68 Best Sights in USA

The regal capitol building surrounded by forest is emblematic of this proudly rural state. With a gleaming dome and columns of Barre granite measuring 6 feet in diameter, the State House is home to the country's oldest legislative chambers still in their original condition. Interior paintings and exhibits depict much of Vermont's sterling Civil War record. A self-guided tour, available year-round, takes you through the governor's office and the house and senate chambers. Free guided tours run from late June through October.

Thomas Jefferson designed this grand edifice in 1785, modeling it on a Roman temple—the Maison Carrée—in Nîmes, France. After an extensive renovation, the Capitol has an accessible entrance on Bank Street. Free indoor guided tours last one hour and include the Old House and Senate chambers, the Rotunda, and two restored rooms; they may also include the legislative chambers when the legislature is not in session. Alternatively, a map for self-guided tours of the public areas of the capitol is also available for those who would like to explore on their own. 

These attractive grounds, sprawling around the buildings perched above the Capitol Lake bluffs, contain memorials, monuments, rose gardens, and Japanese cherry trees. Free 45-minute tours (weekdays 10–3, weekends 11–3) from the visitor center take you around the area. If you want to see state government in action, the legislature is in session for 30 or 60 days from the second Monday in January, depending on whether it's an even- or odd-numbered year.

The Roman Renaissance–style Wisconsin State Capitol is the only state capitol building along an isthmus. Although the fifth building to serve its function, the capitol now holds the title as Madison's tallest building (only three feet shorter than the capitol building in Washington, D.C.) and attracts throngs of architecture and design enthusiasts. Its granite dome (the world's largest) rises above downtown Madison's skyline on Capitol Square. Rooms feature Italian marble, Wisconsin-oak furniture, murals, and paintings. There are free 45-minute guided tours multiple times daily.

Construction on this Corinthian-style building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was authorized by the Ninth Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1886. The dome, covered in 24-karat gold leaf and visible from all roads leading into the city, is 50 feet in diameter at the base and 146 feet high. Inside the building, you'll find a statue of Esther Hobart Morris, a proponent of women's suffrage. One of Wyoming's nicknames is the "Equality State" because of its early advocacy of women's rights. Thanks to Wyoming's informal ways, it's not unusual to find the governor wandering the halls of the capitol. You can take a self-guided tour of state offices and the Senate and House chambers. Guided tours are also provided by appointment when time permits.

Built in 1906 on the site of the Old City Exchange, this imposing structure is now home to the city council. Its landmark tower clock and bells played a significant role in the day-to-day business of Savannah in the days before everyone owned a pocket watch. City Hall is open to the public on weekdays, and visitors can admire the dramatic four-story rotunda crowned with a stained-glass inner dome, mosaic tiles, marble wainscoting, mahogany and live-oak pediments and banisters, and stately fountain. Free tours are offered the first Tuesday of each month at noon, but reservations are a must.

Although there's not a lot to see inside, this gargantuan complex does have a one-room visitor center with a historical timeline, photo displays, and a video, all highlighting the nation's agricultural roots, current policies, and future challenges.

The enormous, sandstone courthouse seems exceptionally grand for such a small town, but it was entirely appropriate at the time it was built, between 1909 and 1912, when Montesano was a prosperous railroad boomtown. Its clock tower soars above the classical, pillared entrance. The lobby has a marble staircase flanked by murals depicting Robert Gray in 1792, discovering the harbor that bears his name, and Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens negotiating with Native Americans at Cosmopolis in 1855. The murals inaccurately depict native people wearing feather headdresses and standing in front of tepees (neither was used by the local Chehalis). Information packets for self-guided tours around town are available in the room to the right of the Commissioner's Office.