Most Popular US Attractions: State By State

Should anyone be planning any family vacations, excursions or road trips in the near future or even planning ahead for the holidays, this “numbers survey” might give you an idea of what others have done over recent years. There could be some helpful tips here or just a guide for your planning of where to go, what to see, places to shop, places to visit, camping opportunities, or just the opposite, what to stay away from if you’re looking to avoid crowds. The places listed here could also give you some research ideas ….. searching for more information online.

The information collected below has come from various sources including statistics from the National Park Service, state tourism offices, listed attraction’s own websites, Wikipedia (only as a last result) and other statistical websites. The attendance figures are based upon annual visitors to the attractions (some are exact figures while others are rounded off or estimated). Keep in mind that in determining the top attraction draws, the tourism industry is very controversial as well as competitive in it’s methods.

Listings Are Alphabetically – State By State

Use the links provided for easy access and navigation!

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*** For additional information, as well as your convenience, link(s) have been included underneath each listing. These links should lead you directly to the attraction’s website, the local city or state office of tourism, the state or national park service or another informative resource.

Most Popular Attractions in the USA

 

 ALABAMA

United States Space & Rocket Center

Huntsville, AL

Annual Visitors — 509,000

http://www.spacecamp.com/museum/

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/home/index.html

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ALASKA

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Skagway, AK

Annual Visitors — 935,940

http://www.nps.gov/klgo

http://www.travelalaska.com/Regions/ParksDetail.aspx?ParkID=

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 ARIZONA

Grand Canyon National Park

Northwestern Arizona

Annual Visitors — 4,425,314

http://www.nps.gov/grca/

http://www.thecanyon.com/

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ARKANSAS

Hot Springs National Park

near Hot Springs, AR

Annual Visitors — 1,238,147

http://www.nps.gov/hosp/

http://www.arkansas.com/state-federal-parks/national-federal-parks/hot-springs.aspx

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CALIFORNIA

Disneyland Park

Anaheim, CA

Annual Visitors — 14,721,000

Disneyland

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/disneyland-theme-parks.htm

* great site for Disney history & nostalgia >> Yesterland

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COLORADO

Rocky Mountain National Park

near Estes Park, CO

Annual Visitors — 2,757,390

http://www.nps.gov/romo

http://rockymountainnationalpark.com/

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CONNECTICUT

Hammonasset Beach State Park

Madison, CT

Annual Visitors — 1,9000,000

http://www.ct.gov/dEP/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325210

http://www.friendsctstateparks.org/parks/hammonasset_beach.htm

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DELAWARE

Delaware Seashore State Park

Rehoboth Beach, DE

Annual Visitors — 1,200,000

http://www.destateparks.com/park/delaware-seashore/

http://www.beach-net.com/Parkdelshore.html

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FLORIDA

Walt Disney World / Magic Kingdom Park

Lake Buena Vista, FL

Annual Visitors — 17,063,000

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

http://www.wdwinfo.com/

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GEORGIA

Stone Mountain Park

Atlanta, GA

Annual Visitors — 4,000,000

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/

http://www.atlanta.net/visitors/stone-mountain.html

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HAWAII

Waikiki Beach

Honolulu – Island of Oahu, HI

Annual Visitors — 3,670,000

http://www.waikikibeachwalk.com/

http://www.gohawaii.com/oahu/plan/things_to_do_on_oahu/attractions/points_of_interest/waikiki

http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/waikiki.html

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IDAHO

Silverwood Theme Park

Athol, ID

Annual Visitors — 558,000

http://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/

http://www.visitidaho.org/thingstodo/view-attraction.aspx?id=31026

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ILLINOIS

Navy Pier

Chicago, IL

Annual Visitors — 8,600,000

http://www.navypier.com/

http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago-navy-pier.htm

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INDIANA

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Lake Michigan’s south shore (near Porter, IN)

Annual Visitors — 1,833,596

http://www.nps.gov/INDU

http://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

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IOWA

Amana Colonies (National Historic Landmark)

Amana, IA

Annual Visitors — 800,000

http://www.amanacolonies.com/

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/amana/

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KANSAS

Flint Hills Tall Grass Prairie (National Preserve)

near Strong City, KS

Annual Visitors — 250,000

http://www.nps.gov/tapr/

http://flinthillstallgrass.org/

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KENTUCKY

Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area

Between Lake Barkley & Kentucky Lake (Kentucky/Tennessee)

Annual Visitors — 1,259,773

http://www.lbl.org/Home.html

http://www.tnvacation.com/vendors/land_between_the_lakes_national_recreation_area

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LOUISIANA

The French Quarter

New Orleans, LA

Annual Visitors — 5,000,000

http://frenchquarter.com/

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/fq/

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MAINE

L.L. Bean Flagship Store

Freeport, ME

Annual Visitors — 3,500,000

http://www.llbean.com/shop/retailStores/freeportFlagshipStore/flagship/flagship.html

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MARYLAND

Assateague Island National Seashore

Assateague Island (a barrier island along the Maryland & Virginia coast)

Annual Visitors — 2,011,438

http://www.assateagueisland.com/

http://www.nps.gov/asis/

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MASSACHUSETTS

Faneuil Hall Marketplace (Quincy Market)

Boston, MA

Annual Visitors — 20,000,000

http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

http://www.faneuilhall.com/

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MICHIGAN

The Henry Ford Museum (Edison Institute/Greenfield Village)

Dearborn, MI

Annual Visitors — 1,500,000

http://www.hfmgv.org/

http://www.thehenryford.org/

http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-15481_19267_20424-54578–,00.html

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MINNESOTA

Mall of America

Bloomington, MN

(additional photo at bottom of this post)

Annual Visitors — 40,000,000

http://www.mallofamerica.com/

http://www.bloomingtonmn.org/page/1/mall-of-america.jsp

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MISSISSIPPI

Natchez Trace Parkway (National Park Service)

444 mile long parkway stretching from Natchez, MS to Pasquo, TN

Annual Visitors — 4,200,000

http://www.nps.gov/natr/

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2285/

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MISSOURI

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Arch

St. Louis, MO

Annual Visitors — 1,954,810

http://www.nps.gov/jeff/

http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/

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MONTANA

Yellowstone National Park

NW Wyoming (predominantly), SW Montana, E Idaho

Annual Visitors — 2,000,000

http://www.nps.gov/yell/

http://www.travelyellowstone.com/

http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/

http://www.yellowstonepark.com/

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NEBRASKA

Henry Doorly Zoo (Riverview Park)

Omaha, NE

Annual Visitors — 1,388,014

http://www.omahazoo.com/

http://www.visitomaha.com/listings/index.cfm?action=display&listingID=57137

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NEVADA

Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas, NV

Annual Visitors — 30,000,000

http://www.vegas.com/attractions/

http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/index.jsp

http://www.lasvegasmaps.com/stripmap.html

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

White Mountain National Forest

New Hampshire/Maine

Annual Visitors — 5,000,000

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/

http://www.visitwhitemountains.com/

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NEW JERSEY

Atlantic City Boardwalk

Atlantic City, NJ

Annual Visitors — 4,000,000

http://www.atlanticcitynj.com/visitors/thingstodo/attractions/boardwalktour.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_City,_New_Jersey

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NEW MEXICO

Albuquerque Biological Park (BioPark)

Albuquerque, NM

Annual Visitors — 1,123,000

http://www.cabq.gov/biopark/

http://www.bioparksociety.org/aquarium

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NEW YORK

 

 

Times Square

Manhattan/New York City

Annual Visitors — 37,600,000

http://www.timessquarenyc.org/

http://timessquare.com/

http://timessquare.nyctourist.com/

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NORTH CAROLINA

Blue Ridge Parkway (National Park Service)

469 mile National Parkway along the Blue Ridge Range of the Appalachian Mountains through North Carolina & Virginia

Annual Visitors — 10,943,831

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/

http://www.virtualblueridge.com/

http://www.nps.gov/blri/

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NORTH DAKOTA

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

near Medora, ND

Annual Visitors — 516,804

http://www.nps.gov/thro/

https://www.ndtourism.com/whatdo/attractions/attraction-details.asp?AID=990

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OHIO

Cedar Point Amusement Park

Sandusky, OH

Annual Visitors — 3,200,000

http://www.cedarpoint.com/

http://wikitravel.org/en/Cedar_Point

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OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City, OK

Annual Visitors — 500,000

http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/

http://www.nps.gov/okci/

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OREGON

Crater Lake National Park

South Central Oregon

Annual Visitors — 415,686

http://www.nps.gov/crla/

http://www.oregon.com/trips/craterlake.cfm

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PENNSYLVANIA

 

Independence National Historic Park (Independence Hall)

Philadelphia, PA

Annual Visitors — 4,076,638

http://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/index.htm

http://www.independencevisitorcenter.com/

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RHODE ISLAND

 

 

Roger Williams Park Zoo

Providence, RI

Annual Visitors — 505,409

http://www.rogerwilliamsparkzoo.org/

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SOUTH CAROLINA 

 

Broadway At The Beach

(entertainment/shopping complex)

Myrtle Beach, SC

Annual Visitors — 14,000,000

http://www.broadwayatthebeach.com/

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SOUTH DAKOTA

 

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

near Keystone, SD

Annual Visitors — 1,789,328

http://www.nps.gov/moru

http://www.mountrushmoreinfo.com/

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TENNESSEE

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Tennessee/North Carolina

Annual Visitors — 6,940,000

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/index.htm

http://www.gatlinburg.com/things-to-do/national-park/

http://www.tnvacation.com/vendors/great_smoky_mountains_national_park/

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TEXAS

San Antonio River Walk (Paseo del Rio)

San Antonio, TX

Annual Visitors — 5,100,000

http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/

http://www.sanantonioriverwalk.com/

http://www.visitsanantonio.com/visitors/play/the-river-walk/index.aspx

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UTAH

Temple Square

Salt Lake City

Annual Visitors — 5,000,000

http://www.visittemplesquare.com/

http://www.utah.com/mormon/temple_square.htm

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VERMONT

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory

Waterbury, VT

Annual Visitors — 293,000

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/factory-tours/

http://www.central-vt.com/web/benjerry/index.html

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VIRGINIA

 

Blue Ridge Parkway (National Park Service)

469 mile National Parkway along the Blue Ridge Range of the Appalachian Mountains through North Carolina & Virginia

Annual Visitors — 5,365,474

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/

http://www.virtualblueridge.com/

http://www.nps.gov/blri/

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WASHINGTON

Pike Place Market

Seattle, WA

Annual Visitors — 10,000,000

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/frameset.asp?flash=true

http://www.seattletravel.com/pikesplacemarket.html

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WEST VIRGINIA

New River Gorge National River

southern West Virginia

Annual Visitors — 1,212,854

http://www.nps.gov/neri

http://www.visitwv.com/companies/165/176

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WISCONSIN

Devil’s Lake State Park

near Baraboo, WI

Annual Visitors — 1,300,000

http://www.devilslakewisconsin.com/

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/ORG/LAND/PARKS/specific/devilslake/

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WYOMING

Yellowstone National Park

NW Wyoming (predominantly), SW Montana, E Idaho

Annual Visitors — 3,066,579

http://www.nps.gov/yell/

http://www.travelyellowstone.com/

http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/

http://www.yellowstonepark.com/

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WASHINGTON DC

National Mall & Memorial Parks

Washington, D.C.

Annual Visitors — 25,000,000

http://www.nps.gov/NAMA

http://www.nps.gov/mall

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Additional Useful Travel Links on this Site

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The World’s Most Popular Tourist Attractions according to attendance records – Lots of pictures included here with direct links to the featured listings – Here is the link…..

►50 Most Popular Tourist Attractions In The World

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The Best National & State Parks in the USA is worth a look for planning your next camping trip – Pictures of the parks are featured as well as direct links to the featured parks – Here is the link…..

►Best National & State Parks in the USA

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Nostalgia-minded Remembering Lost & Forgotten Roadside Tourist Attractions & Amusement Parks On The West Coast is an older post (May/2009) that is still being updated and worth checking out – now featuring almost 200 fun and memorable roadside attractions, amusement parks and kitschy tourist traps of years past that no longer exist today. Definitely a trip down memory lane — See how many you had been to and still remember – Lots of pictures are featured here with many historical and fan club links to the featured attractions – Here is the link …..

Remembering Lost & Forgotten Roadside Tourist Attractions & Amusement Parks On The West Coast

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Below is another picture inside the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota which annually draws over 40,000,000 visitors for shopping, entertainment, dining and people watching.