12 Best Tourist Attractions in the US
America is a tourist magnet and the third most visited country in the world. Visitors are spoiled for choice with day trips and vacation spots, and there are notable attractions in every region. The US is home to the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and Walt Disney World Resort, to name only a few. For anyone looking to explore some of the best the country has to offer, here are a dozen must-see attractions.
Redwood National Park
The giant old-growth trees in Redwood National Park in California are a remarkable sight. Some ancient redwoods here are around 2,000 years old and as tall as 300 feet. You can hike through Fern Canyon inside the park, where several scenes of The Lost World: Jurassic Park were filmed.
You can also hike to the Klamath River Overlook, where you might spot gray whales offshore in the Pacific and seals resting at the river mouth as you picnic at sunset. Near Klamath, the Trees of Mystery attraction features dozens of chainsaw sculptures, a towering statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, and unusual tree formations such as the Candelabra and the Elephant tree.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is arguably San Francisco's most popular attraction. Opened in 1937 with its Art Deco towers, it spans the Golden Gate strait, the mile-wide channel connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. If you are visiting San Francisco, the bridge is a fine place for photographs from almost any angle, and you can see Alcatraz out in the bay. You can stay at Cavallo Point, which sits at the northern foot of the bridge, or take a boat cruise on San Francisco Bay at sunset.
French Quarter
The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans and is full of history and culture. Take at least a day to explore it, starting with Jackson Square, where you can sit with a picnic and watch the street performers.
The French Quarter also holds historic museums, including The Cabildo, which housed the government during the Spanish colonial period and where the Louisiana Purchase transfer was finalized. The Audubon Aquarium nearby reopened in 2023 after an extensive renovation. Have a coffee and a light meal at Cafe du Monde before booking a spot on a local ghost tour through the city's centuries-old streets.
Las Vegas Strip
If you are into glitz and glamor, do not miss the Las Vegas Strip. Try the slots after sampling the buffets, and you can get free cocktails while you play, or skip the gambling and head to one of the many clubs along the Strip.
Book a stay in one of the large hotels if you plan on staying a few days, and catch a Las Vegas show, which usually means a performance by a major touring artist. Las Vegas is also about two hours from Grand Canyon West, where you can walk out over the canyon on the Skywalk glass bridge.
Harpers Ferry
If you like off-the-beaten-path destinations, take a trip to Harpers Ferry, a historic town in West Virginia. The population is under 300, and it is the state's easternmost town. Harpers Ferry offers a glimpse into the past, with Civil War remnants scattered across the town and the surrounding national historical park, including the ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church, which served as a hospital and barracks during the war.
Be sure to visit The Point, where you can see three states at once: Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. From here you can also hike the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world. Harpers Ferry is also home to a research-based historic candy shop, where you can satisfy a sweet tooth with gummy candies, licorice, and other old-fashioned confections.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is a remarkable sight. Most of the park sits in Wyoming, atop one of the world's largest volcanic systems, and it holds more geysers and hot springs in one place than anywhere else on Earth. You can hike more than 900 miles of trails, including the route to Fairy Falls, or bike the Fountain Freight Road through part of the Midway Geyser Basin.
Then there is Yellowstone Lake, the largest high-elevation lake in North America. You can rent a boat to explore it or relax on a chartered cruise while taking in the views. Keep an eye out for bison, wolves, and grizzly bears.
Kennedy Space Center
If you have ever stared up at the sky wondering whether you will visit space, plan a trip to the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. NASA's launch operations center here took the name Kennedy Space Center in 1963, and in the early 1960s the public could already take self-guided Sunday drives through the surrounding Cape Canaveral area.
Those tours proved popular, and a dedicated visitor center was authorized in 1965 and opened in 1967. By December 1968, Kennedy Space Center launched its first crewed mission, Apollo 8, toward the Moon. Today, visitors can tour the center with an astronaut guide, ride the Shuttle Launch Experience simulation, and, with luck, watch a live rocket launch.
Route 66
An all-American experience you cannot miss is a Route 66 road trip. The historic route ran over 2,400 miles and was once one of the busiest highways in the country. It is no longer an official US highway, so you cannot drive the whole thing anymore, but many sections remain. Starting in Chicago along Jackson Boulevard, Route 66 ends in Santa Monica, passing old-school diners, steam engines, and historic stops along the way.
Roadside attractions include a giant blue whale, the Muffler Men, and roadside dinosaurs. It takes at least five days to drive the full route, but it is a trip you will never forget.
Venice Beach
Your American vacation is not complete without a beach day. Venice, on Florida's Gulf Coast, is known for the fossilized shark teeth that wash up along its shore. You will likely spot dolphins offshore and sea turtle nests on the sand. Play a game of volleyball, join a shell hunt, or go for a swim, then stroll down Venice Avenue and stop for a bite at one of the local cafes or restaurants.
Times Square
Times Square is often called the heart of New York City. Here you can attend tapings of late-night TV shows, see a Broadway show, and watch the ball drop at midnight on New Year's Eve. Times Square is home to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and a Ripley's Believe It or Not, and the historic Knickerbocker Hotel, which once hosted some of the era's most famous guests, stands nearby.
If you are short on time to sightsee, hop on a sightseeing bus that loops past the city's biggest landmarks before heading off to your next stop.
One World Trade Center
About four miles from Times Square is One World Trade Center, home to the One World Observatory on floors 100 to 102. Also known as the Freedom Tower, it stands in remembrance of the victims of 9/11. The observation deck begins at 1,362 feet, and a glass parapet rises to 1,368 feet, the roof heights of the original South and North towers.
The tower's spire reaches 1,776 feet, a reference to the year of the Declaration of Independence. At Ground Zero, the Memorial Plaza holds two large reflecting pools set in the footprints of the original towers, ringed by bronze parapets inscribed with the names of the victims, along with the 9/11 Memorial Glade honoring those who fell ill from exposure after the attacks.
One of the most moving sights is the Survivor Tree, a pear tree recovered from the rubble and nursed back to health. At the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, somber exhibits document that day. It is not the cheeriest stop on this list, but it is among the most hopeful, a testament to the resilience of the people who rebuilt here.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park in California is home to giant sequoias, moonbows, and waterfalls. Each February, when conditions are right, the setting sun lights up Horsetail Fall so that it glows like flowing lava, an effect known as the firefall. In Tuolumne Grove stands the Dead Giant, a sequoia with a tunnel cut through it in 1878; the old road that once ran through it is now a walking trail, so visitors pass through on foot.
Nearby rises El Capitan, one of the most recognizable rock monoliths in the world, along with Half Dome, among Yosemite's most popular landmarks. You can hike over 800 miles of trails, raft the rivers, or simply take in the scenery beneath the Sierra Nevada.
Natural Wonders and City Icons
These twelve attractions have little in common beyond the crowds they draw. Some, like Yellowstone and the redwoods, took millions of years to form; others, like Times Square and One World Trade Center, mark a single city's energy and its losses. Natural wonder, neon spectacle, and lived-in history sit side by side on the same list, which is part of what makes touring the United States such a varied undertaking.
