Each State's Favorite American Tourist Attraction, Mapped

Are you looking for a quick weekend trip as the summer begins to wrap up? One last hurrah before the hustle and bustle of back-to-school time? You don’t need to leave the country or go on an extravagant adventure to make life-long memories. There are so many cool tourist attractions across the U.S., some in your backyard — and many worth leaving your state to visit, from Tracy Arm Fjord in Alaska to Acadia National Park in Maine. But what tourist attractions are worth the time?

HawaiianIslands.com put together a ranking that will help families decide which American tourist attractions are worth the time and effort by ranking the attractions the residents of each state love the most, using a list of 8,000 of the most visited U.S. attractions. They put the results in an easy-to-read map, making planning for a final summer travel vacation much easier over the next few weeks.

“America is full of man-made and natural wonders that draw in visitors from all over the world,” the site explains. “But, when domestic tourists hit the road, which attractions do they love to see? We've analyzed each state's favorite spot based on TripAdvisor reviews from people in all 50 U.S. states."

There were some clear winners for the title of the favorite American tourist attraction according to each state. For example, Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah scored higher in marks than any other attraction in the U.S., with Utah, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Washington naming this park the best to visit. Also, Waimea Canyon State Park in Waimea, Hawaii, was an overall favorite tourist attraction in the U.S., winning the top spot in three states: Hawaii itself, Virginia, and Minnesota.

Museums were also favored tourist locations by the states, including The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York, The Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum in Oklahoma being very popular in many states across the U.S.

People also loved attractions in states close to them, either across state lines or in their own states — Vermonters and New Hampshirites loved attractions in Maine (and Maine loved an attraction from Maine, too.) New Mexicans loved the Museum of International Folk Art in their very own Santa Fe. Louisianans love Preservation Hall in New Orleans. The list goes on!

It’s very cool to see many favorite tourist attractions being National Parks (free for the whole family if you have a 4th grader) and historical sites, especially for parents who like a little bit of education in their summer travel adventures.

Of course, this ranking is based on a limited sampling. Just because someone from your state likes a certain attraction doesn’t mean that you (or your kids) will. But sometimes it’s nice to remember it’s not all rivalries between states: There’s beauty and history in every place across this large country, and engaging with that beauty and history is a great way to spend the summer.

To check out the full list of attractions each state loves and hates, and for more general domestic travel inspiration, check out HawaiianIslands.com.