USA attractions

If Brooklyn is New York City’s coolest borough, then Williamsburg is its ultimate hipster mecca. Packed with galleries, music venues, and art spaces, the neighborhood has long been a prime destination to soak up the borough’s eclectic culture. Today, locals and visitors come to admire the street art, head to destination restaurants, hit trendy dive bars, and shop indie boutiques and thrift stores.

Walking paths, a dog park, and eateries all draw visitors to the 17-acre (7-hectare) South Pointe Park in Miami. This revitalized space may be best known for its exceptional views; from there, you can spot Fisher Island, Biscayne Bay, and Downtown Miami. The best vistas are found from the pier, where you can walk out into the ocean and admire the view. This is also a prime destination for photos with a scenic backdrop.

Posh Coral Gables, called the “City Beautiful,” is filled with old European-style homes: Italianate villas, Mediterranean mansions, mini-Alhambras, and cookie-cutter Cordobas shaded by living walls of banyan trees and ficus copses. You’ll also find 1920s-era historic landmarks like the Biltmore Hotel.

With its resemblance to stacked vinyl records and blinking red light that spells “Hollywood” in Morse code, the Capitol Records Building is a mid-century masterpiece that helps define the Tinseltown skyline. Star-studded studios inside have made musical history—from Sinatra to The Beatles—and nearby Hollywood Walk of Fame stars feature some of Capitol Records’ best-loved names. While the interior is closed to the public, the exterior is a worthwhile sight (and classic selfie backdrop).

The first planetarium in the western hemisphere, this premier attraction for astronomy enthusiasts was built in 1930 as part of Chicago’s lakefront Museum Campus. Its family-friendly planetarium shows, celestial artifacts, and Grainger Sky Theater attract visitors of all ages, and permanent exhibits span from antique telescopes to cutting-edge space visualizations. The planetarium’s seven sky shows are its biggest draw, focusing on everything from the local night sky to the far reaches of the universe.

Just north of Jackson, the National Elk Refuge is a federally protected wildlife refuge that provides a critical winter range for the largest elk herd in North America. Each year, thousands of elk migrate here from the surrounding mountains to survive the harsh Rocky Mountain winter. Visitors can observe the elk herd in an open landscape framed by the Teton Range, which makes the refuge a must-see for nature lovers.

Just beyond Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park and Honokohau Beach rests Honokohau Harbor, a bustling 262-slip marina with restaurants, outfitters, restrooms, and more. Most visitors will come here for scuba and snorkeling adventures—or for their chance to reel in that trophy catch. From here, 1,000-pound marlin and billfish troll the waters, alongside dolphins, whales, and the world’s largest rays.

Billed as the oldest residential street in the United States, Elfreth’s Alley dates back to 1702. A National Historic Landmark and a living museum, the narrow, cobbled alley features 32 buildings in Georgian and Federal styles. It’s also home to Elfreth's Alley Museum House.

Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale is a scenic waterfront promenade along the New River in Fort Lauderdale's historic downtown district. Stretching just over a mile (1.6 kilometers), it links a series of parks, plazas, and tropical walkways. Visitors come for relaxed riverside strolls, boat watching, and easy access to nearby shops, museums, movie theaters, cafés, and restaurants—the perfect mix of green spaces and city attractions.

The largest authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan, Lili‘uokalani Gardens brings green-ified Japanese culture to Hawaii’s pretty Hilo Bay—it’s right on the famous Banyan Drive in downtown Hilo. Arched stone bridges, moats, stone lanterns, pagodas, and a tea house make up the walkable gardens, which were named after Hawaii's last reigning monarch and dedicated to the immigrants who worked in the sugar fields.

Dating back to the 18th century, the Savannah City Market has long been the commercial and social center of historic downtown Savannah, Georgia. The market is known locally as the “art and soul” of Savannah, a nod to the numerous art galleries, boutiques, and restaurants that make it such an important part of Savannah's social fabric—and any visitor to the city should at least pop by.

What began as the headquarters of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory in the 1890s is now a multilevel retail square across the street from San Francisco’s Aquatic Park. Instantly recognizable by its clock tower and large Ghirardelli sign—both popular photo ops—the red-brick complex is a destination for waterfront dining, shopping, and sampling chocolate.

Though the Boston Public Library has dozens of branches, the Central Library in Copley Square draws in the most visitors. It's housed in two side-by-side buildings, the oldest of which is known for its impressive murals and 19th-century architecture. Once you've admired the Roman Renaissance-inspired courtyard and Grand Staircase decked out in yellow marble, you can cozy up with a book in the Hogwarts-like reading room.

The largest natural island in San Francisco Bay, Angel Island State Park is often overshadowed by the much smaller Alcatraz Island. Yet this West Coast version of New York’s Ellis Island has a fascinating history—highlighted at the Angel Island Immigration Station Museum—plus offers hiking, biking, and picnicking with views of San Francisco Bay, the city skyline, and Golden Gate Bridge. Angel Island is ideal for outdoor lovers and those interested in US immigration history.

Located in Cambridge, just northwest of Boston, Harvard University is synonymous with educational prestige and accomplishment. Known for a curriculum that challenges and inspires its students, this Ivy League university boasts numerous Nobel Prize winners and eight US presidents, including Barack Obama, among its faculty and alums.

Covering 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers), Lake Pontchartrain is one of the largest inland saltwater bodies in the United States. It’s a favorite spot for fishing, sailing, and swimming, and a big draw for wildlife fans—the lake’s shores and waters are home to a diverse ecosystem, including blue crabs, Atlantic stingrays, pelicans, ospreys, and occasionally bull sharks.

The George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River, connects New Jersey with Manhattan. This double-decker suspension bridge may be less famous than the Brooklyn Bridge, but it’s still an engineering feat. Dating back to 1931, the bridge offers stunning views of the city, as well as options to drive, cycle, or walk across it, making it a functional and scenic way to see New York from a new vantage point.

If you’ve seen a scenic photo of Grand Teton National Park, you’ve likely seen Oxbow Bend. Without a doubt, this curved section of the Snake River is the park’s most photographed site, with the river meandering in the foreground reflecting the rugged peaks of Mt. Moran. It’s a beautiful setting, and a great place to spot birds and other wildlife.

Rising more than 900 feet (274 meters) above San Francisco, Twin Peaks provides a panoramic view of the city and beyond. On clear days, you can see for miles from these two hills, taking in the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, Alcatraz, downtown San Francisco, and Berkeley, Oakland, and Sausalito across San Francisco Bay.

Bryce Canyon National Park is an active traveler’s playground, featuring the red rock canyons and rugged horizon-stretching vistas that make Utah famous. Among its otherworldly geological formations are pinnacles, spires, and eroded-rock formations—called hoodoos—that reveal layers of red, orange, and white. Park highlights include the hoodoo-filled Bryce Amphitheater and the Rim Trail, which offers spectacular views.

Like the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, or the Chrysler Building, the United Nations Headquarters is among New York City’s most iconic structures, as well as its most significant political sites. A number of buildings comprise the complex, including the domed General Assembly Hall and the Secretariat Building, a high-rise completed in the early 1950s. Visitors can get a peek behind the scenes during guided tours.

With picturesque stone bridges, botanical gardens, museums, a theme park, hundreds of centuries-old oak trees, and numerous waterways, City Park in New Orleans offers a myriad of reasons to spend a day outside. Join locals on the trails, visit the New Orleans Museum of Art, take a ride on a 100-year-old carved wooden carousel, or simply find a spot for a picnic and enjoy the park’s vast green spaces.

With bright turquoise waters owing to Lake Tahoe’s clarity, there’s no question where Emerald Bay got its name—but it’s a gem in other ways, too. It is also home to the lake’s only islet, Fanette Island, while the eponymous state park, centered on the bay, draws visitors in the summer to boat, swim, and hike down a forested trail to the sheltered cove.

The most visited of the three St. Louis Cemeteries, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is New Orleans’ oldest and most famous resting place. Among the grand 18th- and 19th-century burial sites are the graves of civil rights activist Homer Plessy, voodoo queen Marie Laveau, and other prominent New Orleanians, whose ghosts are said to be a presence in the cemetery. Unsurprisingly, this landmark is revered as one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States.

Home to San Francisco’s main governmental offices, major museums, and performing arts venues, Civic Center is one of the city’s key sightseeing destinations. The tree-lined UN Plaza leads to the impressive, gold-leaf dome of City Hall, while the surrounding Beaux Arts-style buildings are of interest to architecture lovers. Today, Civic Center is a National Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Located in Chicago’s Grant Park, the Art Institute of Chicago ranks among the city’s top museums. Its vast collection comprises some 300,000 works, ranging from ancient artifacts to 19th- and 20th-century icons by Georgia O’Keeffe, Georges Seurat, Edward Hopper, and beyond. More than 1.5 million visitors from across the globe flock to the museum annually, making it one of Chicago’s most-visited tourist attractions.

Designed by architect John Norris, the Mercer Williams House Museum was built in the 1860s and restored a century later by antiques dealer Jim Williams. Considered one of the most beautiful houses in all of Savannah, Georgia, it’s now a museum, most famously known as a setting for the book and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

The historic log cabins and barns that make up Mormon Row were constructed by Mormon settlers in the 1980s and still stand against the backdrop of the Teton Mountains in Grand Tetons National Park. Visitors to the site can photograph the historic structures, hike, bike, or snowshoe in the area, and spot the park’s wildlife in the open fields.

Tunnel View is the most visited scenic overlook in Yosemite and the site of Ansel Adams’ famous shot. When driving into Yosemite National Park from the south, Tunnel View offers your first glimpse into Yosemite Valley. At the end of a tunnel, a magical valley is revealed, with towering granite peaks and domes, and waterfalls spilling over cliffs.

Encounter maritime history at the Charlestown Navy Yard, one of the most prolific naval facilities in US history. This Boston yard served ships for more than 175 years, and now hosts the USS Constitution—and its museum—and the USS Cassin Young. Commercial business stopped in 1974; it's now a National Park Service site and free to visit.