311 Best Sights in USA

In the center of downtown Hollywood, this 10-acre urban park has promenades and green spaces, public art, a huge playground for kids, a state-of-the-art amphitheater, and spaces for educational workshops like weekly glassblowing and jewelry making. There are food trucks and movie nights as well.

Depending on when you visit this lush green park, you’ll have a totally different experience. If you manage to make it here for a concert or festival (whether it's SXSW or the annual Austin Reggae Festival), the park transforms into a venue with one of the finest views of the downtown skyline as a backdrop. On any random day of the week, however, you’ll find that the wide-open, lakeside green space is the perfect place to stretch out and read a book, catch a pickup game of Frisbee, or snap a photo of the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial statue along the hike-and-bike trail.

The panoramic view of Hollywood alone is worth a trip to this hilltop cultural center. On the grounds you’ll find the 1921 Hollyhock House, a masterpiece of modern design by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was commissioned by philanthropist Aline Barnsdall to be the centerpiece of an arts community. While Barnsdall's project didn't turn out the way she planned, the park now hosts the L.A. Municipal Art Gallery, which provides exhibition space for visual and performance artists.

Wright dubbed this style "California Romanza" (romanza is a musical term meaning "to make one's own form"). Stylized depictions of Barnsdall's favorite flower, the hollyhock, appear throughout the house in its cement columns, roof line, and furnishings. The leaded-glass windows are expertly placed to make the most of both the surrounding gardens and the city views. On summer weekends, there are wildly popular wine tastings and outdoor movie screenings. Self-guided tours are available Thursday through Sunday from 11 to 4.

Walk in the footsteps of William Penn, who first set foot on American soil here—a historic marker records the event—and take a peaceful stroll with wide views of the Delaware River and Delaware Memorial Bridge from the trails and boardwalk. You can picnic on the vast lawn and watch the barges go by while the kids enjoy the playground. One park walkway leads into the town's historic center, making the park easy to access while touring.

Water conditions range from tranquil to harrowing at this park straddling the southern tip of Conanicut Island. In rough weather, waves crash dramatically (and dangerously) on the rocky point. On a clear, calm day, however, the park's craggy shoreline invites sunning, hiking, and climbing. There are portable restrooms open daily, year-round. On about a dozen dates (July–October), the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association (beavertaillight.org) opens the Beavertail Lighthouse, the nation's third-oldest lighthouse (established 1749), letting you climb the 1856 tower's 49 steps (and then a 7-foot ladder) to enjoy the magnificent panorama from the observation catwalk. A museum occupies the lighthouse keeper's former quarters; the lighthouse's last "beehive" Fresnel lens is on display. The old fog signal building has a saltwater aquarium with local species of fish. Both are open seasonally.

Belle Isle, 3 mi southeast of the city center on a 1,000-acre island in the Detroit River, is reached by way of East Jefferson Avenue and East Grand Boulevard. Here you'll find woods, walking trails, sports facilities, a 9-hole golf course, and a ½-mi-long beach. Like many other urban parks, Belle Isle is best visited during the day.

The only public access in Bellingham to rippling, 14-mile-long Lake Whatcom is at its north end, in this park about a 10-minute drive east of downtown. Locals swim in the sheltered, if rather brisk, waters of a cove. Keep an eye out for beavers, river otters, ducks, great blue herons, and yellow pond lilies at Scudder Pond, which is another 100 feet west (reached by trail from the parking area at Northshore and Alabama).

The Boston Common Frog Pond is a hot spot, no matter the season. In winter (November to March), city dwellers and visitors alike can skate around the man-made pool (skate rentals available), which vibes an atmosphere reminiscent of a Currier & Ives painting. In warm weather, the Frog Pond transforms into a shallow spray pool, free to all. Nearby, a carousel opens for most of the year, and a large playground is open year-round.

With a long pier, a boardwalk over an old rail trestle, and a paved trail that skirts the waterfront overlooking the islands of Bellingham Bay, this leafy community park between downtown and Fairhaven is one of the loveliest spots in the area to stroll, jog, read a book, or watch the sailboats. At the center of the park is a branch of the popular local café Woods, which offers sweeping water views. Other amenities include a playground, a small beach, barbecue grills, and picnic tables.

The small plaza that is Bowling Green, at the foot of Broadway, became New York's first public park in 1733. Legend has it that before that, this was the site upon which Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indigenous Lenape people, in 1626, supposedly for what amounted to 24 U.S. dollars. On July 9, 1776, a few hours after citizens learned about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, rioters toppled a statue of British king George III that had occupied the spot for 11 years; much of the statue's lead was melted down into bullets. In 1783, when the occupying British forces fled the city, they defiantly hoisted a Union Jack on a greased, uncleated flagpole so it couldn't be lowered; but patriot John Van Arsdale drove his own cleats into the pole to replace it with the Stars and Stripes. The copper-top subway entrance across State Street is the original one, built in 1904–05. Many know Bowling Green as the home of Arturo Di Modica's 7,000-pound, bronze Charging Bull statue (1989); look for it on the northern tip of the park.

This 15-acre swatch of towering evergreen trees is bisected by the roaring Deschutes River and set around the late Victorian buildings that once housed Olympia Brewery. At the south end of the park, you can visit a small salmon fish hatchery and then follow wooded paths and cross foot bridges as your make your way north alongside the rushing cascades. The path leads to Tumwater Historical Park and then under Interstate 5 to downtown Olympia's Capitol Park. Owned by the nonprofit Olympia Tumwater Foundation, this stretch of greenery offers an interesting mix of historical industrial architecture and nature, including local birdlife.

Tucked behind an apartment complex, the Browns Creek Greenway is a 0.65-mile trail in Battlemont Park. Occupying a space that was cleared of houses after the 2010 Nashville Flood, the repurposed area features a dog-friendly paved loop that is shaded by mature trees. The Battle of Nashville Monument stands nearby in Battlemont Park to commemorate soldiers from both sides of the Civil War who fought in an important battle in this portion of the city in 1864.

The reward for the steep climb to get here is this eucalyptus-filled space with great city views. Dog walkers and homeless folks make good use of the park, and the playground at the top is popular with kids and adults alike. Be sure to scan the stone rain gutters lining many of the walkways for inscribed names and dates; these are the remains of gravestones left unclaimed when the city closed the Laurel Hill cemetery around 1940. A pit stop includes a portable toilet and disposal for used needles and condoms; definitely avoid the park after dark, when these items are left behind.

Fanning out from the State Capitol building, this city park is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. Conceived by Rev. Horace Bushnell in the early 1850s, the park was designed by Swiss-born landscape architect and botanist Jacob Weidenmann. Some 1,100 trees and shrubs (157 different varieties) were planted, creating an urban arboretum. Kids love the Bushnell Park Carousel (open weekends, June–August), with its 48 intricately hand-carved horses and booming Wurlitzer band organ, built in 1914 by the Artistic Carousel Company of Brooklyn, New York, and installed in the park in 1974. A welcome oasis of green in a busy city, the park has a pond and about 750 trees, including a first-generation offspring of the state's historic Charter Oak (the state tree) and four enormous state champion trees.

Downtown's favorite green space, the park has a walking path along the Clark Fork River and a summer pavilion that hosts live musical performances and other events. The annual calendar includes several brewfests, the River City Roots Festival (last weekend in August or first weekend in September), and GermanFest (early October). In the summer, Downtown ToNight is a Thursday evening event that also features food, music, and what the Chamber of Commerce likes to call a "beverage garden." On Wednesday, Out to Lunch brings a band, food trucks, and vendors, and activities for the kids to help get everyone over Hump Day.

Named for a German immigrant who was a prominent statesman and newspaper editor in the 19th century, this 14.9-acre park is so tranquil that you'd never guess you're directly above the FDR Drive. Walk along the esplanade and soak up views of the East River and Roosevelt Island across the way. To the north is Randalls (which is conjoined with Wards Island on the east side) and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge)—while the sights of locals pushing strollers, riding bikes, or walking their dogs surround visitors. Within the park is a Federal-style, wood-frame house that belies the grandeur of its name: Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the city's mayor. It was built in the 18th century.

Home to the Parthenon, this 132-acre park has a 1-mile walking trail, Lake Watauga, the Centennial Art Center, Musicians Corner, sunken gardens, and a bandshell. It's home to the bench that was famously dedicated to Taylor Swift by the city of Nashville in 2023 to honor the park's mention in Swift's song “Invisible String.” It's also a great place to explore an outdoor festival or hear live music.

The Dairy (midpark at 65th Street) is one of five visitor centers in the park. The others include Belvedere Castle (midpark at 79th Street), the Chess & Checkers House (midpark at 64th Street), the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (at the top northeast corner of the park at 110th Street, on the shore of Harlem Meer), and the Columbus Circle Information Kiosk (southwest corner of the park at West 59th Street). All have directions, park maps, event calendars, and volunteers who can give you guidance. The Conservancy also offers themed guided tours, such as views, gardens, and statues and monuments.

Runners, bikers, and in-line skaters crowd the Charles River Reservation at the Esplanade along Storrow Drive, the Memorial Drive Embankment in Cambridge, or any of the smaller and less-busy parks farther upriver. Here you can cheer a crew race (perhaps the famous Head of the Charles), rent a canoe or kayak, learn to sail, or simply sit and share the grassy shore with packs of hard-jogging university athletes, in-line skaters, parents with strollers, dreamy couples, and intense academics.

Crisscrossed by 70 miles of trails, this rec area contains different parcels of land that lie in 15 separate units spread along the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Much of it has been protected from development.

Hands-on interactive exhibits at this top-notch museum will keep kids—from infants to 10-year-old children—occupied for hours. They can climb aboard a Lowcountry pirate ship, drive an antique fire truck, race golf balls down a roller coaster, and create masterpieces in the art center.

You might have to share a bench in this tiny park with George Segal's life-size sculptures of a lesbian couple: titled Gay Liberation, the white-painted bronzes were cast in 1980 but not installed until 1992. Standing next to them is a gay male couple, captured mid-chat.

A small urban block originally earmarked for yet another Downtown skyscraper has been repurposed into a delightful little pocket park that offers organized arts, music, and fitness programs for children and adults throughout the week.

The fine City Park has fishing lakes, playgrounds, a carousel, a mini train ride, tennis courts, and a swimming pool.

Established in the mid-19th century, this lush green space is the centerpiece of the lower Garden District. With cycling and walking trails as well as a beautiful fountain, the wedge-shape park is a great spot to stop and relax after a walk through the neighborhood. Although the area bordered by Race and Melpomene streets can be bustling with activity during the day, it's best not to wander around alone at night.

The elegant park west of the Pacific Union Club and east of Grace Cathedral occupies the site of a mansion owned by railroad baron Collis P. Huntington. He died in 1900, the mansion was destroyed in the 1906 fire, and in 1915 his widow—by then married to Huntington's nephew—donated the land to the city. The Huntingtons' neighbors, the Crockers, once owned the Fountain of the Tortoises, based on the original in Rome's Piazza Mattei.  The benches around the fountain offer a welcome break after climbing Nob Hill.

Adjacent to the Columbia River, this is one of Washington's great parks. Its 4½-mile-long riverfront has boat ramps, a golf course, picnic areas, playgrounds (including an aquatic one), train ride, skate park, and family fishing pond. In summer, hydroplane races are held here.

The park system includes 14 parks, totaling more 23,000 acres throughout seven Central Ohio counties. Facilities vary across the system and include bridle and bike trails, Indian mounds, a botanical park, pioneer cemetery, historic farm depicting a 19th-century homestead, wetlands, and a prairie. Clear Creek is the most remote and primitive.