189 Best Sights in USA

Except from 1899 through 1949, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House has been the site of an active Presbyterian congregation since 1772. Scottish pioneers founded the church, and Scottish patriots used it as a gathering place during the Revolution. Four memorial services were held for George Washington here. The tomb of an unknown soldier of the American Revolution lies in a corner of the small churchyard, where many prominent Alexandrians—including Dr. James Craik, physician and best friend to Washington, and merchant John Carlyle—are interred. The original sanctuary was rebuilt after a lightning strike and fire in 1835. The interior is appropriately plain; if you'd like to visit the sanctuary, you can stop in the office or call ahead for a tour; a historian is generally there on weekdays.

Four miles of boardwalks and unpaved footpaths (as well as a 3-mile paddling trail) take you through this mix of wetlands and forest. Besides cypress trees, water lily fields, and wildlife, the draw is a historical one: the last portion of the country's first true canal, constructed in large part through the labor of enslaved people. An interpretive center details the history of the canal, which was used to transport goods from upstate South Carolina to the port of Charleston for the first half of the 19th century. The circa-1840 Stony Landing Plantation House is furnished with period reproductions. Also on-site (and included in admission) is the Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center, which tells the story of the county's cultural and natural history, including spotlighting the enslaved people who built the rice and mineral extraction industry that enabled this interior area to flourish. Prefer to explore by boat? Rent a canoe for $5 per half hour.

This Federal-style building with an elaborate cupola and roof balustrade was designed in the early 1700s by Charles Bulfinch, architect of the U.S. Capitol. It served as Connecticut's state capitol until a new building opened in 1879, when it became Hartford's city hall until 1915. In the 1820 Senate Chamber, where everyone from John Adams and Abraham Lincoln to Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush has spoken, you can view a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart; and in the Courtroom, you can find out about the trial of the Amistad Africans in the very place it began. In summer, enjoy concerts and a farmers' market (which dates back to the 1600s).

Trace the steps of Oregon Trail pioneers at this nature park in the Blue Mountains, where pine trees still bear the scars made by passing covered wagons more than 175 years ago. Signs along the various unpaved hiking trails highlight the history of the journey west.

In the early 1800s, the wooden-rail balcony extending over Orleans Street was linked to a ballroom where free women of color met their French suitors—as Madame John of "Madame John's Legacy" is said to have done. The quadroons (technically, people whose racial makeup was one-quarter African) who met here were young, unmarried women of legendary beauty. A gentleman would select a favorite and, with her mother's approval, buy her a house and support her as his mistress. The sons of these unions, which were generally maintained in addition to legal marriages with French women, were often sent to France to be educated. This practice, known as plaçage, was unique to New Orleans at the time. The ballroom later became part of a convent and school for the Sisters of the Holy Family, a religious order founded in New Orleans in 1842 by the daughter of a quadroon to educate and care for African American women. The ballroom itself is not open to visitors, but a view of the balcony from across the street is enough to set the historical stage.

If this Congregationalist church at the corner of Tremont and Park streets could sing, you'd hear Samuel Smith's iconic hymn "America," which was first sung here in 1831. But that's only one fun fact about this historic site. It was designed by Peter Banner and erected in 1810. The Handel and Haydn Society was founded here in 1815. William Lloyd Garrison began his long public campaign for the abolition of slavery here in 1829. Just outside the church is Brimstone Corner, and whether the name refers to the fervent thunder of the church's preachers, the gunpowder that was once stored in the church's crypt, or the burning sulfur that preachers once scattered on the pavement to attract potential churchgoers, we'll never know—historians simply can't agree. This Freedom Trail site is not open for tours, only services. This is Freedom Trail stop 3.

Jonathan Fisher, the first permanent minister of Blue Hill, built this home from 1814 to 1820. It provides a fascinating look at his many accomplishments and talents, which included writing and illustrating books, painting, farming, and building furniture. Also on view is a wooden clock he crafted while a student at Harvard; the face holds messages about time written in English, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and French. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The centerpiece of this national park is the ruins of Pecos, once a major Pueblo village with more than 1,100 rooms. About 2,500 people are thought to have lived in this structure, as high as five stories in places. Pecos, in a fertile valley between the Great Plains and the Rio Grande Valley, was a trading center centuries before the Spanish conquistadors visited in about 1540. The Spanish later returned to build two missions. The pueblo was abandoned in 1838, and its 17 surviving occupants moved to the Jémez Pueblo. Anglo travelers on the Santa Fe Trail observed the mission ruins with a great sense of fascination. You can view the mission ruins and the excavated pueblo on a 1¼-mile self-guided tour, a Civil War battlefield on a 2½-mile trail, and the small but outstanding visitor center museum containing photos, pottery, and artifacts from the pueblo. A half-mile south of the visitor center, the recently restored Kozlowski Trading Post is part of the park and contains exhibits on the Santa Fe Trail and other aspects of the park's rich history.

Washington's own 9/11 memorial honors the 184 people who perished when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon. Stainless-steel-and-granite benches inscribed with the victims' names are arranged in order by date of birth and where they were when they died. The names of the victims who were inside the Pentagon are situated so that visitors reading their names face the Pentagon, and names of the victims on the plane are arranged so that visitors reading their names face skyward. At each bench is a lighted pool of flowing water. Designed by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, the memorial opened to the public on September 11, 2008, the seventh anniversary of the attacks. Volunteer docents periodically stand near the entrance and answer questions. There is no public parking, with the exception of five stalls for handicap-permitted vehicles.

The headquarters of General Mariano Vallejo’s vast (66,000 acres at its peak) agricultural domain from 1836 to 1846, this restored compound is the largest extant 19th-century residential adobe in the United States. The mostly low-tech exhibits explain Vallejo’s role as Mexico’s head honcho before California joined the United States and depict daily life for native peoples and Spanish and Mexican settlers.

Travelers passing through Capitol Gorge in the 19th and early 20th centuries etched the canyon wall with their names and the date. Directly across the canyon from the Pioneer Register and about 50 feet up are signatures etched into the canyon wall by an early United States Geologic Survey crew. Though it's illegal to write or scratch on the canyon walls today, plenty of damage has been done by vandals over the years. You can reach the register via an easy hike from the sheltered trailhead at the end of Capitol Gorge Road; the register is about 10 minutes along the hike toward the sandstone Tanks.

The inciting incident leading to the landmark 1896 “separate but equal” Supreme Court case took place at the train tracks between the Bywater and the Marigny, when a man named Homer Plessy boarded an all-whites train as an act of planned civil disobedience. A historical marker at the spot commemorates Plessy’s bravery in paving the way for later civil rights action. Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson, modern day descendants of Homer Plessy and Judge Ferguson (who voted against Plessy in the case), unveiled the plaque in 2009 and today run the Plessy & Ferguson Foundation, dedicated to civil rights education and history.

This landmark rock, just a few dozen yards from the Mayflower II, is popularly believed to have been the Pilgrims' stepping-stone when they left the ship. Given the stone's unimpressive appearance—it's little more than a boulder—and dubious authenticity (as explained on a nearby plaque), the grand canopy overhead seems a trifle ostentatious. Still, more than a million people a year come to visit this world-famous symbol of courage and faith. The views of Plymouth Harbor alone are worth the visit.

Between 1929 and 1932, President Herbert Hoover used this part of the park, also known as Camp Hoover, as his summer retreat. Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry, hosted celebrities, dignitaries, and foreign leaders. When he left office, Hoover donated the 164-acre retreat to the National Park Service to be used in the creation of the Shenandoah National Park. In 1988, Camp Hoover was designated a National Historic Landmark. Three original structures have been restored to their 1929 appearances, including the President's Cabin ("Brown House"), the Prime Minister's Cabin, and the Creel Cabin.

Ranger-led tours of Rapidan Camp are offered from late-spring to late-fall, taking visitors inside two of the cabins.

An exhibit inside the Prime Minister's Cabin has various historical photos and artifacts on display.

Home to James Hammond, who is credited with being first to declare that "cotton is king," this wood-frame house remained in the family until 1975. The 13,000-square-foot mansion (which now sits on 369 acres) remains just as it was, down to the 19th-century books on the carved shelves. Exhibits in and around the former slave quarters contain photograph and textile exhibits that help visitors to understand the lives of the enslaved families that lived here and the atrocities they suffered. Once you've toured the house, be sure to explore the grounds on the 1-mile trail.

The landmark Rika's Roadhouse, part of the 10-acre Big Delta State Historical Park, is a good detour for the free tours of the beautifully restored and meticulously maintained grounds, gardens, and historic buildings. In the past, roadhouses were erected at fairly regular intervals in the north, providing everything a traveler might need. Rika's, which operated from 1913 to 1947, is far and away the prettiest and best preserved of the survivors. There's some RV campsites available.

Near Derby Wharf, this 9¼-acre site focuses on Salem's heritage as a major seaport with a thriving overseas trade. It includes the 1762 home of Elias Derby, America's first millionaire; the 1819 Custom House, made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter; and a replica of the Friendship, a 171-foot, three-masted 1797 merchant vessel. There's also an active lighthouse dating from 1871, as well as the nation's last surviving 18th-century wharves. The 1770 Pedrick Store House was moved from nearby Marblehead and reassembled right on Derby Wharf; the two-story structure once played a vital role in the lucrative merchant seaside trade. The grounds are open 24/7, but buildings open on a seasonal schedule.

The museum space is housed in a New England–style, wood-frame house prefabricated in the Eastern United States that was shipped around Cape Horn in 1851. The building has been restored to replicate the newspaper's offices of 1868, when the first edition of the San Diego Union (now known as the San Diego Union-Tribune) was printed.

With the low-slung, colonnaded Mission San Juan Bautista as its drawing card, this park 20 miles northeast of Salinas is about as close to early-19th-century California as you can get. Historic buildings ring the wide green plaza, among them an adobe home furnished with Spanish-colonial antiques, a hotel frozen in the 1860s, a blacksmith shop, a pioneer cabin, and a jailhouse. The mission's cemetery contains the unmarked graves of more than 4,300 Native American converts.  On the first Saturday of the month, costumed volunteers engage in quilting bees, tortilla making, and other frontier activities, and sarsaparilla and other nonalcoholic drinks are served in the saloon.

When Second Bank president Nicholas Biddle held a design competition for a new building, he required all architects to use the Greek style; William Strickland, one of the foremost architects of the 19th century, won. Built in 1824, the bank, with its Doric columns, was based on the design of the Parthenon and helped establish the popularity of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. The interior hall, though, was Roman, with a dramatic barrel-vault ceiling. Housed here are portraits of prominent Colonial Americans by noted artists such as Charles Willson Peale, William Rush, and Gilbert Stuart. Don't miss Peale's portraits of Jefferson and Lewis and Clark: the former is the only one that shows the third president with red hair, and the latter is the only known portrait of the famous explorers. The permanent exhibition, "The People of Independence," has a life-size wooden statue of George Washington by William Rush; a mural of Philadelphia in the 1830s by John A. Woodside Jr.; and the only known likeness of William Floyd, a lesser-known signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The 1875 Shelton House is home to the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts, featuring pottery, carvings, textiles and tinwork from 19th-century settlers and modern artisans. Exhibits include Cherokee items and a medical display from the post–Civil War era. The grounds include a barn used for events, an impressive community theater, and a two-bedroom rental apartment. Each June, the museum hosts the Blue Ridge Heritage Weekend Arts & Crafts Fair, drawing 80+ artists to Waynesville. 

From Skyline Drive, a hike of less than 1 mile leads to Snead Farm, a small farm once owned by a family living on the park land. There is a white family barn, as well as a root cellar and the stone foundation remains of the family home.

This former plantation—one of the country's largest—once claimed 100,000 acres along Lake Phelps, producing rice, corn, oats, peas, beans, and flax. Its sophisticated sawmills handled thousands of feet of lumber from 1785 to 1865. The 800 enslaved people who were forced to live and work here throughout the plantation's 80 years planted and harvested crops and worked as carpenters, brickmasons, cobblers, and weavers. The site, which originally consisted of more than 50 buildings, has nine original 19th-century buildings, and four others have been reconstructed, including slave quarters. The huge grand trees around the grounds plus its out-of-the-way location make it a quiet place for reflection.

A raised boardwalk trail connects Somerset Place to Pettigrew State Park, which has a campground, a boat ramp, and a fishing dock. At 16,600 acres, Lake Phelps is the state's second-largest lake. Thirty submerged dugout canoes were discovered in the 1980s, the oldest dating back 4,400 years. Two canoes are displayed at the visitor center.

Franciscan friars established the northernmost of their 21 California missions in 1823. Exhibits at the mission, the centerpiece of Sonoma State Historic Park, and nearby related sites convey a sense of life during the era of Mexican rule over California. The Sonoma Barracks, a half block west of the mission at 20 East Spain Street, housed troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who controlled vast tracts of land in the region. General Vallejo's home stands a few blocks farther west.

This spot marks the site where French soldiers and Jesuits put ashore and built a fort, creating Vermont's first European settlement in 1666. Vermont's first Roman Catholic Mass was celebrated here on July 26 of that year.

The St. Ignatius Mission—a church, a museum, and collection of other buildings—was built in the 1890s with bricks made of local clay by missionaries and Native Americans. The 61 murals on the walls and ceilings of the church were used to teach Bible stories to the Indians. In the St. Ignatius Mission Museum (an old log cabin) there's an exhibit of early artifacts and arts and crafts. The mission is still a functioning church; mass is offered every Sunday morning in the rectory. To reach the mission from St. Ignatius, take Main Street south to Mission Drive.

Dating from the 1930s, this historic church, now a community center, is known for its colorfully painted folk-art interior. It was moved to its present location in 1990 just ahead of the advancing lava flow that destroyed the Kalapana area. The church was built by a Belgian Catholic missionary priest, Father Evarist Gielen, who also painted the detailed scenes on the church's interior. Though similar in style, the Star of the Sea and St. Benedict's (in South Kona) were painted by two different Belgian priests. Star of the Sea also holds several stained-glass windows and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mountain crafts and artwork are displayed—and much of them are for sale—at this cultural hub that promotes and pays tribute to the people and traditions of Graham County, including the native Cherokee. During summer, the Appalachian Evening Concert Series brings the region's best folk and bluegrass musicians to perform in the center's restored historic theater.