Statue of Liberty, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and Independence Hall: World Heritage sites to see

Most likely, you have been to a UNESCO World Heritage site in the United States without knowing it. Remember that Griswoldian summer vacation to the Grand Canyon? The high school field trip to Independence Hall in Philadelphia? The college tour of the University of Virginia? Congratulations! That's three in your pocket. But don't stop now; you can collect all 24.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which was founded a year after the end of World War II, has many anniversaries. This year is a big one: On Nov. 16, 1972, the World Heritage Convention established the master plan for its mission to preserve, protect and promote the world's most valuable natural and cultural sites.

"This anniversary is important because it gives us the opportunity to take stock of all that has been achieved in the past 50 years. It lets us see what has been successful with the convention and what has not been successful," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, said from the organization's Paris office.

Since 1978, when UNESCO anointed its first dozen, 1,154 attractions in 167 countries have earned the distinction. Of those, 897 are cultural, 218 are natural and 39 are a hybrid of both categories. Italy boasts the most with 58, and several countries claim one, such as Fiji, Mozambique and the United Arab Emirates. The United States is in the middle of the pack.

"What still remains challenging is that the World Heritage list remains imbalanced. It does not represent the diversity of all the regions in the world," Assomo said. "Almost 50% of the sites are located in Europe and North America. This imbalance needs to be addressed in the future, like in Africa and the Arab states."

The United States supported the World Heritage Convention in its development and adoption a half-century ago and was one of 194 countries that ratified the treaty. However, the relationship has frayed over the years. In 2011, President Barack Obama's administration stopped contributing payments after the organization admitted the Palestinian territories. In 2017, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from UNESCO. Two years later, the country severed ties, but not fully: As an original signer, the United States maintains its state party status. This means that it can still nominate new sites and that U.S. landmarks can keep their World Heritage status.

The current administration has taken small steps toward restoring the relationship. According to a State Department spokesman, the agency is working with Congress to rejoin UNESCO and once again play a prominent role in safeguarding the world's irreplaceable treasures.

On this golden anniversary, the best gift you can give is to go. Here are UNESCO sites surprisingly close to home.

Statue of Liberty

Est. 1984; New York

20th-century architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright

Est. 2019; New York City, Pennsylvania

Independence Hall

Est. 1979; Pennsylvania