Other sights in USA
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Exposition Park
Just south of Downtown LA, Exposition Park has enough kid-friendly museums, historic sports facilities and green spaces to keep you busy for a day. Parking is $8.
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Bay Area Discovery Museum
At Fort Baker, the Bay Area Discovery Museum is cool for kids, with hands-on science exhibits, musical instruments, festivals and camps.
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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a 110-sq-mile national park to the east that holds the namesake colored sandstone bluffs.
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Willie Nelson Museum
The Willie Nelson Museum, which might as well be called the Everything-But-Willie-Nelson's-Used-Toothbrush Museum.
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Ocracoke Village
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TKTS
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Drive for hours across the desert just to see a cave? But it’s not just any cave; it’s a truly astonishing and immense system of caves, one of the world’s greatest. Once visitors get a glimpse, even the most skeptical are impressed. A visit is, without a doubt, a highlight of any Southwestern journey. But wait, there’s more. The cave’s other claim to fame is the 250,000-plus Mexican free-tail bat colony that roosts here from April through to October. Visitors flock here at sunset to watch them fly out to feast on a smorgasbord of bugs. The park covers 73 sq miles and includes almost 100 caves. Visitors can take a 2-mile subterranean walk from the cave mouth to an…
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Antelope Island State Park
White-sand beaches, birds and buffalo are what attract people to the pretty, 15-mile-long Antelope Island State Park. That’s right, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake is home to a 600-strong herd of American bison, or buffalo. The November roundup, for veterinary examination, is a thrilling wildlife spectacle. And then there are the hundreds of thousands of migratory birds that descend on the park to feast on tiny brine shrimp along the Great Salt Lake’s shore en route to distant lands during fall (September to November) and spring (March to May) migrations. The island is a year-round home to burrowing owls and raptors as well as namesake antelope, bighorn sheep…
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Very Large Array Radio Telescope
- New Mexico, USA
- Sights › Other
In some remote regions of New Mexico, TV reception is little more than a starry-eyed fantasy. About 40 miles west of Socorro, though, 27 huge antenna dishes sprout from the high plains like a couch potato’s dream come true. Actually, the 240-ton dishes comprise the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array Radio Telescope. Together, they combine to form a very large eyeball peeking into the outer edges of the universe. It would take a 422ft-wide satellite dish to provide the same resolution that this Y-shaped configuration of 82ft-wide antennas offers the observatory. Sure, the giant ‘scope may reveal the relativistic electron movement in the heavens…
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C&O Canal Towpath
There are all kinds of green escapes from Washington’s urban jungle, but the C&O is one of the more pleasant, if only because of the unexpected way it leaps out at you. There you are, wandering through the Valley Girl paradise that is Georgetown on a sunny day, and all of a sudden: wooden water wheels, a green canal, shaggy horses, flat-bed barges and a cobbled path running alongside, all so bucolic you expect hobbits to emerge from the bushes with fiddles and ale. The canal, one of the civil engineering feats of the 19th century, runs 185 miles from here to Cumberland, MD, and once brought goods and passengers from the capital to the then-beginning of the American West.…
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Green Lake Park
One of the most popular spots in the city for recreationalists and sunbathers, scenic Green Lake Park surrounds Green Lake, a small natural lake created by a glacier during the last ice age. In the early 1900s, city planners lowered the lake’s water level by 7ft, increasing the shoreline to preserve parkland around the lake. After the lowering, however, Ravenna Creek, which fed the lake, no longer flowed through. Green Lake became stagnant and filled with stinky green algae. Massive dredging efforts to keep Green Lake a lake (instead of a marshy wetland) continue. The lake is prone to algae blooms, which can cause an unpleasant condition called ‘swimmer’s itch’ to anyone…
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USS Missouri
The decommissioned battleship USS Missouri, nicknamed 'Mighty Mo,' provides a unique historical 'bookend' to the US campaign in the Pacific during WWII. If you're a history buff the USS Missouri is a worthwhile sight, but if your time or money is limited a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial will suffice. The 887ft-long USS Missouri launched near the end of WWII and served as a flagship during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
On September 2, 1945, the formal Japanese surrender that ended WWII took place on the battleship's deck. The USS Missouri is now docked on Ford Island, just a few hundred yards from the sunken remains of the USS Arizona and is managed by the…
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SAFEHOUSE
New Orleans has long served as a muse for artists, boasting a funky energy that powers exceptional creativity. The city is best known for its jazzy contribution to American music, but it also has a strong visual arts scene. After Hurricane Katrina, the scene blossomed anew as photographers, sculptors, painters and performance artists turned to the destruction of the Storm for both subject and canvas. Their work helped the city channel its rage, sadness and hopefulness, capturing the evolution of the city's spirit while providing powerful social commentary on the flaws exposed by the Storm. Perhaps the most creative use of the wrecked city as canvas can be found in St…
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Mount Vernon
A visit to George Washington’s Virginia home, Mount Vernon, is an easy escape from the city – one that the president himself enjoyed. It’s also a journey through history: the country estate of this quintessential gentleman has been meticulously restored and affords a glimpse of rural gentility from a time long gone. On the Potomac banks, the 19-room mansion displays George and Martha’s colonial tastes, while the outbuildings and slave quarters show what was needed for the functioning of the estate. George and Martha are both buried here, as requested by the first president in his will. The modern Ford Orientation Center is a must-see on the grounds. It features a…
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Ford’s Theatre & Petersen House
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, actor and Confederate sympathizer, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, as president and Mrs Lincoln watched Our American Cousin in the Presidential Box of Ford’s Theatre. The box remains draped with a period flag to this day. The theater is open during the day to visitors (except during rehearsals or matinee performances), but you’ll need to get a (free) ticket with timed entry from the theater box office; you can also reserve a pass from Ticketmaster (202-397-7328; www.ticketmaster.com) – a surcharge may apply. Check out the Lincoln Museum in the basement, which maps out the assassination’s details and displays related artifacts.…
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Presidio National Park
Explore that splotch of green on the map between Baker Beach and Crissy Field, and you’ll find a parade grounds, Yoda, a centuries-old adobe wall and a pet cemetery. What started out as a Spanish fort built by conscripted Ohlone in 1776 is now a treasure hunt of oddities. Begin your adventures by heading across the parade grounds at Moraga to get a trail map at the visitors center (Moraga Ave near Arguello Blvd) in the old Officers’ Club (verify location ahead of time; it’s slated to move), or take advantage of rock-star photo ops among the decrepit barracks. This is where Jerry Garcia began and ended his ignominious military career by going AWOL nine times in eight…
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Historic Bok Sanctuary
Edward Bok, editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal from 1888 to 1919, stood at the forefront of modern environmentalism and the promotion of progressive causes. Inspired by his grandmother’s admonishment to ‘make you the world a bit more beautiful and better because you have been in it, ’ he hired Frederick Law Olmstead Jr to design these gardens. In 1929 President Calvin Coolidge dedicated them to the US people. The centerpiece of the 250-acre property is the meticulously carved 205ft stone bell tower, and every afternoon the 60-bell carillon dongs its bells. Children enjoy looking for the iron rubbing posts, each with a different animal to rub onto special paper given…
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Space Center Houston
Dream of a landing on the moon? You can’t get any closer (without years of training) than at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center and museum of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. When the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) opened in 1961 it practically put Houston on the map. Despite exuding a theme-park vibe, interactive exhibits nonetheless entertain. Hope that on your NASA Tram tour you get to see astronauts training for future missions; if not, you still get to peek into several actual working areas of the Space Center, such as both the current and the historic Mission Control Center (you know, the ‘Houston’ of the famous Apollo 13 line ‘Houston, we have a…
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Wynwood and Design District Arts Walks
It's hipsters gone wild! Hmm, that doesn't actually sound very fun, so we'll put it another way: It's free wine! And artsy types, and galleries open 'til late, and the eye candy of a club, and the drunken momentum of a pub crawl, and best of all, no red ropes. The Wynwood and Design District Arts Walk (www.artcircuits.com) is, for our money (i.e. none, because it's free) one of the best nightlife experiences in Miami. And we're not (just) being cheapskates.
The experience of strolling from gallery to gallery (That piece is gorgeous. Pour me another), perusing the paintings (No, I don't think there's a bathroom behind the performance artist), delving into the nuances of…
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Lydgate Beach Park
Families flock to the clean, safe, conveniently located Lydgate Beach Park, with calm waters in a large seawater pool protected by a stone breakwater. It's ideal for shallow swimming and beginning snorkeling. Beware of the open ocean beyond the pool, where currents are strong. Amenities include changing rooms, rest rooms, showers, drinking water, picnic pavilions, lifeguard and ample parking. The Eastside paved coastal path runs through the park.
In 1994 thousands of local volunteers helped build the enchanting Kamalani Playground at the northern end of the park. This massive 16,000-sq-ft wooden castle has swings, slides, mirror mazes, a suspension bridge and other…
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Albuquerque Biopark
Adults will get as much out of the Albuquerque BioPark as children. When the weather is nice, and you’re traveling with family, the place is especially appealing for the combo ticket to three kid-friendly attractions: a zoo, an aquarium and a botanic gardens. It’s a good-value way to stay entertained all day. Set on 60 shady acres along the Rio Grande, the park’s Rio Grande Zoo is home to more than 250 species. There’s a lot going on here: sea-lion feedings take place daily at 10:30am and 3:30pm, camel rides are offered in the spring and summer, and an entertaining summertime bird show happens at 11:30am and 2pm Wednesday through Sunday. Meanwhile the Albuquerque…
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Lakeview Cemetery
One of Seattle’s oldest cemeteries and the final resting place of many early settlers, Lakeview Cemetery borders Volunteer Park to the north. Arthur Denny and his family, Doc and Catherine Maynard, Thomas Mercer and Henry Yesler are all interred here. This is also the gravesite of Princess Angeline, the daughter of Duwamish Chief Sealth, after whom Seattle was named.
Most people, however, stop by to see the graves of martial arts film legends Bruce and Brandon Lee. Flowers from fans are usually scattered around Brandon’s red and Bruce’s black tombstones, which stand side by side in a tiny part of the cemetery. The graves are not easy to find: enter the cemetery at 15th…
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Essanay Studios
Back before the talkies made silent film obsolete, Chicago reigned supreme as the number one producer of movie magic in the USA. Essanay churned out silent films with soon-to-be household names like WC Fields, Charlie Chaplin and Gilbert M Anderson (aka ‘Bronco Billy,’ the trailblazing star of the brand-new Western genre and cofounder of Essanay). Filming took place at the studio, but also in the surrounding neighborhoods. Getting the product out the door and into theaters was more important than producing artful, well-made films, so editing was viewed somewhat circumspectly. As a result, it was common in the early Essanay films to see local children performing…
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French Market
Within the shopping arcades of forgettable souvenirs, mediocre art and overrated food, it’s easy to forget that for centuries this was the great bazaar and pulsing commercial heart of much of New Orleans. Today the French Market is a bit sanitized, a safari through a tourist jungle of curios, flea markets and harmless, shiny tat that all equals great family-friendly fun. Occasionally you’ll spot some genuinely fascinating and/or unique arts and craftwork. The Spanish built the first meat-and-produce market here in 1791, which was destroyed by hurricane and fire. In 1813 the replacement Halle des Boucheries (Meat Market), at 900 Decatur St, was designed, and during the…
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Waiting for the Interurban
Seattle’s most popular piece of public art, this lively sculpture in recycled aluminum depicts people waiting for a train that never comes. The train that once passed through Fremont stopped running in the 1930s, and the people of Seattle have been waiting for a new train – the Interurban – ever since. Finally, in 2001, Sound Transit trains started once again to connect Seattle with Everett, much like the original train did. The sculpture is prone to regular ‘art attacks,’ where locals lovingly decorate the people in outfits corresponding to a special event, the weather, someone’s birthday, a Mariners win – whatever. Rarely do you see the sculpture ‘undressed.’ Take a…
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