Landmarks, museums, historic sites, parks and viewpoints that draw visitors to a city, with practical notes on planning a visit.
150 places · Updated November 12, 2026
Attraction
The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park combines an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest dome and natural history museum under a 2.5-acre living roof.
View details — California Academy of SciencesAttraction
A Gothic Revival mansion built for financier Sir Henry Pellatt between 1911 and 1914, with 98 rooms, towers, a tunnel to the stables and five acres of gardens.
View details — Casa LomaAttraction
The 1931 Art Deco tower on Fifth Avenue remains Midtown's defining skyscraper, with two observation decks and exhibits on the building's history.
View details — Empire State BuildingAttraction
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden covers 83 acres near Coral Gables, with collections of palms, cycads, orchids and tropical flowering trees.
View details — Fairchild Tropical Botanic GardenAttraction
Housed in the Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Fair, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is known for its U-505 submarine and re-created coal mine.
View details — Griffin Museum of Science and IndustryAttraction
LACMA is Los Angeles County's encyclopaedic art museum on Wilshire Boulevard, with collections spanning ancient to contemporary art and outdoor works across its Miracle Mile campus.
View details — Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)Attraction
The Casa Azul in Coyoacán where Frida Kahlo was born and died, kept with her studio, kitchen, garden and clothes; tickets are sold online only.
View details — Museo Frida KahloAttraction
The national art museum on the Mall, with a neoclassical West Building of European and American masters, a modern East Building and a sculpture garden.
View details — National Gallery of ArtAttraction
NOMA is the city's oldest fine arts museum, set in City Park with a broad collection and the free Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden behind it.
View details — New Orleans Museum of ArtAttraction
Cancún's best-known free public beach, a long open stretch with no hotels on the sand and the colourful CANCÚN letters on the lookout above.
View details — Playa Delfines and El MiradorAttraction
Archaeology and history museum in Old Montreal built over the city's birthplace, with remains in situ, the William collector sewer and a multimedia show on Montreal's story.
View details — Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History ComplexAttraction
Desert conservation area about 15 miles west of Las Vegas, with a 13-mile one-way scenic drive past red sandstone cliffs, hiking trails and a visitor centre.
View details — Red Rock Canyon National Conservation AreaAttraction
The Seattle Art Museum's downtown building on First Avenue holds about 25,000 works, from Northwest Coast art and Asian ceramics to European painting.
View details — Seattle Art MuseumAttraction
A non-profit museum in the Charlestown Navy Yard telling the story of USS Constitution, the US Navy's oldest commissioned warship, which is moored alongside and free to board.
View details — USS Constitution MuseumAttraction
Housed in a 1911 former courthouse on Robson Square, the Vancouver Art Gallery holds about 12,000 works, including the largest collection of paintings by Emily Carr.
View details — Vancouver Art GalleryAttraction
Facing Central Park, this natural history museum is known for its dinosaur halls, the blue whale model, the Rose Center planetarium and the Gilder Center.
View details — American Museum of Natural HistoryAttraction
The seat of the Archdiocese of Mexico on the north side of the Zócalo, built between 1573 and 1813, with the gilded Altar of the Kings and the baroque Sagrario.
View details — Catedral MetropolitanaAttraction
The de Young is a fine arts museum in Golden Gate Park with American art, textiles and art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas, plus a free observation tower.
View details — de Young MuseumAttraction
The museum of ice hockey at Yonge and Front, inside Brookfield Place, home of the Stanley Cup, NHL trophies, hands-on rink games and changing exhibits.
View details — Hockey Hall of FameAttraction
Historic 726-foot dam on the Colorado River about 30 miles south-east of Las Vegas, with a visitor centre, guided tours and a walk across the top of the dam.
View details — Hoover Dam