176 Best Sights in USA

A Tlingit war canoe sits beside this brick building officially named Harrigan Centennial Hall. Check out the museum's collection of Tlingit, Victorian-era, and Alaska-purchase historical artifacts, including spruce-root basketry, nautical instruments, and mining tools.

A pioneer in the community museum movement, in a historically Black neighborhood in Southeast Washington, this museum examines the impact of contemporary social issues on urban communities, including environment, urban life, and encounters with other cultures. The engaging exhibitions employ video, art, crafts, and photography, along with dynamic public programs including musical performances, crafts workshops, and storytellers. The museum's striking facade features traditional African design elements: brickwork patterns evoke West African kente cloth, the concrete cylinders reference the stone towers of Zimbabwe, and diamond-patterned adornments resemble those found on the adobe houses of Mali. The museum is near the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. There's free on-site parking.

This 30,000-square-foot museum was designed to educate visitors on the vast amount of knowledge and art that has accrued around two near-obsessions in the South: eating and drinking. Exhibits feature information on fishermen, farmers, and chefs, as well as the many cultures that contribute to this region's tradition of cocktails and cuisine. There's a food gift shop and a tasting room with chef demonstrations; call ahead for updates, current exhibitions, and programs.

Once patronized by Martha Washington, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary is one of the oldest in the country. The shop now houses a museum of memorabilia, including one of the finest collections of apothecary bottles in the country. In fact, they have so many of these original bottles (20,000 in total) that it took six years to process them all. Tours include discussions of the history of medicine as it was practiced at this family-run business for 141 years.

This is the spot to check out costumes, concept art work, replica props, models, and artifacts from the Star Wars films on display in several galleries. A 10-minute film runs continuously in the Launch Bay Theater, documenting the creation of Star Wars through interviews with the directors, writers, and producers of this wildly popular film series. There's also an area where you can meet and have your photo taken with Star Wars characters. For people with disabilities: Guests can remain in wheelchairs and ECVs in specialty seating in the back of the theater. Handheld captioning, assistive listening, and audio description are available. Disney Visa Cardholders can show their card ID for an exclusive Star Wars Magic Shot experience.

The best place to learn about the "Dutchman" Jacob Waltz and the Lost Dutchman Mine is at Superstition Mountain Museum. Exhibits include a collection of mining tools, historical maps, and artifacts relating to the "gold" age of the Superstition Mountains.

There is a thriving hog culture in the Hill Country, and it’s not just feral hogs, either. People love to ride motorcycles here, and the Texas Vintage Motorcycle Museum showcases one man's collection of vintage bikes from the 1950s to 1970s, and beyond. Owner Gordon Massie has been riding and restoring bikes for decades, and he exhibits around 100 here.

Founded by the Ashton family (Alan Ashton founded WordPerfect computer software, which is now Orem-based Novell), Thanksgiving Point is an ever-evolving destination with a wealth of attractions. Wander among 60 dinosaur skeletons in the Museum of Ancient Life; explore a slew of oddities in the Museum of Natural Curiosity; play golf on an 18-hole Johnny Miller–designed course; or meditate in 55 acres of carefully landscaped and eminently Instagrammable gardens. There are also a petting zoo with cute farm animals, a butterfly biosphere, shops, restaurants, and a megaplex theater, and there are several hotels nearby. The museums are open year-round, but gardens and some other attractions are seasonal.

In the world's largest wooden structure, a former blimp hangar south of town displays a fine collection of vintage aircraft and vehicles, mostly from around the World War II era, as well as a vast trove of artifacts and memorabilia, including war uniforms, photos, and remains from the Hindenburg. The 20-story-high building is big enough to hold half a dozen football fields.

This museum highlights Forks's logging history since the 1870s; a garden and fire tower are also on the grounds.

You can see the original printing presses for the town's newspaper and watch a video about the production process at the Tombstone Epitaph Museum. The newspaper was founded in 1880 by John P. Clum, a colorful character in his own right, and is still publishing today. You can purchase one of the newspaper's special editions—The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp, The Life and Times of Doc Holliday, or Tombstone's Pioneering Prostitutes.

Located in a formerly residential "castle" replete with Victorian chandeliers, the Turquoise Museum casts fresh light on the beauty, mythology, and physical properties of turquoise, a semiprecious but adored gemstone that many people associate with the color of New Mexico's skies. Displays show how turquoise forms, the importance of individual mines, and uses of the stone by Native Americans in prehistoric times. The museum's proprietors, the Lowry family, are longtime traders with deep knowledge of the gem; if you retain nothing else, remember that only turquoise specified as "natural" is the desirable, unadulterated stuff. A small gift shop sells historic and contemporary pieces. Tickets for entry and tours are only available online.

The outside of the building is plain, but inside, a wealth of art, contained in two separate collections, reflects the department's work. The Office of the Secretary Art Collection, featuring heroic oil paintings of dam construction, gold panning, and cattle drives, is found throughout the building's hallways, offices, and meeting rooms. The Department of the Interior Museum Collection outlines the work of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, and other department branches. On Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm, you can view 26 photographic murals by Ansel Adams and more than 40 dramatic murals painted by Maynard Dixon, John Steuart Curry, and other artists. Reservations are required for the Murals Tour; call at least two weeks in advance. The Indian Craft Shop across the hall from the museum sells Native American pottery, dolls, carvings, jewelry, baskets, and books.

With a collection that includes thousands of Kodak Brownie and Zeiss Ikon cameras, this museum—the centerpiece of UCR ARTS—surveys the history of photography and the devices that produced it. Exhibitions, some of contemporary images, others historically oriented, are always top-notch and often incorporate photographs from the permanent collection of works by Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and other greats. The museum also hosts films, performances, and other cultural events. 

Incorporating elements from Ogden's original 1870s train depot that was destroyed by a fire in 1923, the impressive Spanish Revival replacement has been developed into a landmark cultural center with two art galleries and four diverse museums. The Browning Firearms Museum celebrates the many achievements of the museum's namesake and showcases the sporting and military firearms that were popular in the Old West before Browning formed his own company. The Browning–Kimball Classic Car Museum pays tribute to the golden age of automobiles with a small but dazzling collection of restored cars from the first half of the 20th century. The Utah State Railroad Museum thrills train enthusiasts with its meandering exhibits detailing all phases of Utah's railroad history; a highlight is the outdoor Eccles Rail Center, which includes half a dozen restored train cars. The smallest museum of the bunch, the Utah Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, features the Utah Cowboy Hall of Fame and honors artists, rodeo champions, entertainers, musicians, ranchers, and writers who have promoted the Western lifestyle. The Myra Powell Gallery mounts monthly photography exhibits, while the Gallery at the Station showcases local art in an enclosed passenger platform.

This three-room museum pays tribute to textile artists and the quilting community with impressive fabric works on display. An on-site shop is stocked with jewelry, baskets, books, textile hangings, and other items related to fabric art. Monthly programs are hosted regularly.

A self-guided tour through a treasure trove of Walt Disney memorabilia follows his life from early boyhood, through the founding of his first studio, to Disneyland, and then to Disney World. After viewing the unique artifacts, catch a 15-minute documentary about the life of Walt Disney. For people with disabilities: Wheelchair and ECV accessible. Come in the afternoon, as this attraction is rarely busy.

Wendell Gilley (1904–83), master plumber–turned–renowned bird carver from Southwest Harbor, hunted ducks and game birds for recreation and food. Aspiring to preserve them through taxidermy he instead took up bird carving, producing some 10,000 works (mostly basswood). He sold the fine and to-scale carvings at his “Bird Shop,” a popular island tourist stop back in the day; his personal collection of 300-plus carvings—including ruffed grouse, upland sandpiper, American goldfinch, Atlantic puffin, and loon—is the foundation of the museum’s collection. On a large corner near downtown, with bird sculptures and placarding outside, it showcases Gilley's carvings and others' as well as avian art. One gallery has changing exhibits; you might catch a contemporary artist’s show. A resident carver is at his workbench, not only carving but answering questions and helping visitors give it a go. Check the website for special events, including one-day workshops. You can buy carving kits in the museum workshop.

Housed at Hood River's tiny airport (general aviation only), the museum's impressive, meticulously restored, propeller-driven planes are all still in flying condition, and the oldest date back to the 1910s. The antique steam cars, Model Ts, and sleek Depression-era sedans are road-worthy, too. Periodic car shows and an annual fly-in draw thousands of history buffs and spectators.

All the Nashville classics are amassed here at the Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and General Store: fringe leather goods, zebra print flasks, cowboy hats, fudge, Goo Goo Clusters, and Donald Trump voodoo dolls. At the back of the general store, buy a ticket and go through the door on your right into the 5,000-square-foot museum. There you’ll find instruments, awards, photos, costumes, and other Willie Nelson memorabilia on display. Even if you’re not a huge Willie Nelson fan, the “and Friends” part of the Willie Nelson and Friends Museum may entice you. There's also memorabilia from the likes of Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, and dozens of other country music superstars.

It's easy to find this museum dedicated to all things women's basketball—just look for the 30-foot-wide basketball sitting atop a metal cage on the edge of the city's skyline. Exhibits include jerseys from WNBA All-Stars, a locker room with recordings of inspirational half-time talks from top coaches, and play courts where you can test your skills against those of the game's top players.

The building seems to be sinking into the ground—at a precarious angle and upside down. Many people stop to take pictures in front of the topsy-turvy facade, complete with upended palm trees and broken sidewalks. Inside, the upside-down theme continues only as far as the lobby. After that it's a playground of 100 interactive experiences—some incorporating virtual reality, others educational (similar to those at a science museum), and still others pure entertainment. You can experience an earthquake or a hurricane, land a space shuttle using simulator controls, make giant bubbles in the Bubble Lab, play laser tag in the enormous arena and arcade, design and ride your own roller coaster, lie on a bed of real nails, and play baseball with a virtual Major League batter.

Another only-in-Joshua Tree spot not to be missed, this museum displays all kinds of crocheted creations inside a reimagined drive-through photo stand. Tucked off the street in Art Queen's courtyard, it earned global recognition when it appeared in an international advertising campaign. Before you get back in the car, detour around the front to see another eclectic collection at the Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum ( beautybubble.net). The working salon displays more than 3,000 pieces of vintage equipment, toys, products, and advertising related to the hair/beauty industry.

This handsomely designed, contemporary museum across from the Oregon Zoo contains interactive and multimedia exhibits about forest sustainability. A white-water raft ride, smoke-jumper training simulator, and Timberjack tree harvester all provide different perspectives on Pacific Northwest forests. On the second floor the forests of the world are explored in various travel settings. A canopy lift ride hoists visitors to the 50-foot ceiling to look at a Douglas fir.

Each August, Long Beach hosts the Washington State International Kite Festival; the community is also home to the Northwest Stunt Kite Championships, a competition held each June. At the only U.S. museum focused solely on kites and kiting, you can view an array of kites and learn about kite making and history.