10457 Best Sights in USA

Franciscan Fathers built the mission in 1819, but it functioned as one for only a few years. In 1834 it became part of a rancho and later served as a school and a factory. The current mission is a replica. The landscaped courtyard contains an old Spanish mission bell, and one building holds a small museum.

Known for its rotating contemporary exhibits and woven-look exterior design, this non-collecting museum exhibits mainly new pieces from top national and international artists, often commissioned by the museum. Designed by Shigeru Ban, the 33,000-square-foot facility is a three-story glass cube encased in a woven, wood-veneer exterior screen that gives passersby glimpses of the exhibitions. Inside, a glass elevator and an open-plan design create a bright space, and the rooftop sculpture garden and café offer prime views of Aspen Mountain.

What was once large, barren fields and the former home of a Ford assembly plant is now a thriving destination neighborhood along the Mystic River. Seemingly always growing, Assembly Row is an open-air community of live-work-play spaces all connected by waterfront walkways and parks. Retail abounds, with stores like Puma, Brooks Brothers, a J.Crew outlet, the area's only Saks Off Fifth, and more. For entertainment, check out the AMC movie theater, the newly revamped LEGO Discovery Center, and Lucky Strike Social, a 36,000-square-foot space with dining, bowling, games, and shuffleboard on the first floor and an island bar on the second. Seasonal programming includes Club Volo's volleyball and pickleball courts, yoga in the park, Markers Market, live music Fridays, free lessons at Dancing on the Row, and September's Riverfest.

There are 40 restaurants including the trendy River Bar (loved for its year-round fire pits), casual noodles and sake at Fuji, a three-season patio at Salt & Stone, Greek at Zo, and the relocation of neighborhood favorite Posto. The eight-in-one fitness studio FitRow has you covered for whatever workout you desire, from boxing to cycling to Pilates.

Need some downtime from all that activity? Pop into Heyday Facial and the area's first Squeeze Massage location for a quiet respite. Also here is the Row Hotel at Assembly Row, a boutique hotel with some of the best interior design around.

With many varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas, the Japanese-style garden is spectacular from late May to mid-June as the pink, white, purple, and yellow-orange flowers not only bloom but reflect in a stream-fed pond. Whatever the season there’s plenty to admire at this Land & Garden Preserve locale, especially in fall when the many native plants brighten the landscape. You can contemplate on a bench along the winding paths as intended, perhaps by the white sand garden—raked to evoke moving water. Created with azaleas from famed landscape designer Beatrix Farrand’s Bar Harbor garden, Asticou was designed by Charles Savage, a self-educated garden designer who managed his family’s nearby Asticou Inn. Check the website for "Garden Walks & Talks" and, in mid-July every other year, an evening Japanese lantern stroll.

Also known as "Old 300," this is a beautifully restored 1913 streetcar that travels for 4 miles along Astoria's historic riverfront, stopping at several points between the Astoria River Inn and the foot of 39th Street (although you can easily flag it down at any point along the route by offering a friendly wave). The hourlong ride gives you a close-up look at the waterfront from the Port of Astoria to the East Mooring Basin; the Columbia River; and points of interest in between.

This gleaming superstructure of revolving planets has come to symbolize Tomorrowland as much as Dumbo represents Fantasyland. Passenger vehicles, on arms projecting from a central column, sail past whirling planets, and you control your car's altitude but not its velocity. The line is directly across from the entrance to the TTA PeopleMover. For people with disabilities: You must be able to walk several steps and transfer to the vehicle. The line moves slowly; skip this attraction on your first visit if time is limited.

The Dallas Cowboys call this state-of-the-art stadium home, designed to seat about 80,000 (with flexibility for 10,000 more) near Rangers Ballpark. The giant stadium features a retractable roof that can open or close in 12 minutes and partially close to resemble the distinctive roof of the team's old Texas Stadium. The roof is supported by two arches that rise 320 feet above the field. Those arches also hold in place the biggest wall of video screens in NFL history.

Next door to a restored Santa Fe Depot, this museum was founded by a group of rail enthusiasts during the late 1980s. Today they operate the museum's miniature railroad on a volunteer basis. The extensive collection of rail cars, locomotives, and rolling stocks—all from the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad—are are kept outdoors and open for viewing on weekends during the summer. Collection highlights include the Santa Fe 789-class steam locomotive No. 811 and the Missouri Pacific M of W dining car.

One of the most noteworthy structures in Alexandria, this striking Greek Revival edifice at the corner of Prince and Lee streets stands out from its many redbrick Federal neighbors. Built in 1852 as a bank, and later used as a Union commissary headquarters, then as a storage facility for the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary, the Athenaeum now houses the gallery of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association, which hosts free rotating art exhibitions, classes, and receptions throughout the year. The 200 block of Prince Street between Fairfax and Lee streets is known as Gentry Row.

Housed in a national landmark Italianate Revival brownstone built in the mid–19th century, the Athenaeum is a research library specializing in architectural history and design with a collection that features millions of items. The library, founded in 1814, was refurbished in 2022 and contains significant materials on the French in America and on early American travel, exploration, and transportation. Besides books, the Athenaeum has notable paintings and period furniture; changing exhibits are presented in the gallery. Research is by appointment only.

The somewhat quirky design of this Victorian-era house incorporates Queen Anne, Stick-Eastlake, and other architectural elements. Many claim the house—now apartments—is haunted by the ghosts of its 19th-century residents, who (supposedly) regularly whisper, glow, and generally cause a mild fuss. It's not open to the public.

Established by a group of photographers in the '70s as the arts co-op Nexus, Atlanta Contemporary is an arts center that exhibits edgy contemporary art. It has the feel of a sophisticated gallery, but the programming is approachable, and its annual Art Party is not to be missed.

If you're looking for sun-soaked relaxation, head for Atlantic Beach, where you can sink your feet into white, sugary sands or catch some waves in the warm surf. Beachgoers with canine companions are welcome during the day and evening as long as the dog is leashed. Atlantic Beach and next-door Neptune Beach share the trendy Town Center, which has lots of tempting dining and shopping within a block of the shore. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); showers; water sports. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

Just across the harbor from Beaufort—but three bridges driving—this beach is a family-friendly spot known for its wide stretches of sand (even at high tide) and beautiful green water. Free outdoor movies, movie festivals, playgrounds, and a park are featured on the town's Circle. A boardwalk fronts part of the clean, wide beach, where buoys mark lifeguard-protected swimming areas. It's home to Fort Macon, a renowned surf break, and several bustling, quality restaurants, including Amos Mosquito's, the Island Grille, and the Idle Hour Biergarten. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; windsurfing.

The largest and busiest of the kid-oriented amusements along Misquamicut Beach, this century-old facility offers nostalgic fun for the entire family, including an antique 1915 carousel (currently being restored), bumper cars, a dragon roller coaster, ice cream parlor, and a large arcade with games that spout tickets you can redeem for prizes. The Windjammer Surf Bar has live music in the summer and an oceanfront deck for drinks and snacks; unlike the amusement park, the bar is open year-round. 

With exhibits that change every two months, the Atlantic Center for the Arts has works of internationally known artists. Mediums include sculpture, mixed materials, video, drawings, prints, and paintings. Intensive three-week residencies are periodically run by visual-, literary-, and performing-master artists.

Ease into the morning with a skyline cruise, take the family on a quest for marine mammals with a lunchtime dolphin cruise, or toast the end of the day with a happy-hour cruise. In the summer, daily departures from Gardner's Basin aboard Cruisn 1 ply the coastal waters, granting up to 100 passengers a unique perspective on Atlantic City and is ocean and bay inhabitants.

Quiet and green, this has the opposite vibe of the main beach a few miles up. What it also has are lush pine trees under which are picnic tables, nature trails through the dunes, and a boardwalk that takes you to the shore—in addition to restrooms and showers conveniently located on the ocean side of A1A (rather than across the street in the parking lot). Chair rentals are available, and as at the municipal beach, all lifeguards are certified EMTs. A surf wheelchair is on hand for first-come-first-served use, with a limit of two hours per person. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets; showers. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Built by sea captain Joseph C. Atwood in 1752, this museum has a gambrel roof, hand-hewn floor planks, an old kitchen with a wide hearth, and a beehive oven. The Joseph C. Lincoln Room has the manuscripts, first editions, and mementos of the Chatham writer; antique tools are displayed in an additional gallery. There's also a portrait gallery featuring Chatham-born sea captains, painted by Frederick S. Wight. In a remodeled freight shed are the stunning and provocative murals (1932–45) by Alice Stallknecht Wight portraying religious scenes in Chatham settings. On the grounds are an herb garden, the old turret and lens from the Chatham Light, and a simple camp house rescued from eroding North Beach.

An extension of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, this unit houses a noncirculating collection of about 60,000 books of African American interest. The archives contain art and artifacts, transcribed oral histories, and rare books, pamphlets, and periodicals. There are three galleries with rotating exhibits, and frequent special events, all of them free.

Depending on when you visit this lush green park, you’ll have a totally different experience. If you manage to make it here for a concert or festival (whether it's SXSW or the annual Austin Reggae Festival), the park transforms into a venue with one of the finest views of the downtown skyline as a backdrop. On any random day of the week, however, you’ll find that the wide-open, lakeside green space is the perfect place to stretch out and read a book, catch a pickup game of Frisbee, or snap a photo of the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial statue along the hike-and-bike trail.

The museum showcases a revolving selection of impressive vehicles, curated from private collections of more than 350 rare, fully restored automobiles dating from 1899 to the present day. You might see super cars, mini- and micro-cars, pre--World War II specimens, or touring cars. Racing simulators allow visitors to take a few spins around the track. Auto enthusiasts will enjoy perusing past exhibitions on the museum's website.

Enter through the second floor of the Audubon Aquarium to find this relocated museum, with newly imagined exhibits on life as a bug and all the big ways these small animals live and work. Explore the world's insect myth and lore, venture into a Louisiana swamp, and marvel at the hundreds of delicate denizens flying free in the Japanese butterfly garden overlooking the Mississippi River. At Bug Appétit, sample (or simply observe) as chefs cook the world's most edible insects into creative culinary inventions.

More than 20 bird species, including hawks, eagles, owls, falcons, and vultures, make their home at this wildlife rehabilitation center on Lake Sybelia. You can take a self-guided conservation tour with interactive exhibits and walkways through the wetlands, or you can call ahead for a private tour ($30 annual pass), which includes an up-close look at different birds in the center. There's an earnestness to this working facility, which takes in more than 800 injured wild birds of prey each year. Fewer than half can return to the wild; some permanently injured birds continue to live at the center and can be seen in aviaries along the pathways. To get here, take U.S. 17–92, and turn west on Lake Avenue and then north on East Street.

If you've ever seen an engraving by ornithologist John James Audubon, you'll understand why his name is synonymous with birds. See his works in this three-story house, which was built in the 1840s for Captain John Geiger and is filled with period furniture. It now commemorates Audubon's 1832 stop in Key West while he was traveling through Florida to study birds. After an introduction by a docent, you can do a self-guided tour of the house and gardens. An art gallery sells lithographs of the artist's famed portraits.

A self-guided nature trail winds through a verdant 40-acre estate and around the headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society. The estate is known as Woodend, as is the mansion, which was designed in 1927 by Jefferson Memorial architect John Russell Pope. The society leads wildlife identification walks, environmental education programs, and—September through June—a weekly Saturday bird walk at its headquarters. The bookstore stocks titles on conservation, ecology, and birding, as well as nature-related gifts such as jewelry and toys.

There are walking trails, a self-guided tour, a pond, and eight distinct areas to explore on this 50-acre preserve located off Palmetto Bay Road. Native plant life is tagged and identified in the pristine forest, and many species of birds can also be found here.

John James Audubon did a major portion of his Birds of America studies in this 100-acre park, and the three-story Oakley Plantation House is where Audubon tutored the young Eliza Pirrie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Pirrie, who owned the house. The simple—even spartan—interior contrasts sharply with the extravagances of many of the River Road plantations and demonstrates the Puritan influence in this region. The grounds, too, recall the English penchant for a blending of order and wilderness in their gardens. You must follow a short, peaceful walking path to reach the house from the parking lot. A state-run museum at the start of the path provides an informative look at plantation life as it was lived in this region 200 years ago. A permanent exhibit tells the story of the enslaved people who lived on this site—including many of their names—and the grounds include a pair of authentic slave cabins brought here from another plantation.

Consistently ranked as one of the top zoos in the nation, the Audubon Zoo presents a wide array of animals in exhibits that mimic their natural habitats, including giraffes, lions, and elephants. The Louisiana Swamp exhibit re-creates the natural habitat of alligators, including a rare white alligator (technically a leucistic gator), nutrias (large swamp rodents), and catfish; feeding time is always well attended. Among other highlights are the Reptile Encounter, the Komodo dragon exhibit, and gorilla and flamingo exhibits. Several attractions are available for additional fees, including a train tour that departs every 30 minutes from the swamp exhibit. Cool Zoo, a splash park featuring a 28-foot white-alligator slide, bubbling fountains, and splash zones, has one area set aside for toddlers and young children. Cool Zoo also includes Gator Run, a lazy river with sand beaches, water cannons, and jumping jets. (Cool Zoo is open weekends in May, then opens daily from Memorial Day until early August, when it returns to weekends-only through Labor Day; separate admission is $13 for nonmembers.)