USA attractions

On the banks of the mighty St. Lawrence River, just over the US/Canada border, Clayton’s Antique Boat Museum is home to North America’s largest display of antique and classic boats. Through extensive displays and historical context, the museum brings the 1,000 Islands’ boating heritage to life while highlighting efforts to preserve the region’s maritime history.

Midtown Manhattan’s Walter Kerr Theatre is a grand performing arts venue that’s just off Broadway. Opened in the 1920s as the Ritz Theatre, it was later renamed and refurbished in honor of a Pulitzer Prize-winning theater critic. Throughout its long history, it has put on different kinds of shows, but nowadays, it hosts musicals and plays, including the likes of Hadestown and Springsteen on Broadway.

Van Cortlandt Park is New York City’s third-largest park. Located in the northwest Bronx, its thickly forested interior valleys and ridges are flanked by sports fields, a pool, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities. Containing some of New York City’s last remaining native woodlands and wetlands, it’s an ideal place to hike and get outdoors without going too far from the city.

Part of the Wildlands Conservancy group of California nature preserves, Mission Creek Preserve spans more than 4,700 acres between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. In addition to the typical arid landscape of the desert, the preserve features a patch of wetlands and is home to wildlife such as deer, bears, and bighorn sheep.

Spanning genres and media, the David Zwirner Gallery specializes in cutting-edge contemporary art in the heart of Chelsea. You’ll find an ever-changing roster of paintings, sculptures, and other works at this sleek gallery, which has several locations in NYC as well as outposts in Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, and Paris. But be quick—the shows here usually last only a month or two.

Set in a schoolyard in East Harlem, this open-air gallery of street art has been a New York City cultural institution for over four decades. Established back in 1980 by a pair of graffiti artists, it once served as a meet-up and practice space for emerging talents. Today, the Graffiti Hall of Fame is a canvas for international street-art stars.

Founded in 2018, Glacier 45 Distillery produces all-natural vodkas in a range of flavors—think blood orange, hot cinnamon, cucumber, huckleberry, and more—plus gin and bourbon whiskey. You can try it for yourself at its tasting room in downtown Baker City, Oregon.

Step back in time at the Meux Home Museum, which showcases what life was like in the 1800s for the wealthy. This Fresno historical mansion once belonged to a Civil War–era surgeon and his family, and it features original, Victorian-style decor and furnishings throughout.

The Boulder Public Library, located along pretty Boulder Creek, is a hub of culture. Beyond offering books and learning materials, it has a modern design featuring open spaces, reading areas, and a bridge connecting different sections—great for a quiet moment in a bustling city. The library also hosts art exhibits, workshops, and other events, making it a vibrant space for learning, creativity, and collaboration.

While Central Park might be New York City’s most famous park, Pelham Bay Park is its largest, at more than three times bigger than its Manhattan counterpart. Located on the city’s outskirts, it has sports fields, historic sites, golf courses, playgrounds, hiking trails, the Bronx’s only public beach at Orchard Beach, and more.

Franklin Mountains State Park offers exquisite desert landscapes, rugged mountain trails, and acres of exploration just north of El Paso, Texas. Popular for hiking, biking, and rock climbing, it features over 100 miles (160 kilometers) of trails of varying difficulty levels. Visitors can also enjoy relaxing views, wildlife spotting, and stargazing. And with nice weather year-round, this spot is always in season.

The Cutting Room is an intimate concert and events venue, known for its cozy, cabaret-like vibe. Founded by the actor Chris Noth—of Sex and the City fame—back in 1999 at a different Manhattan location, it reopened at 44 East 32nd Street in 2013. Its stage hosts an eclectic mix of artists, from chart-topping musicians to emerging acts.

Established back in the mid-1980s in Long Island City, Socrates Sculpture Park boasts an open-air collection of sculptures overlooking the East River. This outdoor museum is popular with photography lovers—the Manhattan skyline makes for a stunning backdrop—while its green spaces and walking paths offer a relaxing escape from the bustle of the Big Apple.

Pier 45 is no longer in the boat game—it’s now a 900-foot (275-meter) promenade that’s essentially a waterfront lawn, with shade structures, seating areas, and plenty of live music when the sun is shining. For a free afternoon in NYC, this spot in Hudson River Park offers an ideal break from the hustle of the city.

Developed in the 1920s, Tudor City was one of Manhattan’s first residential complexes. A peaceful area bordering the East River in Midtown, the neighborhood is known for its distinctive European-looking architecture featuring Tudor-inspired stone and brick facades. There’s not much by way of attractions here (other than the United Nations Headquarters, located nearby), but Tudor City is popular with history and architecture buffs.

Artists without formal training produced the 7,000-plus works in the collection at the American Folk Art Museum, New York City’s only museum dedicated to folk and self-taught artists. The permanent collection—spanning four centuries and many mediums, from paintings and photographs to sculptures and textiles—portrays everyday American life. Diverse exhibitions change every few months.

Blue Cypress Lake—located in Florida’s Indian River County, which is part of the region known as the Treasure Coast—offers stunning natural beauty with cypress trees that rise up from the water. The lake attracts visitors interested in fishing, kayaking, bird-watching, and wildlife photography. It's particularly famous for its large osprey population, making it a haven for nature enthusiasts.

Located in Battery City Park in Lower Manhattan, the Irish Hunger Memorial is dedicated to over a million lives lost during the great Irish famine of the mid-1800s, when hundreds of thousands of immigrants fled Ireland for New York. The distinctive design—with the stone ruins of a famine-era cottage and thick, marshy grass— is meant to evoke the Irish landscape.

Like other Hard Rock Cafes around the world, the Washington DC branch of the megachain has plenty of rock ’n’ roll–themed memorabilia, along with regular live music performances. In an ode to their surroundings, however, this branch has a few localized decor features, with the words "Embassy of Rock" emblazoned on a mezzanine wall.

Overlooking the Hudson River in the Bronx, Wave Hill is both a public garden and a cultural center. Spanning 28 acres (11 hectares) of lush gardens and woodlands, the site is also home to an art gallery, and it offers a wide range of programs, including walks, talks, workshops, nature and art programs, live performances, and seasonal events.

Don’t just take the Staten Island Ferry for the views—get off and explore a site with centuries of history. Now an excellent public park, Fort Wadsworth was a British stronghold until 1783. Nowadays, it’s less about cannons and more about walking, biking, and jogging, as well as learning a bit about New York’s past.

One of DC’s key historical churches, the Church of the Epiphany has been a place of worship since 1842, and is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Once frequented by figures such as President Abraham Lincoln and known for its Civil War associations, the church is just a few blocks from the White House.

Located in the heart of downtown Frederick, just north of Carroll Creek Park, Tenth Ward Distilling Company is known for its unconventional spirits. Flagship products include absinthe, smoked bourbon, seasonal liqueurs, and canned cocktails, while all whiskey is distilled in-house with grain that comes straight from local Maryland farms. The Cocktail Bar and Tasting Room hosts regular events, including live music.