I was thinking of how Europe has like London, Rome, Paris etc.

But for the US which are the tourist destination cities here?

I was making a list:

New York City

Los Angeles

Miami

Chicago

Las Vegas

San Francisco

New Orleans

Boston

Maybe Seattle?

Forgot to add: DC

I know there are more famous cities but these scream ”must-see tourist destination cities” to me.

There are places like Texas which should be on the list, but wouldn’t really say one independent city in particular is on the same level as these, but just the environment as a whole is must-see of that makes sense.


43 comments

  2. Orlando is up there, in addition to the theme parks it’s also one of the most popular cities for conventions.

  3. Savannah, Nashville, Memphis, Philly, Austin are all more popular with US tourists vs international….but are definitely cities that rely on tourist dollars.

  7. Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes combined with the mural culture make it a must for art lovers.

  9. It’s really really hard to say because there’s a difference between foreign and domestic tourism. Even areas you wouldn’t think of can have a pretty high number of visitors.

    As an example, NYC has over 60 million visitors, foreign and domestic, annually, but only around 9 million foreign visitors. Even in Michigan, Detroit, which is not traditionally thought of as a tourist destination, gets like 20 million total.

    In terms for foreign visitation, you got the hot spots, aside from probably Orlando. Those are the places foreigners are most likely to be familiar with without having been here before. However, in terms of domestic tourism, most major cities in any state actually going to be kind of a hot spot. Americans like to travel to other parts of the U.S., and they don’t really need a reason to go to new places.

  10. Nashville is booming with bachelorette parties.

    Cleveland has the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the largest theater district outside of NYC, right along a Great Lake and a national park 20 minutes from downtown. It might not make a lot of peoples’ lists, but it should.

  11. For like the tourist destination city NYC, Vegas, Chicago all fill that purpose. For a more interesting city Miami, Philly, Boston, and Washington DC.

  12. Phoenix is among the most touristed places in the United States. Honolulu even more.

    Inevitably foreigners only pick the places that appear in media the most or are old tourism cliches.

  13. Ooh add Jackson Hole to the B-list, also Gatlinburg TN! I heard Asheville is fun, it’s on my list.

  15. BBQ tourism is on the rise. Places where different types of BBQ are concentrated have seen an considerable uptick in tourists.

    Kansas City

    Austin/Central Texas

    East Texas

    South Texas

    North Carolina

    Charleston/South Carolina

    Memphis

    Birmingham/Alabama

    Kentucky

    Virginia

  21. In order of most appealing to international visitors imo:

    New York

    LA

    Miami

    Las Vegas

    Chicago

    San Francisco

    Orlando

    Washington DC

    San Diego

    Houston

    This list is just based off my experiences with foreigners whenever I ask them where they want to travel to in America lol

  24. I haven’t seen Myrtle Beach mentioned yet. It isn’t a huge city, but it’s absolutely a huge tourist destination. The problem is it doesn’t have the broad appeal some of the places you already mentioned do as it’s seen as tacky.

  26. There are lesser known, regional tourist cities/summer towns in pretty much every state as well. I’m from the Midwest, so two that come to mind are Traverse City, MI and Wisconsin Dells. I just took a family trip to Pigeon Forge, TN this summer as well (home of Dollywood) and it was a blast.

    These aren’t the size of the cities listed in the OP, of course, but they are a great way to see the states outside of the major metro areas.

  27. The Rockies in Colorado get a lot of visits, and Denver is usually the gateway to that (although not as much a tourist destination itself).

  28. Depends on why you travel.

    If you’re traveling for authentic culture, you’re going to hate Miami, Orlando or Las Vegas (not saying they don’t have any culture just that it’s overwhelmed by faux culture created to appeal for tourists).

    If you travel for nature you want wilderness areas in California, Washington, Utah, Wyoming and Alaska.

  31. As someone who lives in Seattle, it’s definitely a tourist spot. Especially during cruise season.

  34. Your list hit most… I’d also add Honolulu & Orlando.

    In the second tier, I’d include smaller historic cities like Savannah and Charleston, hip cities like Portland and Nashville.

  35. I get what you’re saying here. Like, Chicago the city in and of itself is a destination, with all the landmarks and activities and experiences within. As opposed to, say, Metropolis IL which is known for a giant Superman statue.

    I personally would load up the car and drive the 5 hours to Metropolis just to see a giant Superman statue. And maybe, on the way home, stop in Collinsville to see the giant ketchup bottle. In fact, next summer, we’re going to almost do exactly that. But we’re going to go to the region – to see the “Illinois Ozarks” (not really part of the Ozarks) and hike to waterfalls and see Underground Railroad stops and swim in swimming holes and eat pie at roadside Mom and Pop roadside diners. The closest “city” is Carbondale.

    But if I plan a trip to England, for example, I am most likely going to have my destination be London, even though I am sure there are the equivalents of Giant Superman Statues in England. 🙂

    All that being said, I would add St Louis to your list.

  36. ITT people are just listing random American cities lol

    For an international tourist, I think your list is good, with the addition of Orlando. These are among the largest and most important American cities that also are cultural hotspots (so not places like Houston, Phoenix, etc.) so they naturally draw the most tourists.

    From here, the list starts to diverge a bit. There are a lot of regional tourist cities that draw people from the surrounding areas but not nationally or internationally. Some of these are Wisconsin Dells WI, Myrtle Beach SC, Gatlinburg TN, Savannah GA, Roswell NM and Saugatuck MI. These places are well-known the closer you live to them, but most people don’t travel across the country or world to visit them.

    Then you have tourist destinations that aren’t really associated with a particular city. Yellowstone National Park is an example. Cruises to Alaska are popular, and even though there are stops in set cities on the itinerary, I doubt people consider a place like Ketchikan Alaska a tourist destination on its own.

  38. If you have any interest in theology, Salt Lake City is a must. Also excellent for natural beauty and outdoor sports. I would also add Portland and the Oregon coast.

  39. You left off Wall, SD.

    But seriously, the glory of an American road trip is fining all the quirky, beautiful, creepy, awesome towns along the way you never would have known about.

    Heck, my kids have a permanent soft spot in their hearts for Mitchell, SD for the part it played in many road trips. We wouldn’t want to move there, but we always stopped there. Who doesn’t like a good corn maze?

    America isn’t a collection of tourist-worthy big cities and “flyover country.” It’s enormous and full of wonders.

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