10457 Best Sights in USA

Storyboards near this ancient heiau (sacred site) recount the significance of the many sacred structures found along the Wailua River. It's unknown exactly how the ancient Hawaiians used Poliahu Heiau—one of the largest pre-Christian temples on the island—but legend says it was created by the Menehune, the legendary race of little people who were quick builders, because of the unusual stonework found in its walled enclosures. From this site, drive downhill toward the ocean to pohaku hoohanau, a two-piece birthing stone said to confer special blessings on all children born there, and pohaku piko, whose crevices were a repository for umbilical cords left by parents seeking a clue to their child's destiny, which reportedly was foretold by how the cord fared in the rock. Some Hawaiians feel these sacred stones shouldn't be viewed as tourist attractions, so always treat them with respect. Never stand or sit on the rocks or leave any offerings.

The old Sears, Roebuck & Co. building built in 1925 has transformed into Atlanta's hippest place to live, work, shop, and play, especially with the addition of a mini amusement park on the roof. The historic property is adjacent to the BeltLine, with easy access to several neighborhoods. The 2-million-square-foot development—led by the same group who brought NYC’s Chelsea Market to life—is LEED Gold certified. Eco-friendliness aside, the real draw is the food hall. Walk through the crowds and among industrial-style spiral staircases and original concrete columns to devour coveted burgers from Holeman and Finch; Southern-style fried chicken at Hop's; and raw oysters from W. H. Stiles Fish Camp. The Dancing Goats Coffee Bar stays busy, especially when City Winery, a music venue and restaurant in its own right, is hosting events. The rooftop amusement park has all-ages favorites such as Skee-Ball and minigolf.

One of the founding families of Willamette Valley wine, Dick and Nancy Ponzi planted their original estate vineyard in 1970. While you can still visit the historic estate that looks out over these old vines, your best bet is to drop in at their new visitors facility at the winery just 12 miles south of Hillsboro. Here you'll find red and white flights of the current releases, as well as the occasional older vintage from the library. Enjoy table-side wine service indoors around the fireplace, or out on the covered terrace. Antipasti plates are a nice accompaniment to the wine. Pictures on the walls and displays provide a wonderful visual history of this winery that is still family owned and operated. The Ponzi family also launched the BridgePort Brewing Company in 1984, and runs a wine bar and restaurant in Dundee.

At the tip of the Phippsburg Peninsula, Popham Beach State Park faces the open Atlantic between the mouths of the Kennebec and Morse rivers. At low tide, you can walk several miles of tidal flats and also out to small Fox Island, where you can explore tide pools or fish off the ledges (pay attention to the incoming tide unless you want to swim back). Shifting sand and beach and sea dynamics have led to dramatic erosion here, and, in recent years, the sea has taken a big bite out of the beach. There are picnic tables, plus a bathhouse, showers, and toilets. About a mile from the beach, the road ends at the Civil War–era Fort Popham State Historic Site, an unfinished semicircular granite fort overlooking the sea. The site of the Popham Colony, an early 1600s English settlement, is also nearby. Enjoy beach views and some fresh seafood at nearby Spinney's Restaurant.

The Porcupine caribou herd, with nearly 200,000 animals, migrates through Alaska's Arctic and Canada's adjacent Vuntut and Ivvavik National Parks, flowing like a river of animals across the expansive coastal plain, through U-shape valleys and alpine meadows, and over high mountain passes. Their range includes the Northwest Territories and Yukon of Canada, and Arctic Alaska, where many give on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. The herd's numbers appear strong, though the threat of oil and gas drilling and climate change on their birthing and nursing grounds worries many Arctic communities in Alaska and Canada.

The premier scenic drive in Olympic National Park is a steep ribbon of curves that climbs from thickly forested foothills and subalpine meadows into the upper stretches of pine-swathed peaks. At the top, Hurricane Ridge has some spectacular views over the heart of the peninsula and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A mile past the parking lot, there are picnic tables in open meadows with photo-worthy views of the mountains to the east. Hurricane Ridge also has an uncommonly fine display of wildflowers in spring and summer. In winter, vehicles must carry chains, and the road is usually open Friday to Sunday only (call first to check conditions).

At this interactive museum, adults are encouraged to play every bit as much as children. A favorite attraction is the three-story KidWorks, a futuristic jungle gym on which the adventurous can climb, crawl, slide, and swing their way through stairs, slides, ropes, zip lines, and tunnels, and even across a narrow footbridge. Learn about the Earth's atmosphere as you splash around in Wonders of Water (rain slickers and shoes are provided). Cook food in Tiny's Diner, an interactive restaurant. A soccer field becomes a stage for dance-offs and virtual races. Changing exhibits allow for even more play.

The basement of the town's quaint General Store is home to the Smithsonian-designed Port Gamble Historic Museum, which takes you through the region's timber heyday. Highlights include artifacts from the Pope and Talbot Timber Company, which built the town, and realistic ship's quarters. On the second floor of the General Store (which is open year-round), the Sea and Shore Museum houses more than 25,000 shells as well as displays on natural history. Kids love the weird bug exhibit. Stop at the General Store for souvenirs or a huge ice-cream cone or hand-dipped milk shake, or stay for lunch in the store's excellent café.

The treasures at the Pacific Northwest's oldest arts facility span 35 centuries of Asian, European, and American art—it's an impressive collection for a midsize city. A high point is the Center for Native American Art, with regional and contemporary art from more than 200 indigenous groups. The Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art contains six floors devoted entirely to modern art, including a small but superb photography gallery, with the changing selection chosen from more than 5,000 pieces in the museum's permanent collection. The film center, known as PAM CUT, presents a variety of screenings and festivals. Also, take a moment to linger in the peaceful outdoor sculpture garden. Kids under 18 are admitted free.

Familiar to many from photographs and the Edward Hopper painting Portland Head-Light (1927), this lighthouse was commissioned by George Washington in 1790. The towering, white-stone structure stands over the keeper's quarters, a white home with a blazing red roof, today the Museum at Portland Head Light. The lighthouse is in 90-acre Fort Williams Park, a sprawling green space with walking paths, picnic facilities, a beach and—you guessed it—a cool old fort.

One of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside Japan, this serene landscape unfolds over 12½ acres of Washington Park, just a short stroll up the hill from the International Rose Test Garden. Designed by a Japanese landscape master, there are five separate garden styles: Strolling Pond Garden, Tea Garden, Natural Garden, Sand and Stone Garden, and Flat Garden. The Tea House was built in Japan and reconstructed here. An ambitious expansion designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma added the Cultural Village, which contains a tea garden café, library, art gallery, and gift shop. The east side of the Pavilion has a majestic view of Portland and Mt. Hood. It's a pretty walk to get here from Downtown, but the garden is also easily reached by bus.  Knowledgeable volunteers guide daily public tours, which are free with admission; reservations are required (and can be booked online).

This colorful and community-driven complex of indoor and outdoor food stalls and markets, flanked by a row of picnic tables, is Portland's own little Latin America with business owners from Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, and elsewhere throughout Central and South America. A great destination for eating and socializing, the colorfully painted Mercado is also a business incubator that helps Latin American entrepreneurs thrive both here and throughout Portland, and it's a thriving anchor of the diverse Foster Powell neighborhood. Be sure to step inside the central interior space to view displays with facts and historic photos about the city's and region's Latin American community. Vendor highlights include Kaah Neighborhood Market, Tierra del Sol (Oaxacan), Havana Station (Cuban), and Barrio neighborhood bar.

Maine's largest public art institution's collection includes fine seascapes and landscapes by Winslow Homer, John Marin, Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, Marsden Hartley, and other American painters. Homer's Weatherbeaten, a quintessential Maine Coast image, is here, and the museum owns and displays, on a rotating basis, 16 more of his paintings, plus more than 400 of his illustrations (and it offers tours of the Winslow Homer Studio in nearby Prouts Neck). The museum has works by Monet and Picasso, as well as Degas, Renoir, and Chagall. I.M. Pei’s colleague Henry Cobb designed the strikingly modern Charles Shipman Payson building. The museum shop is stocked with unusually cool and imaginative items and gifts.

On Saturdays from March to Christmas Eve, the west side of the Burnside Bridge and the Skidmore Fountain area hosts North America's largest ongoing open-air handicraft market, with some 300 vendors. If you're looking for jewelry, yard art, housewares, and decorative goods made from every material under the sun, check out the amazing collection of works by talented artisans on display here. Entertainers and food booths add to the festive feel. Be careful not to mistake this market for the food-centric PSU Portland Farmers Market, which also takes place on Saturday, on the other side of Downtown.

This coastal "ghost town" is like nowhere else on the southeastern Atlantic coast, and the few thousand people that make it here each year are stunned to realize it exists.

Inhabited from 1753 until the early 1970s, Portsmouth had 685 permanent residents at its peak in 1860, making it one of the largest settlements on the Outer Banks. It was a "lightering" town, where ships heavy with cargo had to unload to smaller boats that could navigate the shallow Ocracoke Inlet. But the Civil War and the dredging of a deeper inlet at Hatteras were the beginning of the end for the town. By 1956, there were 17 inhabitants; the last two left in 1971. Today, the public can tour the one-room schoolhouse, the Methodist church, the post office and general store, and the turn-of-the-20th-century lifesaving station (a multiroom Coast Guard station), each of which has been restored following the devastating flooding of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Guided tours are available June 1 to September 1. Bring food, water, and bug spray (the mosquitoes could carry you away). Portsmouth Island Boat Tours runs a small passenger boat from Ocracoke.

A local legend, and rightfully so, Powell's is the largest independent bookstore in the world, with more than 1.5 million new and used books along with a good selection of locally made gifts and goodies. The three-level store covers an entire city block—maps are available at the info kiosks and rooms are color-coded according to book type. On the top floor, the Rare Book Room is a must-see, even if you’re not planning to splurge for an 1829 volume of the Waverly Novels or an autobiography signed by Anwar Sadat; there are rare prints and mint-condition first editions in just about every genre. Check online for upcoming author readings, which draw some of the world’s top literary names. There's another branch in the Hawthorne District.

A massive stone fireplace anchors this small redwood lodge whose wildlife displays include a section of a tree a young elk died beside. Due to the peculiar way the redwood grew around the elk's skull, the tree appears to have antlers. You can learn about interpretive programs at the center, which has a gift shop, a picnic area, restrooms, and exhibits on flora and fauna. Roosevelt elk often roam the vast field across the parkway, and several trails begin nearby. Stretch your legs with a stroll along Revelation Trail, a short loop that starts behind the lodge.

With how seamlessly the Presidio Tunnel Tops landscape flows from the Presidio's Main Parade Lawn downhill to Crissy Field, it's almost impossible to envision the two not being connected. Yet, that was always the case until this impressive 14-acre green space with 1.8 miles of winding walking paths was completed in 2022. It's a park that is both function (bringing together two important areas atop a highway tunnel) and form (beautifully designed by James Corner Field Operations, the same firm that designed New York City's acclaimed High Line elevated park). 

The Presidio Tunnel Tops are a marquee destination for many reasons, but there's no escaping that the park is best known for its panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge. There's plenty more to do, from grabbing lunch from a visiting food truck or letting kids explore the impressive 2-acre Outpost playground that tells the Presidio's extensive history and evokes its natural habitat. There are three lawn areas for picnicking, a Campfire Circle where ranger talks are given, and 200,000 plants to gaze at.

Altogether, it's a fun breath of fresh air—and it's hard to believe that you're literally on top of the busy 101 highway. After exploring the Presidio Tunnel Tops, make sure to head over to their lesser-known "above the highway" park sibling, Battery Bluff. This park doesn't have the activities or amenities that makes the Tunnel Tops such a draw, but it's worth a visit for the views and to see the four preserved historic gun batteries.

This winery 2,200 feet up Spring Mountain straddles Napa and Sonoma counties, confusing enough for visitors but even more complicated for the wine-making staff: government regulations require separate wineries and paperwork for each side of the property. It's one of several Pride Mountain quirks, but the winery's "big red wines," including a Cabernet Sauvignon that earned 100-point scores from a prominent wine critic two years in a row, are serious business. On a visit, by appointment only, you can learn about the farming and cellar strategies behind Pride's acclaimed Cabs. The winery also produces Syrah, a Cablike Merlot, Claret, Cabernet Franc, and noteworthy Chardonnay and Viognier whites. The views here are knock-your-socks-off gorgeous.

Taking in quite a bit of Santa Cruz, this moderate-to-strenuous 3-mile trail one-way to Pelican Cove is one of the best hikes in the park. You must be accompanied by an Island Packers naturalist or secure a permit (visit  www.nature.org/cruzpermit; allow 10 to 15 business days), as the hike takes you through Nature Conservancy property. Moderate.

It’s tough to top the view of Chicago's skyline from the Point—a scenic, man-made peninsula, which projects into Lake Michigan. Opened in 1937 as part of Burnham Park, this 40-acre peninsula, which was originally called 55th Street Promontory, is entered via a tunnel underneath Lake Shore Drive at 55th Street or the Lakefront Trail. The fawn-shaped David Wallach Memorial Fountain is located near the tunnel. The park's field house is a popular wedding venue, so you may catch a glimpse of a beaming bride during your visit. The Promontory Apartments building—Mies van der Rohe's first residential high-rise, completed in 1949—exemplifies the postwar trend toward a clean, simple style. Note the skylines and belching smokestacks of Gary and Hammond, Indiana, to the southeast.

The vibrant, interactive, hands-on learning environments here are geared to children ages 1 to 11 and their families. Favorite exhibits and activities include Water Ways, ThinkSpace, Maker Studio, and Coming to Rhode Island, which encourages kids to imagine the experience of immigrating to the Ocean State. Littlewoods, for toddlers, has a tree house, bear cave, and a slide. Kids can also explore an outdoor climbing structure and imitate burrowing creatures in Underland.

The 14,000-square-foot outdoor ice rink, right in the heart of downtown Providence, is twice the size of the one at New York City's Rockefeller Center. The facility is open for skating and ice bumper cars daily, late November–mid-March, and skate and helmet rentals are available. In summer, kids love driving the bumper cars, roller skating (and roller disco!), and bubble soccer (trying to score while wearing a giant bubble). The center also occasionally hosts movies, summer concerts, festivals, and other events.

Part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Province Lands stretch from High Head in Truro to the tip of Provincetown and are scattered with ponds, cranberry bogs, and scrub. More than 7 miles of bike and walking trails lace through forests of stunted pines, beech, and oak and across desertlike expanses of rolling dunes. At the visitor center you'll find short films on local geology and exhibits on the life of the dunes and the shore. You can also pick up information on guided walks, birding trips, lectures, and other programs, as well as on the Province Lands' pristine beaches, Race Point and Herring Cove, and walking, biking, and horse trails. Don't miss the awe-inspiring panoramic view of the dunes and the surrounding ocean from the observation deck. This terrain provides optimal conditions for the deer tick, which can cause Lyme disease, so use extra caution.

Founded in 1914 to collect and exhibit the works of artists with Provincetown connections, this facility has more than 4,000 works from more than 900 artists, displayed in changing exhibitions that mix up-and-comers with established 20th-century figures like Milton Avery, Philip Evergood, William Gropper, Charles Hawthorne, Robert Motherwell, Claes Oldenburg, Man Ray, John Singer Sargent, Andy Warhol, and Agnes Weinrich. A stunning contemporary wing offers lots of exhibit space. The museum store carries books of local interest, including works by or about area artists and authors, as well as posters, crafts, cards, and gift items. Workshops, lectures, studio nights, free events, and more keep things lively.

When Spanish explorers introduced horses to the Americas, some of the animals inevitably escaped and roamed wild across the land. You can see some of the last members of these breeds in the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, the first such nationally designated refuge. Approximately 120 horses, generally broken into small family groupings, roam these arid slopes with bighorn sheep, elk, deer, and mountain lions. Coat variations such as grulla, blue roan, dun, and sabino indicate Spanish lineage, as do markings such as dorsal stripes, zebra stripes on the legs, and a stripe on the withers. The easiest way to view the herds is simply to drive along Route 37 and look out your window, but Pryor Wild Mustang Center in Lovell, Wyoming ( www.pryormustangs.org), offers tours from May 15 through September for $240/person.

The Pugliese family, in the spirit of the late founder and partiarch Ralph Pugliese, makes good, down-to-earth affordble wines that are local favorites. Its sparklers really shine: the Blanc de Blanc Brut regularly ranks in national competitions, and the off-dry sparkling merlot is an unusual treat. Try the Porto Bello dessert wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, great with chocolate, cheese, or on its own. The Sunset Meritage blend, with its deep, earthy flavors, is a winner. The hand-painted wine glasses and bottles make great gifts. Live music near the fish pond under the trellis on summer weekends attracts groups of friends and families with grandparents and children. In recent years limousine tours have brought growing crowds to this small family operation, but it's still the same friendly, beautiful winery Mr. Pugliese started 35 years ago.