on the east side of Mellon Hall, presents world-class exhibits and special programs that relate to the fine arts.

About 18,000 students are enrolled at this state university, established in 1844. The quaint downtown campus, built in 1909, was modeled after the University of Virginia. The 1971 uptown campus is dominated by stark, massive arches. A large reflecting pool lies at the center of a quadrangle formed by four high-rise dorms and classrooms.

The college, which long has attracted arts students, presents the community with a host of cultural offerings on its 216-acre campus.

The school, founded in 1870 as a private coeducational institution, enrolls more than 19,000 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. Two centuries of building styles can be seen on the compact campus, which is crossed by city streets and includes a traditional collegiate quadrangle. Get campus maps online or at the Schine Student Center, at 303 University Place.

West of Brackenridge Park, this nationally recognized private institution of higher education is known for its lush campus dotted with redbrick buildings and sparkling fountains, along with sweeping views of downtown. Trinity's curriculum is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, with more than 110 majors and minors, more than 115 clubs and organizations, and 18 varsity athletic teams. If the timing is right, attend a show at the Ruth Taylor Theater (Stieran Theater) or attend the Distinguished Lecture Series at Laurie Auditorium.

Next to Loyola on St. Charles Avenue, Tulane University's three original buildings face the avenue: Tilton Hall (1902) on the right, Gibson Hall (1894) in the middle, and Dinwiddie Hall (1923) on the left. The Romanesque style, with its massive stone composition and arches, is repeated in several buildings around the quad. More modern campus buildings extend another three blocks to the north, including Newcomb Art Museum, a 3,600-square-foot exhibition facility offering contemporary and historical exhibits (free; closed Sunday). Tulane offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in liberal arts, science and engineering, architecture, business, law, social work, medicine, public health, and tropical medicine.

The Middle American Research Institute and Gallery ( 504/865–5110  mari.tulane.edu), located on the third floor of Tulane's Dinwiddie Hall, includes the world's largest documented Guatemalan textile collection and replicas of classic Mayan sculpture. Established in 1924, the institute's collection also includes rare artifacts like poison-dart arrows from Venezuela and shrunken heads from the Brazilian rain forest. On view at the gallery is "Faces of the Maya." The pre-Columbian artifacts are complemented by a collection of books on Latin American culture housed in Tulane's main library ( free  closed Sat. and Sun., appointment recommended).

The 100-acre cluster of redbrick buildings you see overlooking the Thames River makes up one of the four U.S. military academies. Visitors are welcome, and security is obviously tight, but being there when the Coast Guard training ship, the barque Eagle, is in port is a special treat. A small museum, located in Waesche Hall on the grounds, explores the Coast Guard's 230+ years of maritime service and includes some 200 ship models, as well as figureheads, paintings, uniforms, life-saving equipment, and cannon.

The 2,000-acre University of California Santa Cruz campus nestles in the forested hills above town. Its sylvan setting, ocean vistas, and redwood architecture make the university worth a visit, as does its arboretum ($10, open daily from 9 to 5), whose walking path leads through areas dedicated to the plants of California, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Free shuttles help students and visitors get around campus, and you can join a guided tour (online reservation required).

The 100-acre campus of this liberal-arts college founded in 1795 was the first in America to be designed by an architect. The grounds include Jackson's Garden, an oasis of perennials and herbs near a bubbling brook.

The free has three galleries with frequently rotating contemporary-art exhibits. The museum's permanent collection includes works by Richard Diebenkorn, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, and Robert Rauschenberg.

The University Museum, housed in a grand 1930s white stucco, red-tile-roof WPA building, shows off NMSU's role in regional archaeological research. Exhibits draw on extensive holdings of Southwestern and Mesoamerican pottery, and temporary exhibits delve into both regional and international subjects, from Diné (Navajo) weavers to African art.