Must-Visit Places in the USA

The United States is insatiable in its desire to be the best. Chicago skyscrapers were erected first on the planet, the highest-grossing films are shot in Hollywood, the best vacation for kids is at Disneyland, and the most frantic pleasures for adults are with cool casinos and round-the-clock striptease in Las Vegas. Must-Visit Places to Visit in the USA.

And the United States is also obsessed with gigantomastia. Everything that is in the States is huge and weighty, take at least the local hamburgers, which look like edible hills. American cars are dimensionless, highways are endless. And in huge supermarkets you can wander for hours, colliding in the aisles with immense fat men pushing filled grocery carts in front of them.

The territory of the United States, like giant chewing gum, stretches across six climatic zones: when snow shovels in Michigan, Florida residents relax on the beaches. The canyons are deep, the deserts are vast, the Great Lakes resemble the seas, and Niagara Falls is so wide that it is easily divided equally with neighboring Canada.
America is like a big banquet table, where you want to put your fork into every mouth-watering plate. But as with any large banquet, you will never be able to taste everything in the States. The cities here are huge, the entertainment is varied, and if you try to try them all, be warned: heartburn will not be avoided.

Yellowstone national park

Yellowstone Park, founded in 1872 (and becoming the world’s first national park), occupies the territory of three states at once – Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. The first Europeans visited here at the beginning of the 19th century. But few people believed their stories about the amazing land with fountains of hot water and steam gushing out of the ground.
In the center of Yellowstone, at an altitude of 2135 meters, there is a lake of the same name. This is one of the largest alpine lakes on the planet. It is located in the Yellowstone Caldera, which in turn is the largest supervolcano on the continent.

The supervolcano is so huge that it doesn’t even form a cone. During eruptions that took place tens of thousands of years ago, its upper part simply fell into the ground. As a result, there was a hole in the ground – a caldera measuring 55 by 75 kilometers.

Yellowstone Park itself is located on a plateau, which was formed during the constant eruptions of the volcano. The forests were repeatedly covered with ash, and today you can see here thousand-year-old fossilized trees that have taken on fantastic forms.

Yellowstone has a huge number of geysers – about three thousand. This is two-thirds of all geysers in the world. One of the most famous geysers is the Great Fountain, which erupts every ten hours, sending a stream of water to a height of 30 meters. A geyser called the White Dome is no less popular among tourists.

The park is literally strewn with many different geothermal springs – from mud volcanoes to hydrogen sulfide lakes. Yellowstone is “refreshed” by 300 waterfalls, the largest of which is the Lower Falls, which is almost twice as high as the well-known Niagara. The park is cut by two canyons. The depth of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is 275 meters. Its width in some places reaches a kilometer.

Buffalo Bill

The park is home to one of the largest herds of American bison in the United States. Some of these enormous animals grow up to two meters in height. Americans call buffalo buffaloes.

In April 2014, visitors to the park witnessed the bison hurrying out of Yellowstone. Some experts, after watching a video with running buffaloes, suggested that the animals felt the awakening of the supervolcano.

Yellowstone is home to moose, deer, grizzly bears, wolves, lynxes, coyotes, cougars, antelopes, bighorn sheep, and other mammals.

Winters in Yellowstone are cold and temperatures can drop as low as minus 20 degrees (at night). In summer, the maximum daytime temperatures range between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.

More than two million tourists visit the park annually. The park is equipped with a solid tourist infrastructure – campgrounds, shops, gas stations, hotels, museums, and information centers. The length of the asphalt road, which passes the “eight” through the main attractions of the park, exceeds 230 kilometers.

Arizona, home to cactus and scorching sun, is home to one of the deepest canyons in the world. This is more than just an abyss. The canyon is so large that only a tenth of the ancient giant, which turned 6 million years old, is visible from all viewing platforms.

Grand Canyon

Once the canyon completely belonged to the Indians – the Apaches, Navajo, and other tribes lived here. Modern Aborigines live on reservations and do business with tourists. For example, the guys from the Havasupai tribe (“people of the blue-green water”, havasupaitribe.com) for $ 35 take them to the breathtaking local waterfalls.

by the way, The fiery red Grand Canyon is indented with hiking trails that you can hike with your backpack on your back. Another way to explore these sultry places is to ride rubber rafts down the Colorado River, which rushes at the bottom of the ravines (details and ordering tours – grandcanyon.com). You can also observe the cosmic changes in the landscape while sitting in the saddle on the back of a lively horse, capable of covering kilometers without a murmur (from $ 40 per hour, canyonrides.com).

The most expensive, but worth the money, observation deck in the Grand Canyon is called Skywalk (about $ 70). A giant platform with a transparent bottom hangs over a bottomless, ocher-orange abyss, on the edge of which you feel like a tiny grain of sand.

Everglades National Park

The Everglades National Park is a gigantic expanse of predominantly swampy terrain. There are many hiking, cycling, and car routes in the park. The main thing for which people come to these lands is watching alligators, of which there are a lot. Reptiles here like to crawl out onto footpaths or lie in the grass, merging with it, right in the immediate vicinity of the paths. In such places, signs are placed calling to be careful and follow the road. It is not uncommon for alligators to block paths by lying directly across them.

Other permanent residents of these places are blue herons. They are accustomed to people, so most often they do not pay any attention to them and go about their business: eat something out of the water, clean feathers, hide behind bushes, hunt for dragonflies and other insects flying by. Also in the park, there are mangrove swamps, sword grass, manatees (or sea cows).

The Everglades are also popular for small boat excursions powered by an airboat, although they are not cheap. Therefore, it is best to choose cycling routes here. While pedaling, you will have time to enjoy the real wildlife around, see different birds and alligators, drop in a couple of equipped observation decks (many of these platforms here are a wooden tower, to the top of which there are stairs. reservoirs).

You can also find a canoe or kayak rental point and, armed with a map with a route, wave your oar yourself and at the same time look around the area. A number of rental offices also offer fishing.

Details

You can enter the park through four different points. Almost all of them are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Although some still close in the evening or during the wintertime. Therefore, before planning a trip to the park, study your route in advance.

The Hemingway Home & Museum – Key West

Not far from Miami, on the island of Key West, there is the best of all Hemingway museums. The writer moved to the island in the 30s, bought a house here, and wrote the immortal Snows of Kilimanjaro. Hemingway loved to fish, traveled on his yacht to Cuba (only 150 km from the island).

The writer’s house has long been turned into a museum, where his personal belongings are kept, and 40 cats live in the yard, descendants of the furry favorites of “old man Ham” (adult ticket – $ 12.50, child ticket – $ 6, www.hemingwayhome.com).

In the very south of the USA

Key West is also interesting because it is the southernmost point of the United States. An amazing 11-kilometer bridge leads to it, “walking” from Miami along a chain of tiny dots-islets. On Key West, Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy spent their summer vacations. Tourists are surrounded by wonderful landscapes, white-sand beaches, and many restaurants. Here you can go diving and take surfing lessons from the tanned islanders.

Centralia, Pennsylvania 

In 1962, a fire broke out in this town in Pennsylvania during the elimination of a landfill, spreading to abandoned underground coal mines. It does not subside until now. For forty years the population of Centralia has decreased a hundred times and is no more than 10 people. The temperature in the city remains high and it is not recommended to stay there for more than a few hours.

City of the apocalyptic future

Centralia was most likely the inspiration for Dean Koontz, who was inspired by her novel Strange Highways.

By the way, You can look at other abandoned cities in the world in the photo collection “20 most creepy ghost towns”

Dali Home – Salvador Dalí Museum

The collection of this museum began in Ohio, in the home of the Morse couple – Albert Reynolds and Eleanor Reese. In 1943, they acquired Dali’s first painting at his Cleveland exhibition. A little later we met the Master himself and became his friends and ardent admirers. 20 years after the first meeting, they had about 200 works by Salvador Dali in their house.

However, it was not until 1971 that they were able to place a collection of works in a former office building in Ohio. But as they continued to acquire more and more canvases, they had to start looking for a new place for the museum. As a result, in 1982, the Dali Museum was opened in the city of St. Petersburg. The real building opened its doors to visitors in 2011. Convex glass windows that stand out against the background of a rectangular concrete building, a twisted staircase inside, an oval structure of the hall – all this sets us up for a meeting with Dali’s surreal canvases.

The museum is quite compact. There are both medium-sized and giant canvases, about 100 watercolors, and drawings. Of interest is the portrait of Lincoln, whose face can be seen only after moving away from the picture at a considerable distance.

Several times a day, absolutely free excursions are organized here, during which the guide draws attention to important details on the canvases that are not immediately visible to everyone.

Tear of Sorrow

Some believe that this thing looks like a giant scar, while others saw a female genital organ in it. The monument to Zurab Tsereteli, like all his creations, caused an ambiguous reaction from the public. It looks like a shattered bronze slab with a powerful 10-meter drop hanging in the center. The monument was erected on September 11, 2006 – in memory of the victims of the terrible New York terrorist attacks.

The architect himself selected the site for “Tears”, flying over New York in a helicopter. As a result, the monument was installed in the neighboring state of New Jersey, on a military pier in the town of Bayonne. Through the slab slot (as it was intended), you can see the place where the twin towers once stood.

Bedford Hills

Until the middle of the 19th century, this town, located very close to New York, was in the very wilderness. The railroad was brought up there during the period of rapid development of transport, making it more lively, but even now it is a wonderful piece of the American province, which can be reached from the big city in less than an hour. The main attractions are the local museum, located in the old courtroom, and the 19th-century school building with authentic furnishings. It is especially pleasant to walk in Bedford Hills at the end of summer when the exhausting heat has already subsided, or “golden autumn” – it is generally the best period to explore the outskirts of New York.

Bedford Museum

A small local museum is housed in an old (for the USA, the 18th century is already antiquity) courthouse, so on the second floor, you can see an authentic prison cell, where criminals (and sometimes innocent people) remained awaiting trial. Other exhibits include portraits of famous natives of the city and costumes from different eras. It is better to explore the museum not on your own, but with a guide – Bedford residents are very enthusiastic about guiding.

Biltmore Estate

In order to design the giant Biltmore Castle, New York architect Richard Morris Hunt thoroughly studied the structure of three French chateaus built in the Loire Valley in the 16th century. And, in particular, the Castle of Blois. As a result, the house, which was ordered by George Washington Vanderbilt II, turned out to be gigantic: 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, a swimming pool, a gym, a bowling alley, and kitchen areas.

The technical equipment of the castle anticipated a number of things that later became familiar to everyone, not just millionaires. For example, in Biltmore, there was a central heating system, telephones, refrigeration units. During the construction of the building, all of his factories worked for Vanderbilt. The bricks were delivered from a factory that belonged to him, and the woodwork was done by his woodworking shop.

It took six years to build. The house became inhabited on Christmas Eve 1895 when the owner himself moved into it, and friends were invited to celebrate the New Year. But the castle house was finally inhabited in the summer of 1898 after Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser. After the wedding in Paris, the young family settled Biltmore forever, where their daughter Cornelia was later born and raised.

The area around the estate is amazing. For the planning of various gardens and parks, the owner invited the famous landscape architect, creator of the Central Park project in New York, Frederick Lowe Olmsted. And today, visitors are surprised by the French park and flower gardens laid out around the castle. In addition, the Biltmore has its own vineyards, and the wine produced here is served in local restaurants and a hotel located on the estate.
From home to museum

For a long time, the Biltmore was a veritable family nest. However, after Vanderbilt’s death in 1914, part of the land was sold by his widow to the federal government. And in 1930, daughter Cornelia, together with her husband John Amherst Cecil, opened part of the house for public inspection. The family continued to live in the castle until 1956, after which it was decided to turn it into a museum while leaving it in private ownership. Now George Vanderbilt’s grandson Bill Cecil is in charge of all affairs related to the house museum.

Today, the Biltmore is the largest private home in the United States and the number one landmark in North Carolina. The estate, open 365 days a year, receives about one million visitors every year!

Rough Point Estate

The luxurious red sandstone and granite home was being built in Newport, Rhode Island, for the director of the New York Central Railroad, Frederick William Vanderbilt, who served for 61 years.

Construction work has been going on for five years. The result is an English-style mansion with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. Around the house, a bureau led by landscape architect, creator of the Central Park project in New York, Frederick Lowe Olmsted, laid out a gorgeous garden.

For several years, the house served as a summer haven for guests of the Vanderbilt family. And in 1922 the estate was acquired by James Duke, the tobacco king, and philanthropist.

However, the greatest fame for the Rough Point estate was brought by James’ daughter, Doris Duke. Having settled in it in 1962 after the death of her mother, Doris decided that the house lacked beauty and comfort. And since she was very fond of traveling and bringing antiques and works of art from travel, the house began to rapidly transform. Doris lived on the estate from May to November, hosted receptions, and took care of the design of the living quarters and numerous living rooms.

As a result, there is practically nothing in the house that would be bought in a simple store. And today’s visitors can admire, in particular, the Persian table, which is 800 years old, Swiss chairs, paintings by Van Dyck and Gainsborough.
The music room, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, also makes an impression. The reason for this is the wallpaper with which the walls of the room are pasted over. Their mistress brought them from Europe.

You can only visit the house of the heiress of the world’s richest tobacco empire with a guided tour in English.

Winchester Mystery House

160 rooms, 40 stairs, and one big secret. This is what the Winchester house is like – a huge estate in San Jose, where a mad widow and a whole family of ghosts lived. It all started when Sarah Winchester lost her husband and inherited his multimillion-dollar fortune. Later, the spirit of the deceased appeared to her, who announced the sad news: money was earned on human bones, all Winchesters are cursed, and the ghosts will take revenge. You can make peace with them only by starting to build a house. Preferably non-stop. Because of the hammering dies down, the woman will die.

Sarah immediately got down to business. The newly minted millionaire bought an old mansion in California and hired workers. New rooms, corridors, balconies, and secret passages began to appear in the house. The floors were entangled with a web of stairs, which most often led to nowhere – Mrs. Winchester, who was gradually losing her mind, hoped to confuse the ghosts that were chasing her. The house grew by leaps and bounds, construction did not stop for more than a day, and as a result, lasted for 38 years! Today, tourist excursions are taken to this grandiose mansion. You cannot fight off the group – otherwise, you will instantly get lost in the labyrinths of creepy rooms. Where ghosts are said to still await their victims.

Kansas City Central Library

In the middle of downtown Kansas, Missouri, there is a giant bookshelf lined with huge tomes. What’s inside is not difficult to guess. The Central Library is hidden behind the multi-colored spines of eight-meter books.

Thus, the state authorities decided to attract more townspeople to the ranks of book lovers, and at the same time to become famous all over the world. By the way, it was the people of Kansas who decided which books would decorate the facade of the library. And now the names of the most beloved writers of the townspeople, including Shakespeare with the immortal “Romeo and Juliet”, John Tolkien with “The Lord of the Rings” and many, many others, are written in golden letters on the huge wall covers.

By the way, You can look at other extraordinary buildings in the photo gallery “The most incredible buildings on the planet.”

Horsetail Fall (Yosemite)

Several times a year, Yosemite National Park turns into a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the planet. Crowds of people come to gaze at the Horse’s Tail Waterfall, which turns into a cascade of fire only a few times a year.

On February evenings, the rays of the setting sun illuminate the crevice of Mount El Capitan and the streams of falling water so that the Horse Tail Cascade turns bright orange, resembling streams of hot lava. Such optical illusion causes a storm of emotions among tourists standing on the observation deck. And each subsequent year, even more people come to see the “miracle”.

Skywalk Observation Deck, Grand Canyon

This horseshoe-shaped observation deck, hanging in the air at an altitude of about 1,200 meters and receding 20 meters into the abyss of the Grand Canyon, is definitely not a test for the faint of heart. Its walls and floor are made of durable glass 10 cm thick. Visitors are even given special socks so as not to scratch the coating. If you have the courage to open your eyes, you can admire the Martian views right under your feet.

The creators of this miracle declared it a breakthrough in engineering and claim that the structure can withstand a weight of up to 70 tons (about 14 African elephants). But still, you should not lean on hamburgers before visiting the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The stomach begins to curl up somehow strangely along with the contents.

Camp NoBeBoSco

Remember the famous killer maniac in a hockey mask? In the very first film in the Friday the 13th horror series (1980), Jason gutted his victims with a machete in his hands at the Crystal Lake camp. The campsite, where the shooting was carried out, really exists, only it is called No-Be-Bo-Sco. He is located in the state of New Jersey, near the town of Blairstone, and every summer dozens of Boy Scouts stop at his cottages (the ones where the murder scenes were filmed). By the way, if you are an avid movie epic fan, you can order a special souvenir that will come to you directly from the camp.

Burkittsville, Maryland

Eerie legends have long circulated about the neighborhood of the town of Burkittsville (formerly Blair). They say, for example, that in the 40s of the last century a maniac ruled in the local forests, who killed several dozen people under the influence of a witch. Perhaps that is why this location was chosen for the filming of the horror movie “The Blair Witch.” Filmed on an amateur camera, the film tells the story of three college film students who get lost in the dense forests of Maryland. The guys studied the legend of the witch, dedicating their thesis to her.

The movie turned out to be as realistic as possible: its creators for a long time claimed that the tape was edited from a videotape accidentally found in a forest thicket, and the heroes themselves were missing and, most likely, killed. Naturally, this was just a gimmick to attract the audience. In addition to Burkittsville, filming was also conducted in Maryland’s Seneca Creek State National Park.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History

This museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of the five largest natural science museums in the United States. In particular, it houses one of the finest collections of dinosaur skeletons in the world. One of the scenes of the thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” was filmed here. Clarissa Starling (Jodie Foster) visited the Carnegie Museum to meet with an entomologist and understand what kind of insect the perpetrator leaves in the throats of his victims.

Junction House Restaurant

The Junction House restaurant in Kingsland, Texas, is housed in the mansion that was filmed in 1974 for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. True, at that time the house was located in a completely different place – in Round Rock. Over the years, it was restored, moved several tens of miles to the west, and turned into a restaurant.

it is interesting, The low-budget movie was shot during a humid and sultry summer. The air temperature rose to 35 degrees. The hardest hit was for the actor who played the killer maniac: for several weeks, 16 hours a day, he had to wear a heavy paint-soaked suit and a thick mask.

Statue of Liberation Through Christ, Memphis, Tennessee

A smaller Statue of Liberty with a cross in hand instead of a torch, custom-made and located at the World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church.

Giant fork

This fork is ten and a half meters high. It is made of stainless steel and originally adorned the entrance to Springfield’s chic Italian restaurant. True, the restaurant closed and moved out, so the design bureau, which implemented the project at one time, moved the sculpture to the entrance to its own new office.

Car art installation Carhenge

Carhenge is kind of like Stonehenge, only not from stones, but from cars. That is why it is called that.

Carnegie Mellon University

The university is among the elite of American educational institutions (it is in the list of the 25 best universities according to US News and World Report). Carnegie Mellon has produced 18 future Nobel laureates and six Academy Award winners. His students included such celebrities as the artist Andy Warhol and the woman astronaut Judith Resnick.

Stone Arch

The picturesque arch carved into the boulders is also the main gateway to Yosemite National Park for those traveling from the east.

Big Moose Lake

One of several thousand picturesque lakes in the Adirondack Mountains. Hotels and secluded houses appeared here in the 19th century. Big Moose was not a place of social gathering, and in general, it did not particularly different from the same reservoirs around until it became a crime scene, or rather, a tragedy. American tragedy. In 1906, a man named Chester Gillette killed his pregnant girlfriend Grace Brown here, for which he was executed in the electric chair. Gillette’s story is detailed in Theodore Dreiser’s novel American Tragedy, where the young man’s name is Clyde Griffiths, and the lake’s name is changed to Big Bittern.

Now you can come to Big Moose Lake not only to listen to dark stories about the ghost of Grace wandering around the neighborhood but also for the usual active summer or winter recreation – fresh air, boating, swimming, sunbathing, walking in the woods, hiking, and skiing.

Princeton University

Princeton University is part of the famous “Ivy League” – an association of the eight oldest universities in the United States. It is incredibly difficult to enroll here: only 8-10 percent of the total number of applicants applying for admission to the university are accepted. The oldest building on campus is Nassau Hall, which has a stunning history: it was here during the American Revolution that the Continental Congress was located, and here members of Congress learned that the British signed the Treaty of Paris (1783), recognizing the independence of the United States.

Once in Princeton, don’t miss the huge university chapel with 27 stained glass windows and an 8,000-pipe organ, as well as the ivy-covered Firestone Library, one of the largest in the world. Free guided tours for visitors are held daily on campus.

Notable alumni: Woodrow Wilson, Francis Scott Fitzgerald (studied but did not graduate), John Nash (Nobel laureate in economics)

Tuition fees: about $ 37,000 per year

Pizza Brain Museum

In September 2012, the world’s first Pizza Museum opened in Philadelphia. Its creator is Brian Dwyer, who has entered the Guinness Book of Records for the most amazing collection of pizza-related items.

The American began collecting his “pizza collection” many years ago, while still in college. It includes vinyl discs with songs about pizza, comics, books, magnets, puzzles, and other items, one way or another related to “margaritas”, “mariners” and other types of pizza. When the collection began to number in hundreds of items, Brian Dwyer applied for the Guinness Book of Records and decided to open a museum.

There are more than 500 exhibits in it, almost all of them are from the personal collection of Dwyer and his friends. Adjacent to the museum is a shop where you can buy souvenirs and a restaurant where you can dine on thick American pizza.

Lisianski Island (Papa’āpoho)

This small Pacific island in the northwest of the Hawaiian archipelago was discovered during Ivan Kruzenstern’s round-the-world trip in 1805. It was named after the captain of the sloop “Neva” Fyodor Lisianski, who took part in the expedition. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, guano, a fertilizer from dung, was mined here. Since 1909, at the initiative of the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt, the island has become part of the Hawaiian Bird Sanctuary. And in 2006, it became part of the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Natural Monument, which united several more islands and atolls of the Hawaiian archipelago. Since 2010, the island has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Attention

Divers who want to enjoy the spectacle of the coral gardens on the Neva Shoals reef should be careful with sharks. In these places, they are especially aggressive.

Not far from Lisyansky Island, there is a 979 square kilometer coral reef called the Neva Shoals, or Neva Shoals. It got its name because of the ship “Neva”, on which Lisyansky and his crew sailed. They were the first to discover this reef, stumbling upon it and miraculously not breaking. It is here, in the Neva Shoals area, that you can see the most beautiful coral colonies, for which the reef is called the “coral garden”. There are more than two dozen coral species growing here underwater.

How to get there, By plane to the capital of Hawaii, Honolulu, then by private boat or as part of an organized tour group to the Papahanaumokuakea Natural Monument.

Steve Jobs House

The enormous four-story mansion was bought by Steve Jobs in the early 1990s. The Apple founder moved into it shortly after he married Lauren Powell. It was here that the couple had three children – son Reed, daughters Erin and Eva.

Steve Jobs did not like publicity and rarely let journalists into his house. But everyone knew that he led a much more “civilized” life compared to his bachelor days when he lived in a giant manor in nearby Woodside and kept a motorcycle in an empty living room.

Here, in a mansion in Palo Alto, Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, surrounded by his family.

Steve Jobs garage

It was here, in the garage extension of the house of Steve Jobs’s parents, that in 1976 the first computer under the “apple” brand – Apple I was assembled. True, this creation was not like a PC. Jobs, 21, and his best friend, Steve Wozniak, essentially set up large-scale production of motherboards in the garage, which they, in their first contract, sold 50 pieces to local computer store owner Paul Terell.

Steve Jobs attracted friends and households to participate in the “garage” business. The work was in full swing: some soldered microcircuits, others inserted chips, and still, others filled out documents. Jobs’ mom answered calls from clients disguised as a secretary. In 1977, when the company got on its feet, acquired full-time employees, and received funding (Jobs managed to knock out $ 250,000 from venture capitalist Don Valentine), Apple finally left the garage and moved to the town of Cupertino, where it rented its first office.

Apple headquarters

Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, Silicon Valley, and occupies more than six dozen buildings. This place is often called the “campus” because of its enormous size and similarity to American university campuses. Headquartered in six buildings on Infinite Loop (named after the infinite loop in programming), they are essentially the face of Apple. Giant lobbies are flooded with light, billboards and stands call to “think differently” (“Think Different” – the ideology preached by the founder of the company Steve Jobs), light offices are literally packed with ultra-modern gadgets. There are conference rooms, wireless laboratories, gyms, cafes, and much, much more, including a branded store – for the oncoming clouds of tourists.

Campus number 2 – on the way :

In 2013, construction began on the second campus of Apple’s headquarters, which will be designed for 13 thousand people. Campus-2 will be a mile east of the Infinite Loop. The development of the project was carried out with the direct participation of Steve Jobs, and the famous specialist Norman Foster was chosen to be the architect, who built the Hearst Tower in New York and the London Gherkin. Apple’s new headquarters will resemble a silver circular spaceship with a park inside.

Osable Gorge

Osable Gorge is sometimes referred to as the “Grand Canyon” of the US East Coast. This is, to put it mildly, an exaggeration. The gorge is simply incomparable with the scale of this Grand Canyon. On the other hand, in terms of canyons, Vostok still cannot boast of something more serious. In any case, it is worth setting aside half a day for the trip to Osable Chazm, and it is better to choose a fine day and wear comfortable shoes. First, walk along the gorge from above – part of the route runs through a park with pretty gazebos, the other part goes right along the walls of the gorge, there are wooden paths and ladders. But the most important thing is not walking, but the opportunity to raft along the Osable mountain river, running along the bottom of the gorge. This entertainment is available even to preschoolers, there is only one threshold on the way, and even then it is microscopic.

There are no deep sections, but you still have to put on a life jacket, these are the safety rules. Do not forget to look up – the cliff walls overhanging the river overwhelm, but leave an unforgettable impression. Of the two options – rafting on a boat with a group or on an individual rubber circle – without hesitation, choose the second one. A special bus picks up soaked visitors near the final point of the route and takes them to the station.

High Falls

Picturesque and very turbulent waterfalls of the Osable River, the same one that passes through the “Eastern Grand Canyon” – the Osable Gorge. Ladders run not only along the waterfall but also cross the river quite close to the humming streams of water. There is additional entertainment for the children: for a few dollars, a bag of sand is sold in the “prospector’s hut”, which must be washed in an old gutter. Some beautiful stones in the sand will surely come across, and if you’re lucky, you will find a couple of semiprecious stones there. Special tables with pictures and names will help to identify them.

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga is a fortified structure of the mid-18th century, located on the shores of the large Lake Champlain. Originally built by Canadians during the Seven Years of the French and Indian War, it passed from hand to hand during the Revolutionary War. To find out more about the events unfolding in this area, it makes sense to come in the summer, when costume reenactments of battles are held here. However, the exposition attracts visitors even in the cold season.

The fort itself is also interesting – an exemplary military structure of that era. Someone even comes here just to admire the view of the lake from the fortress walls.

Isle La Motte

In these parts, you yourself may not notice how from the state of New York you will get to the state of Vermont, one of the smallest and quietest in all of America. La Motte Island is located on Lake Champlain. The main attraction of the island and the town of the same name is St. Anne’s Chapel, the place where Catholics celebrated the first Mass in Vermont in 1666. A fort was also built there for defense from the Indians – it was also dedicated to Anna, but the fortification was eventually abandoned.

Martha’s Vineyard Island

A fairly large island south of Cape Cod. For more than half a century, it has been a favorite summer vacation spot for wealthy Americans. Bridges and tunnels do not lead to Martha’s Vineyard, you can only get here by air or water. There are several dozen hotels on the island ranging from “decent” to “luxurious”, but most vacationers here are wealthy enough to own a home on the island. From September to May, these houses are empty, it is not for nothing that the population of Martha’s Vineyard, which is 15 thousand people in the cold season, increases by about five times in the summer. The infrastructure is well developed – expensive restaurants and boutiques, bars, clubs, and even theaters.

Gary

The peak of his prosperity came in the middle of the last century when the local steel plant provided jobs for the city of 200,000. Today, the population has decreased by more than half, many houses are empty, and Gary himself is one of the ten most dangerous cities in the United States.

by the way, You can look at other abandoned cities in the world in the photo collection “20 most creepy ghost towns”

Henry B. Plant Museum 

Turrets, reminiscent of minarets in some Muslim countries, in Tampa are visible from almost everywhere. However, they have nothing to do with the mosque. They adorn the building of an old hotel that belonged to Henry Bradley Plant, Florida’s railroad tycoon. Having built a railway to Tampa in 1884, he thereby greatly contributed to the development of business in these parts. Therefore, I decided to build a hotel here as well.

The luxurious hotel received its first guests in 1891. The most expensive apartments in it then cost $ 15 (!) Per day, which was comparable to the cost of rooms in an expensive hotel in New York. Guests of these apartments used their own access to the garden (that is, not through a common door). The apartment also included a bedroom with a fireplace, a living room, a relaxation room with a sofa and a coffee table, and a gramophone. In general, it was a full-fledged apartment.

In total, Plant spent two and a half million dollars on the construction. Another five hundred thousand were spent on finishing 500 rooms, halls, corridors, a dining room, a music room. Each of the rooms had electricity and a telephone. In addition, the tycoon ran a branch from the main railway directly to the hotel, to its western facade. So the guests, getting off the train, almost immediately found themselves in the lobby of the hotel.

The hotel hosted guests from December to April. For the summer, life in it calmed down, because the city was incredibly hot. After the death of Henry Plant in 1899, the hotel was soon abandoned. Only in 1933, the city authorities decided to transfer the building to the University of Tampa and thereby saved it from final destruction.

Now the wide hotel corridor is covered with the same dark red carpet with patterns, which was used here in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. The walls are decorated with canvases and picturesque panels, all kinds of oriental-style vases, porcelain trinkets, Venetian mirrors, French furniture of the 18th century are placed on the chests of drawers. On the terrace, there are chairs, on which guests once rested with a newspaper and a cup of coffee in their hand, admiring the garden stretched out in front of them. So, in the company of an audio guide in this hotel museum, you can imagine the life of businessmen and the wealthy public of the late 19th century in all its glory.

It is curious that the university with its premises is located right in the same building, and you can go there completely without hindrance, inspect the hall, walk along the wide corridors, look into the former living room of the hotel, go out into the courtyard of the educational institution.

Goodwood Museum & Gardens

The preserved and restored Goodwood Plantation is the history of Florida in the early 19th century. On its territory rises a mansion typical of the southern states with a terrace on the first floor, former coachbuilding, a water tower, sheds for storing gardening tools and equipment, as well as a pool built by one of the owners of the estate, and which was then the first heated pool in Florida. All this surrounds a garden with flower beds, shrubs, and tall ancient trees from which Spanish moss hangs.

It is known that the first mansion on this site was built in the 1830s by the brothers Hardy and Brian Crum. On the plantations around the house, they grew cotton and corn. For this, about 250 slaves were hired.

Subsequently, the house changed several owners. The most noticeable trace in the fate of the house was left by a wealthy widow from New York, Fanny Thiers, who set up her winter residence here, invested a lot of money and effort in rebuilding the mansion and equipped the kitchen and bathrooms in it.

It is curious that none of the owners of the plantation had children and there was simply no way to leave him as an inheritance. Therefore, each time the house was sold as a whole, with all the furnishings, books, cabinets, dishes. Thanks to this, he still looks alive. Porcelain, a collection of paintings, books, painted ceilings, furniture – all things are very well preserved.

A visit to the house is only possible with a guide. There is also a cafe on the territory of the plantation where you can eat.

Mission San Luis

Mission San Louis is an open-air museum that tells the story of the Spanish conquest of these lands and their friendship with the Appalachian Indian tribes. Everything has been restored here in the form in which it was in the period from 1656 to 1704 when this region became the crossroads of two cultures.

Here you can see a huge indoor and round Indian meeting hall, houses in which the Spaniards themselves lived, a priest’s house, and a church in which Europeans converted the Indians to their faith. There is also a small “fortress” – a territory surrounded by a palisade, which was designed to defend the mission territory from external enemies.

Here, everywhere there are paths near which there are informative signs with pictures. They describe how life went on from day to day in such missions. It was a kind of educational program from both sides. The Indians taught the Spaniards how to survive in nature, which animals are suitable for food, which are not, how to make dishes from clay, and the Spaniards introduced them to weapons, a self-defense system, and more civilized living conditions.

In the building of the museum, there is an exposition revealing the history of the conquests of Florida by the Spaniards and the British, some household items are exhibited.

Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

A snow-white mansion on a green lawn with palm trees – this is what the winter residence of Henry Flagler, railroad tycoon, founder of the world-famous Standard Oil Company, and the man who turned the east coast of Florida into a vacation spot for the rich and famous, looks like. Despite the fact that in the 1880s Florida was a swampy area and impenetrable thickets of tropical plants, the businessman was able to appreciate its positive aspects and feel that with certain financial investments and the construction of a railway along the entire southeastern coast of the state, these places can become a pleasant winter resort. After he merged a number of small railway companies in the 1880s, unified rails, extended railway bridges, and connected individual sections of the road, a highway from Jacksonville in the north to Miami in the south of the country was launched. And the Florida coast is called the American Riviera.

The building, which has 55 rooms, was built in 1902. In addition to the master’s apartments, living rooms, dining rooms, a luxurious ballroom, almost the entire second floor of the mansion was occupied by guest rooms, equipped with the latest technology of the time. Today they are all open for inspection.

Mr. Flagler built this house as a wedding gift for his third wife Mary Lily Kenan. They came here from New York for the winter. They were brought to the house in a private carriage, which is now kept right there, on the territory of the museum.

Many years after the death of a businessman, his grandson decided to arrange a museum in the house in memory of his grandfather.

Ringling Museum

The Ringling Museum is a complex of museums located in a beautiful park on the bay near the city of Sarasota.

By the very water rises, in fact, the house of John and Mabel Ringling. The Venetian Gothic mansion was built in 1926 as the winter residence of the couple. On the first floor of the residence, where the front rooms, dining room, kitchens are located, visitors are allowed free. On the second, where the bedrooms and guest rooms are located – for a fee. There is a rose garden not far from the building, which Mabel has been actively engaged in since 1913. Many rose bushes of various types still grow in it today.

The second building in the park is the circus museum. It was founded in 1948. Mr. Ringling, being a very successful circus owner, decided to create the first museum of its kind in America and thereby present the history of circus art, collect relevant posters, information about the artists, circus costumes in it. Various tricks performed by circus performers at the beginning of the 20th century are shown on the screens. Even now, after a hundred years, you look at them with bated breath. There are several interactive exhibits that are very appealing to children. For example, you might try walking a tightrope. A gigantic model of a circus tent is presented in a separate hall, where you can see the smallest details: circus carriages with animals, tents in which artists live, cafes, and entertainment that attracted the audience before the performance.

The third museum is an art museum. The owner of the circus collected his collection of canvases gradually. Every time he was in Europe, he bought paintings or sculptures there. As a result, he had to build a rather large building to store them. Among the famous authors of paintings are Paolo Veronese, Diego Velazquez, Lucas-Cranach the Elder. True, all these are pictures of the so-called second or even third row.

It is a pleasure to spend half a day in this museum complex. There are a couple of cafes here, you can buy ice cream. In the warm season, you can sit right on the shore of the bay, admiring the panorama on the opposite shore and listening to the sound of the water.

Glass maze by Robert Morris

An absolutely transparent labyrinth in the shape of a triangle with equal 15-meter sides will make even a topographic genius puzzle. Despite the fact that outwardly this 400-ton structure looks quite simple, and there is only one entrance and exit here, some have to study the map for a long time before stepping into the narrow glass corridor. The creator of this intellectual attraction, American minimalist artist Robert Morris, has been designing the transparent triangle for several years, taking inspiration from ancient Greek myths and studying Christian metaphors. According to his idea, wandering through the glass labyrinth should remind visitors of the power of archetypes.

Hagley Museum & Library

The museum traces the history of the French DuPont family in America. This estate on the banks of the Brandywine River owes its existence to the French Du Pont family. Because of the revolution in their homeland, they emigrated to the United States and settled near Wilmington, as there was a French colony in that city. The son of the head of the family loved to hunt, but in the States, he quickly noticed that the guns here often misfire. They began to look for the reason and found out that the matter was in bad gunpowder.

An enterprising son, Eleter, rushed to Europe, studied there how gunpowder is made and decided to open his own production in America. For this, a strip of land was purchased by the river. Water was needed for production: it turned the wheels of mills that pulverized coal. A narrow-gauge railway was laid along the coast for trolleys.

In May 1804, DuPont made gunpowder here. And in 1827, 140 employees of his enterprise produced the most gunpowder in the country!

In addition to the enterprise itself, the owner’s mansion with magnificent interiors, a garden, premises where workers lived, an office where the owner did business and paid wages have survived on the territory of the estate.
The most interesting thing: all the old machines and mechanisms here are in working order, they are shown to the public in action, including the steam engine!

Katmai National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

Katmai National Park is located in the southern part of Alaska, opposite Kodiak Island, and includes a part of the Aleutian Ridge, a group of lakes, and about eighteen volcanoes. Its main attraction is a huge active volcano of the same name. It rises 2047 meters above sea level and has a small lake in its crater, formed as a result of a powerful eruption in 1912. On the western slope of the volcano, there is another interesting attraction of the national park – the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, covered with a layer of ash and devoid of any vegetation. It was also damaged by the eruption and for several years resembled a smoking cauldron gushing with vapors and gases. Now people come to the valley by bus from the Brooks tent camp, and some daredevils – by kayaks and canoes along the rivers of the reserve.

Katmai Park is a great place for photo hunting for bears, in fact, this is why crowds of tourists come here. It is home to the largest population of brown bears in the United States – about 2,100 (according to the latest US National Park Service “census”). The best time to watch is from June to October when flocks of bears gather around Brooks Falls to hunt for salmon. True, at this moment you should not approach the animals – otherwise, the bears may decide that the tourist is much more interesting gastronomically than fish. In addition to safari tours, hiking and boating are also popular in the park. The one-day excursions can be purchased at www.katmailand.com. Address: King Salmon, AK 99613

Admiralty Island

Most of the Admiralty Island, which is located 12 kilometers from the Alaskan capital Juneau, is occupied by the Admiralty Island National Monument. It is 3860 square kilometers of endless forest, cut by bluish fjord bays with steep rocky shores and huge mountains towering above them.

According to the quickest estimates, about 1,700 brown bears and grizzlies live in the local forests, and it is not for nothing that the local residents – the Tingleet Indians – call this place the “Bear Fortress”. The greatest concentration of clubfoot is found in the Pak Creek area, in the northeast of the island. The bears here literally enjoy life: they roam among the trees, fish, raise offspring, peacefully bask in the sun. In addition to them, the island is home to guinea pigs, seals, sea lions, otters, black-tailed deer, and along the coast of the Seymour Canal, where a large population of humpback whales often swims, bald eagles nest.

You can observe representatives of the local fauna as part of specialized excursions that start from Juneau. In some places where it is impossible to reach on foot, you will have to swim in a canoe, so you need to stock up on waterproof and warm clothing in advance. You can order a sightseeing trip on viator.com and beyondak.com. Boating enthusiasts will be interested in the boat routes as part of the Cross Route excursion, which starts in the central village of Angoon Island and ends in Mole Harbor.

El Capitan Rock

El Capitan is the largest open granite rock in the world. Its height above sea level is 2307 meters, and at 910 meters it rises above the Yosemite Valley. On the eastern slope of El Capitan is the famous “fiery” waterfall “Horse’s Tail”.

Kennedy Space Center

The space center is located in Florida, on Merritt Island. From here, as well as from the nearby Cape Canaveral, American spacecraft are launched. Getting into the territory of the center, at first, it seems to visitors as if they were in a nature reserve. There can be a heron or a pelican right next to the road, and alligators can be found on the bank of the canal. The fact is that only a tenth of the territory is used for the needs of the center: 55 km in length and 10 km in width. The rest of the land is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. So, advanced space technologies get along well with wildlife.

The popularity of the center as a tourist destination is great: about three million visitors come here annually. Immersion into the world of space begins at the ticket offices, from where the tops of the rockets are visible on the territory of the complex. After buying a ticket, you need to stand in line and get on a special bus. The bus tour takes approximately three hours. Buses run one after another, running on a specific route and making stops at authorized places. As the bus travels, the driver acts as a guide, giving details about the space center. At each of the stops, you can spend as much time as you want, and then just take the next bus and continue along the route.

Tourists can visit the observation deck (or tower), from where the rocket launch point, a wide road, and a special installation weighing several tons are visible, on which spaceships are transported from the assembly shop to the launch point at a speed of no more than 1.6 km / h.

The bus makes the second stop near the Apollo-Saturn V museum complex. Here you can see a real Saturn V rocket, next to which any person feels like a tiny grain of sand, watch a film about American space exploration and touch a piece of rock from the Moon.

The third stop is the complex where the American modules of the International Space Stations (ISS) are assembled. Here you can walk around the sections of the ISS exposed for public viewing and assess the conditions in which cosmonauts have to live and work. And, of course, look at how and where the ISS modules are assembled. No special passes are required to view this. Photography is permitted.

Details
At the end of the bus route, you can walk around the center. It is interesting to take a look at the Rocket Park, examine in detail a life-size mock-up of the Explorer space shuttle, attend an impressive 3D-cinema session, during which astronauts will walk on the lunar surface and invite you to follow their example. You can also pay tribute to the memory of the fallen astronauts at the Space Mirror Memorial.

Yale University

Together with Harvard and Princeton Universities, Yale makes up the top three in the famous Ivy League. At the same time, Yale seriously competes with Harvard (by analogy with British Oxford and Cambridge), which is especially evident in sports – football and boat regatta. Back in the early 1930s, the university was divided into 12 colleges, each with its own complex of buildings, with an eye on its English “colleagues”. This dozen also includes Morse College, named after the inventor of the code of the same name.

The Yale campus is one of the most impressive in the United States. Mansions of the 19th century are combined here with Gothic towers and columns, openwork arches and carved facades of administrative buildings with sculptures “embedded” in them. Particular attention during a tour of the campus should be paid to the Sterling Library (it contains 11 million books), as well as the Yale Art Gallery with masterpieces of European and American painting from different periods and a rich collection of modern art.

Notable alumni: Gerald Ford, William Clinton, Edward Norton, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Henry Luce (creator of Time magazine), David Duchovny, Hillary Clinton

Tuition fees: about $ 40,500 per year

Monument Valley

Monument Valley is one of the most recognizable symbols of the United States. The natural park is located in the southeast of the country, on the border of the states of Utah and Arizona and on the territory of the Navajo Indian Reservation. The endless expanses, bizarre rocks and unusually rusty-red sand of the Monument Valley are familiar to all lovers of westerns. Many Hollywood movies and Wild West commercials have been shot in this natural setting: Back to the Future 3, Stagecoach, Billy Baby, Once Upon a Time in the West, McKenna’s Gold and Forrest Gump.

The natural park got its name because of the outlier rocks formed as a result of the weathering of sandstone. The height of the monuments is from 12 to 30 meters, and each of them has its own name: East and West mittens, Three Sisters, Totem Pole, Ear of the Wind. This place looks most beautiful at sunset, when in the rays of the setting sun the monuments change their appearance every hour.

Slightly west of the valley, you can see another natural wonder – the Rainbow Bridge, which the Indians called the “frozen rainbow”. And a little to the south, in the Painted Desert, there is a large fossilized forest that has seen the Mesozoic era. On the cuts of these trees, crystals of pink amethyst, black morion, rock crystal, quartz, carnelian, jasper and onyx can be found.

How to get there: by car along the US 163 highway through the Arizona desert. The nearest town is Las Vegas.

Stanford University

One of the most famous universities in the world is located in the “epicenter” of Silicon Valley – near the town of Palo Alto in California. Dozens of talented specialists emerged from the depths of the university, who became the founders of many super successful companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Electronic Arts and Yahoo !. Some of the administrative buildings on the campus are named after famous alumni.

Unlike the “classics” of Harvard, Yale and Princeton, built in the Gothic style, Stanford immediately feels the southern breath of California. The campus looks like a Mexican resort: palm trees and cacti grow here, roofs of houses (for their construction were used sandstone) are covered with red tiles, a fountain is rustling, and a mosaic that adorns the facade of the local church gleams in the sun. One of the most amazing places in Stanford is a garden with wooden sculptures brought from New Guinea many years ago. In addition to guided walks around the campus (conducted daily), Stanford visitors can attend free lectures given by teachers and young entrepreneurs (see the schedule on the university website).

Notable alumni: John Steinbeck, Condoleezza Rice, Sigourney Weaver, Tiger Woods, Larry Page and Sergey Brin (founders of Google), Steve Fosset

Tuition fees: about $ 40,500 per year

Steve Jobs speech

In 2005, the charismatic Steve Jobs, known for his ability to speak to audiences, was invited to Stanford University to present his graduates. “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life,” began the founder of Apple Corporation. – That’s all, nothing more. Just three stories. ” Jobs’ 14-minute speech made a splash and was included in many public speaking textbooks (as, indeed, many other speeches by the Apple leader – for example, his famous presentations).

Pixar studio

The acclaimed animation studio Pixar was founded in 1979 by George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars. Seven years later, shortly after leaving Apple, the company was bought out by Steve Jobs, who was terribly interested in computer graphics. Jobs even suggested creating a special “Pixar” computer, buying which people could create three-dimensional images themselves, but this idea did not become popular.

Some time later, Pixar, in partnership with Disney, released Toy Story. The cartoon broke box office records ($ 360 million worldwide) and brought the studio success and financial independence. In subsequent years – under the direction of renowned animator John Lasseter – Pixar produced hits such as The Adventures of Flick , Toy Story 2 , Monsters, Inc. , Finding Nemo , Cars , WALL-E , ” Up” and became the owner of several Oscar statuettes.

Pixar is headquartered in Emeryville, California, between Berkeley and Oakland. Steve Jobs personally oversaw the design and construction of office buildings – for example, it was he who proposed to make a giant “atrium” – a lobby where Pixar employees can meet and share ideas. Known for his love of elegant style, Jobs wanted to build a campus that would still look modern 100 years from now. And he succeeded: the interiors of the studio are regularly included in all kinds of design ratings.

Former NeXT office

In 1985, obvious disagreements broke out between Steve Jobs and the rest of Apple’s executives. Jobs tried to regain control of the company, but his colleagues sided with CEO John Scully. As a result, the founder of the “apple” brand had to resign.

However, it was only the calm before the storm. Having lured some of Apple’s employees to himself, Jobs founded a new company, NeXT Inc, and started developing computers of the same name (NeXT Computer). At this stage, Jobs’s desire for aesthetic excellence was especially evident: the new workstations were “packaged” in a matte black case, and the components were manufactured in a purpose-built factory, the walls of which were painted white.

The company itself was located first in Palo Alto, and then moved to one of the most expensive places in Silicon Valley – on the coast of the harbor in Redwood City. Years later, after NeXT was bought by Apple, Steve Jobs made it clear that luxury offices were not quite affordable for him and that his then startup could exist on a more modest “living space”. The former NeXT office is still in fair condition and even rented out.

John F. Kennedy Memorial

Who killed Kennedy? The exact answer to this question has not yet been found, although almost fifty years have passed since the attempt on the 35th President of the United States. On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline flew to Dallas on an election tour. The route of the presidential motorcade was printed in local newspapers, and thousands of people took to the streets to greet the couple. Shots rang out after the limousine passed the intersection of Houston and Elm Streets. The second was fatal – a bullet hit Kennedy in the head.

In 1970, a memorial was erected near the site of the president’s assassination, built with donations from residents of Dallas. It is a cube without a roof (9x9x9 meters), with two narrow holes on the north and south sides. The walls of the cube consist of 72 white reinforced concrete columns, as if “hanging” in the air. Inside there is a granite slab engraved with the name of the assassinated president. John F. Kennedy’s grave is at Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC.

National Civil Rights Museum

“I have a dream that one day the nation will rise up and understand that all people are created equal …” – this is a quote from perhaps the most famous speech of Martin Luther King, which he gave in 1963. Five years later, an American human rights activist was killed in Memphis, where he came to support a strike of black workers. King and his wife stayed at the Lorraine Motel, in their favorite room, 306, which they had often shared on previous trips. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, standing on the balcony (his photograph was later sold in millions of copies around the world) was mortally wounded from a sniper rifle. The murder was charged with fugitive prisoner James Earl Ray, who that day was in the hotel room opposite, but the investigation was generally found to be inconclusive.

The motel building today houses the National Civil Rights Museum (the museum complex also includes a number of neighboring buildings). A brilliant display tells the story of the struggle for the rights of blacks since the 17th century. Here you can also see the same room 306, in which the original furnishings are fully preserved.

Yosemite falls

The three-level Yosemite Falls, located on the territory of the national park of the same name in the Sierra Nevada mountains, is considered one of the highest in North America. The total height of this cascade reaches 739 meters. The water rushes into the gorge from three different levels, merging into one stream of incredible scale.

The indigenous inhabitants of these places – the Avanichi Indians – consider this place cursed and recommend avoiding it. But tourists are not afraid of any stories or legends. They fearlessly climb to the highest point of the high mountain to not only see the top of the waterfall and the spray cloud at its foot but also admire the amazing landscapes of Yosemite National Park.

Lake George

In the late 19th – early 20th centuries, American rich people came to Lake George to rest – John D. Rockefeller even rebuilt a summer residence here. It’s also a pretty popular summer destination these days, not least because the idyllic village with fun mini golf courses is just a few hours from New York City. Now, however, there are also democratic motels. The best restaurants are places with a view of the lake, located on the very shore. The menu includes both fish and seafood (the right clam chowder is served here) and meat (a reason to make sure you don’t have to go to Philadelphia for philli steak).

Among the local attractions are the remains of military fortifications of the 18th century, and a must-see on the program is a boat trip on the lake. By the way, one of the three ships has a funny name Minnehaha, which means “waterfall” in Sioux. That was the name of Hiawatha’s beloved in the poem by Henry Longfellow.

by the way, It makes sense to come to Lake George on July 4 – in honor of Independence Day, spectacular fireworks are arranged over the lake, which can be watched from the shore.

Sequoia Hyperion (tree)

The tallest tree in the world under the proud name Hyperion grows in Redwood National and State Parks, 520 kilometers from San Francisco. The height of the huge sequoia is 115 meters. Scientists say that if it were not for the sneaky woodpecker who gouged the top of the giant, the tree could have grown even larger.

Great Salt Lake

It was on its shores in the place of a lifeless desert that the Mormons founded the city of Salt Lake City. By the beginning of the 20th century, the lake was practically dry. But already 25 years later, water appeared here again. Today the average depth of the lake is from 4.5 to 7.5 meters. In some places, it reaches 15 meters.

by the way, You can see the other saltiest places on the planet in the photo gallery “All the Salt of the Earth. Walk on salt marshes “.

St. Augustine

The city of St. Augustine can be called legendary without exaggeration. In 1513, a certain Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spaniard, a companion of Christopher Columbus on some of his voyages, got off the ship at this place. It is known that it was he who called this region Florida and declared it the property of Spain.

The fortress and the city appeared later, in 1565. And they were also founded by a Spaniard – Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Since he founded the fort on the day of St. Augustine, the city was named after this saint. For more than 230 years, it was a political, religious, military center, the northernmost point of the Spanish colony in the United States.
Since that time, Fort San Marco has been preserved in St. Augustine. He defended the population from attacks from the sea. In it you can see the rooms in which food, gunpowder was stored, rooms where the bedrooms for the soldiers were equipped. There are cannons on the open upper bastion. The oldest house (1700) and the oldest wooden school building in the United States remain in the historic quarter of the city. Nearby are souvenir shops, pizzerias and cafes.

The streets are small and quiet. The walk is very comfortable.

Less ancient, but no less interesting are two large buildings in the Spanish Renaissance style: the Lightner Museum and Flagler College. Now the first houses a collection of glass, crystal and porcelain, and the second, in fact, is an educational institution. However, originally two bright buildings with turrets, balconies and beautiful gardens were built by the railway tycoon Henry Flagler as hotels (they were called “Alcazar” and “Ponce de Leon”) for the wealthy aristocracy, who came here to rest by the railway laid by the same a businessman.

You can look into Flagler College: here you can freely enter the hall on the first floor, where the ceiling with beautiful paintings, stylish wooden stairs and stained-glass windows have been preserved. Also in the city there is a Catholic church, a beautiful square and a monument to the founder of St. Augustine.

Brookgreen Gardens

Brookgreen Gardens appeared in South Carolina in 1931 and became the first sculpture park in the United States. The founders of the gardens are the spouses Archer and Anna Huntington. Archer inherited his stepfather’s huge fortune in his youth, so he spent time in nature, was engaged in scientific research and participated in charitable projects. His future wife, Anna Hiatt, was a famous person in art history circles. She also had a great understanding of animals, as her father was a professor of oceanology and paleontology. Since childhood, she has amazingly accurately drawn animals, capturing their movements and habits. Later, this talent manifested itself in her in the creation of sculptures.

Having married Archer in 1923, Anna continued to develop her talent as a sculptor. Soon she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and the family began to look for a place with a mild climate where they could spend the winter. The choice fell on a piece of land along the Wackamau River in South Carolina. These were the former rice paddies of Oaks, Brookgreen, Springfield and Laurel Hill. They settled here and from this began the history of the Brookgreen Gardens.

Anna created sculpture after sculpture, and her husband supported her in everything. For 40 years, Anna donated her work to museums, schools, various city parks and became the most famous animal sculptor in the United States. The couple also equipped the garden, decorating it with her works, arranging flower beds and fountains. They wanted to show people how harmoniously and aesthetically pleasing works made by human hands, surrounded by nature, look.

Everything here is done on a truly American scale – the park with sculptures and the botanical garden are huge and it will take more than one hour to get around the entire territory!

Starting to collect sculptures, the couple attracted other masters who wished to exhibit their creations in their garden. Now in Brookgreen there are 1200 works of various American sculptors, created over the past 100-130 years!

The Botanical Garden is comprised of 200 plants and flowers that amaze with the brightness of their colors. Oak trees, which are more than 200 years old, also grow here! There is also a zoo on the territory of Brookgreen Gardens, where mainly birds live – herons, ibises, forest ducks. However, alligators, deer and foxes coexist with them. So you can safely go to the gardens with your children – they will not be bored!

Johnsonville

The village of Johnsville was founded in 1842. The locals left the area in the 70s, after the wooden mill, which served as the main source of income, closed. Around the same year, the entire village was bought out by a certain businessman. He moved other historic buildings into it, such as the Victorian stables and a small chapel, where wedding ceremonies were sometimes held. After the death of the owner of the village, his property began to be sold. It is said that the ghost of an eccentric businessman still haunts Johnsville.

In October 2014, Johnsville was put up for auction. The starting price of the lot was 800 thousand dollars.

Source of Morning Radiance

One of the most popular attractions in Yellowstone Park, Morning Glory Lake, gets its name from the bright blue color of the water. For several decades, numerous tourists have come here to see the source and, according to tradition, throw a coin or small pebble into the water. Because of this custom, according to scientists, the reservoir changed the color of the water from blue to yellow-green.

Portland lighthouse

Portland Lighthouse, located in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, has long become one of the most famous species in New England. There is also a museum dedicated to the history of the lighthouse.

The Waterfalls of Ricketts Glen

The real Valley of Falls is located in the Pennsylvania National Park, named after its founder – the veteran of the American Civil War, Robert Ricketts. At the end of the 19th century, he owned 80,000 acres of land here.

This reserve has been known since the end of the 19th century, but officially opened only in 1944. Its feature is 34 waterfalls, many of which have not even been given names yet. Only 24 of them have names, led by the highest cascade of the Ganoga, reaching 29 meters. These names are mainly given by the names of the Indian tribes.

With the light hand of experts from Pennsylvania travel magazines, the trail through the Valley of the Falls has received the status of “the best walking route in the East of America.”

Lower Yellowstone Falls

The second name of the American National Park Yellowstone – “land of waterfalls”, because there are more than 40 of them! The most ambitious is the cascade called the Lower Yellowstone. This waterfall can rival even the great Niagara. The waters of the Nizhny Novgorod rush into the canyon from a height of 94 meters, which is twice as high as on Niagara, but at the same time they are seriously inferior to Niagara in width.

But in terms of fullness, the Yellowstone Cascade has no equal throughout the Rocky Mountains. Next to the stormy stream flying into the abyss, a path winds along which you can climb to the top of the waterfall or watch the falling waters and rainbows that appear here and there from different viewing platforms.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park in the central Appalachian Mountains is 2,100 square kilometers of protected land, much of which is forested. It is one of the wettest places in the United States, and hundreds of species of birds and animals, including bears, elk and white-tailed deer, are comfortable in this climate. Needless to say about trees – many of them grew on this fertile soil even before a European first set foot on the American continent. In addition to hundreds of kilometers of hiking and cycling trails, as well as horse riding trails, guests of the park will find here a dozen natural and artificial observation platforms with dizzying views. In some places, even fishing is allowed.

from the history

In 1934, this park became the first, the maintenance of which is financed by both the budget and private capital. Prior to that, there were only purely state or completely private parks in the United States.

Waterfall “Black Waters”

The highlight of the Blackwater Falls Cascade, located on the territory of the National Park of the same name in West Virginia, is the dark color of the water. Experts say that black shades of water are given by the shoots of hemlock growing along the banks and the needles of red spruce falling upstream. Although, upon closer inspection, the color of the water turns out to be not as black as numerous guidebooks assure.

Nevertheless, the twenty-meter Black Waters cascade with a convenient observation deck, stone cliffs and coniferous trees growing along the edges is worth seeing.

High Gorge Falls

Not far from the world-famous Olympic Village Lake Placid, nestled in the shadow of Mount Whiteface, there is the amazingly beautiful High Falls. At this point, the river breaks into a deep gorge and scatters into thousands of splashes. Just above the falls, a rickety bridge is adhered to the edge of the cliff, offering breathtaking views of the High Falls.

This cascade is especially impressive in winter when streams of pouring water freeze literally on the fly, forming giant stalactites. In the cold season, all visitors are given special non-slip galoshes so that they can walk along the very edge of the iron bridge and touch the cold blocks of the sleeping waterfall.

Taughannock Falls State Park

In 18 kilometers from the American city with the Greek name Ithaca, in the very center of the national park, there is a 66-meter Taughannock waterfall. A three-kilometer brutal trail leads to it, laid right along the stone rapids of a turbulent river.

There is a small observation deck near the cascade. But anyone who dares to climb it is likely to get wet from head to toe, as this place is often covered with a dense cloud of water spray. Being in a gorge, from the top of which the waters of the cascade fall, is rather creepy. You may feel as if you were trapped, as the waterfall is surrounded by towering rocks on all sides.

Burney Falls 

Californians love to repeat the words of the 25th US President Theodore Roosevelt, who called Barney Falls the eighth wonder of the world.

The 40-meter cascade, located in the center of Burney Falls State Park, attracts a considerable number of travelers. After all, the territory of the park is excellently equipped for living, picnics, and contemplation of natural beauty in the most comfortable conditions.

There is a two-kilometer hiking trail around the waterfall, winding between coniferous groves and giant boulders.

Rainbow Falls in Wailuku National Park

On the Big Island of Hawaii flows the largest river in this area called Wailuku. In the vicinity of the second largest town after Honolulu, Hilo, the deep river forms several beautiful cascades, including the largest on the island, called Rainbow. In the mornings, the sunlight here falls on a stormy stream in such a way that numerous bright rainbows appear in the spray cloud.

The 26-meter waterfall falls into a deep gorge lined with tropical flowers and the turquoise waters of the lagoon surrounded by wild ginger. It’s extremely easy to get here. The rainbow cascade is located in the Wailuku National Park.

Denali National Park & Preserve

Denali National Park is one of the largest on the planet and the most popular in Alaska. More than a million tourists from all over the world visit it every year. The main pride of the park is the highest peak of the North American continent – the ever-snow-covered Mount McKinley (its height is 6193 meters), which almost all advanced climbers are trying to conquer.

A huge number of trekking trails have been laid through the park, there are several convenient bus routes for campers. In winter in Denali you can go dog sledding, sleigh rides and skiing, and in summer you can kayak and canoe down the rivers, and fish in the lakes. Photo enthusiasts should climb onto the Riflekshin Pond area to snap elk, beavers, muskrats, waterfowl, wolves, sheep, snowshoe hare, martens, wolverines and lynxes. From the Sable Pass and Primrose Ridge viewpoints, you can take some scenic photos of the surrounding area and spot a wild boar.

In addition to mountaineering and active sports, Denali National Park is famous for its large population of grizzly bears and black bears, which walk among the picturesque landscapes and feast on wild blueberries. It is better to watch the bears in the company of an experienced guide or from the window of a special tourist shuttle. You can book such a tour at alaskatours.com and alaska.org.

Armored Museum at Fort Lee

The United States of America is surrounded on all sides by water, and therefore is in love with its navy, marines and air force. The American army has tank troops, but the attitude towards them is cool. And this museum, which moved to Fort Lee from Aberdeen, is a vivid confirmation of this. There is a lot of equipment in it, but all of it is simply dumped in one place – no pavilions, no stand. If the reliable army guard did not stand guard, the armored vehicles would probably have been taken away by local farmers for spare parts for their tractors. On the whole, the exposition makes a sad impression, especially in comparison with our armored museum in Kubinka.

Important

Since September 2010, the museum building has been closed. Indoor exposure will be carried over. You can walk around the landfill. For visiting foreign tourists must present a passport.

Yosemite National Park

More than 3.5 million people come to admire its waterfalls and climb sheer granite cliffs every year. The first to notice its beauty was the Scottish-born naturalist John Muir, who declared it the most magnificent natural “temple” on Earth. And in 1984, Yosemite was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Yosemite Valley

Most visitors to Yosemite National Park usually come to Yosemite Valley, the most popular and scenic spot.

Arches National Park

Millions of years ago, there was a sea in the place of this dry land. The water left, leaving the earth with tons of salt, which were then covered with sandstone. 10 thousand years ago, primitive people painted some rocks with images of deer and hunters. Over the centuries, the area became drier and drier until it turned into a desert. And then the wind got down to business and literally carved out of the pliable sandstone intricate figures – arches. There are more than two thousand of them here. Part is constantly being destroyed. Over the past half-century, more than 40 arches have turned into a heap of stones and dust.

There are many routes in the park that are accessible even for families with small children. The only thing that should be taken into account is that in summer the sun beats mercilessly here, so it is better to plan a trip in the spring or autumn.

Yaquina lighthouse

The eerie lighthouse featured in the horror movie The Bell is the Yaquina Lighthouse, which is located near Newport, Oregon. The cinema brought great popularity to the lighthouse, although it was known even before the release of the horror film: firstly, from its foot, a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean opens, and secondly, it has a residential extension, which is considered a rarity near lighthouses.

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is not the tallest in the world, but it is incredibly wide. A noisy water giant, covering the sky with its splashes, is located on the border between Canadian Ontario and the state of New York. From the Canadian side, the waterfall can be seen better, but the Americans can almost come close to the rocky cliff.

Adventure number one is to swim to the waterfall by boat and stop one step from the roaring water wall when the passengers in the boat start choking with frightened squeals ($ 13.50 adult, $ 7.80 for children, www.maidofthemist.com). The second, no less extreme option is to go to the wooden walkways of the observation deck, built one step away from the raging abyss. Before doing this, wrap yourself tightly in a raincoat issued on the spot, because Niagara will shower you with an ice storm hundreds of times ( Cave of the Winds Tour , adult ticket – $ 11, children – $ 8, www.niagarafallsstatepark.com).

Another local entertainment is hot air ballooning. Strictly speaking, the ball just rises, hovers over Niagara and falls to the ground, but the view from it is really fantastic.

How to get there: Niagara Falls is located near the city of Buffalo. The most convenient way to get there is from New York, Boston and Chicago. The journey by car and bus (ordering tickets – www.greyhound.com, $ 50-70 one way) takes on average 7-9 hours, so it is better to come to the falls in the evening, spend the night at a local hotel, and go on excursions in the morning. www.niagara-usa.com, www.niagaraparks.com.

Badwater Basin Salt Lake

Once upon a time, this place was the Gulf of California. After a shift in the earth’s crust, the valley was separated from the ocean, and a saltwater lake was formed here.

by the way, You can see the other saltiest places on the planet in the photo gallery “All the Salt of the Earth. Walk on salt marshes “.

Adirondack Park

The giant park occupies a large part of the state of New York. On the territory of the park, not only do people live – there are entire cities here, but the territory of the Adirondack Mountains does not cease to be protected from this. There are lakes (about three thousand – large and small), rivers with rapid waterfalls, rocks, rafting sites, camping areas, and fishing spots.

The Adirondack is one of the favorite vacation spots for New Yorkers during the hot summer months when temperatures in the city exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In the mountains located in the north of the state, it is guaranteed a little cooler, and there is no high humidity – the ocean is not so close. The traditional way to relax is to rent a cabin or motel room on one of the picturesque lakes and explore the area by car. The roads here are very good and reliable, in spite of the fact that they are laid right in the mountains, practically cut into the rocks. Another infrastructure is also developed “by five” – ​​observation decks, wooden fortified stairs, souvenir shops, and free information brochures about every more or less interesting place.

Bodie State Historic Park – California

Like dozens of other towns in the American West, Bodie was founded on the site of a large gold deposit. In the 19th century, there were more than 10 thousand inhabitants here, saloons were noisy, and there was even a red-light district of its own. Over the years, the city was deserted and turned into an open-air museum.

by the way, You can look at other abandoned cities in the world in the photo collection “20 most creepy ghost towns”

Read About World Heritage Sites in The World

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• Saint Petersburg : The Historical Center
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• Sheki & The Khan’s Palace – Historic Centre
• Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape