10457 Best Sights in USA

A more peaceful, less crowded hiking and wildlife-watching alternative to Moran State Park, this 1,576-acre expanse of rugged ridges, wildflower-strewn meadows, temperate rain forest, and lush wetlands is one of the natural wonders of the archipelago. Because the San Juan County Land Bank purchased this land in 2006, it will be preserved forever for the public to enjoy. There are eight miles of well-groomed trails, including a steep trek up to 1,519-foot-elevation Raven Ridge and a windy hike to Turtlehead Point, a soaring bluff with spectacular views west of San Juan Island and Vancouver Island beyond that—it's an amazing place to watch the sunset. You can access the preserve either from the North Trailhead, which is just 3 miles southwest of Eastsound on Crow Valley Road, or the South Trailhead, which is three miles northeast of Deer Harbor off Wild Rose Lane—check the website for a trail map and detailed directions.

Windswept and desolate, Twin Peaks yields sweeping vistas of San Francisco and the neighboring counties. At a hilltop park 922 feet above sea level, you can get a real feel for the city's layout, but you'll share it with busloads of other admirers; in summer, arrive before the late-afternoon fog turns the view into pea soup. To drive here, head west from Castro Street up Market Street, which eventually becomes Portola Drive. Turn right (north) on Twin Peaks Boulevard and follow the signs to the top. Muni bus 37–Corbett heads west to Twin Peaks from Market Street. Catch this bus above the Castro Street Muni light-rail station on the island west of Castro at Market Street.

Don't miss the Tybee Island Marine Science Center's interesting exhibit on Coastal Georgia, which houses local wildlife ranging from Ogeechee corn snakes to American alligators. Schedule one of two guided walks along the beach and marshes if you're interested in the flora and fauna of the Lowcountry. There is also a "Turtle Talk," which consists of a classroom discussion and hands-on workshop. Arrive early, as parking near the center can be competitive in the busier months.

The academy, which set up camp in 1954, is one of the most popular attractions in Colorado. Highlights include the futuristic design, 18,500 beautiful acres of land, and antique and historic aircraft displays. At the visitor center you'll find photo exhibits, a model of a cadet's room, a gift shop, a snack bar in the summer, and a film highlighting the history and bravery of the Air Force. Other stops on the self-guided tour include a B-52 display, sports facilities, and the chapel. Some days you can catch the impressive cadet lunch formation that begins between 11:30 and noon. The Air Force chapel, which can accommodate simultaneous Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant services, is easily recognized by its unconventional design featuring 17 spires that resemble airplane wings. Visitors can enter only through the North and South gates.

Unlike what its silver exterior suggests, this 60-000-square-foot museum is a gold-medal experience for visitors of all ages and one of the most inclusive and accessible museums in the world. Race a virtual Olympian on the rubber track or try to keep a skeleton bobsled on course at the interactive athlete training exhibit, which also features hands-on archery, skiing, and goalball (a soccer-like game played by the visually impaired) games. After checking in, visitors work their way through three floors of displays that seamlessly combine Olympic and Paralympic history, uniforms, ice skates, running shoes, a dented rugby wheelchair, helmets, and other gear. Highlights include the Hall of Fame; a display case filled with Olympic torches, including those used in the more recent Atlanta, Sydney, Sochi, and PyeongChang games; and a gift shop where you can "virtually" try on apparel. Electronic visitor passes allow you to quickly find your favorite sports and learn about your favorite athletes as you make your way through the museum; you can also save the information to an online locker for future reading. Don't miss one of the last and most popular exhibits—one of the most complete collections of Olympic medals in the world. If you're lucky, you might even hear staff cheering as current and former Olympians visit the museum, which is located next to America the Beautiful Park connecting to miles of walking and biking trails. Hour-long guided tours are available.

Experience missions to the moon and beyond at this collection of rockets, space memorabilia, and simulators that mimic rocket launches and gravity forces. Train like an astronaut at the U.S. Space Camp and Space Academy or like a military jet pilot at Aviation Challenge. The center runs a bus tour of NASA labs and shuttle test sites. The Spacedome Theater shows IMAX movies.

Starting at Bryce Point, the trail travels 23 miles to Rainbow Point, passing through The Pink Cliffs, traversing Agua Canyon and Ponderosa Canyon, and taking you by several springs. Most of the hike is on the amphitheater floor, characterized by up-and-down terrain among stands of ponderosa pine; the elevation change totals about 4,500 feet. It's the park's longest trail, but four trailheads along the main park road allow you to connect to the Under-the-Rim Trail and cover its length as a series of day hikes.  The connecting Agua Canyon Trail from Ponderosa Point was closed indefinitely due to storm damage in 2023; check with the visitor center and/or the current conditions section of the park website before you visit to find out if it has reopened. Allow at least two days to hike the route in its entirety, and although it's not a hoodoo-heavy hike, there's plenty to see to make it a more leisurely three-day affair. Those camping along the trail must obtain a backcountry permit from the visitor center before they set out. Difficult.

The nondenominational stone church built in 1922 on land donated by John D. Rockefeller is loosely based on early English Gothic buildings but deliberately devoid of sectarian detailing. The real stars of the site, however, are the stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse, also gifts of the Rockefeller family.

Established by Congress in 1820, this is the oldest continually operating public garden in the United States. The conservatory sits at the foot of Capitol Hill and offers an escape from the stone-and-marble federal office buildings surrounding it. Inside are exotic rain-forest species, desert flora, a room full of orchids, and plants from all parts of the world. Walkways suspended 24 feet above the ground in the Tropics house provide a fascinating view of the plants. Established in 2006, the National Garden is an outdoor gardening laboratory featuring a Rose Garden, Pollinator Garden, First Ladies' Water Garden, and Regional Garden of Mid-Atlantic plants. Across Independence Avenue, Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens is a peaceful spot with shaded benches around the historic 30-foot fountain by the sculpture of the Statue of Liberty.

Occupying the western shore of one of the most scenic bends in the Hudson River, the academy consists of some 16,000 acres of training grounds, playing fields, and buildings constructed of native granite in the Military Gothic style. The oldest continually garrisoned post in the U.S. Army, the citadel was founded in 1778 and opened as a military academy in 1802. Distinguished graduates include Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and Douglas MacArthur. The world's oldest and largest military museum, the West Point Museum in Olmstead Hall, showcases a vast collection of uniforms, weapons, flags, American military art, and other memorabilia. Fort Putnam, built in 1778 and a key component of West Point's defense during the Revolutionary War, was restored in the 1970s. Campus visits are by bus tour only (bring photo ID), but you do get a chance to step off the bus, look at a few memorials and cannons up close, and perhaps glimpse cadets in action. Civilians are also allowed on campus for sporting and cultural events, including football games, theater presentations, parades, and concerts. You can visit the museum and visitor center without taking the $11 tour. Tours aren't given during graduation week (usually late May) and on Saturdays of home football games.

During azalea season (mid-April through May), this 451-acre oasis operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is a blaze of color. In early summer, clematis, peonies, rhododendrons, and roses bloom. At any time of year, the 22 original Corinthian columns from the U.S. Capitol, re-erected here in 1990, are striking. All 50 states are represented by a state tree in the Grove of State Trees. Since 2014, a pair of American bald eagles have made a home near the azaleas, and the nest can be seen via an unobstructed viewing scope. The arboretum has guided hikes throughout the year, including a Forest Bathing Walk, and dogs are allowed on the grounds as long as they're on a leash at all times. Check the website for schedules and to register. Don't miss the Bonsai and Penjing Museum.

Probably the most interesting and important site in Annapolis, the Naval Academy, established in 1845, occupies 338 waterfront acres along the Severn River. The midshipmen (the term used for both women and men) go to classes, conduct military drills, and practice or compete in intercollegiate and intramural sports. Your visit to "The Yard" (as the USNA grounds are nicknamed) will start at the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center. The visitor center features an exhibit, The Quarter Deck, which introduces visitors to the academy's mission, including a 13-minute film, The Call to Serve, and a well-stocked gift shop. From here you can join one of the hour-long, guided, walking tours of the academy. The centerpiece of the campus is the bright, copper-clad dome of the interdenominational U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, beneath which is buried Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones. You can go inside Bancroft Hall (one of the world's largest dormitories) and see a sample room and the glorious Memorial Hall.

Visitors can have lunch on campus either at Drydock in Dahlgren Hall or the Naval Academy Club.

The show begins in an intriguingly creepy preshow area where masks, props, and rubber skeletons from classic and contemporary horror films and tributes to great makeup artists like Lon Chaney, Rick Baker, and Jack Pierce make a great backdrop for a horrifying family photo. Inside the theater, your host brings out a special-effects expert who describes and shares some secrets about what goes into (and oozes out of) creepy movie effects (e.g., corn syrup and food coloring make for a dandy blood substitute).

Older children, in particular, eat up the blood-and-guts stories. But despite the potentially frightening topic, most audiences get a kick out of the show, because the subject is handled with an extraordinary amount of dead-on humor, including one-liners delivered with comedy-club timing. For people with disabilities: The theater is wheelchair accessible. Good scripts and good shtick mean that those with visual impairments can enjoy the show. Arrive about 15 minutes before showtime (doors close immediately after show starts).

One of the country's longest-running farmers' markets and Seattle's largest "farmers only" market (no crafts, imports, or flea-market finds) operates year-round on Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm in the heart of the U-District, rain or shine. With more than 50 Washington State farmers and producers participating, you'll find a great selection of produce, baked goods, preserves, flowers, cheese, soups, pies, wines, pasta, and handmade chocolates.

With sweeping exterior curves and graceful lines that evoke glaciers, mountains, and the northern lights, this don't-miss museum is one of Alaska's most distinctive architectural works. Inside, two-story viewing windows look out on the Alaska Range, while the lobby features a 43-foot bowhead whale skeleton (and a beluga skeleton) suspended from the ceiling. "Please touch" items include the molars of a mammoth and a mastodon, animal pelts and bones, replica petroglyphs, and a massive quartz crystal found in Alaska's Brooks Range. The gallery also contains dioramas showing the state's animals and how they interact, and the fantastic collection of Alaska Native clothes, tools, and boats provides insights into the ways that different groups came to terms with climatic extremes. Another highlight is the superb Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery, representing 2,000 years of Alaska's art, from ancient to modern times. Future plans call for Bus 142 (of Christopher McCandless's Into the Wild fame), which is currently being restored, to be placed outside the grounds sometime in 2025, and eventually for the construction of a planetarium at the museum.

Intellectuals come to the University of Chicago to breathe in the rarified air: after all, the faculty, former faculty, and alumni of this esteemed institution have won 99 Nobel Prizes, awarded in every field, including President Obama's 2009 Peace Prize. History buffs and art lovers are drawn by the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and Smart Museum of Art, while the university's professional theater company, Court Theatre, stages new and classic works. Architecture aficionados won’t be disappointed either.

The dominant building here, Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, is a neo-Gothic beauty complete with glorious stained-glass windows, a vaulted ceiling, 72-bell carillon (the single largest musical instrument ever built), and 207-foot-high stone tower. In sharp contrast, the Booth School of Business is very modern looking; its horizontal accents imitate the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House (1910), located directly across the street. Mid-century buildings designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen, as well as contemporary award winners by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, postmodernist Helmut Jahn, and husband-and-wife duo Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, are also worth seeking out. Self-guided tours of campus highlights, points of interest, and public art on campus can be found at  visit.uchicago.edu/campus-guides.

With more than 5 million objects, this museum is home to the largest natural history collection in the Rocky Mountain region. There are five galleries and a discovery corner for kids. Permanent and changing exhibits feature CU research, fossils, archaeological finds, dinosaur relics, plants, and invertebrates. Depending on your level of interest, you could spend anywhere from an hour to all day here.

Relics on display are devoted to Pacific Northwest anthropology and the natural sciences. Highlights include the fossil collection of Thomas Condon, Oregon's first geologist, and a pair of 9,000-year-old sandals made of sagebrush.

This nearly 450-acre university campus has a lot to do with Austin's reputation as a lone liberal island amid the roiling seas of conservative Texas. UT Longhorns are as passionate about football as they are about education, with 13 distinct colleges and schools and outstanding graduate programs that produce global leaders, Nobel Prize winners, and committed lifelong academics. Nicknamed the 40 Acres after the original tract of land set aside by the state in 1883, this now-sprawling campus is a feather in the cap of the Texas university system. Stroll the grandly picturesque grounds at your leisure, attend a home game at DKR Stadium, drop in to one of the award-winning campus museums, archives, or libraries (from the LBJ Presidential Library to the Ransom Center), or take a self-guided "Landmarks" walking tour of the campus' top-notch public art collection, which includes a Skyspcace by James Turrell.

This museum features magnificent 20th- and 21st-century prints, as well as photos and paintings that rival the finest collections throughout the Southwest. Changing exhibits cull from more than 30,000 archived pieces, which include groundbreaking works by modernist giants such as Bridget Riley, Richard Diebenkorn, and Elaine de Kooning. Photography—from the likes of Ansel Adams, Patrick Nagatani, and Beaumont Newhall—is a particular strength, and provocative shows have featured immense prints, complemented with video projections and a range of mixed-media installations. Transcendentalist master Raymond Jonson's work, as well as other landmark acquisitions he made, are displayed. The museum's vision for the future is to allow yet more of their impressive holdings—a Picasso print, an O'Keeffe painting—to be seen regularly. Lectures and symposia, gallery talks, and guided tours are often scheduled.

Most of Maui's produce is grown Upcountry, which is why everything is fresh at this outdoor market located next to Long's in the Kulamalu Town Center. Every Saturday from 7 to 11 am, vendors offer fruits, vegetables, flowers, jellies, bread, plus unique finds like venison, kimchi, and fresh-caught fish. Prepared food offerings reflect the island's cultural melting pot, and there's an excellent selection of vegan and raw food. Go early, as nearly everything sells out.

This mysterious crater is one of the wonders of Island in the Sky. Some geologists believe it's an eroded salt dome, but others think it was made by a meteorite. Either way, it's worth the steep hike to see it and decide for yourself. The moderate hike to the first overlook is about a ½-mile each way; energetic visitors can continue another ½-mile to the second overlook for an even better perspective. The trail is steeper and rougher after the first overlook. The round-trip to the second overlook is 2 miles. The trailhead has restrooms and a picnic area. Moderate.

The entire Muley Twist canyon runs about 12 miles north to south, crossing Burr Trail Road. It was used as a pass by pioneers traveling by wagon through the Waterpocket Fold and got its name because it was so narrow that it could "twist a mule." The Upper section has the most impressive scenery. There are two ways to tackle this trek. If using a high-clearance vehicle, you can drive 3.2 miles from Burr Trail along a rough but pretty road to the Strike Valley Overlook parking lot. If you're using a passenger vehicle, you'll need to park at the Upper Muley Twist Canyon trailhead, which is just 0.3 miles off Burr Trail, and then hike the remaining 2.9 miles to the Strike Valley Overlook parking lot. Just remember, the latter approach adds an extra (although very flat) 5.8 miles round-trip of hiking to this 10.3-mile trail, so plan accordingly. From the Strike Valley Overlook lot, it's a pretty easy and level 3.4-mile round-trip hike to Saddle Arch, a dramatic sandstone formation. But for the most magical scenery, from here you'll want to continue on the 5.6-mile Rim Route loop, following it counterclockwise as it passes over slickrock (you'll need to scramble up steep ridges in places) and through juniper and pinyon forests, providing dazzling views of fantastic rock formations, the Waterpocket Fold, and the Strike Valley down below. The trails in this part of the park aren't maintained (rock cairns and occasional signs mark the way), so bring a map, along with plenty of water—it can get very hot here in summer. Difficult.

Uptown is a funky enclave of unique shops, restaurants, and bars.

Lined up tight in a row of seven battleships off Ford Island, the USS Arizona took a direct hit on December 7, 1941, exploded, and rests still on the shallow bottom where she settled. You must reserve tickets ( www.recreation.gov) ahead of time to ensure access to the memorial; same-day tickets are no longer offered. As spaces are limited and tend to fill up, reserve as far ahead as possible; you can do so up to two months in advance. When your tour starts, you watch a short documentary film, then board the ferry to the memorial.

The swooping, stark-white structure, which straddles the wreck of the USS Arizona, was designed by Honolulu architect Alfred Preis to represent both the depths of the low-spirited, early days of the war and the uplift of victory. A somber, contemplative mood descends upon visitors during the ferry ride; this is a place where 1,177 people died. Gaze at the names of the dead carved into the wall of white marble. Look at oil on the water's surface, still slowly escaping from the sunken ship. Scatter flowers (but no lei—the string is bad for the fish). Salute the flag. Remember Pearl Harbor.

Affectionately known as "Old Ironsides," the USS Constitution rides proudly at anchor in her berth at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. fleet is a battlewagon of the old school, of the days of "wooden ships and iron men"—when she and her crew of 200 succeeded at the perilous task of asserting the sovereignty of an improbable new nation. Every July 4, she's towed out for a celebratory turnabout in Boston Harbor, where her keel was laid in 1797.

The venerable craft has narrowly escaped the scrap heap several times in her long history. She was launched on October 21, 1797, as part of the nation's fledgling navy. Her hull was made of live oak, the toughest wood grown in North America; her bottom was sheathed in copper, provided by Paul Revere at a nominal cost. Her principal service was during Thomas Jefferson's campaign against the Barbary pirates, off the coast of North Africa, and in the War of 1812. In 42 engagements her record was 42–0.

The nickname "Old Ironsides" was acquired during the War of 1812, when shots from the British warship Guerrière appeared to bounce off her hull. Talk of scrapping the ship began as early as 1830, but she was saved by a public campaign sparked by Oliver Wendell Holmes's poem "Old Ironsides." She underwent a major restoration in the early 1990s. Today she continues, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, to be a part of the U.S. Navy. In 2015, she was dry docked for a 26-month restoration that included replacement of select hull planks, the 1995 copper sheathing, and deck beams, returning to the water in 2017.

The active navy personnel who look after the Constitution maintain a 24-hour watch. Instead of taking the T, you can get closer to the ship by taking MBTA Bus 93 to Chelsea Street from Haymarket. Or you can take the Boston Harbor Cruise water shuttle from Long Wharf to Pier 4. This is Freedom Trail stop 15.

With nearly 2,000 artifacts and more than 10,000 archival records pertaining to the USS Constitution on display, exhibits spark excitement about maritime culture and naval service. All ages enjoy “All Hands on Deck: A Sailor’s Life in 1812,” complete with opportunities to scrub decks, scramble aloft to furl a sail, eat a meal of salted meat and ship’s biscuit, and crawl into a hammock. History buffs get a stem-to-stern look at the ship's history, from its creation to battles.

After 47 years of worldwide service, the retired USS Midway began a new tour of duty on the south side of the Navy pier in 2004. Launched in 1945, the 1,001-foot-long ship was the largest in the world for the first 10 years of its existence. The most visible landmark on the north Embarcadero, it now serves as a floating interactive museum—an appropriate addition to the town that is home to one-third of the Pacific fleet and the birthplace of naval aviation. A free audio tour guides you through the massive ship while offering insight from former sailors. As you clamber through passageways and up and down ladder wells, you'll get a feel for how the Midway's 4,500 crew members lived and worked on this "city at sea."

Though the entire tour is impressive, you'll really be wowed when you step out onto the 4-acre flight deck—not only the best place to get an idea of the ship's scale, but also one of the most interesting vantage points for bay and city skyline views. An F-14 Tomcat jet fighter is just one of many vintage aircraft on display. Free guided tours of the bridge and primary flight control, known as "the Island," depart regularly from the flight deck. Many of the docents stationed throughout the ship served in the Navy, some even on the Midway, and they are eager to answer questions or share stories. The museum also offers multiple flight simulators for an additional fee, climb-aboard cockpits, and interactive exhibits focusing on naval aviation. There is a gift shop and a café with pleasant outdoor seating. This is a wildly popular stop, with most visits lasting several hours.

Despite efforts to provide accessibility throughout the ship, some areas can only be reached via fairly steep steps; a video tour of these areas is available on the hangar deck.

Around 150 million years ago, this was the stomping ground of dinosaurs, and you can see rock samples, fossils, Fremont and Ute nation artifacts, and a viewing lab where you can watch paleontologists restore actual fossils. The biggest attraction for kids is undoubtedly the outdoor Dinosaur Garden with its 18 life-size models of prehistoric creatures, including a T. rex and a woolly mammoth. The Field House also doubles as a visitor center for all of Dinosaurland, so stop here for maps and guides for the entire area.