New museums, destinations and openings around the US in 2018

For travelers, the new year opens up a whole new world of places to go and things to do. Here are a few notable openings and events scheduled for 2018 around the U.S.

NOTABLE IN THE NEW YEAR

The Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania is scheduled to open the Tower of Voices in September. The structure will be part of the commemoration of the United Airlines plane that crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. It will rise 93 feet (28 meters) and will feature 40 chimes, a symbolic representation of the 40 passengers and crew who perished in the crash of Flight 93.

In Seattle, the Space Needle completes its renovation in the spring. New features include a multi-level, floor-to-ceiling glass viewing experience, open-air outdoor observation deck and glass benches designed to make visitors feel like they’re floating on air. Two observation levels will be connected by a steel-and-wood staircase with glass oculus. The see-through glass rotating floor of the observation deck and lounge will open up a new view looking down.

EVENTS, DESTINATIONS AND OUTDOORS

This year marks the 175th anniversary of the Oregon Trail . Take a forest hike in the wheel ruts of wagons that carried settlers westward, visit a living heritage museum like the Philip Foster Farm or learn more about the trail’s history at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

Washington D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 20-April 15, will be hosted in a new neighborhood, The Wharf, a 24-acre (10-hectare) development along the Potomac River with three hotels, 20 restaurants,

BIOLINIA AND PAUL MURDOCH ARCHITECTS — VIA AP This undated rendering provided by bioLinia and Paul Murdoch Architects depicts the Tower of Voices, which is scheduled to open in September at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pa.