America's most fascinating National Historic Landmarks you should visit

Exploring our national treasures

Did you know that America has over 2,600 National Historic Landmarks? They serve as official markers of the country's history and not just any old site will do. To be awarded this esteemed designation, the property or place must have a significant national impact by way of an event, person, time period, or archaeological finding.

Read on to discover the most interesting and rewarding National Historic Landmarks in the US...

Birthplace of Helen Keller, Alabama

Ivy Green is a historic house museum that honors the life of Helen Keller, who was born here in 1880. Both deaf and blind, Keller learned to read and communicate through sign language and braille and became the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor's degree. Keller was an advocate of blind rights around the world and wrote 12 books, including her 1903 autobiography The Story of My Life. 

Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania

The Eastern State Penitentiary was once the world's most expensive prison. One of its most famous previous inmates was the notorious mobster Al Capone – you can even visit his cell. These days, nearly 200 years after it opened, this massive and rundown complex serves as a historic museum by day and spooky haunted house by night.

Crystal River Site, Florida

You might think Florida is just about the theme parks, but the truth is that the southern state is chock-full of beautiful natural spots and historic sites. One visit to Crystal River and it's easy to see how it got its name: the water here is a gorgeous glimmering turquoise from afar and crystal-clear up close.

The 61-acre archeological site is one of the longest-inhabited areas in Florida, and one of the best places to see manatees in the wild.

Biltmore Estate, North Carolina

Located in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate offers a glimpse at a life of pure opulence. This sprawling Gilded Age mansion estate is the largest privately-owned residence in the United States, with the floor space measuring a whopping 178 square feet. While no one currently resides in the late-1800s home, the family operates it as a visitor attraction with guided tours of both the interior and the gorgeous gardens.

Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana

Oak Alley Plantation has lived many lives over its 200-plus-year existence, and though it started as a sugar plantation, it's now dedicated to educating visitors about the history of slavery. The 28-acre property gets its name from the double-row of oak trees that create a canopied path up to the house (though the trees existed before the building). 

Its landscaping and architecture helped Oak Alley get its designation, but so too did the story of an enslaved gardener who pioneered a 19th-century technique that made growing pecan trees commercially viable.

Hoover Dam, Nevada

While we've listed the Hoover Dam as being in Nevada, it actually straddles the state line with Arizona. Miraculously, this monolithic piece of concrete design that stretches over the Colorado River was built during the Great Depression thanks to much blood, sweat, tears, and money (it cost $49 million, around $1 billion today). Although it's named after President Herbert Hoover, it was initially dedicated to President Franklin D Roosevelt.

Painted Desert Inn, Arizona

Originally made of petrified wood and other natural tone materials, this building served as a tourist site called Stone Tree House during the 1920s. It was a place where travelers could wet their whistle, grab hot food, or catch a wink of sleep in a tiny room. Today, this National Historic Landmark (turned into an adobe building in the 1930s) functions as a museum with displays highlighting its own history, the once-nearby Route 66 road and the Civilian Conservation Corps too. 

Balboa Park, California

San Diego's Balboa Park spans 1,200 acres and is packed full of photo ops. It's one of the oldest recreational parks in the United States, and home to several museums, gardens, and attractions (including the zoo) along with chilled-out California vibes. Much like Central Park in New York, Balboa Park is a huge attraction in itself and sees around 14 million people flocking to hang out here every year.

The Colorado Chautauqua, Colorado

Colorado Chautauqua Park was originally founded as the Colorado Chautauqua back in the 1920s. During this time in the US there was a movement for adult social and educational clubs called Chautauquas, much like modern-day community centers. The Colorado Chautauqua is now the only year-round example in the country and the longest continually-running one too.

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Library of Congress, Washington DC

If you were wondering where the largest library in the world was, this is it. America's Library of Congress is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. It's also the current research library for the US Senate and where you'll find the US patent and trademark office. The library is accessible to the public, though it is not currently offering group tours.

Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, Georgia

Who knew that Coca-Cola began in Atlanta, Georgia? Built in 1891, this facility served as the headquarters and bottling plant for the soda giant as it grew from small soda shop to global brand. As the company expanded it outgrew the space, and in 1966 Coca-Cola bid the two-story Victorian property adieu and moved into something larger. Currently, it functions as part of Georgia State University's campus.

Iolani Palace, Hawaii

In the late 1800s, Honolulu's Iolani Palace was the official home of the Hawaiian monarchy, but this didn't last long as a coup saw the royal family overthrown in 1891. As the islands were transformed into a US state, Iolani Palace went from being a royal residence to functioning as a capitol building to, finally, disrepair. In 1978, after stunning renovations, the first two floors were opened to the public in all their original grandeur.

Adler Planetarium, Illinois

The United States' obsession with the stars didn't start by being the first country to land on the moon. We'd been ogling stars and outer space from afar long before then. Adler Planetarium, America's first planetarium, popped up in Chicago back in 1930 and has been a dedicated research space ever since. It's also open to the public as a museum.

Churchill Downs, Kentucky

The annual Kentucky Derby horse race is as American as apple pie. It's been running since 1875, but that's not what makes Churchill Downs, the actual horse track where the derby takes place, a National Historic Landmark. And no, it's not the fancy big hats either. It's the main building's two iconic spires, built in 1895, which have become a symbol of Churchill Downs and of the derby itself.

Hubbell Trading Post, Arizona

Located in Ganado, the Hubbell Trading Post is the oldest continually operating trading post in the Navajo Nation and American Southwest. It's been a meeting place of Indigenous and colonial settler culture since 1878, when Don Lorenzo Hubbell bought the small site to begin trade with the Navajo people who had recently returned from forced exile.

Bunker Hill Monument, Massachusetts

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place in June 1775 during the siege of Boston, and was an early fight for America's independence from the British. This one clash took the lives of over 1,000 British soldiers. Nearly 70 years later, a 220-foot obelisk made of pure granite was erected as a memorial. While it's remembered as the Battle of Bunker Hill, most of the fighting actually took place on Breed's Hill, closer to Boston.

Detroit Fox Theatre, Michigan

In the 1920s, William Fox built a handful of large luxurious movie theaters around the country in places including Brooklyn, Atlanta, St Louis, San Francisco, and Detroit. The Detroit Fox Theatre opened to the public in 1928 with opulent décor that reflected an East Asian theme and is currently the largest surviving movie palace from that time period. In 1988, the 5,000-plus-seat theater underwent a complete restoration and is now an architectural icon of the city.

Split Rock Lighthouse, Minnesota

One glance and it's easy to see why Split Rock Lighthouse is one of Minnesota's most photographed sites. However, Instagram-worthiness aside, this historic landmark has been a defining feature of Lake Superior's rocky North Shore cliff since 1910. This lovely lighthouse became a tourist attraction in the 1930s and today seasonal tours are available.

Albert Einstein House, New Jersey

This isn't just any white clapboard home – you're looking at the house of a genius. Albert Einstein lived the last 20 years of his life in this two-story Princeton home. However, unlike many residences of famous folks, at the request of Einstein himself, it was never turned into a museum. Since Einstein's passing it has been lived in by several notable scientists, including Nobel Prize winner and physicist Frank Wilczek.

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

Around a mile north of Taos, New Mexico, you'll find one of the oldest continuously inhabited Pueblo communities in America. Taos Pueblo is remarkable for its multi-story, adobe-style buildings that date from the 13th and 14th centuries. This community remains home to Indigenous Taos-speaking Puebloan peoples and is both a National Historic Landmark and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stonewall Inn, New York

In America, it's impossible to talk about the history of the LGBTQ+ struggle for rights without mentioning the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. After starting its life as a nightclub for straight people, Stonewall was revamped into a gay bar back in 1966. It was here, 50 years ago, that the first Gay Pride took place, and the inn is credited with sparking the gay rights movement across the United States and beyond.

Darwin Martin House, New York

Did you know that Frank Lloyd Wright, probably America's most famous architect, has over 25 buildings on the list of National Historic Landmarks? Built between 1903 and 1905, Buffalo's Darwin D Martin House is a masterpiece of the architect's Prairie style, showcasing low roofs and groups of windows, and is essentially a five-building complex including a pergola and carriage house.

The museum also includes nearly 400 examples of Frank Lloyd Wright's glasswork, including his Tree of Life design.

Fallingwater, Pennsylvania

Another of Frank Lloyd Wright's most well-known works is the Mill Run property, Fallingwater, in the south of the Keystone State. FLW designed this stunner in 1935 for the Kaufmann family, and it's an example of his groundbreaking approach to architecture which aimed to seamlessly integrate humans, nature, and buildings.

Yellowstone National Park Northeast Entrance, Montana

It may seem strange to have a sign on the list of historic landmarks, but the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park has a look so iconic it made the cut. The rustic, log cabin-like welcome sign for this gate has become synonymous with American national parks – and is a must-stop for pictures for the park's four-million-plus visitors every year.

Natural Bridge, Virginia

Virginia's Natural Bridge is a 215-foot naturally-carved limestone gorge arch that looks like a bridge and was once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Visitors can pay to check out the bridge from below in Natural Bridge State Park. But anyone looking to get a view from the top needs to hop in their car and head across on US Route 11, a highway which runs right next to the bridge.

Ames Monument, Wyoming

While the Ames Monument may look like something from ancient Egypt, this four-sided granite pyramid was actually constructed in 1881 by architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Located east of Laramie, it once marked the highest point on the Union Pacific Railroad, before the tracks were moved in 1901.

The monument was erected to honor brothers Oliver and Oakes Ames, important leaders of the railroad's construction, and measures 60 feet tall and 60 feet wide at the base.

Old San Juan Historic District, Puerto Rico

Old San Juan Historic District is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico. An integral part of American Latino heritage, this colorful section of San Juan in the north of the capital features Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance architecture. In addition to being a district on the list of National Historic Landmarks, Old San Juan is also on the National Register of Historic Places and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City

Completed in 1883, Brooklyn Bridge is one of New York City's most famous sights, and it has a rich history too. Given the bridge's lengthy span, New Yorkers were initially nervous about setting foot on the structure, and this fear was heightened after a stampede on the bridge killed 12 people. To help quell these anxieties, notorious circus man PT Barnum paraded 21 elephants across the length of the bridge to prove it was safe.

Mark Twain House & Museum, Connecticut

This house in Hartford had a famous owner, the iconic American writer Mark Twain, aka Samuel Langhorne Clemons, who had it built in the late 1800s. The 11,500-square-foot American High Gothic-style house was designed by architect Edward Tuckerman Potter, and ended up being an expensive project wrought with delays. That didn't dampen Twain's creativity though, as while living here he wrote the classics The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Alcatraz Island, California

The most notorious prison in America, and perhaps even the world, Alcatraz was home to the country's most dangerous criminals between 1934 and 1963. Famous inmates include Al Capone, George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, and 'Creepy' Alvin Karpis, the first official public enemy number one. Prisoners were entitled to food, clothes, shelter, medical care, legal representation, letters to family members, and religious services. Everything else had to be earned.

Now discover more of America's most important landmarks

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