The most popular US tourist attractions by state revealed
Google, where do Americans want to go?
The research team at SFT Project analyzed Google search results to determine the most googled tourist attractions in each state over the last year.
Overall, Americans were most interested in visiting national parks and outdoor settings filled with nature, with people in 30 states searching for these types of trips more than any other tourist destination.
Myrtle Beach in South Carolina washed away the competition for the top spot most Americans want to visit.
Residents in eight states — Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — were most excited about booking beach chairs along the Carolina coast.
Seeking a different kind of aquatic adventure, many Americans looked into driving up to the border of the Great White North to see Niagara Falls’ beauty.
People living in Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin were most drawn by the waterfalls.
Continuing to show Americans’ love of the great outdoors, the Grand Canyon was the third most searched tourist attraction — with residents living in Idaho, Indiana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and South Dakota most interested in exploring the expansive natural wonder.
Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon aren’t the only national parks attracting Americans.
In fact, visiting a national park is the top type of destination Americans looked into booking, just behind national landmarks, geographical attractions and beaches.
Craving more of a thrill, residents in seven states — Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Florida and Massachusetts — searched for amusement parks and other entertainment attractions, including Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland and Silver Dollar City in Missouri.
Meanwhile, those living in New York, California, Michigan and West Virginia were more interested in visiting historic and cultural sites — the Museum of Modern Art, Alcatraz Island, the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore, respectively.
NYC was also crowned the winner in Time Out’s recent ranking of the 50 best cities in the world.
For the list, thousands of city dwellers were surveyed about the “food, culture and nightlife scenes in their city and how their city makes them feel.”
The results were paired with insights from 100 Time Out staff writers and editors based in cities around the globe.
Time Out chose New York as this year’s best city “for its quality of life for locals and for its global appeal for visitors.”
The outlet cited the city’s cultural institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the American Museum of Natural History as major draws. Let’s not forget it’s also home to the MoMA, the Guggenheim and several must-see galleries.
