Prominently featured on almost every postcard of Waikiki, Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. With a trail that allows visitors to hike to the top, Diamond Head offers some of the most incredible views overlooking Honolulu and the surrounding island. There are also a handful of bunkers at the top of the volcano leftover from World War 2 that further add to the character of Diamond Head and its landmark status.
Diamond Head got its English name from British sailors in the 19th century who mistook calcite crystals on a nearby beach for diamonds. Today a casual 1.1km (0.75 mile) hike leads to the edge of the crater with a gain of 560 feet in elevation.
At the top of Diamond Head you'll find a former coastal artillery observation platform, small bunkers, tunnels, an interior spiral staircase, and a long exterior outdoor staircase. We were pretty casual and took our time at Diamond Head, and the hike and sightseeing still only took a couple hours. It's well worth a visit for the views alone.
Formerly one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy, the Charlestown Navy Yard (or Boston Navy Yard) in Boston, Massachusetts was decommissioned in 1974. Today the site is part of the Boston National Historical Park administered by the National Park Service, which is home to the 1797 warship USS Constitution and the 1943 destroyer USS Cassin Young.
Completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House, Independence Hall is the centerpiece of the Independence National Historical Park in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was inside Independence Hall, where the Liberty Bell once hung, that both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were signed.
