10457 Best Sights in USA

You can learn all about this Victorian-era seaport, one of only three such places on the register of National Historic Sites, at this striking contemporary building on the waterfront; it's the center of operations for the Wooden Boat Foundation, which stages the annual Wooden Boat Festival each September. The center has interactive exhibits, hands-on sailing instruction, boatbuilding workshops, a wood shop, and a pilot house where you can test navigational tools. Engaging history and wildlife cruises ($22) of Port Townsend Bay are given on summer Saturdays on the Admiral Jack catamaran. You can launch a kayak or watch sloops and schooners gliding along the bay from the boardwalk, pier, and beach that front the buildings. There's also an excellent gift shop, The Chandlery, and a cheerful coffee bar, Velocity.

Vintage railroad cars line a paved path along Railroad Avenue, with signs explaining the origin of each engine, car, and caboose, with more history and memorabilia inside several different buildings, including the former waiting room of the stunningly restored Snoqualmie depot. The Railway History Campus, located in the train shed a mile south of the depot at 9312 Stone Quarry Road, displays photographs, documents, and exhibits related to the region's rail history. Several times a day on weekends, a train made of cars built in the mid-1910s for the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railroad travels between Snoqualmie Depot and North Bend. The two-hour round-trip excursion passes through woods, past waterfalls, and around patchwork farmland, and it includes a stop at the History Campus. Families pack the winter Santa Train journeys and the mid-August Snoqualmie Days rides; the latter event features an annual parade.

As seen in the New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade, this low-profile brown building is one of the finest midsize museums anywhere, with a collection that spans more than 2,000 years of Western and Asian art. It all began in the 1950s when Norton Simon started collecting works by Degas, Renoir, Gauguin, and Cézanne. His collection grew to include works by old masters and Impressionists, modern works from Europe, and Indian and Southeast Asian art. Today the museum is richest in works by Rembrandt, Picasso, and, most of all, Degas.

Head down to the bottom floor to see temporary exhibits and phenomenal Southeast Asian and Indian sculptures and artifacts, where pieces like a Ban Chiang blackware vessel date back to well before 1000 BC. Don't miss a living artwork outdoors: the garden, conceived by noted Southern California landscape designer Nancy Goslee Power. The tranquil pond was inspired by Monet's gardens at Giverny, and there's even a copy of Rodin's "The Thinker" to inspire a little musing of your own.

The estate's name means "our view," and you'll likely deem the perspective magnificent wherever you taste. The Russian River Valley sprawls below the Block 23 Terrace tasting area; egrets and otters cavort in the Lakeshore Pavilion, where other experiences unfold; and Mt. St. Helena looms eastward at The Summit, the 710-acre property's highest point. Chardonnays and Rhône-style reds are two strengths, and there's a vibrant Pinot Noir. The best of the Rhônes, the GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre), comes from the slice of Notre Vue in the Chalk Hill AVA (the rest is Russian River Valley).

Led by visionary director and chief curator Bonnie Clearwater, the NSU Art Museum's international exhibition programming ignites downtown Fort Lauderdale. Part of Nova Southeastern University, the 83,000-square-foot modernist building, designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, opened in 1986. The interior holds an impressive permanent collection of more than 7,000 works, including the country's largest collection of paintings by American realist William Glackens and pivotal works by female and multicultural artists, avant-garde CoBrA artists, and a wide array of Latin American masters.

The lobby-level Museum Café is a cool hangout with art-inspired gifts.

On a small island just off the tip of Cape Neddick, Nubble Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses on the globe. Direct access is prohibited, but the small Sohier Park right across from the light has stunning coastal views, parking, historical placards, benches, and a seasonal information center that sells gifts and shares the 1879 light's history.

This panoramic perch looks out to expansive views of Windward Oahu—from Kaneohe Bay to a small island off the coast called Mokolii ("little lizard," also known as Chinaman's Hat). It was in this region that King Kamehameha I drove defending forces over the edges of the 1,200-foot-high cliffs, thus winning the decisive battle for control of the island in 1795. Temperatures at the summit are several degrees cooler than in warm Waikiki, so bring a jacket along. Hang on tight to any loose possessions, and consider wearing pants; it gets extremely windy at the lookout, which is part of the fun. After arriving in the pay-to-park lot, remove valuables from your car and lock it. Break-ins have occurred here; this wayside is in the most trafficked state park in Hawaii.

Barb and Bart O'Brien live on and operate this 40-acre Oak Knoll District estate, where in good weather guests sip wines at an outdoor tasting area adjoining the vineyard producing the fruit for them. It's a singular setting to enjoy Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style red blends, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay wines that indeed merit the mid-90s (sometimes higher) scores they garner from critics. Club members snap up most of the bottlings, with the rest sold at intimate tastings (reservations are required; book well ahead). All visits include vineyard and winery tours and an account of Barb and Bart's inspiring path to winery ownership. The superb wines and genial hosts make a stop here the highlight of many a Wine Country vacation.

You can relive the final days of steam trains at the O. Winston Link Museum, inside a renovated passenger train station. Link spent several years in the late 1950s and early 1960s photographing Norfolk and Western's last steam engines in the railroads of southwest Virginia. The hundreds of stunning black-and-white photographs on display do much more than evoke nostalgia—they also capture day-to-day life: a horse-drawn carriage awaiting an oncoming train, a locomotive rocketing past lovers watching a drive-in movie.

The most famous of all the antebellum homes in Louisiana is a darling of Hollywood, having appeared in major movies and television productions. Built between 1837 and 1839 by Jacques T. Roman, a French Creole sugar planter from New Orleans, Oak Alley is an outstanding example of Greek Revival architecture and is now owned and operated by the Oak Alley Foundation. The 28 stately oak trees that line the drive and give the columned plantation its name were planted in the early 1700s by an earlier settler. A guided tour introduces you to the grand interior of the manor, but be aware that you're unable to book specific times for your tour, so you may want to arrive early in the day to avoid lengthy lines. Leave time to explore the expansive grounds and visit an excellent slavery exhibit where regularly scheduled conversations with staff members tell the lives of those owned and kept on the plantation, as well as their lives after emancipation. Other exhibits cover the history of sugarcane in the region, the Civil War, and much more. A number of late-19th-century cottages behind the main house provide simple overnight accommodations, and a restaurant is open daily from 8:30 am to 3 pm. A café with lighter bites stays open until 5 pm.

What started as an apple shed has become a 14-acre fun park and plaza with eateries, a petting zoo, a candy store, a creamery, train rides, shops, trout fishing, gold panning, local artisans, archery, a cider mill, and more. Be sure to grab a fresh-baked apple pie from Apple Annie’s Bakery. Some activities are seasonal.

Designed by Kevin Roche, this museum is a quintessential example of mid-century modern architecture and home to a capacious collection of nearly 2 million objects in three distinct galleries celebrating California's history, natural sciences, and art. Listen to native species and environmental soundscapes in the Library of Natural Sounds, see five different Golden State ecoregions in the outdoor terraced garden, and engage in stories of the state's past and future, from Ohlone basket making to emerging technologies. Don't miss the photographs by Dorothea Lange and a worthy collection of Bay Area figurative painters, including David Park and Barry McGee. Stay for lunch at the Town Fare café, where chef Michele McQueen serves California-soul food dishes like Low Country shrimp and grits.  On Friday evening, the museum bustles with live music, food trucks, and after-hours gallery access.

A 2-mile round-trip route leaves Geyser Hill Loop boardwalk and becomes a trail shortly after the Firehole River; it circles a picturesque overview of Geyser Hill with Old Faithful Inn as a backdrop. You may also see Castle Geyser erupting. Even when 1,000-plus people are crowded on the boardwalk to watch Old Faithful, expect to find fewer than a dozen here. Easy–Moderate.

Downtown Carmel's chief lure is shopping, especially along its main street, Ocean Avenue, between Junipero Avenue and Camino Real. The architecture here is a mishmash of ersatz Tudor, Mediterranean, and other styles.

Possibly the state's finest beach, the 50-acre park has a broad white-sand beach, an Olympic-size outdoor pool with a triple waterslide, an 18-hole miniature-golf course, an arcade, a half-mile-long boardwalk, kiddie rides, food concessions, a nature trail, and a picnic area. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.

Also called Ten-Mile Drive, this is a stunningly scenic route starting from the end of Thames Street and looping around the Newport shoreline by following Harrison Avenue and Ridge Road to Ocean Drive and Bellevue Ave., ending at Memorial Blvd. You'll pass by Fort Adams State Park; Hammersmith Farm, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis' family home and the site of her wedding reception when she married John F. Kennedy in 1953; the 89-acre Brenton Point State Park, famous for kite-flying; the picturesque Castle Hill Inn and lighthouse; and several small beaches, including the public Kings Beach.

Most of this 2.2-mile path parallels the Ocean Drive section of Park Loop Road from Sand Beach to Otter Point. It has some of the best scenery in Maine: cliffs and slabs of pink granite at the ocean's edge, twisted branches of dwarf jack pines, and ocean views that stretch to the horizon. The round trip (4.4 miles) allows you to soak it all up from different vantages, though many visitors stroll it a bit while making scenic stops by car or Island Explorer bus. From Sand Beach to Thunder Hole (0.7 miles), Ocean Path is an easy walk on concrete and packed gravel; it gets rougher as you continue and there are stairs at Otter Point. Save time to stop at Thunder Hole, where waves thrash through a narrow opening in the granite cliffs, into a sea cave, and whoosh up and out. Steps lead down to the water to watch the action up close. Use caution as you descend (access may be limited due to storms), and if you venture onto the cliffs along this walk. On a sunny day, lounging on the smooth, massive ledges is utter delight. Moderate.

Part of the spectacular Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, this 3,600-acre coastal playground is one of the few places in California where you can drive or ride off-highway vehicles on the beach and sand dunes. Hike, ride horses, kiteboard, join a Hummer tour, or rent an ATV or a dune buggy and cruise up the white-sand peaks for spectacular views. At Oso Flaco Lake Nature Area—3 miles west of Highway 1 on Oso Flaco Road—a 1½-mile boardwalk over the lake leads to a platform with views up and down the coast. Leashed dogs are allowed in much of the park except Oso Flaco and Pismo Dunes Natural Reserve. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

Twenty-five miles east of the flat, juniper-dotted countryside around Prineville, the landscape changes to forested ridges covered with tall ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. Sheltered by the diminutive Ochoco Mountains and with only about a foot of rain each year, the national forest, established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, manages to lay a blanket of green across the dry, high desert of central Oregon. This arid landscape—marked by deep canyons, towering volcanic plugs, and sharp ridges—goes largely unnoticed except for the annual influx of hunters during the fall. The Ochoco, part of the old Blue Mountain Forest Reserve, is a great place for camping, hiking, biking, and fishing in relative solitude. In its three wilderness areas—Mill Creek, Bridge Creek, and Black Canyon—it's possible to see elk, wild horses, eagles, and even cougars.

The park's main information center on the North Carolina side is polished and inviting after a $3 million renovation and expansion. It is 1½ miles from Cherokee and offers interactive displays, a 20-minute film, a large book and gift shop, ranger-led programs, and assistance from helpful volunteers. There are restrooms and vending machines. Adjoining the visitor center, in a large level field next to the Oconaluftee River, is the Mountain Farm Museum, a reconstruction of an early 1900s mountain farmstead. Herds of elk are often seen here.

The 16 miles of undeveloped shoreline here are often considered some of the best beaches in America. These beaches are among the least visited and most beautiful on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The shelling is amazing, the solitude unparalleled. Four public-access areas are along the highway and easy to spot; just look for large brown-and-white wooden signs. The National Park Service has a mid-island campground ($28/night) with bathrooms, where you can park and sleep just behind the dunes.  There are lifeguards only at the day-use beach ½ mile north of Ocracoke Village in late May through early September. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming.

These 135 acres of protected seaside land are where David Thompson established New Hampshire's first permanent English settlement. Several signed nature trails provide vistas of the nearby Isles of Shoals and interpret the park's military history. The rocky shore's tidal pools shelter crabs, periwinkles, and sea anemones. The park's Seacoast Science Center hosts exhibits on the area's natural history. Its tidal-pool touch tank and 1,000-gallon Gulf of Maine deepwater aquarium are popular with kids.

Although close to Interstate 15 on the north side of the city, this quiet 152-acre center abounds with opportunities to view and interact with nature. It's home to thousands of trees, plus vibrant marshlands and ponds, with nature trails that are popular year-round (cross-country skiers take to them in winter). It's possible to view Canada geese, great blue herons, red foxes, mule deer, and porcupines roaming the grounds (you can get especially good views from a small observatory tower), as well as rescued bald eagles, owls, and other spectacular species. The eco-consciously designed visitor center has interesting exhibits as well as activities for kids, while the education building shows rotating art exhibits and the excellent Nest gift shop sells nature-oriented goods.

Ogunquit has long been an important site for artists, and this stellar museum—the only one in Maine focused solely on American art—continues that legacy. The collection includes 3,000 early modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures, drawings, and more, including works with ties to Ogunquit's once-famous artist colony. The main gallery offers sweeping views of Perkins Cove. Leave time to stroll around the 3-acre seaside sculpture park in good weather. Visit the website for admission pricing.

At this lush green oasis, high atop bluffs near the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers, visitors can commune with a blend of native rocks, ferns, mosses, pools, waterfalls, rock gardens, and conifers on a mile of paths. Herman Ohme purchased the land in 1929 as a private family retreat and developed the gardens—now owned and managed by Chelan County—for his wife, Ruth.

The majestic arms of ancient live oaks frame this campus, which features $40 million architecture by Frank Gehry (who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Spain), plus works of master potter George Ohr and emancipated craftsman Pleasant Reed. With a strong focus on ceramic arts, the museum calendar comprises permanent and rotating exhibits, as well as classes and special events. Light snacks and free Wi-Fi are available in the café.

In the 1870s, Hudson River School artist Frederic Church built this 37-room Moorish-style castle atop a hill with panoramic valley and river vistas. Architect Calvert Vaux came up with the design of the house, to which the artist applied his own eclectic touches. The interior is an extravaganza of tile and stone, carved screens, Persian rugs, and paintings, including some by Church. The house, about 4 miles south of Hudson, is open for guided tours, which run about 45 minutes; reservations are strongly suggested.

On Madison's far-east side, this garden has been acclaimed by Horticulture Magazine as being among North America's top ten. What sets the 16-acre garden of roses, herbs, and rocks apart is its authentic Thai pavilion, the only example in the continental United States and a gift from Thailand's government in 2001. It is surrounded by native plantings. Tropical plants and flowers, plus a rushing waterfall and free-flying birds, thrive in the gardens' year-round glass-pyramid conservatory heated to between 65°F and 95°F.

Travel back 100-plus years along six blocks of restored structures that illustrate Montgomery life long ago. Elegant Victorian pieces furnish the central, circa-1850s Ordeman House, a contrast to the village's humble log cabin and simple church, school, and tavern. The Landmarks Foundation that runs the site found so many relics during restorations of 19th- and 20th-century buildings that it launched the nearby Rescued Relics, a nonprofit salvage warehouse offering historic architectural elements and materials.