189 Best Sights in USA

Designed in 1929 by Daniel and Hubert Burnham, sons of the renowned architect Daniel Burnham, this is arguably the jazziest skyscraper in town. A deep-green terra-cotta tower rising from a black-granite base, its upper reaches are embellished with gold leaf. The original public spaces are a luxurious composition in marble and bronze. The story goes that the brothers Burnham got their inspiration from a gold-foiled bottle of champagne. The building is now home to the swanky Pendry Chicago hotel.

A signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, lawyer, legislator, and Tejano civil rights advocate José Antonio Navarro built these three limestone, brick, and adobe buildings in the 1850s for his residence and law office. He had sold his ranch near Seguin and moved to San Antonio to be active on the city council. Open to visitors, the half-acre site in Old San Antonio's Laredito area is now a National Historic Landmark and features period furniture and copies of Navarro's writings—he wrote about the history of Texas from a Tejano's perspective and in the Spanish language. Navarro served in Texas legislatures under Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas. Casa Navarro is San Antonio's only historic site focused on the Mexican history and heritage of Texas from the viewpoint of a native Texan with Mexican ancestry.

Near Indian Hot Springs Resort is a 600-foot waterfall, Bridal Veil Falls. The imposing Charlie Tayler Waterwheel—the largest in the state—was constructed in the 1890s by a miner who attributed his strong constitution to the fact that he never shaved, took baths, or kissed women.

This building's graceful swoop—a novelty when it went up—continues to offer an eye-pleasing respite from all the surrounding right angles, and its spacious, sunken bi-level plaza, with Marc Chagall's mosaic The Four Seasons, is one of the most enjoyable public spaces in the neighborhood. Designed by Perkins & Will and C.F. Murphy Associates in 1969, Chase Tower has been home to a succession of financial institutions. Name changes aside, it remains one of the more distinctive buildings around, not to mention one of the highest in the heart of the Loop.

The Gothic-inspired headquarters of the First United Methodist Church of Chicago, built in 1923 by Holabird & Roche, comes complete with a first-floor sanctuary, 21 floors of office space, a sky-high chapel (free tours are available), and an eight-story spire, which is best viewed from the bridge across the Chicago River at Dearborn Street. Outside, along the building's east wall at ground level, stained-glass windows relate the history of Methodism in Chicago. Joan Miró's sculpture Chicago (1981) is in the small plaza just east of the church.

Although similar to Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle, at 189 feet this iconic structure is more than 100 feet taller, and, with its elongated towers and lacy fretwork, it's more graceful. Don't miss the elaborate mosaics on the walls of the archway as you rush toward Fantasyland from the Hub. The five panels, measuring some 15 feet high and 10 feet wide, were created from a million bits of multicolored Italian glass, silver, and 14-karat gold by mosaicist Hanns-Joachim Scharff. The mosaics tell the story of the little cinder girl as she goes from pumpkin to prince to happily ever after.

The fantasy castle has absolutely real foundations, made of solid steel beams, fiberglass, and 500 gallons of paint. Instead of dungeons, there are service tunnels for the Magic Kingdom's less-than-magical quotidian operations, such as Makeup and Costuming. These are the same tunnels that honeycomb beneath much of the park.

Within the castle's archway is the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, where the "royal treatment" transforms little girls age 3 and older into princesses or divas. Hair and makeup are by a Fairy Godmother's Apprentice. The valiant Knight Package offers a heroic makeover that includes hairstyle, sword, and shield. If you have reservations to dine at Cinderella's Royal Table, you enter the castle by way of an ascending spiral staircase. You are attended by costumed waiters and joined by Cinderella and other princesses in one of Disney's most popular character-dining experiences. For people with disabilities: For those with limited mobility, elevator access to the dining experience is provided. Call or book online 180 days ahead, if possible, to reserve the character breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Built a century ago and still in operation, the Copper Queen Hotel has hosted some famous people over the years; General John "Black Jack" Pershing, John Wayne, Theodore Roosevelt, and mining executives from all over the world made this their home away from home. Though the restaurant fare is basic, the outdoor bar area is a great spot for enjoying a margarita and people-watching. The hotel also allegedly hosts three resident ghosts; the journal at the front desk contains descriptions of guests' encounters.

At the end of a gravel spur road, an easy ¾-mile trail runs through sagebrush around Pierce Cunningham's low-slung 1888 log-cabin homestead. Although you can look inside, the building has no furnishings or displays. Watch for badgers, coyotes, and Uinta ground squirrels in the area.

Graduates of this tuition-free school for outstanding students include Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Ned Rorem, and Anna Moffo. The school occupies four former private homes and Lenfest Hall for student housing and practice rooms; the main building is in the mansion that belonged to banker George W. Childs Drexel. Built in 1893 by the distinguished Boston firm of Peabody and Stearns, it's notable for Romanesque and Renaissance architectural details. Free student and faculty concerts are given from October through May, usually on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings.

Built in 1840 for merchant and developer Don Alonzo Cushman, this string of redbrick beauties between 9th and 10th Avenues represents some of the country's best examples of Greek Revival row houses. Original details include small wreath-encircled attic windows, deeply recessed doorways with brownstone frames, and striking iron balustrades and fences. Note the pineapples, a traditional symbol of welcome, on top of the black iron newels in front of No. 416.

The landmark lobby of this Art Deco tower contains an illuminated 12-foot vintage globe that revolves beneath a black-glass dome. Around it, spreading across the floor like a giant compass and literally positioning New York at the center of the world, bronze lines indicate mileage to various international destinations. Movie fans might recognize the building as the offices of the fictional newspaper The Daily Planet in the original Superman movie. Photos from the film's shooting are shown, along with a large clock displaying time zones around the world. On the wall behind the globe, you can check out meteorological gauges, which read New York City's weather—especially fun on a windy day when the meters are whipping about. The Daily News hasn't called this building home since 1995; only the lobby is open to the public (but that's enough). The globe was last updated in 1967, so part of the fun here is seeing how our maps have changed; note Manchuria and East and West Germany.

The Darwin D. Martin House, part of the Darwin D. Martin House Complex in Buffalo's Parkside East Historic District, is considered one of the finest examples of a Wright prairie-style structure. The estate was commissioned in 1902 by Darwin Martin, a wealthy Buffalo businessman who would become one of Wright's most loyal patrons. The first Wright house on the property was the George Barton House (at 118 Summit Avenue), built in 1903 for Martin's sister and brother-in-law. The final touches were applied to Martin's own house in 1907. The estate also includes the Gardener's Cottage (285 Woodward Avenue). At this writing, the complex is undergoing a multiyear restoration. Restored in the first phases of the work were the pergola, conservatory, and carriage house. The final phase is a restoration of the house interiors, which will likely continue through 2010. The site remains open for tours during restoration.

Built in 1812 for $40,000, this green-dome structure has been used for teaching medicine for nearly two centuries. Part of the downtown campus of the University of Maryland at Baltimore, Davidge Hall is a relic of the days when dissection was illegal; the acoustically perfect anatomy theater was lighted by skylights instead of windows so that passersby would not witness students working on cadavers. Register for tours via the website.

Part of Printers Row, this is Chicago's oldest-standing passenger train station, designed in the Romanesque Revival style in 1885 by New York architect Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz. Now filled with offices and stores, it has a wonderful 12-story clock tower and a red-sandstone and redbrick facade ornamented with terra-cotta. Striking features inside are the marble floor, wraparound brass walkway, and arching wood-frame doorways.

Instrumental in the revitalization of Delray Beach circa 1995, this cluster of galleries and event spaces was established in restored school buildings dating from 1913 and 1925. The Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture offers ever-changing exhibits on fine arts, crafts, and pop culture, plus a hands-on children's gallery. From November to April, the 323-seat Crest Theatre showcases national-touring Broadway musicals, cabaret concerts, dance performances, and lectures.

The original Dock Street, built in 1736, was the first theater building in America. The current structure, reopened in 1935, incorporates the remains of the old Planter's Hotel (circa 1809). Green velvet curtains and wonderful woodwork give it a New Orleans French Quarter feel. The Charleston Stage company performs full seasons of family-friendly fare, and Spoleto Festival USA uses the stage for productions in May and June.

Officially named, but rarely referred to as, the Natural Capital Center, this striking building has a handful of organic and environment-friendly businesses and other retail outlets, including Hot Lips Pizza, Laughing Planet Café, and a wonderful little Latinx-owned coffeehouse, Perlita. Built in 1895 and purchased by Ecotrust in 1998, the former warehouse has been adapted to serve as a landmark in "green" building practices. Guided tours are available by appointment and showcase the original "remnant wall" on the west side of the parking lot as well as the "eco-roof," a grassy rooftop, with its great view of the Pearl District.

Thirty years ago, engineers in Paris discovered hairline fractures in the Eiffel Tower supports. To lighten the load, they removed the restaurant on the second platform. New Orleans auto dealer McDonald Stephens bought that restaurant, which was disassembled into 11,062 pieces for shipping. Stephens hired New Orleans architect Steven Bingler to build a "jewel box" out of the pieces for his four beloved daughters. Bingler's vision, assembled on St. Charles Avenue in 1986, incorporated scattered pieces from the original restaurant into a structure meant to resemble the Eiffel Tower. The building has gone through many incarnations; today it is a private work and event space.

The 1928 El Morro Theatre is a shining example of a unique regional building style, Pueblo Deco. El Morro tends to be open sporadically for events and the occasional film fest; on Saturdays it offers a kids matinee—call to find out what's on the schedule. Walk one block south of Route 66 to have a look (while the interior has been refurbished, only the exterior reflects its period glory).

Designed by Frederick Graff to look like a country estate, this National Historic Landmark completed in 1815 was the country's first steam-pumping station of its kind, and the assemblage of Greek Revival buildings is one of the city's most beautiful sights. The waterworks, down the hill behind the Philadelphia Art Museum, include a small interpretive center with historical features such as an 1851 turbine and family-friendly exhibits about the region's water and wildlife. A short film on the site's history, a mussel hatchery (seasonal progagation Mar.–Aug.), and changing exhibits are other attractions. Nearby paths provide good views of the waterworks.

Located 10 miles north of Sautatuck, the Felt Mansion is a peek into how the wealthy lived along the Midwest's Riviera in the 1920s and '30s. The 12,000-square-foot home was built between 1925 and 1928 on Shore Acres Farm as the Felt family's summer home. It remained in the family until 1949. After that, the home became a seminary for young men and was later used by the State of Michigan for office space. Massive restoration efforts have returned the Georgian mansion and elaborate gardens to their full glory, as they were during the late 1920s. In addition to self-guided tours, guided tours are available upon request.

This creaky building was constructed in 1895 to house the showrooms of the Studebaker Company, then makers of carriages. Once counting architect Frank Lloyd Wright among its tenants, the building today provides space for more than 200 musicians, visual artists, and designers. Take a look at the handsome exterior; then step inside the marble-and-woodwork lobby, noting the motto engraved in marble as you enter: "All passes—art alone endures." The building has an interior courtyard, across which strains of piano music and sopranos' voices compete with tenors' as they run through exercises. Visitors can get a peek at the studios and hear live music during "Open Studios" events, held on the second Friday of each month between 5 and 9 pm.

The University of Penn campus is worth a stroll around, and here the public is welcome inside (admittance is 9–6 weekdays for non-Penn visitors). One of the finest works of Frank Furness, this was the most iconoclastic library building in America when it opened in 1891. The acclaimed Philadelphia architect adorned the enormous reading room with Romanesque archways and skylights, and separated the soaring stairwell from study areas and stacks to minimize distractions. The unusual aesthetic extends to the exterior, with its terra-cotta panels, short heavy columns, and gargoyles on the north end. The mottoes inscribed on many of the original leaded-glass windows were chosen by Horace Howard Furness, Frank's older brother and a Shakespeare scholar on Penn’s faculty. Energetic visitors can make the long climb up the main staircase to see the upper half of the tower.

Along with the Northwest Tower across the street, this distinctive three-story, terra-cotta structure, situated on a busy six-cornered intersection, is a visual symbol of Wicker Park. Its creaky upper floors have long served as a sort of informal arts colony, providing studio and gallery space for a number of visual artists.

Towering over the 20th Century Fox studio lot in Century City is Fox Plaza, a 34-story skyscraper where former president Ronald Reagan once had an office. Savvy screen watchers will undoubtedly know it by its more famous name---Nakatomi Plaza. Starring in the blockbusting juggernaut Die Hard, the building is shot at, blown apart, and set on fire as Bruce Willis takes down a German terrorist cell. It can be fun to see if you're a fan of the movie, but be aware this is just an office building, so there’s not a whole lot to do but look at it.

Built in 1888 as the home of the Franklin Company, one of the largest printers at the time, this building has intricate decoration. The tile work on the facade leads up to The First Impression—a medieval scene illustrating the first application of the printer's craft. Above the entryway is a motto: "The excellence of every art must consist in the complete accomplishment of its purpose." The building was turned into condos in 1989.

Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this replica of a modest 1872 pioneer cabin is only borderline historical. The structure, which was moved and rebuilt several times over the years, once served as U.S. Cavalry storage space and, in the early 20th century, a ranger station. It's along the Grant Grove Trail.

Because Alexandria, like Washington, D.C., has no really tall buildings, the spire of this memorial dominates the surroundings and is visible for miles. The structure overlooks King and Duke Streets, Alexandria's major east–west arteries, and reaching it requires a respectable uphill climb from the King Street Metrorail and bus stations. From the ninth-floor observation deck (reached by elevator), you get a spectacular view of Alexandria and Washington, but access above the first two floors is by guided tour only. The memorial contains furnishings from the first Masonic lodge in Alexandria. George Washington became a Mason in 1752 in Fredericksburg and then became Charter Master of the Alexandria lodge when it was chartered in 1788, remaining active in Masonic affairs during his tenure as president, from 1789 to 1797. Guided tours are included with admission, but you need to make a reservation.

In a log cabin about the size of an ice-cream stand, the man who would become America's first president mapped out strategies during the French and Indian War (1754–63). George Washington's Headquarters, the only remaining structure from Fort Cumberland, was used by the patriot when he was an aide to General Braddock. The 250-year-old cabin contains a simple bed, desk, and fireplace, which can be viewed from outside through large windows. A walking tour that continues along the canal begins here.