10457 Best Sights in USA

Owned by NASA but part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, this 140,000-acre refuge, which adjoins the Canaveral National Seashore, acts as a buffer around Kennedy Space Center while protecting 1,000 species of plants and 500 species of wildlife, 15 of which are considered threatened or endangered. It's an immense area dotted by brackish estuaries and marshes, coastal dunes, hardwood hammocks, and pine forests. You can borrow field guides and binoculars at the visitor center (5 miles east of U.S. 1 in Titusville on State Road 402) to track down falcons, ospreys, eagles, turkeys, doves, cuckoos, owls, and woodpeckers, as well as loggerhead turtles, alligators, wild boar, and otters. A 20-minute video about refuge wildlife and accessibility—only 10,000 acres are developed—can help orient you. This is a wild, natural area, not a zoo or theme park. Use appropriate caution, as this is home to snakes, alligators, and stinging insects.

You might take a self-guided driving tour along the 7-mile Black Point Wildlife Drive. Several roads and trails are vulnerable to hurricane damage, and may be closed if there has been a strong storm. Check the website or call ahead ( 321/861–2352) for updates on closures. If you exit the north end of the refuge, look for the Manatee Observation Deck, just north of the Haulover Canal (maps are at the visitor center). They usually show up in spring and fall. There are also fishing camps, fishing boat ramps, and six hiking trails scattered throughout the area. If you do want to fish, a free downloadable permit is required.

If you don't have time for the 2,000 arches in nearby Arches National Park, you should take the easy, ½-mile round-trip walk to the 27-foot-long Mesa Arch. After the overlooks, this is the most popular trail in the park. The arch is above a cliff that drops 800 feet to the canyon bottom. Through the arch, views of Washerwoman Arch and surrounding buttes, spires, and canyons make this a favorite photo opportunity. Easy.

Inspired by the newest Mickey and Minnie shorts, this ride begins with you inside a new cartoon about Mickey and Minnie's desire for a perfect picnic. But all does not go according to plan, and when Pluto steals their picnic basket, that's when you're off. Aboard Engineer Goofy's railway, you'll chase after the picnic basket, twisting and turning inside the cartoon. The "trackless" cars seem to move on their own, letting you dance with Daisy or get caught in a massive tornado. Don't fret, though: despite the "runaway" part of the name, this is a tame ride that any age can enjoy. For people with disabilities: Audio description and handheld captioning are available. Those in a wheelchair or ECV will need to transfer to the ride vehicle using a transfer device located on a number of the cars. Those with little kids will want to visit here first thing, otherwise wait until around dinner when lines are shorter and the outdoor line isn't as hot.

Established in the 1730s, Middleton Place was at the center of the Middleton family’s empire of rice plantations. Overall, they enslaved 3,500 people on their 63,000 acres of properties throughout South Carolina's Lowcountry. Through the remnants of its three-story brick manor home and acres of sprawling, sculpted gardens, Middleton Place still conveys its long-ago wealth. Through its history exhibits and tours, it also illustrates the bitter injustice and cruelty behind the opulence.

To get the complete picture of life on the plantation, watch Beyond the Fields, a short film that focuses on the lives of the Africans and African Americans who lived and worked at Middleton. Then take the accompanying tour, which begins at Eliza’s House, the restored 1870s former home of a sharecropper.

After Middleton's original manor home was destroyed in the Civil War, one of its wings was salvaged and transformed into the family’s post-war residence. That structure now serves as a house museum that displays English silver, furniture, original paintings, and historic documents, including an early silk copy of the Declaration of Independence. In the nearby stable yards, historic interpreters use authentic tools to demonstrate spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, and other skills from the era. Heritage-breed farm animals, such as water buffalo and cashmere goats, are raised here, as well as free-ranging peacocks and sheep. 

In the 1920s, the breathtakingly beautiful gardens were restored and today include camellias, roses, and blooms of all seasons. Lush allées, terraced lawns, marble sculptures, reflection pools, and even a pair of ornamental lakes shaped like butterfly wings make exploring a constant surprise. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the outdoors.

Running parallel to and just north of Big Cottonwood Canyon, this lush, steep-walled mountain canyon east of Millcreek and run by the Salt Lake County Parks office and the U.S. Forest Service is a wonderful destination for hiking, picnicking, camping, and mountain and road biking, and the meandering 9-mile drive up into the canyon is itself beautiful. There's also an inviting restaurant, Log Haven, located less than halfway up Mill Creek Canyon Road. Certain trails are open to bikes only on odd- or even-numbered days, and dogs are welcome but can only be off-leash on odd-number days. There are about two-dozen well-maintained trails within the Millcreek Canyon system, ranging from shorter (3 to 5 miles) scrambles to challenging 13-mile round-trip adventures, but even the relatively quicker jaunts entail elevation gains of at least 1,000 feet. Good bets if you have only two or three hours include the 4.4-mile loop to Dog Lake and the 3-mile round-trip trek from Elbow Fork to Lambs Canyon Pass—wildflower viewing on these trails is especially dramatic from mid-June through mid-September. Although accessible on foot year-round, the upper section of the canyon closes to vehicles from November through around mid-June, depending on snowfall. Note that the upper half of Mill Creek Canyon Road is expected to be closed to road bikes due to road construction from 2024 through 2026.

Star Wars fans will love being able to actually pilot the Millennium Falcon on a supply run. Hondo Ohnaka, who fans will recognize from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, has hired you to fetch "precious cargo" that will bring him big profits and help the Resistance by providing much-needed supplies. Chewie has offered use of the Millennium Falcon, but it will take a team of six to complete the mission. Groups are split into two pilots, who drive the Falcon; two gunners, who defend the Falcon; and two engineers, who rope in the cargo. The effects, first with the Audio-Animatronic Hondo Ohnaka and then walking through the ship itself, are incredible. Be sure to take a picture at the legendary Dejarik (chess) table.

Once onboard, your crew must work together to retrieve the cargo and bring the Millennium Falcon back with minimal damage. At the end of your mission, Hondo tallies up how you did, minus repairs to the Falcon and his profit, of course. Most guests want to ride again to improve their score! For people with disabilities: Guests need to transfer to a standard wheelchair and then into the ride vehicle. Those wanting to be gunners or engineers can directly transfer; pilots will need to use a transfer wheelchair but will find the ride more secure once they are in place. Note that the many ramps throughout the line can be tough on standard-wheelchair users. Visit this attraction first upon entering, and then plan to wait to ride again.

More than 7,000 pieces of spectacular Native American and Hispanic art, many of them from the private collection of the late Standard Oil heiress Millicent Rogers, are on display here. Among the pieces are baskets, blankets, rugs, kachina dolls, carvings, tinwork, paintings, rare religious artifacts, and, most significantly, jewelry (Rogers, a fashion icon in her day, had a deep appreciation for the turquoise-and-silver artistry of Native American jewelers). Other important works include the pottery and ceramics of Maria Martinez and other potters from San Ildefonso Pueblo (north of Santa Fe). Docents conduct guided tours by appointment, and the museum hosts lectures, films, workshops, and demonstrations. The two-room gift shop has exceptional jewelry, rugs, books, and pottery.

Ouray is also the northern end of the Million Dollar Highway, the awesome stretch of U.S. 550 that climbs over Red Mountain Pass (arguably the most spectacular part of the 236-mile San Juan Skyway). As it ascends steeply from Ouray, the road clings to the cliffs hanging over the Uncompahgre River. Guardrails are few, hairpin turns are many, and behemoth RVs seem to take more than their share of road. This priceless road is kept open all winter by heroic plow crews.

Located on the lakefront, this museum houses collections of paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, and decorative arts. Its permanent collection emphasizes European and American art of the 19th and 20th centuries. A soaring 2001 addition hosts major traveling exhibitions and includes a set of graceful "wings" that open during the day to let light stream into the gallery. The museum's lower-level café is a glass-walled promontory that faces the lake. Here, you can order light lunch or take a mid-afternoon coffee and dessert break. The addition also includes performance space, and the museum hosts dance, installation art, and other performances. Visit at noon to watch the building's wings flap.

The name "Mingei" comes from the Japanese words min, meaning "all people," and gei, meaning "art." Thus the museum's name describes what's found under its roof: "art of all people." The Mingei's colorful and creative exhibits of folk art feature toys, pottery, textiles, costumes, jewelry, and curios from around the globe. Traveling and permanent exhibits in the sleek, high-ceilinged museum include everything from American quilts with geometric designs to the latest in Japanese tea bowls. The gift shop carries items related to major exhibitions as well as artwork from various cultures worldwide, such as Zulu baskets, Turkish ceramics, and Mexican objects. A major renovation unveiled in late 2021 includes a large public commons space and courtyard featuring one of the park's most exciting dining options, Artifact at Mingei.

The park encompasses 21,000 acres in the Shawangunk Mountains. Much of the terrain is wooded and rocky, but you also come across trickling streams, gushing waterfalls, and spectacular valley views. Lake Minnewaska is its jewel; the park also includes Awosting Lake. A network of historic carriageways, now used by hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and cross-country skiers, and other trails crisscross the land. Swimming is restricted to designated areas; scuba divers must be certified. Nonmotorized boating is allowed with a permit. Nature programs include walks and talks. The entrance to the Peter's Kill Escarpment, where you may rock climb, is 1 mile east of the main entrance. Visiting hours are subject to change, so it's best to call the park the day of your visit.

With five stories and 145,000 square feet of space, this is a must-see for art lovers. Expect rotating special exhibits as well as permanent collections of American and contemporary work, plus craft and design. Be sure not to miss the museum's dramatic atrium, which houses a 60-foot-tall glass curtain that offers views of the surrounding cityscape.

Use your ticket stub for free entrance to the Mint Museum Randolph (good for two days). Admission is free at both Mint Museums on Wednesday 5–9 pm.

Treaties with the Soviet Union caused the removal of the nuclear missiles that formerly stood ready to launch in underground silos across western South Dakota, but one silo and disarmed missile, and its underground launch-control facility, were preserved as part of this historic site. The site consists of three spots along a 15-mile stretch of Interstate 90: a modern visitor center, which is full of exhibits about the Cold War, and the silo and launch-control facility. The visitor center and silo are free and open to the public, but there's a fee and a required reservation for the launch-control tour.

This scenic road begins in Kamas and winds its way up to the High Uinta country. The 65-mile drive follows Highway 150 through heavily wooded canyons past mountain lakes and peaks, cresting at 10,687-foot Bald Mountain Pass. Because of heavy winter snows, much of the road is closed from October to June. A three-day pass is required to use facilities in the area. You can purchase a pass at self-serve sites along the way, or at the Chevron, Kamas Food Town, or Samak Smoke House in Kamas. You can buy a guide to the byway from the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest's Kamas Ranger District office in Kamas.

It's hard to imagine how remote California's earliest mission must have once been; these days, however, it's accessible by major freeways (I–15 and I–8) and via the San Diego Trolley. The first of a chain of 21 missions stretching northward along the coast, Mission San Diego de Alcalá was established by Father Junípero Serra on Presidio Hill in 1769 and moved to this location in 1774. In 1775, it proved vulnerable to enemy attack, and Padre Luís Jayme, a young friar from Spain, was clubbed to death by the Kumeyaay Indians he had been trying to convert. He was the first of more than a dozen Christians martyred in California. The present church, reconstructed in 1931 following the outline of the 1813 church, is the fifth built on the site. It measures 150 feet long but only 35 feet wide because, without easy means of joining beams, the mission buildings were only as wide as the trees that served as their ceiling supports were tall. Father Jayme is buried in the sanctuary; a small museum named for him documents mission history and exhibits tools and artifacts from the early days; there is also a gift shop. From the peaceful, palm-bedecked gardens out back you can gaze at the 46-foot-high campanario (bell tower), the mission's most distinctive feature, with five bells. Mass is celebrated on the weekends.

San Diego's monument to sports and fitness, this 4,235-acre aquatic park has 27 miles of shoreline including 19 miles of sandy beaches. Playgrounds and picnic areas abound on the beaches and low, grassy hills. On weekday evenings, joggers, bikers, and skaters take over. In the daytime, swimmers, water-skiers, paddleboarders, anglers, and boaters—some in single-person kayaks, others in crowded powerboats—vie for space in the water.

The cement pathway lining the sand from the southern end of Mission Beach north to Pacific Beach is always bustling with activity. Cyclists ping the bells on their beach cruisers to pass walkers out for a stroll alongside the oceanfront homes. Vacationers kick back on their patios while friends play volleyball in the sand. The activity picks up alongside Belmont Park, where people stop to check out the action at the amusement park and beach bars.

The crown jewel of Riverside is the Mission Inn, a Spanish-Revival hotel whose elaborate turrets, clock tower, mission bells, and flying buttresses rise above downtown. Taking his cues from the Spanish missions in San Gabriel and Carmel, architect Arthur B. Benton designed the initial wing, which opened in 1903. Locals G. Stanley Wilson and Peter Weber are credited with the grand fourth section, the Rotunda Wing, completed in 1931.

You can climb to the top of its five-story spiral stairway, or linger in the Courtyard of the Birds, where a tinkling fountain and shady trees invite meditation. If a wedding isn't taking place, you can also peek inside the St. Francis Chapel, where celebrities such as Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and Richard and Pat Nixon tied the knot before the Mexican cedar altar. Ten U.S. presidents have patronized the Presidential Lounge, a bright, wood-panel bar.

Docents of the Mission Inn Foundation, whose museum contains displays depicting the building's illustrious history, lead guided tours. On occasion, Friends of the Mission Inn ( www.friendsofthemissioninn.com) host silent movie nights with music played by the pipe organ in the Ball Room. 

At the center of the Mission Trail and the largest mission, Mission San José is known as the Queen of Missions. It's near the historical park's visitor center and it's the best place to catch a tour, led by a Texas Ranger or volunteer, because the history of San José is critical to understanding the story of the missions and San Antonio. The mission was founded in 1720 by Father Antonio Margil de Jesus, a prominent Franciscan missionary. The current church is 80% original as the outer wall, granary, convent, and Native American quarters were restored by the WPA in the 1930s. The Rose Window, sculpted in 1775, is located on the south wall of the church sacristy and considered one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in North America. 

Start your tour at the stunning Mission San José, the "Queen of Missions." It's adjacent to the visitor's center, where a National Park Service ranger or docent illuminates the history of the missions. San José's outer wall, American Indian dwellings, granary, water mill, and workshops have been restored. Here you can pick up a driving map of the Mission Trail that connects San José with the other missions.

Founded in 1776 by Father Junípero Serra, Mission San Juan Capistrano was one of two Roman Catholic outposts between Los Angeles and San Diego. The Great Stone Church, built in 1797, is the largest structure created by the Spanish in California. After extensive retrofitting, the golden-hued interiors are open to visitors who may feel they are touring among ruins in Italy rather than the O.C. Many of the mission's adobe buildings have been restored to illustrate mission life, with exhibits of an olive millstone, tallow ovens, tanning vats, metalworking furnaces, and the padres' living quarters. The beautiful gardens are lovely to wander around. The bougainvillea-covered Serra Chapel is believed to be the oldest church still standing in California and is the only building remaining in which St. Serra actually led Mass.

The oldest Catholic church in the United States still serving the community for which it was built, San Xavier was founded in 1692 by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who established 22 missions in northern Mexico and Southern Arizona. The current structure was made out of native materials by Franciscan missionaries between 1777 and 1797, and is owned by the Tohono O'odham tribe.

The beauty of the mission, with elements of Spanish, baroque, and Moorish architectural styles, is highlighted by the stark landscape against which it is set, inspiring an early-20th-century poet to dub it the White Dove of the Desert.

Inside, there's a wealth of painted statues, carvings, and frescoes. Paul Schwartzbaum, who helped restore Michelangelo's masterwork in Rome, supervised Tohono O'odham artisans in the restoration of the mission's artwork, completed in 1997; Schwartzbaum has called the mission the Sistine Chapel of the United States.

Across the parking lot from the mission, San Xavier Plaza has a couple of crafts shops selling the handiwork of the Tohono O'odham tribe, including jewelry, pottery, friendship bowls, and woven baskets with man-in-the-maze designs.

Cliff-faced fjords, tall mountains, waterfalls, and islands with spectacular coastal scenery draw visitors to this wilderness area just east of Ketchikan. Most arrive on day trips via floatplane or aboard a catamaran. Both methods have their advantages: air travel reveals Misty Fjord's enormous scope, while trips by sea afford more intimate vistas. You can also kayak here, but it’s a long paddle from Ketchikan. For a more manageable trip, consider having a boat drop you off within the monument. Traveling on these waters can be an almost mystical experience, with the green forests reflected in the many fjords' waters. You may find yourself in the company of a whale, see a bear along the shore fishing for salmon, or even pull in your own salmon. The 15 cabins the Forest Service manages here can be booked through the federal Recreation.gov website ( www.recreation.gov).

For different sorts of underground jewels, wander into an ancient limestone cave, where stalactites and stalagmites, not gold and silver, await. Take the 235-step Spiral Tour down a staircase built in 1922 into the vast main cavern, or descend farther on the Expedition Tour caving adventure. It's best to make a reservation here.

It's fitting that the $42-million Mob Museum (a.k.a., the National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement) sits in the circa-1933 former federal courthouse and U.S. Post Office Downtown where the Kefauver Committee held one of its historic hearings on organized crime in 1950. Today the museum pays homage to Las Vegas's criminal underbelly, explaining to visitors (sometimes with way too much exhibit text) how the Mafia worked, who was involved, how the law brought down local mobsters, and what happened to gangsters once they were caught and incarcerated. Museum highlights include bricks from the wall of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 and a mock-up of the electric chair that killed a number of mobsters (as well as spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg). In 2018 the museum converted its basement into The Underground, which comprises a working distillery and an open-to-the-public \"speakeasy\" that has become a separate draw for locals in its own right.

This loftlike, five-story, Downtown building, the former headquarters of the Western Union Telegraph Company, packs a big art-wallop into just 14,000 square feet. Owned and managed by the University of North Florida, this museum has five galleries, where a permanent collection of 20th-century art shares space with traveling exhibitions, a theater, and a funky gift shop. Film series, theater performances, and workshops are conducted throughout the year, and the Art Walk, typically held on the first Wednesday evening of each month, is free to all. Guided tours are available on Saturday afternoon for an additional fee of $10.

A refined and dazzling private collection of American and international pieces by mid-20th-century modernist artists features the work of George Nakashima, Wendell Castle, and the more radical Memphis Group, as well as pieces collected by musician David Bowie. The museum shares resources and a gift shop with the 1921 restaurant across the street, so special dining and exhibition events are held throughout the year.

The period interior of this striking 1763 mansion tells the story of Portsmouth's merchant class through portraits, letters, and furnishings. The Colonial Revival garden includes a horse chestnut tree planted by General William Whipple when he returned home after signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776.