10457 Best Sights in USA

Sin City's refuge for hikers, naturalists, skiers, campers, and just about anyone who wants to escape the desert valley for the forest, Mt. Charleston is the highest peak in Clark County, and it offers year-round outdoor recreation. It's surrounded by the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Trails include a difficult hike to Mt. Charleston peak, the range's high point. Easier trails lead to seasonal waterfalls or rare, dripping springs where dainty columbine and stunted aspens spill down ravines and hummingbirds zoom. Or they might lead onto high, dry ridges where ancient bristlecone trees have become twisted and burnished with age.

The incomparable Mt. Evans Scenic and Historic Byway—the highest paved road in the United States—leads to the summit of 14,264-foot-high Mt. Evans. This is one of only two Fourteeners in the United States that you can drive up (the other is her southern sister, Pikes Peak). More than 7,000 feet are climbed in 28 miles, and the road tops out at 14,134 feet, 130 feet shy of the summit, which is a ¼-mile stroll from the parking lot. The toll road winds past placid lakes and through stands of towering Douglas firs and bristlecone pines. Timed-entry reservations are now required and must be booked ahead online. This is one of the best places in the state to catch a glimpse of shaggy white mountain goats and regal bighorn sheep. Small herds of the nimble creatures stroll from car to car looking for handouts. Feeding them is prohibited, however. Keep your eyes peeled for other animals, including deer, elk, and feather-footed ptarmigans.

There are two main ways to access this dramatic 2,937-foot granite peak east of Lake Sunapee. Approach it through Winslow State Park, which is closer to New London, by driving to the picnic area and hiking a 1.8-mile loop trail to the top. Or, more popularly, drive the 3½-mile scenic auto route through Rollins State Park, which snakes up the mountain's southern slope and leads to a ½-mile summit trail. However you get there, the views from the top are astounding. The park road at Rollins State Park closes at 5 pm nightly and from mid-November to late May, but from Winslow State Park you can hike Mt. Kearsarge any time of day or night, year-round. Rollins State Park is accessed from the cute Colonial village of Warner, which is worth a quick stroll.

This park—established in 1915 as North Carolina's first state park—includes the 6,684-foot Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain peak east of the Rockies. At the 1,946-acre park you can drive nearly to the summit, where an observation tower provides panoramic views to as far as Clingmans Dome in the Smokies if clouds and haze aren't obscuring the horizon. The summit was named after Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who died from a fall while trying to prove the mountain's true height.

This strenuous 4½-mile round-trip trail takes you to the park's highest point—the top of Mt. Scott, the oldest volcanic cone of Mt. Mazama, at 8,929 feet. At a leisurely pace, give yourself about two hours to make the steep uphill trek—and about 60 minutes to get down. The trail starts at an elevation of about 7,679 feet, so the climb is not extreme, but the trail is steep in spots. The views of the lake and the broad Klamath Basin are spectacular. Difficult.

The crown jewel of the 2½-million-acre Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Mt. Shasta, a 14,179-foot-high dormant volcano, is a mecca for day hikers. It's especially enticing in spring, when fragrant Shasta lilies and other flowers adorn the rocky slopes. A paved road, the Everitt Memorial Highway, reaches only as far as the timberline; the final 6,000 feet are a strenuous climb of rubble, ice, and snow (the summit is perpetually ice-packed). Hiking enthusiasts include this trek with those to the peaks of Kilimanjaro and Mt. Fuji in lists of iconic must-do mountain hikes. Always check weather predictions; sudden storms—with snow and freezing temperatures—have trapped climbers.

A 5.4-mile round-trip hike takes you to an old fire watchtower, rewarding you with amazing views. The route is steep, with an elevation gain of almost 2,000 feet, so you should consider this a strenuous challenging hike. Difficult.

A playground on top of a volcano cinder cone? Yup, that's here. The cinders, or glassy rock fragments, unearthed in this 190-acre park's construction were used to surface the respite's roads; the ones leading to the very top are closed to cars, but popular with cyclists. They're also popular with cruisers—each August there's an old-fashioned soapbox derby. Picnic tables and tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts make Mt. Tabor Park a popular spot for outdoor recreation, but plenty of quiet, shaded trails and wide-open grassy lawns with panoramic views of the Downtown skyline appeal to sunbathers, hikers, and nature lovers. The whole park is closed to cars on Wednesday.

The view of Mt. Tamalpais from all around the bay can be a beauty, but that’s nothing compared to the views from the mountain, which take in San Francisco, the East Bay, the coast, and beyond. Although the summit of Mt. Tamalpais is only 2,571 feet high, the mountain rises practically from sea level, dominating the topography of Marin County. For years the 6,300-acre park has been a favorite destination for hikers, with more than 200 miles of trails when combined with surrounding public open space. The park's major thoroughfare, Panoramic Highway, snakes its way up from U.S. 101 to the Pantoll Ranger Station and down to Stinson Beach. Parking is free along the roadside, but there's an $8 fee at the ranger station (credit cards are only accepted when the station is open) and additional charges for walk-in campsites and group use.

The Mountain Theater, also known as the Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre, is a natural 4,0000-seat amphitheater that has showcased summer Mountain Plays since 1913. The Rock Spring Trail starts at the Mountain Theater and gently climbs for 1½ miles to the West Point Inn, where you can relax at picnic tables before forging ahead via Old Railroad Grade Fire Road and the Upper Fern Creek Trail to Mt. Tam's East Peak.

From the Pantoll Ranger Station, the precipitous Steep Ravine Trail brings you past stands of coastal redwoods. Hike the connecting Dipsea Trail to reach Stinson Beach. If you're too weary to make the 3½-mile trek back up, Marin Transit Bus 61 takes you from Stinson Beach back to the ranger station.

The drive to the top of this imposing summit is truly memorable. Your route: the narrow, curving Mt. Washington Auto Road, which climbs 4,600 feet in about 7 miles. Drivers can download an app with a narrated tour and receive a bumper sticker that reads, "This car climbed Mt. Washington." The narration is fascinating, and the views are breathtaking. Once at the top, check out Extreme Mount Washington, an interactive museum dedicated to science and weather. If you're nervous about heights or the condition of your car, book a guided van tour or a ride up the cog railway in Bretton Woods.

One of the last old-growth stands of redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) giants, Muir Woods is nature's cathedral: awe-inspiring and not to be missed. The nearly 560 acres of Muir Woods National Monument contain some of the most majestic redwoods in the world—some more than 250 feet tall.

Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods is a pedestrian's park. The popular 2-mile main trail begins at the park headquarters and provides easy access to streams, ferns, azaleas, and redwood groves. Weekends can prove to be very busy, so consider taking a more challenging route, such as the Ben Johnson Trail–Dipsea Trail route, which climbs west from the forest floor to soothing views of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Picnicking and camping aren't allowed, and neither are pets. Crowds can be large, especially from May through October, so come early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The Muir Woods Visitor Center has books and exhibits about redwood trees and the woods' history as well as the latest info on trail conditions. The Muir Woods Trading Company serves hot food, pastries, and coffee, and the gift shop offers plenty of souvenirs.

Muir Woods has no cell service or Wi-Fi, so plan directions and communication ahead of time.

For parking reservations (required) and shuttle information, visit  gomuirwoods.com. To drive directly from San Francisco, take U.S. 101 North across the Golden Gate Bridge to Exit 445B for Mill Valley/Stinson Beach, then follow signs for Highway 1 North and Muir Woods.

A 620-foot-high double-decker torrent, the second-highest year-round waterfall in the nation, Multnomah is by far the most spectacular of the Gorge cataracts east of Troutdale. It's also incredibly popular, drawing some 2.5 million visitors annually. To help manage the sometimes excessive crowds, U.S. Forest Service has begun requiring visitors to obtain timed-use permits to visit the falls and drive the Waterfall corridor between late May and early September; you can reserve your ticket, which costs $2, at  recreation.gov. Access to the falls and Multnomah Lodge is via a parking lot at Exit 31 off Interstate 84, or via the Historic Columbia River Highway; from the parking area, a paved path winds to a bridge over the lower falls. A much steeper, also paved, 1.1-mile trail climbs to a viewing point overlooking the upper falls, and from here, unpaved but well-groomed trails join with others, allowing for hours of hiking in the rugged mountains above the Gorge. Even the paved ramble to the top will get your blood pumping.

The institute is made up of a museum, an art school, and a performing-arts center. Its Museum of Art occupies two distinctly different buildings. The 1850 Italianate mansion, called Fountain Elms, has rooms of Victorian-era furnishings. The main gallery spaces are in the 1960 Philip Johnson structure, a rather austere building clad in polished granite. The holdings include 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and photographs; 19th- and 20th-century European paintings; Asian prints; and pre-Columbian artifacts. A highlight here is the collection of Hudson River School paintings, which include the four-part "Voyage of Life" series by Thomas Cole as well as works by Asher B. Durand and Frederic Church.

The Arch's west entrance, facing 4th Street and the Old Courthouse, is flooded with bright natural light. From this glass atrium, you can access the visitor center, the underground museum, the lobby for the Tram Ride to the Top, the Tucker Theater, the Arch Café, and the Arch Store. The museum showcases more than 200 years of history, from the founding of St. Louis by French fur traders Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau in 1764 to the completion of the Arch in 1965. Huge digital maps, oversize murals, wall-size video screens, authentic soundscapes, interactive touch screens, and inclusive narratives bring all this history to life in six theme galleries: Jefferson’s Vision, Colonial St. Louis, The Riverfront Era, Manifest Destiny, Building the Arch, and New Frontiers. In the Tucker Theater, watch in awe as the last piece of the Arch is lowered into position in the 28-minute documentary, Monument to the Dream, produced by Charles E. Guggenheim and nominated for an Academy Award in 1967. The tram lobby features not only a replica tram car but also an exact 17-foot-wide replica of the Arch's top piece, the Keystone, with livestream video from the observation deck 630 feet above. Be sure to exit the visitor center via the north or south doors, so you can look up for a jaw-dropping view of the Arch towering overhead.

What this small three-gallery museum in the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) lacks in size and effects it more than makes up for in substance and style. You might not find interactive mannequins, elaborate displays, or overcrowded galleries at the self-declared \"most fashionable museum in New York City,\" but you will find carefully curated, fun, and interesting exhibits. The Fashion and Textile History Gallery, on the main floor, provides context with a rotating selection of historically and artistically significant objects from the museum’s permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories (exhibits change every six months). The real draws, though, are the special exhibitions in the lower-level gallery. Gallery FIT, also on the main floor, is dedicated to student and faculty exhibitions.

Driving along Coast Boulevard, it is hard to miss the mass of watercraft jutting out from the rear of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla location. Pleasure Point by Nancy Rubins is just one example of the mingling of art and locale at this spectacular oceanfront setting.

The oldest section of La Jolla's branch of San Diego's contemporary art museum was originally a residence, designed by Irving Gill for philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1916. In the mid-1990s the compound was updated and expanded by architect Robert Venturi, who respected Gill's original geometric structure and clean mission-style lines while adding his own distinctive touches. An expansion in 2020 quadrupled existing gallery space. The result is a striking contemporary building that looks as though it's always been here.

The light-filled Axline Court serves as the museum's entrance and does triple duty as reception area, exhibition hall, and forum for special events, including The Gala each September, attended by the town's most fashionable folk. Inside, the museum's artwork gets major competition from the setting: you can look out from the top of a grand stairway onto a landscaped garden that contains permanent sculpture exhibits as well as rare 100-year-old California plant specimens and, beyond that, to the Pacific Ocean.

Artists from San Diego and Tijuana figure prominently in the museum's permanent collection of post-1950s art, but the museum also includes examples of every major art movement through the present—works by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Joseph Cornell, to name a few. The museum also gets major visiting shows. Head to the museum's shop for unique cards and gifts. The street-facing plaza at the museum café is a great spot to relax and recharge.

Free tours are offered at 2 on Sunday.

The MFA's collection of approximately 450,000 objects was built from a core of paintings and sculpture from the Boston Athenæum, historical portraits from the city of Boston, and donations by area universities. The MFA has more than 70 works by John Singleton Copley; major paintings by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Fitz Henry Lane, and Edward Hopper; and a wealth of American works ranging from native New England folk art and Colonial portraiture to New York abstract expressionism of the 1950s and 1960s.

More than 30 galleries contain the MFA's European painting and sculpture collection, dating from the 11th century to the 20th. Contemporary art has a dynamic home in the MFA's dramatic I. M. Pei–designed building.

The museum is open until 10 pm on Thursday and Friday. Save time and purchase your tickets online in advance as lines can get quite long. The museum requires you to check any bag larger than 11 inches by 15 inches (even purses).

The showpiece of this spectacular, 2-acre complex of delicate and creative art-glass installations is the 500-foot-long Chihuly Bridge of Glass, a tunnel of glorious color and light that stretches above Interstate 705. Cross it from downtown to reach this striking building, which rises above the Foss Waterway and next to a shallow reflecting pool dotted with modern-art sculptures. Inside, you can wander through quiet, light-filled galleries that present a fascinating array of rotating exhibits, take a seat in the conical-roofed Hot Shop amphitheater to watch glass-blowing artists, or try your own hand at arts and crafts in the studio. There's also a café and an outstanding gift shop.

If ever a museum had its own unique spin, it's the Museum of Jurassic Technology, with an oddball assortment of natural (and partly fictional) "art" pieces such as fruit stone carvings, theater models, string figures, finds from mobile home parks, and a tribute room filled with paintings of dogs from the Soviet Space Program. All are housed in a low-lighted, haunted house–style atmosphere that makes you feel as if the Addams Family butler will come to greet you at any moment. Go upstairs after your visit to enjoy complimentary tea and cookies in the Tula Tea Room, and short films in the Borzoi Kabinet Theater.  The museum is home to multiple dogs and birds, so be advised if you have allergies.

This interactive science park on 84 acres is packed full of attractions designed to spark wonder and curiosity for children of all ages. There’s a two-story science center, one of the largest butterfly conservatories on the East Coast, and 60 species of live animals in its outdoor exhibits. The Hideaway Woods exhibit features eight tree houses, a flowing stream, and fanciful nature sculptures. Earth Moves invites visitors to climb a large formation of Tennessee sandstone or explore a cave underneath it and control the flow of water from a 20-foot freestanding waterfall.

From its perch above the Charles River, the Museum of Science sits half in Cambridge and half in Boston. This unique trait is the first of many at this 70-plus-year-old institution that's focused on science, technology, and hands-on learning. Diverse permanent exhibits explore dinosaurs, the electromagnetic spectrum, modern conservation, math, motion, nanotechnology, the natural world, space travel, a garden walk and insect zoo. The Theater of Electricity hosts explosive daily lightening shows, which can be scary for children under age seven. 

In the Green Wing, "The Hall of Human Life" walks visitors through the inner workings of their own bodies. A barcode bracelet picked up at the entrance tracks personal data gathered at dozens of interactive components and makes comparisons. At "Science in the Park," kids test out physics, motion, and momentum while playing on swings, a seesaw, and other familiar objects.

The Charles Hayden Planetarium, with its sophisticated multimedia system based on a Zeiss planetarium projector, produces exciting programs on astronomical discoveries. Laser light shows, with laser graphics and computer animation, are offered daily. The museum also features the Mugar Omni Theater, a five-story dome screen with 360-degree projection that allows the audience to feel like they're experiencing the action within the IMAX films on-screen.

The MSI is one of the most-visited sites in Chicago, and for good reason. The sprawling space has 14 acres of exhibit space on three floors, with new exhibits added constantly. The immersive Coal Mine exhibit and the Henry Crown Space Center featuring the Apollo 8 Command Module are perennial favorites. The museum's high-tech interior is hidden by a neoclassical exterior, designed in 1892 by D.H. Burnham & Company to house the Palace of Fine Arts for the World's Columbian Exposition. Beautifully landscaped Jackson Park and its peaceful, Japanese-style Osaka Garden are behind the museum.

This remarkable museum highlights the cultural, military, and natural history of the Aleutian and Pribilof islands. You'll find an exhaustive array of objects representing the region's history, from gut parkas and repatriated religious artifacts to original drawings from Captain Cook's third voyage. The exhibits also give glimpses into the Unangax̂ way of life, as well as illustrating the impact of Russian contact and occupation, the gold rush, World War II, the fishing industry, and more. In the summer, the museum sponsors archaeological digs as well as periodic lectures by visiting scientists, historians, and researchers. It also offers a range of guided tours, indoors and out. You can take gallery or special collections tours in the museum, or venture out on a city walk, a Bunker Hill hike, a driving tour of Amaknek Island, or a morning history and photography tour.

Within walking distance of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Constitution Center, and the First Bank of the United States, the Museum of the American Revolution resides in the heart of historic Philadelphia. Divided into four parts—Road to Independence (1760–75), The Darkest Hour (1776–78), A Revolutionary War (1778–83), A New Nation (1783–present)—the museum’s impressive collection has been in the making for more than a century. Several thousand artifacts, many of which have never been shown before, include General George Washington’s actual tent that he used as his war headquarters; a pair of English holster pistols carried throughout the war by a German American brigadier general; an early-19th-century summer coat worn by a Revolutionary War soldier; and a pair of infant shoes crafted from the stolen coat of a British soldier. Many of the exhibits are interactive and family-friendly, too.

This expansive history-lover's haven has exhibits representing the life and cultures of the region and sponsors an annual show on ranching handiwork (such as saddles, reins, and spurs) held in conjunction with the Cowboy Poetry Gathering each February. The map collection is renowned.

Covering 12,000 years of history, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian is one of the country's best Native American museums. Computer-generated images, video projections, and sound effects help bring to life events in the history of the Cherokee. For example, you'll see children stop to play a butter-bean game while adults shiver along the snowy Trail of Tears. The museum has an art gallery, a gift shop, and an outdoor living exhibit of Cherokee life in the 15th century.

Although it's full of Hollywood and television memorabilia, this museum's core exhibition is Behind the Screen, which demonstrates how movies and TV shows are produced and shown and has stations where you can create your own short animation, experiment with sound effects, or view the behind-the-scenes editing process of a live Mets baseball game. The Jim Henson Exhibition tells the stories of Henson's film and TV works and has a build-a-muppet station. A wide range of films (more than 400), from classic Hollywood to avant-garde works to foreign-festival hits, is generally shown on weekend evenings and afternoons. Special programs include film retrospectives, lectures, and workshops, as well as daily short films in Tut's Fever Movie Palace, a fab Red Grooms-- and Lysiane Luong–designed installation.

Here you'll find a celebration of the history of the Rockies region, with exhibits ranging from prehistory to pioneers, plus a planetarium with laser shows. Most renowned is the museum's Siebel Dinosaur Complex housing one of the world's largest dinosaur fossil collections along with the largest-known T-rex skull, a Mesozoic Media Center, and a Hall of Giants complete with sound effects. Children love the hands-on science activities in the Explore Yellowstone Martin Children's Discovery Center and (in the summer) the living history farm. Tinsley Homestead, with home-crafts demonstrations, including butter churning, weaving, and blacksmithing is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Covering the era from 1800 to 1900, the Museum of the Upper Missouri highlights the importance of Fort Benton and the role it played as a trading post, military fort, and the head of steamboat navigation. In the summer there are daily guided tours at the adjacent Old Fort Benton, considered the birthplace of Montana; its 1846 blockhouse is the oldest standing structure in the state.

Originally known as San Diego Museum of Man, the name was changed in efforts to reflect values of equity, inclusion, and decolonization. If the facade of this building—the landmark California Building—looks familiar, it's because filmmaker Orson Welles used it and its dramatic tower as the principal features of the Xanadu estate in his 1941 classic, Citizen Kane. Closed for 80 years, the tower is now open for public tours. An additional timed ticket and a climb up 125 steps is required, but the effort will be rewarded with spectacular 360-degree views of the coast, Downtown, and the inland mountains. Back inside, exhibits at this highly respected anthropological museum focus on Native Californians, ancient Egyptians, and Maya Peoples. Carved monuments from the Mayan city of Quirigua in Guatemala, cast from the originals in 1914, are particularly impressive. Exhibits might include examples of intricate beadwork from across the Americas, the history of Egyptian mummies, or the lifestyles of the Kumeyaay, indigenous peoples of the present-day San Diego area. Tower tours are timed-entry and can be booked in advance through the website or on arrival at museum.