Tourist attractions in the United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Times Square is the most visited public (not privately owned) tourist site in the United States, with about 50 million visitors annually.

This is a list of the most popular individual tourist attractions in the United States, lists of tourist attractions organized by subject region, and a selection of other notable tourist attractions and destinations.

Times Square is the most visited public (not privately owned) tourist site in the United States, with about 50 million visitors annually.

Top tourist attractions[edit]

In 2021, the most visited tourist attractions in the U.S. were:

Tourist attraction Location Visitors (millions)
Times Square New York, New York 50[1]
Central Park New York, New York 42[1]
Las Vegas Strip Las Vegas, Nevada 42[1]
Union Station Washington, D.C. 40[1]
Mall Of America Bloomington, Minnesota 40[2]
National Mall Washington, D.C. 32[3]
Millennium Park Chicago, Illinois 25[4]
Golden Gate Park San Francisco, California 24[1]
Grand Central Terminal New York, New York 21.6[1]
Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida 20.4[1]
Lincoln Park Chicago, Illinois 20[1]
Disneyland Park Anaheim, California 18.76[1]
Faneuil Hall Marketplace Boston, Massachusetts 18[1]
Balboa Park San Diego, California 13[1]
Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida 13.89[1]
Epcot, Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida 12.44[1]
Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Carolina and Tennessee 12.1[1]
Disney's Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida 11.48[1]
Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco, California 10[1]
Venice Beach Los Angeles, California 10[1]
Pike Place Market Seattle, Washington 10[1]
Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco Bay Area, California 10[1]
South Street Seaport New York, New York 9[1]
Mackinac Bridge Michigan 9[1]
Navy Pier Chicago, Illinois 9[1]
Grand Canyon Tusayan, Arizona (nearby) 5[1]

Landmarks[edit]

As of 2007, there are 2,462 registered National Historic Landmarks (NHL) recognized by the United States government.[5] Each major US city has thousands of landmarks. For example, New York City has 23,000 landmarks designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. These landmarks include various individual buildings, interiors, historic districts, and scenic sites which help define the culture and character of New York City.[6]

Natural monuments[edit]

There are many natural monuments in the United States and they are a large tourist venue.

Sports[edit]

Sporting events and their associated venues make up a significant percentage of tourist dollars in the US. Estimates of the US sports industry's size vary from $213 billion[7] to $410 billion.[8] In 1997, 25% of tourism receipts in the United States were related to sports tourism; this would have valued the market at approximately $350 billion annually.[9] Many US sporting events routinely attract international visitors. The 1997 New York City Marathon attracted 12,000 participants from outside the US, out of 28,000 participants.[10]

Hotels[edit]

Hotels can be both housing for tourists visiting a particular region or city, and destinations themselves, with many hotels having historic and cultural status.

Lists of tourist attractions in the United States[edit]

Lists by type of attraction[edit]

Lists by city or region[edit]

Other tourist attractions and destinations[edit]

Former tourist attractions[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Doyle, Paulie (August 10, 2021). "The 25 Most Visited Tourist Spots in America". Newsweek. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Sederstrom, Noel (November 15, 2018). "Minnesota's top tourist destination: Mall of America with 40-million visitors". KTTC-TV. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". National Park Service. May 8, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  4. ^ Johnson, Steve. "Millennium Park is new top Midwest visitor destination, high-tech count finds". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  5. ^ National Park Service (June 2010). "National Historic Landmarks Program: List of National Historic Landmarks by State" (PDF). Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  6. ^ text by Andrew S. Dolkart; Matthew A. Postal. (2003), Guide to New York City Landmarks, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-36900-4{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "The Sports Industry", SportsBusiness Journal, Street & Smith's, 2008, retrieved May 19, 2008
  8. ^ "Sports Statistics", Plunkett's Sports Industry Almanac, Plunkett Research, 2007, retrieved May 19, 2008
  9. ^ Standeven & De Knop 1999, p. 176
  10. ^ Standeven & De Knop 1999, p. vii

References[edit]

  • Standeven, Joy; De Knop, Paul (1999). Sport Tourism. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics. ISBN 0-87322-853-7.