logo
These are America's most popular natural wonders, and number one is definitely deserving

These are America's most popular natural wonders, and number one is definitely deserving

Time Out9 hours ago
From towering cliffs to turquoise waters, North America's natural wonders are some of the most photogenic spots on the planet. Online casino Betway Online Slots analyzed more than 100 U.S. natural wonders and ranked the most popular based on key indicators including the number of Instagram and TikTok posts, annual Google search volume and average Google rating.
Unsurprisingly, the Grand Canyon takes the crown as the most popular natural wonder in the U.S. Carved over millions of years by the Colorado River, its epic scale, layered colors and dizzying drops pull in around five million visitors annually. On social media, it's practically a celebrity, racking up 4.5 million Instagram posts, 208,300 TikTok tags and a jaw-dropping 12 million Google searches a year. With a near-perfect 4.8/5 rating from more than 60,000 reviews, it's safe to say the hype is justified.
At number two is Lake Tahoe. Spanning both California and Nevada, gorgeous Lake Tahoe delivers alpine drama year-round. Skiers carve its powdery slopes in winter, paddleboarders cruise its crystal-clear waters in summer and photographers can't resist snapping it in every season. This spot has 3.1 million Instagram hashtags prove it.
America's first national park is still one of its greatest, at number three. Yellowstone stretches from Wyoming into Montana and Idaho, and packs in bubbling geysers, technicolor hot springs, roaring waterfalls and an abundance of wildlife. Its 1.3 million Instagram posts and nearly 10 million Google searches speak to its enduring pull.
Dubbed the "Crown of the Continent," Glacier National Park in Montana is a rugged playground of peaks, lakes and over 700 miles of hiking trails. Its 100,800 TikTok videos signal its rising popularity among travelers chasing pure, unfiltered wilderness, landing it in the number four spot.
Rounding out the top five is the Florida Keys. This tropical paradise is 120 miles of sun-soaked islands, offering snorkeling, kayaking and sunsets. With 2.2 million Instagram hashtags and 137,000 TikTok tags, the Keys prove you don't have to leave the country to go full-vacation mode.
From the desert heat of Arizona to the icy peaks of Montana, these natural wonders capture the full spectrum of America's wild beauty. There's a reason why these are the most popular natural wonders in the country, and if you haven't seen them yet, start planning your visit now.
Ten most popular natural wonders in the U.S.
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Glacier National Park, Montana
Florida Keys, Florida
Acadia National Park, Maine
The Garden of the Gods, Colorado
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina
Death Valley, California
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jet2 passenger hopes £300 tattoo will help him bag FREE holiday from airline
Jet2 passenger hopes £300 tattoo will help him bag FREE holiday from airline

Daily Mirror

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Jet2 passenger hopes £300 tattoo will help him bag FREE holiday from airline

Craig Hicks, from Telford, Shropshire, finished his right arm sleeve with a tattoo of Jet2's slogan - after seeing what he believes is a trend emerging on TikTok A frequent flyer hopes he will bag a free holiday - after he got the Jet2 slogan tattooed on his right arm. ‌ Craig Hicks completed his right arm sleeve with the words "nothing beats a Jet2 holiday" alongside the budget airline's logo. The 37-year-old man says he is "a big fan" of Jet2, having flown with the company dozens of times since it commenced operations under its current guise in 2003. ‌ The plane enthusiast, from Telford, Shropshire, insists his family and friends "absolutely love" the giant inking. Jet2's catchy slogan has become somewhat of a trend on social media, as it has been used in more than two million videos on TikTok the summer. ‌ "I just thought it's quite topical at the moment, why not? It's just so popular at the moment... "I'll be getting it out on that flight definitely. All my friends keep saying I could get a free holiday out of this! A freebie would be nice," Craig, who is an ambulance controller, said. The body art, which cost Craig £300 on Wednesday August 6, finishes his his "aviation sleeve", which already featured a concord and jet engine. The regular flyer, who has a trip to Tenerife booked soon, continued: "I just love anything to do with planes. To finish my sleeve, I had a load of gaps and wasn't sure what to put there. "I love Jess Glynne and love that song. I recently flew with Jet2 to Madeira. I just thought it would be ace to get 'nothing beats a Jet2 holiday'. "I like Jet2 and thought it would be cool. It's my favourite British airline. I'm definitely a big fan of them. I love everything to do with aviation." ‌ Jet2 has used Jess Glynne's song Hold My Hand in its adverts - and on its planes - for nearly ten years. In one iconic TV advert, which first in January 2024, a family of four race with excitement towards the airline's check-in desk, and gleefully board a Jet2 plane, high-fiving the cabin crew in the process - all in cohesion to Glynne's tuneful number. But the "nothing beats a Jet2 holiday" slogan this summer has been used playfully on TikTok by tourists who have encountered holiday bloopers or mishaps - with any airline. Reflecting on the social media trend, Craig continued: "I'm definitely going to show it to Jet2 staff when I next fly with them to Tenerife in December... All my friends and family absolutely love it. My mum said I was mad."

Safari becomes a zoo? Queues, armies of influencers, legions armed with drones.. the new crowded African wilderness
Safari becomes a zoo? Queues, armies of influencers, legions armed with drones.. the new crowded African wilderness

Daily Mail​

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Safari becomes a zoo? Queues, armies of influencers, legions armed with drones.. the new crowded African wilderness

Bucket list influencers desperate to tick off 'Seeing the Big Five' are turning Africa's tranquil wilderness into a hotspot for over-tourism - with 4x4 traffic jams, drones flying over wildlife and over-priced accommodation putting off genuine nature enthusiasts. Once considered a 'once in a lifetime' holiday that was firmly the preserve of the middle and upper classes - the royal family are particularly fond of them, a trip to a game reserve has become increasingly mass market in recent years. Just as British beauty spots, including Cotswolds villages and Cornish beaches, have been besieged by selfie stick-wielding crowds on the hunt for 'content', it seems the TikTok tourist is now equally at home on Africa's remote plains. Destinations such as Kenya's Masai Mara - home to almost 90 species of mammals, Tanzania's Serengeti and South Africa 's Kruger National Park have all seen a spike in tourism in recent years. Fed-up wildlife fans who've spent their hard-earned cash to see Mother Nature's most majestic animals - including giraffes, elephants and wildebeest - say they now often have to do battle with Instagrammers posing up a storm as they all try to catch a glimpse of what they've paid thousands to see. On social media, there are glimpses into just how saturated the safari market has become, with images and videos showing 4x4s sat bumper-to-bumper on dirt track roads at dawn in a bid to catch the best light of the day. Pumping out petrol fumes, inside, they're crammed with tourists who'll apparently stop at nothing to get the perfect shot or footage of the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, in their natural habitat. One particularly disturbing clip shows a lion walking along a rust-coloured road, with vehicles - full of tourists - surrounding the animal. Alongside sophisticated camera and smartphone equipment, the arrival of drones as as an amateur videographer's best friend has ensured that whirring black dots in the arching blue skies above rolling savanna grasslands are now also occasionally seen. While many safari destinations have introduced strict regulations on using the radio controlled flying recording devices, permission can be sought in advance to use them in certain circumstances. Those who go rogue face fines, confiscation and legal action - but in some destinations, including the Serengeti, tourists have spotted them being used by visitors. One British traveller, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail her trip to the famous Tanzanian reserve had been marred by visitors who'd set off small drone devices from the vehicles they were in, and would then ask their guide to go and retrieve them. Other pitfalls? Four-wheel drive vehicles are often connected by radio, so when there's a sight to be seen, many of them flock to the same place, with big jams common as tourists scramble to get the best view. One TikTok user, @zozovdw, posted footage of dozens of Land Rovers lined up watching a hunt between lions and buffaloes - which didn't look dissimilar to the M25 at rush hour. Another suggested that going on a modern safari holiday was mostly about sitting in a 4WD vehicle being bumped over rough roads. British travel blogger, Charlie Hill, warned about the realities of a animal-watching trip, telling his 18,500 followers on TikTok: 'They don't tell you this before you go on safari…20% "Wow, is that a lion?!", 80% "My spine just did a somersault on this bumpy track."' He added: 'Here's the honest truth about safari life: yes, the wildlife moments are unreal, but in between? You'll be bouncing around in a 4x4 for hours, dust in your teeth and a zebra-shaped bruise forming on your backside.' He did add that it was 'still 100% worth it'. A United Nations Tourism (UNWTO) report earlier this year found that visitor numbers to African destinations were up by 13.5 per cent year-on-year, with many of the country's safari destinations contributing to rising tourism figures. Africa is, behind the Middle East, the second fastest-growing tourist region globally, with safari destinations including Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda and Botswana amongst the destinations welcoming more tourists. The bucket list element has also swelled numbers, with tourists seeing the idea of a safari as a 'final frontier' if they've already explored many of the world's most famous sights. Chinese tourists are signing up for wildlife spotting trips in their droves. According to the Global Times, visitors to Africa from China during the summer of 2024 were up 40 per cent on 2023. Many African destinations have also relaxed visa rules in recent years, making it easier for tourists to plan a trip. For example, Kenya scrapped tourist visas in January 2023, instead asking potential visitors to apply online for more acccessible travel permits. And the country's spectacular migrations bring in thousands of visitors, because there's more chance of spotting wildlife as animals - including wildebeest, zebras and hippos - rest en route to their seasonal destinations. How to sidestep the crowds and book a safari that doesn't come with a side portion of frustration? Calvin Cottar, is co-owner of Cottar's Safaris, which operates in the private Olderkesi Conservancy, bordering the Maasai Mara... but crucially with no other camps within its boundaries. He tells the Daily Mail that there's still plenty of ways to find a safari destination with plenty of solitude. He said: 'The antidote is choosing lodges with access to controlled conservation areas – whether national parks, community conservancies or private reserves.' 'Strict rules limit vehicle density (for example, no more than one vehicle per 750 acres), cap numbers at sightings (often no more than five vehicles) and, in busier areas, set time limits at sightings.' Ensuring the company you book with has 'well-trained and fairly paid guides - so they do not rely on tips for sightings' will also enhance your experience, the company co-owner, whose family have been running safaris for more than a 100 years, adds. 'Be careful of companies or guides promising to show you every iconic megafauna in two hours, a safari should be slow and reflective; if you give Africa your patience, it will reward you with moments you will never forget – often when you least expect them.' 'There are still places far removed from mass tourism, particularly private conservancies and less-visited parks, and the best time to visit depends on your priorities.' Avoiding peak season too, which falls typically between June to September in East African destinations, will ensure lesser crowds. When should you go? Says Cottar: 'There is much more to Kenya than the Great Migration: visit in the green season for lush landscapes and fewer visitors, or in the dry season for easier game viewing – both falling outside the peak migration months.'

Melbourne is officially the second best city in the world for Gen Z to live in
Melbourne is officially the second best city in the world for Gen Z to live in

Time Out

time7 hours ago

  • Time Out

Melbourne is officially the second best city in the world for Gen Z to live in

Move over, Melbourne millennials – Gen Z (you know, those born between 1997 and 2012) have well and truly stepped into the spotlight, and they've got thoughts on the best cities for young people right now. Every year, Time Out releases its annual ranking of the world's greatest cities (ICYMI, Melbourne was named the world's fourth best). This comprehensive survey quizzes more than 18,500 locals on everything from their city's nightlife, food and culture, as well as important lifestyle factors like happiness, access to green space and walkability. These insights were then filtered to include only responses from those aged 30 and under, revealing which city is best for Gen Z in 2025. And, drum roll please... Melbourne has landed in second place (slay!), beating out zoomer hot spots like Barcelona, Edinburgh and Mexico City. According to the data, 77 per cent of Gen Z described Melbourne as diverse and inclusive, with a whopping 96 per cent giving high ratings to the city's art and culture scene. Our beloved city also scored highly for quality of life, with an impressive 91 per cent of twenty-somethings saying the quality of life in Melbourne is 'good' or 'amazing'. To dive a bit deeper, we reached out to our Gen Z audience via Instagram to discover exactly what they love most about Melbourne – and yep, the responses well and truly confirmed the global findings. The most common answer was just how multicultural our city is, with Melbourne's café culture also getting plenty of mentions (given how twenty-somethings are gravitating towards 'third spaces ' that offer a matcha-fuelled antidote to nightlife fatigue, we're not surprised in the slightest). Street art, sport, the electronic music scene, theatre and how safe the city is were also specified. So, which city beat out Melbourne to snag the top spot for Gen Zs? It was none other than Bangkok. The Thai capital took the crown thanks to its stand-out scores in happiness (84 per cent of Gen Z say they're happy living there) and affordability (71 per cent say it's a budget-friendly city to live in). Rounding out the top five behind Melbourne were Cape Town, New York City and Copenhagen. The only other Aussie city to make the global top 20 list was Sydney, coming in at 11th. These are the world's best cities for Gen Z in 2025 1. Bangkok, Thailand 2. Melbourne, Australia 3. Cape Town, South Africa 4. New York City, United States 5. Copenhagen, Denmark 6. Barcelona, Spain 7. Edinburgh, United Kingdom 8. Mexico City, Mexico 9. London, United Kingdom 10. Shanghai, China 11. Sydney, Australia 12. Beijing, China 13. Paris, France 14. Tokyo, Japan 15. Berlin, Germany 16. Seville, Spain 17. Chicago, United States 18. Chiang Mai, Thailand 19. Prague, Czech Republic 20. Lisbon, Portugal Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. These are the best nightclubs in Melbourne for a big night out

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store