The ultimate U.S. travel bucket list: Top 20 tourist attractions ranked
Travel guides and lists are often filled with cliches promising to take you off-the-beaten path or deliver you to hidden gems. In the last year or so, this has been especially true with the rise of the dupe travel trend, which is the idea that, instead of vacationing in a popular spot, you can seek out an alternative destination that has a similar vibe or scenery. But the thing is, many tourist attractions are popular for a reason: They're great. And to help quantify the best of the best, BookRetreats, a leader in retreat bookings, used data sets to curate a list of the best U.S. tourist attractions.
For the report, analysts evaluated 77 of America's most popular points of interest, evaluating popularity, overall experience from a dataset that included 7,500 visitor experiences, hotel price points and state-level safety rankings.
Here's more on the findings and a list of the top 20 tourist attractions in the United States, that, yes, draw millions of tourists, but are also worth putting on your travel bucket list.
The best tourist attraction in the U.S. is Central Park in New York, according to the ranking, with visitors agreeing the park is worth the hype.
'Surrounded by towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, this 843-acre green haven offers a refreshing escape from city life that visitors love,' the report says.
Central Park draws 42 million visitors each year, according to the Central Park Conservancy. Even if you haven't had a chance to visit the park, yet, you've probably seen the park in movies. It's been featured in more than 240 films, including 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Home Alone 2,' 'Elf,' 'Breakfast at Tiffanys,' and 'Ghostbusters.'
Central Park is also famous because its design, led by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, inspired other urban parks across the country.
In addition to well-known features in Central Park, like the carousel, skating rink, and a zoo, visitors can rent a boat to take out on the lake, go for a birding tour, or even take chess lessons.
For those seeking a more immersive experience, Central Park offers seasonal events like Shakespeare in the Park and the Central Park Conservancy's guided tours, which delve into the park's rich history and ecological diversity.
New York dominated this new list of best tourist attractions in the United States. Most attractions are in the Big Apple, including Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Brooklyn Bridge and the 85-acre park next to it. But Niagara Falls in western New York also cracked the list, landing at No. 7.
The concentration of attractions in New York State underscores the city's global influence and cultural significance, attracting both first-time visitors and seasoned travelers alike.
Several of the top 20 places to visit in the U.S., according to BookRetreats, are natural attractions. That's because, the analysts say, beautiful landscapes have a knack for meeting or exceeding tourist expectations.
At 1,200 acres, Balboa Park in San Diego is larger than New York's Central Park. Visitors can purchase a Balboa Park Explorer Pass and visit a number of the park's fantastic museums, seeing folk art at the Mingei International Museum and the San Diego Natural History Museum, which will be opening a new fossil processing lab with a glass wall so visitors can watch scientists in action.
Another nature-centric highlight on this list is Garden of the Gods, a park with towering red rock formations in Colorado. Stay at the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club for up-close views of one of the park's most popular rock formations, the Kissing Camels.
Zion National Park in Utah was the only national park that cracked the top 20 list. Hiking The Narrows, a slot canyon, or the treacherous Angels Landing trail are high on adventure travelers bucket lists.
Zion also offers family-friendly activities, including ranger-led programs, horseback riding tours, and scenic drives through the park's unique landscapes.
Ahead, the top attractions for tourists, according to the BookRetreats analysis.
No. 1: Central Park in New York, New York
No. 2: National Mall in Washington, D.C.
No. 3: Balboa Park in San Diego, California
No. 4: Smithsonian National Museum of History in Washington, D.C.
No. 5: Times Square in New York City, New York
No. 6: Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York
No. 7: Niagara Falls in Buffalo, New York
No. 8: Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California
No. 9: Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando, Florida
No. 10: Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York, New York
No. 11: Hoover Dam in Boulder City, Nevada
No. 12: The Highline in New York, New York
No. 13: Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 14: Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 15: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York
No. 16: Zion National Park in Utah
No. 17: San Antonio RiverWalk in San Antonio, Texas
No. 18: ICON Park in Orlando, Florida
No. 19: Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California
No. 20: Brooklyn Bridge In New York, New York
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