176 Best Sights in USA

Dedicated to the influence that people of African descent have had in places all over the world, MoAD focuses on temporary exhibits in its four galleries over three floors. With floor-to-ceiling windows onto Mission Street, the museum fits perfectly into the cultural scene of Yerba Buena and is well worth a 30-minute foray. Most striking is its front window centerpiece: a three-story mosaic, made from thousands of photographs, that forms the image of a young girl's face. Walk up the stairs inside the museum to view the mosaic photographs up close—Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali are there, along with everyday folks—but the best view is from across Mission Street.

Located inside the Municipal Auditorium, the Musicians Hall of Fame is another powerful testament to the musical legacy of the city. You’ll find special exhibits on the Grammy Awards, Motown, Stax Records, Muscle Shoals, and more—and, of course, some Nashville pioneers. Beyond big-name acts, you’ll also learn about the lesser-known session musicians who played on some of the most popular recordings in history.

Architecture, design, landscaping, and urban planning are the themes of this museum, the nation's premier cultural organization devoted to the built environment. The open interior of the mammoth redbrick building is one of the city's great spaces and has been the site of many presidential inaugural balls. The eight central Corinthian columns are among the largest in the world, rising to a height of 75 feet. Although they resemble Siena marble, each comprises 70,000 bricks covered with plaster and painted. The long-term exhibition House and Home features a kaleidoscopic array of photographs, objects, models, and films that takes visitors on a tour of houses both surprising and familiar, through past and present, exploring American domestic life and residential architecture. The museum also offers a series of temporary hands-on exhibitions focusing on construction. Although geared towards children, people of all ages enjoy the experience.

More than 100 wax figures on display recount the triumphs and trials of Africans and African Americans. The wax figures are accompanied by text and audio. Baltimoreans honored include Frederick Douglass, who as a youth lived and worked in Fells Point; singer Billie Holiday; and jazz composer Eubie Blake. To get here from Mount Vernon, take Charles Street north and turn left at North Avenue.

Located inside the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the National Inventors Hall of Fame spotlights more than 600 inventors and the greatest technological and trademarked achievements. Browse the interactive gallery of inductees, have a seat in a 1965 Ford Mustang merged with a 2015 Ford Mustang, test your eye for authenticity through an interactive display of authentic and counterfeit products, and more. The gift shop has some truly one-of-a-kind mementos and gifts.

Commemorating the more than 3,000 troops who trained on these shores during World War II, when this elite military unit got its start, there are weapons, vehicles, and equipment on view. Exhibits honor all frogmen and underwater demolition teams and depict their history. The museum houses the lifeboat from which SEALs saved the Maersk Alabama captain from Somali pirates in 2009. Kids get a thrill out of the helicopters and aircraft on the grounds.

The showplace of the Train Collectors Association, this museum displays both antique and modern toy trains and is a must for toy train buffs. The museum has five huge train operating layouts, with toy trains from the 1800s to the present, plus nostalgic films and hundreds of locomotives and cars in display cases.

Spanning multiple decades, this yo-yo collection occupies the back of a toy and novelty shop. If you've ever aspired to Walk the Dog or venture Around the World, you'll find the museum a diverting brief stop. Highlights include the 256-pound No-Jive 3-in-1 yo-yo and comedian Tom Smothers's collection.

A popular attraction on Norfolk’s redeveloped downtown waterfront, Nauticus is a maritime discovery center featuring interactive exhibits that tell the story of Norfolk’s maritime environment, industry, and the military. Visitors can walk the historic decks of the Battleship Wisconsin, the largest and last battleship of the U.S. Navy, learn to sail through an award-winning sailing program, and charter a tall ship for an educational cruise along the Elizabeth River.

Nauticus is undergoing a major transformational redesign project, opening in stages. Phase I features a new children’s exhibit, Aquaticus, encouraging experiential play, as well as "Norfolk in Time," a look at the past, present, and future of Norfolk. Stage 2 opens in 2024 to include the addition of three state-of-the-art exhibit galleries.

Affectionately known as the MAC, the museum is in an impressive six-level glass-and-wood structure filled with audiovisual displays and artifacts that trace Spokane's history. There's also a fine Native American collection that includes baskets and beadwork of the Plateau nation. Wander to the adjacent Victorian home, the Campbell House, to admire the interior or view mining-era exhibits.

More than 9,100 modern and antique nutcrackers—some of them centuries old—are displayed in this museum, which in 2022 was added to Guinness World Records for having the world's largest nutcracker collection. You can also view exhibits on the region's Native American heritage and pioneer families presented by the Upper Valley Historical Society. The museum gift shop stocks nutcrackers of all sizes and in the likeness of all kinds of characters.

Short story writer William Sydney Porter, better known to the world as O. Henry, rented this modest frame house in Austin from 1893 to 1895. Moved a few blocks from its original location and now nestled among today's downtown high-rises, the quaint museum, filled with O. Henry memorabilia, artifacts, and original drawings, reopened in 2023 after significant but mostly invisible updates to preserve the historic structure and its surrounding Brushy Square Park. The park hosts free community events, including the museum's wildly popular O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships, held every May since 1977.

Vincent Price narrates the dramatic version of the town's fascinating past in the "Historama"—a 26-minute multimedia presentation that provides a solid overview. At the adjoining, authentic O.K. Corral, the actual spot where the 1881 shootout took place, a recorded voiceover details the gunfight, while life-size figures of the participants stand poised to shoot. A reenactment of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral is held daily at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Photographer C. S. Fly, whose studio was next door to the corral, didn't record this bit of history, but Geronimo and his pursuers were among the historic figures he did capture with his camera. Many of his fascinating Old West images and his equipment may be viewed at the Fly Exhibition Gallery & Studio.

A nice place to stop and rest in the shade, this site offers vast views of the Painted Desert from several lookouts. Inside, cultural history exhibits, murals, and Native American crafts are on display.

With an exhibition gallery, small cinema, screening room, and a computerized catalog of more than 160,000 television and radio programs, the Paley Center's New York outpost examines the constantly evolving state of media. Temporary exhibits on the first floor showcase anything from game shows to sporting events through photographs, recordings, and artifacts. The center also hosts public seminars, lectures, and screenings that explore the history of broadcasting. The fourth-floor library is the top draw: if you want to see an archived awards show, news program, sitcom, or historic event, simply check into a semiprivate computer terminal, enter your search terms, and enjoy. Possibly the most entertaining part of these TV shows from yesteryear is that the original commercials are still embedded in many of the programs. If ads are your thing, you can watch compilations of classic commercials.

This huge facility ranks among the largest private collections of aircraft in the world. More than 400 airplanes are on display in hangars and outside, including a presidential plane used by both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson; a full-scale replica of the Wright brothers' 1903 Wright Flyer; the SR-71 reconnaissance jet; and a mock-up of the X-15, the world's fastest aircraft. World War II planes are particularly well represented.

Meander on your own (even leashed pets are allowed) or take a free walking tour led by volunteer docents. The open-air tram tour (an additional $8 fee) narrates all outside aircraft. An on-site restaurant, The Flight Grill, is open daily.

The Pratt is an art gallery, and a cultural and natural-history museum rolled into one. The gallery showcases some of Alaska's finest artists, as well as special exhibits that rotate regularly. You can also explore botanical gardens, nature trails, and a gift shop, and spy on wildlife via the robotic video cameras set up on a seabird rookery and at the McNeil River Bear Sanctuary. A refurbished homestead cabin and outdoor summer exhibits are along the trail out back.

At the city's airport, the Pueblo-Weisbrod Aircraft Museum traces the development of American military aviation with nearly 35 aircraft in mint condition, ranging from a Lockheed F-80 fighter plane to a MiG-15. Curator Shawn Kirscht restored a Boeing B-29 Super Fortress of atomic-bomb fame on-site, which is now on display in Hangar One.

"Fat Mike" Burkett of NOFX is behind this two-story, 12,000 square-foot tribute and repository of in-your-face rock. The displays are organized by geography and eras—such as "1970s Los Angeles" or "1980s San Francisco Bay Area," complete with QR codes linking to relevant playlists. Along with the expected array of photos, stage get-ups, guitars, T-shirts and hand-written set lists (London Calling by The Clash), you'll find surprises such as monster masks, a partial bottle of Jack Daniels waiting for the late "Lemmy" of Motorhead, and even a . . . melodica? Yes, it was played onstage by Big D & The Kids Table. Something else you might not expect: it's pretty quiet. Because the music changes from room to room, nothing rattles the walls. The museum occasionally hosts stand-up comics, and guided tours are offered several times a month by veteran rockers. The full-service museum even hosts weddings and a tattoo studio. An indoor/outdoor bar called The Triple Down is a spin-off of the punk-enough Double Down near the UNLV campus.

This museum in the historic district is a tribute to Willcox's most famous native son, cowboy singer Rex Allen. He starred in several rather average "singing cowboy" movies during the 1940s and '50s for Republic Pictures, but he's probably most famous as the friendly voice that narrated Walt Disney nature films of the 1960s. Check out the glittery suits the star wore on tour—they'd do Liberace proud.

A 10-foot-square section of the Berlin Wall, a pain-and-torture chamber, two African fertility statues that women swear have helped them conceive—these and almost 200 other oddities (shrunken heads included) speak for themselves in this museum-cum-attraction in the heart of tourist territory on International Drive. The building itself is designed to appear as if it's sliding into one of Florida's notorious sinkholes. Give yourself an hour or two to soak up the weirdness, but remember: this is a looking, not touching, experience; it might drive antsy youngsters—and their parents—crazy. Buy tickets online ahead of time for discounts.

The museum might not look like much from the outside, but the collectibles and tree make this one of the best places to visit in town. Originally a boardinghouse for the Vizina Mining Company and later a popular hotel, the Rose Tree Inn Museum has 1880s period rooms and—its main attraction—a humongous rose tree (hence the name). Covering more than 8,600 square feet, the Lady Banksia rose tree, planted by a homesick bride in 1885, is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world. The best time to see the tree is from mid-March through May, when its tiny white roses bloom. Romantics can purchase a healthy clipping from the tree to plant in their own yards.

Newport's former Armory is the new home for this museum dedicated to the sport and history of sailing. Incorporating the National Sailing Hall of Fame, the museum mixes historical information and displays on legendary sailors and boats with hands-on interactive stations where visitors---including kids---can get a feel for navigating, steering, and racing boats.

Even if you don't know a choke from a chassis, you're bound to admire the sleek designs of the autos in this impressive museum. On rotating display are gems from the museum's core collection of vintage motorcycles and cars—ranging from a pair of Steve McQueen's dirt bikes and an extremely rare Bizzarrini (only three were ever made) to a 1981 silver DeLorean (remember the time machine in Back to the Future?)—as well as a series of visiting special exhibits. Be sure to see the Fabulous Car of Louis Mattar, which was ingeniously kitted out to set the cross-country endurance record in 1952 (6,320 miles nonstop from San Diego to New York City and back, refueling from a moving gas truck); a video display shows highlights such as Mattar and his codrivers changing the tire while in motion and pouring a glass of water from the onboard tap. There's also an ongoing automobile restoration program and an extensive automotive research library.

Check the calendar if visiting in December, as the museum has varying early closing hours during the holiday season.

When the exhibits at this 27,000-square-foot museum are in operation, you can hear the sounds of chugging engines, screeching brakes, and shrill whistles. Local model railroad clubs built and maintain the four main displays, which represent California railroads in "miniature," with the track laid on scale models of San Diego County terrain. Out back, the Centennial Railway Garden features replicas of the streetcars and scenes of Balboa Park during the 1915 Exposition. The Toy Train Gallery has an interactive Lionel exhibit and whimsical vignettes.

There are 8 million fossils, dinosaur models, and even live reptiles and other specimens under this roof. Favorite exhibits include the Foucault Pendulum, suspended on a 43-foot cable and designed to demonstrate the Earth's rotation, and an Allosaurus fragilis dinosaur skeleton made from casts of original fossil bones. Permanent exhibits highlight citizen scientists and the regional environment, and traveling exhibits also make a stop here. Films shown at the museum's giant-screen theater are included with admission. Check the website for information about films, lectures, and free guided nature walks.

A labor of love from the same vintage-transit enthusiasts responsible for the F-line's revival, this one-room museum and store celebrates the city's streetcars and cable cars with photographs, models, and artifacts. The permanent exhibit includes the replicated end of a streetcar with a working cab—complete with controls and a bell—for kids to explore; the cool, antique Wiley birdcage traffic signal; and models and display cases to view. Right on the F-line track, just across from the Ferry Building, this is a great quick stop.

This nonprofit interactive museum, a really cool high-tech space housed in a refurbished 1880s mill, offers a wealth of fun—and education—for kids and grown-ups alike. Exhibitions run the gamut from Sharks to the Food Forest, deep sea robotics, a virtual body table, and so much more.

This fun, visitor-favorite museum is an homage to transport from years past. Get an up-close look at trolleys from major metropolitan areas worldwide—from Boston to Budapest, New York to Nagasaki, and San Francisco to Sydney—beautifully restored and displayed (and, sometimes, operational). Best of all, you can take a nearly 4-mile ride on the tracks of the former Atlantic Shore Line Railway, with a stop along the way at the museum restoration shop, where trolleys are transformed from worn-out into standout condition. The outdoor museum is self-guided.