10457 Best Sights in USA

Set on the eastern slopes of the breathtaking 11,750-foot Mount Timpanogos, the resort came into being when Robert Redford purchased the land in 1969. Though he sold the property in 2020, the 5,000-acre mountain resort continues to reflect Redford's legacy and commitment to the natural environment, outdoor exploration, and artistic expression. All resort facilities—constructed from materials such as indigenous cedar, fir, and pine and locally quarried stone—compliment the natural landscape. No matter the season, you'll find plenty of recreational opportunities, including hiking, biking, fly-fishing, horseback riding, alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and ziplining. If you're looking for a more indulgent experience, relax with a body treatment in the Spa at Sundance or take one of many creative classes in the Art Studio. Dine in one of the on-site restaurants, like the cozy Tree Room or the hip western Owl Bar on a night when they play live music. The Sundance Film Festival, based in nearby Park City each January, is an internationally recognized showcase for independent films. Festival screenings and summer workshops are held at the resort.

The billionaire Bass brothers of Fort Worth are to be thanked for what may be the most eye-pleasing juxtaposition of scale: rather than tear down several blocks of brick buildings to accommodate the twin towers of their giant City Center development, they created Sundance Square by restoring the area as a center of tall-windowed restaurants, shops, nightclubs, and offices. Tourists mingle effortlessly with the business crowd during the day, and at night the mood is laidback and down-to-earth—much like the city itself.

Despite being an active retreat venue, the stunning 200-acre winter home of the late Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg, which has welcomed eight presidents and first ladies, royalty, numerous world leaders, and countless celebrities, is open to the public for free. You could easily spend a day taking a self-guided audio tour of 9 acres of art-filled grounds; viewing art exhibits; watching a film about the estate and the desert diplomacy that has happened here; grabbing a bite in the café; and participating in wellness activities, classes, or other programs. For an insightful peek inside the 25,000-square-foot mid-century marvel, book a 90-minute Historic House Tour. Guided estate (shuttle and walking options) and birding tours are also available.

Named for its stunning views at dawn, this overlook a short walk from the Lodge at Bryce Canyon is one of the park's most beloved stops. It's also the trailhead for the Queen's Garden Trail and the southern end of the Fairyland Loop. You can also walk to Sunrise Point along the easy Rim Trail from Sunset Point (to the south) or North Campground (to the north).

Learn about life on earth and in the heavens above at this hybrid nature center and observatory. The nature center focuses on exhibiting creatures found in Central Oregon, including owls and hawks, while the observatory allows visitors to turn their attention upwards to the great beyond. Come in the daytime to peep at the sun through one of the dozen-odd telescopes on-site, or sign up for one of the special evening programs, which offer visitors the opportunity to get a closer view of our solar system's stars and planets. 

A peninsula that's technically part of Treasure Island, this 2-mile-long outcrop is one of Tampa Bay's best-kept secrets. The northern end has a mixed crowd—from bikers to spring breakers—the middle portion is good for families (there's a pavilion and playground at around 78th and West Gulf Boulevard), and the southern tip attracts the LGBTQ+ crowd. Surfers hit up Sunset Beach on the rare occasion that the Gulf has swells. Once you turn onto West Gulf, you can find multiple paid parking lots. There are several pay lots starting to your right just south of 82nd Avenue. If you opt to take advantage of the neighborhood's abundant side-street parking, make sure you park legally—it's all too easy to unwittingly get a ticket here. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: partiers; solitude; sunset.

The beach is broad, the sand is soft, the summer waves are gentle—making for good snorkeling—and the winter surf is crashing. Many love searching this shore for the puka shells that adorn the necklaces you see everywhere. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; surfing.

The trail starts from the same parking lot as the Goosenecks Trail, on your way into the park about 3 miles west of the visitor center. Benches along this easy, 0.8-mile round-trip invite you to sit and meditate surrounded by the vast, colorful canyons and soaring mesas and mountain peaks. At the trail's end, you'll be rewarded with incredible vistas into the park. As the name suggests, it's a wonderful spot to watch the sunset. Easy.

One of the most enjoyable ways to get to know the park is to take a 45-minute to 1-hour ranger-guided sunset stroll, which takes place nightly year-round and departs from the parking lot on the left just after you pass the Backcountry Camping Loop trailhead parking on Dunes Drive. Look for the "Sunset Stroll Meets Here" signs. The exact departure times vary according to, drum roll please, the time the sun sets, which you can find out each day at the visitor center, but plan to get to the departure point about an hour before sunset. Along this leisurely 1-mile trek, you’ll see dunes similar to those on the Alkali Flat Trail but with a local expert to fill you in on the plants, animals, and geology you encounter.

Located in a historic bathhouse, this one-of-a-kind brewery—the first headquartered in a U.S. national park—uses thermal spring water to create its craft beers, including the Spring Training Blonde Ale and the Goat Rock Bock, named after a park trail and overlook. The farm-to-table food is top-notch, too, with an eclectic selection of salads and elevated pub grub.

One of the best museums focusing on the state's rich and still thriving indigenous culture, this small but beautiful LEED-certified structure a 10-minute drive from Poulsbo contains handsomely designed exhibits about the Suquamish Tribe, including a historical canoe, wood carvings, a re-created longhouse, and multimedia presentations. Outside, pathways lead through a small botanical garden and down the hill to an evergreen-shaded park with picnic tables. If you have extra time, stroll a couple of blocks up the hill to St. Peter's Mission Cemetery to view the gravesite of Chief Sealth, for whom Seattle is named—his headstone is bracketed by a pair of ornately carved totem poles. Each August, the community welcomes all to celebrate Chief Seattle Days—with a salmon bake, royal pageant, games, food, and music.

Surfside Beach, accessible via the Surfside Bike Path (3 miles) or by shuttle bus, is the island's most popular surf beach. This wide strand of sand comes fully equipped with conveniences. It draws teens and young adults as well as families and is great for kite flying and, after 5 pm, surf casting. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

This rails-to-trails masterpiece runs 22 miles from downtown Greenville to Travelers Rest, with ample waypoints and scenic views along the way. Reedy Rides rents modern cruisers for $30 per half day. Three miles out of town, the backyard seating at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery fills up on weekends with bikers grabbing gourmet sandwiches after a morning workout. If you push all the way to Travelers Rest, walk the charming downtown strip and fuel up for the return trip with a chili-rubbed tuna or cowboy rib-eye taco from Farmhouse Tacos.

You don't have to be Swedish to find this tiny and welcoming museum interesting. Permanent displays feature items that tell the story of Swedish immigration to America and about Swedish culture in the States. On the third floor, in the only children's museum in the country dedicated to immigration, kids can climb aboard a colorful Viking ship and trace the journey of a young immigrant from a Swedish farmhouse to a cabin in Minnesota. 

Walk up a small and unassuming staircase from St. Nicholas Avenue in Washington Heights, and Sylvan Terrace appears as if you have magically stepped back in time to 19th-century New York City or onto a film set. The one-block cobblestone street lined on both sides with charmingly restored wooden town houses built in 1882 is one of New York City's greatest \"secret streets\" and hidden gems. Before the rows of town houses were built, the street served as a carriage drive to the 1765-built Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest house in New York City. The quaint town houses are occupied (and rarely come on the market, sorry) but are still worth visiting, especially when paired with a visit to the Morris-Jumel Mansion. A view of the mansion, framed by the charming yellow houses with ornate brown details and usually unobstructed by tourists, can be seen when looking eastward.

The focus at this intimate winery with lovely seating set among beautiful gardens is predominantly on elegant, full-bodied Rhône-style wines. The friendly, knowledgeable tasting room has garnered plenty of awards for its aromatic Cuvée Elena Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre blend, as well as a first-rate stand-alone Syrah, and several racy, dry whites—Picpoul, Grenache Blanc—that seem tailor-made for the Gorge's warm summer nights. Note that several other outstanding small wineries—Domaine Pouillon and Tetrahedron among them—are in this same rural town.

The former home and studio of impressionist painter Theodore Clement Steele comprise this historic site, which displays a number of his works. Considered Brown County's first major artist, Steele moved to the area in 1907. Restored gardens once tended by Steele's second wife, Selma Nehbacher Steele, are open to visitors, along with four nature trails, the Dewar Log Cabin, and the 92-acre Selma Steele Nature Preserve. Hourly guided tours of Steele's studio are offered daily.

This pair of monolithic rock formations rise some 700 to 800 feet above the valley floor. Operated by a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management and the Nature Conservancy, the Table Rock formations and surrounding 4,864 acres of wilderness afford panoramic valley views from their summits, and glorious wildflower viewing and migratory bird-watching in spring. This is one of the best venues in the Rogue Valley for hiking; you can reach Lower Table Rock on a moderately challenging 5½-mile round-trip trail, and Upper Table Rock via a shorter (about 3 miles round-trip), less-steep route. The trailheads to these formations are a couple of miles apart—just follow the road signs from Table Rock Road, north of TouVelle State Park.

Adorned in glass and steel, this modern masterpiece by architect Antoine Predock wraps around a beautiful garden and holds paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and other creations dating from the 18th century to the present, with an emphasis on Western U.S. artists, including many indigenous talents. On view is the largest permanent collection of glass works by Dale Chihuly, and the stunning, light-filled Benaroya Wing—designed by Olson Kundig and opened in 2019—displays hundreds of new works, included pieces by artists trained at the prestigious Pilchuck Glass School.

A photogenic 3-mile cycling and walking path linking Incline Village and Sand Harbor State Park, this paved lakeside trail edges classic patches of turquoise water, giving way to cobalt blue, with the mountains as a backdrop. You can traverse portions of the trail by stopping at Highway 28 vista points, but parking is for only 20 minutes. Park at the Tunnel Creek Road pay lot for longer walks, less expensive than Sand Harbor's day-use fee.

Learn how Lake Tahoe was formed, why it’s so blue, and how its ecosystem is changing at Tahoe’s only science center. Hands-on exhibits include aquariums, a virtual ecology lab and research boat, a watershed map with the 63 streams that flow into the lake (and the only one that flows out, the Truckee River), tables that teach how to identify trees, and a theater projecting an intriguing 3D movie. Visitors ages eight and older will gain the most from the experience.

A few miles south of Fernandina Beach, the Talbot Islands State Parks system consists of seven parks, three of which have beach settings. All the oceanfront parks have picnic areas and a small admission charge but free parking. Little Talbot is popular for swimming and beachcombing; however, swimming is restricted on parts of the beach because of swift currents. Sand dollars are often found at the far north end. Big Talbot, with its Boneyard Beach of wind-twisted trees, is not recommended for swimming but is a photographer's paradise. Amelia Island State Park is best known for letting you horseback ride on the beach as well as for the adjacent George Crady fishing pier. Kayak and canoe tours can be booked through the parks system's vendor, Kayak Amelia. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; sunrise; swimming; walking.

Frank Lloyd Wright built his summer residence about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Milwaukee (Taliesin West was his winter home in Arizona). The famed architect's estate is made up of five buildings showcasing classic elements of his organic style on Wright's family land, with the main house rising gently from a hilltop. Seeking a more private life, the artist left Oak Park, Illinois in 2011 and began construction but the living quarters of Taliesin were rebuilt later twice after fires destroyed part of the building. For some insight into his personal life, be sure to read the Loving Frank, a novel by Nancy Horan about Wright's real-life relationship with Mamah Cheney. You can only experience the property through a tour—choose from exploring the house, hillside studio and theater, or entire estate—and reservations are recommended. The visitor center includes a cafe and a bookstore with great gifts for any fan of Wright's work. Check the website for detailed directions, the address has been known to confuse GPS systems.

Ten years after visiting Arizona in 1927 to consult on designs for the Biltmore hotel, architect Frank Lloyd Wright chose 600 acres of rugged Sonoran Desert at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains as the site for his permanent winter residence. Today it's a National Historic Landmark. Wright and apprentices constructed a desert camp here using organic architecture to integrate the buildings with their natural surroundings. In addition to the living quarters, drafting studio, and small apartments of the Apprentice Court, Taliesin West has two theaters, a music pavilion, and the Sun Trap—sleeping spaces surrounding an open patio and fireplace. Guided tours range from a 90-minute in-depth tour to an hour-long nightfall tour, with other tours offered seasonally. Wear comfortable shoes for walking.

To reach Taliesin West, drive north on the 101 Freeway to Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Follow Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard for a few miles to the entrance at the corner of Cactus Road.

Scott and Marta Rich invite guests to embark on “a Pinot tasting adventure" at their storefront tasting room inside Glen Ellen's oldest commercial building. The two have well more than half a century of wine-industry experience between them, he in the vineyard and cellar, she on the business end, and their deep knowledge informs their lovingly crafted, predominantly single-vineyard wines. With grapes hailing from several Sonoma County appellations and a few farther afield, the wines are made in small lots, usually a few hundred cases. Scott intervenes as little as possible during wine making to evoke a sense of place in the glass, but his oak aging and other sage choices elevate the finished product.

Three historic mansions—the Pope House, the Baldwin Museum, and the Heller Estate—open in late spring and summer, but you can stroll the grounds or picnic year-round. George S. Pope, who made his money in shipping and lumber and played host to 1920s America's business and cultural elite, commissioned the magnificent 1894 Pope House. The Baldwin Museum is in the estate that once belonged to entrepreneur "Lucky" Baldwin; today it houses a collection of family memorabilia and Washoe Indian artifacts.

With a spectacular floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, the Heller Estate, also known as Valhalla, was occupied for years by Walter and Claire Heller. (Tidbit: after their divorce, each visited the property on alternate weekends, though she held the title.) The estate's Grand Hall, Grand Lawn, and a boathouse refurbished as a theater host the summertime Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre Festival ( valhallatahoe.com) of concerts, plays, and cultural activities.

Containing the last vestiges of the bluestem, or tallgrass, prairie, that once covered much of the Great Plains, this preserve also includes a stone mansion and barn built in 1881. Hiking-trail maps are at the visitor center or at kiosks near the park's historic ranch buildings. Routes range from less than 4 miles to 13 miles. Hikers should be cautious of bison and not approach if they come in close contact. A short training session about safe backcountry hiking is offered at the visitor center during daytime hours. Three catch-and-release ponds are open to the public for fishing, with a Kansas fishing license.

The 1,000-foot-deep Tallulah Gorge is one of the most impressive in the country. In the late 1800s this area was one of the most visited destinations in the Southeast, with 17 hotels to house tourists who came to see the roaring falls on the Tallulah River. Then, in 1912, to provide electric power, the "Niagara of the South" was dammed, and the falls and tourism dried up. Today the state of Georgia has designated more than 20 miles of the state park as walking and mountain-biking trails. There's also a 16,000-square-foot interpretive center, a suspension bridge with spectacular views, a 63-acre lake with a beach (open seasonally), a picnic shelter, and 52 tent and RV sites.