425 Best Sights in USA

First-time day-trippers head to this wild headland at the bottom of Isle au Haut, the open Atlantic beyond. Western Head is most often hiked as a loop that includes Western Head Road and Cliff and Western Head trails. From Duck Harbor, it's approximately 4 miles round-trip. Take the unpaved road to the trailhead for the 0.7-mile Cliff Trail, which alternates between forest and volcanic rock clifftop, with opportunities to go off-course and explore the rocky shoreline. More cobblestone beaches await as the hike continues along the 1.3-mile Western Head Trail, which connects with Western Head Road north of the Cliff Trail. Rock scrambling makes for challenging going at times, but spectacular seascapes and secluded coves are your reward for visiting what is perhaps Acadia National Park's most remote spot. Some visitors bike to one of the trailheads and walk back to their bike after reconnecting with the road. Bicycles are not allowed on park trails; the ferry only drops off bikes at the Town Landing, not in the park at Duck Harbor.

One of the most popular photo sites on the Outer Banks is the 60-foot granite airplane's tail that pays tribute to Wilbur and Orville Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio who took to the air here on December 17, 1903. A sculptured replica of their WrightFlyer and stone markers showing the exact points and distances soared help you experience the historic day humans first made powered flight—and the multiyear, trial-and-error process the perseverant brothers endured leading up to it. Informative talks by National Park Service rangers also help bring the event to life. The museum and visitor center uses historical artifacts, reproductions, and displays to dive into the lives, legends, and flight process of the brothers.

A former Native American gathering place and later a site of Franciscan missions in the 1700s, present-day Zilker Park is Austin's biggest public green space. Locals consider the 351-acre park complex their own backyard, albeit a massive one that stretches along the shores of Lady Bird Lake and includes adjacent sites like Barton Springs, botanical gardens, and various lakeside trails. Parking is increasingly difficult in recent years, so take the free Zilker Shuttle that runs May through September to avoid the congestion. In spring, the park hosts a beloved annual kite festival plus a long-running concert series at the Zilker Hillside Theater, a natural outdoor amphitheater shaded by century-old pecan trees; musicals and plays take over in the summer. The annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, along with hundreds of thousands of attendees, descend on the park for two weeks in October.

With a shoreline longer than America's Pacific coast, Lake Powell is the heart of the huge 1.25-millon-acre Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Created by the Glen Canyon Dam—a 710-foot wall of concrete in the Colorado River—Lake Powell took 17 years to fill. The second-largest man-made lake in the nation, it extends through terrain so rugged that it was the last major area of the country to be mapped. Red cliffs ring the lake and twist off into 96 major canyons and countless inlets with huge, red-sandstone buttes randomly jutting from the sapphire waters.

The most popular thing to do at Lake Powell is to rent a houseboat and chug leisurely across the lake, exploring coves and inlets. Like many tourist spots in the region, the lake's busiest times are in the summer, with peak visitation on holiday weekends. Book far in advance for those dates. It's also important to check with the National Park Service for current water levels, closures, and other weather-related conditions.

Southwest of Bullfrog, Rainbow Bridge National Monument is the largest natural bridge in the world, and its 290-foot-high, 275-foot-wide span is a breathtaking sight. Unfortunately, accessing this wonder is difficult. You can either hike a 14-mile trail from the Navajo Nation or boat in, though the National Park Service had to pull its dock back from the water in 2021 due to low water levels and damage from storms, with no estimate for restoring its original location. Small boats and vessels still have access to the shoreline but getting to the trail requires wading through water and mud. No special permit is needed to boat into the monument, but hiking in from the Navajo Nation requires a permit issued by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department ( www.navajonationparks.org). The main visitor center for Lake Powell is Arizona's Wahweap Marina, with a campground, general store, restaurants, swimming pools, boat docks, and houseboat rentals.

More than 400 bronze stars are embedded in the sidewalks (à la Hollywood Walk of Fame) around downtown to honor celebrities with a Palm Springs connection. The Chairman of the Board, Elvis, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Dinah Shore, Ginger Rogers, Liz Taylor, and Liberace are among those who have received their due. Started on Palm Canyon Drive in 1992, stars have spread to Museum Way and Tahquitz Canyon Way.

For her passion project, sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundschu, also involved in her family's historic Gundlach Bundschu winery, focuses on wines made from organic grapes grown in other family-owned, predominantly Sonoma County vineyards. Most of the wines are old-style field blends in which different types of grapes from the same vineyard are fermented and aged together rather than separately, as is more common these days. A recent vintage of the Makeshift red—Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Souzao, a Portuguese grape—hints at the experimentation going on here. You can sample the wines at a garden estate whose grape-growing history dates back nearly as far as the Bundschu family's.

Popular with birders, the Alder trail heads inland, passing fruit trees and alder bushes on an easy 1.2-mile out-and-back hike, but many hit the grassy path as part of a near-loop with the challenging 1.1-mile Anvil Trail. Trailheads for both are near the Blueberry Hill parking area on the loop road; you must cross the road to get to them. Steep and heavily rooted in sections as it climbs Schoodic Head, Anvil requires lots of rock climbing but rewards with wonderful water and island views from the rock knob overlook (side trail) for which it's named. After connecting with Schoodic Head Trail from Alder or Anvil, it's not far to the top of Schoodic Head, where expansive views of the surrounding seascape and landscape await.

With one of the largest tasting rooms in San Diego, this microbrewery offers tastings at its out-of-the-way locale in the Miramar area. Try AleSmith's popular Speedway Stout, brewed in various editions ranging from peanut butter and maple bar to German chocolate and coffee.

Krystle and Jason Jorgensen make small-batch rye, single-malt whiskey, gin, peach liqueur, apple brandy, and candy-cap bitters in an industrial park distillery 2 miles north of Healdsburg Plaza. The rye derives its overlapping flavors from its "mash bill" of rye and malted barley aged in heavily charred American oak barrels that add further layers of spice and complexity. The Jorgensens pride themselves on crafting their spirits entirely on-site, from grain milling through bottling, a process they describe enthusiastically at their apothecarylike tasting room.

Park aides, interpreters, and displays at this excellent visitor center can point you in the right direction. Most of the desert plants also can be seen in the demonstration desert garden here. Bring plenty of water.

The winery that Gary and Nancy Andrus, owners of Pine Ridge winery in Napa Valley, founded in the 1990s has become synonymous with premium Oregon Pinot Noir. Because they believed that great wines are made in the vineyard, they adopted such innovative techniques as narrow spacing and vertical trellis systems, which give the fruit a great concentration of flavors. In addition to the standard flight of Pinot Noirs in the tasting room, Archery Summit offers educational tours of their gravity-flow winery and caves. You're welcome to bring a picnic, and as at many Oregon wineries, you can bring your dog, too.

From a distance the modern minimalist architecture of Artesa blends harmoniously with the surrounding Carneros landscape, but up close its pools, fountains, and large outdoor sculptures make their own impression. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from estate and sourced grapes predominate, but the winery also produces Albariño and sparkling wine, plus heavier reds including Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. You can sample them, sometimes paired with food, while enjoying views of estate and neighboring vineyards and, on a clear day, San Francisco.

Built in 1872 and pedestrian-only since 1958, the most painted and photographed of Maine's nine covered bridges can be found north of Bethel in neighboring Newry. From U.S. 2, turn onto Sunday River Road (watch for signs; stay to the right at the "Y" intersections). The 87-foot-long Paddleford truss bridge is aside the modern one that handles road traffic these days. A popular swimming spot, folks put in by the old wood bridge or follow the path from its south end to a bend in the river.

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.

A beautiful coastal area, Asilomar State Beach stretches between Point Pinos and the Del Monte Forest. The 100 acres of dunes, tidal pools, and pocket-size beaches form one of the region's richest areas for marine life—including surfers, who migrate here most winter mornings. Leashed dogs are allowed on the beach. Amenities: none. Best for: sunrise; sunset; surfing; walking.

Just across the harbor from Beaufort—but three bridges driving—this beach is a family-friendly spot known for its wide stretches of sand (even at high tide) and beautiful green water. Free outdoor movies, movie festivals, playgrounds, and a park are featured on the town's Circle. A boardwalk fronts part of the clean, wide beach, where buoys mark lifeguard-protected swimming areas. It's home to Fort Macon, a renowned surf break, and several bustling, quality restaurants, including Amos Mosquito's, the Island Grille, and the Idle Hour Biergarten. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; windsurfing.

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.

Other wineries purchase about 90% of the grapes the Balletto family grows on 800-plus acres, with the remainder destined for its own label's wines. The house style—light on the oak, high in acidity, and low in alcohol content—yields food-friendly wines. Sipping Pinot Gris, rosé of Pinot Noir, or a brut rosé sparkler on the outdoor patio can feel transcendent on a warm day, though the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs steal the show. The winery also makes Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

Offering one of Acadia National Park’s more unique experiences, Bar Island is only accessible by foot during a three-hour window when low tide exposes a ½-mile bar of sand, gravel, and rock connecting Bar Island to downtown Bar Harbor. If you forget to check the tide charts during the busy season, a stream of folks heading down Bridge Street from the West Street Historic District will let you know it's time to head over. But always make sure to check the tide charts before setting out, because once covered by rising tidal waters it’ll be another nine hours before the land bridge is again exposed. The entire Bar Island trail offers an easy 1.9-mile round-trip hike; on the island you can enjoy views of Bar Harbor and Frenchman Bay and check out ruins of old homes. Easy.

This 93-acre natural sanctuary is home to 13 gardens with more than 2,000 varieties of annuals, perennials, wildflowers, and trees. There's a greenhouse, marked ecology trails (leashed dogs are welcome), a pretty pond, and a boardwalk through a red maple swamp. Brilliant, bold colors make the wildflower garden stunning in spring.

This tiny lobstering village has a relaxed atmosphere and a few restaurants and lodgings. If you're looking to get away from the crowds, consider using this hardworking community as your base. Although Bass Harbor does not draw as many tourists as other villages, Bass Harbor Head Light, a bit outside the village and part of Acadia National Park, is one of the region's most popular attractions and undoubtedly one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine. From Bass Harbor, you can take a ferry to Frenchboro or Swans Island. Acadia's Ship Harbor and Wonderland trails are east of the village and the lighthouse on Route 102A.

From U.S. 601 in the east section of the park, this 19th-century road—once the route to a ferry across the river—offers the easiest access to the Congaree River in the park. A few sections of the 1.1-mile path can be soggy, but it's manageable any time of year. In the summer, low water levels often reveal a wide sandbar along the riverbank that's perfect for a picnic. The General Greene Tree—Congaree's largest bald cypress tree at 30 feet in circumference—is along this trail. Easy.

This seasonally opened picnic area is located just past the entrance to Sieur de Monts along the one-way section of the Park Loop Road. Trees shade most of its 35 sites. A restroom is available.

A unique payoff awaits on this 1.2-mile round-trip hike: a fire lookout tower where you can enjoy views of Somes Sound, Echo Lake, Acadia Mountain, and beyond from its platform. The forested and rocky trail is popular with sunset seekers, who are reminded to carry appropriate clothing and headlamps for the descent. Moderate.

This 300-acre patch of remaining wetland environment is indicative of the salt marsh landscape that covered Boston when early settlers arrived and which today has been filled in. As you walk or run Belle Isle's gravel paths, listen to the sound of the marsh's diverse bird community, which includes the American kestrel, belted kingfisher, great blue heron, northern harrier, and salt marsh sparrow. Boardwalks venture into the marsh for great viewing and photo ops.

This stop on the Freedom Trail, in front of Old City Hall, commemorates the revolutionary, statesman, and inventor that every school child knows by name. Speaking of education, Franklin's likeness marks the original location of the Boston Latin School, the country's oldest public school (founded in 1635). Franklin attended Boston Latin with three other signers of the Declaration of Independence—Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine. However, he has the dubious distinction of being the only one of the four not to graduate. This is Freedom Trail stop 6.

Named after a stop on the Air Line trolley that once shuttled between Downtown and the Santa Monica Pier, Bergamot Station is now a depot for intriguing art---the largest of its kind on the West Coast. The industrial facades house more than 30 art galleries, shops, a café, a theater, and a museum. The galleries cover many kinds of media: photography, jewelry, and paintings from somber to lurid. Leashed, tame dogs are welcome and admission is free.