America's Top 25 Most Visited Attractions

This is an awesome list of American attractions. I have been to 12 of them and the Grand Canyon is my favorite on the list followed by Fisherman's Wharf. Where is Mount Rushmore?

The only place listed that I didn't care for was Navy Pier in Chicago. I thought it was rather boring there and it was very congested. That was a waste of time in that wonderful city.

1. Times Square, New York City, N.Y.:
35 million


This Manhattan crossroads of commerce topped Forbes Traveler's global tourist attraction list, so it's no surprise that it's number one here, too. A study cited by the Times Square Alliance estimates an average of more than 2,000 pedestrians traversing a block of 7th Avenue during a 15-minute weekday period. On New Year's Eve, more than one million revelers pack Times Square.

2. The Las Vegas Strip, Nev.:
31 Million


The "Neon Trail" that comprises the heart of Sin City is also part of the federal government's National Scenic Byways Program, which designates roads based on "archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities." Hard to say which of these qualities best describes Vegas, but we can disqualify "natural." The NSBP's number for Strip cruisers is 31 million, about 80 percent of the city's total (39.2 million) visitors.

3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C.
24 million


Many of the nation's iconic public landmarks are found in the 1,000-plus acres of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, including the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Memorials, and the Korean and Vietnam War Veterans Memorials. The Smithsonian Institution's 19 museums are also adjacent to The Mall; last year the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History alone drew 7.1 million visitors.

4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, Mass.:
20 Million


Built in 1742 by Peter Faneuil, a wealthy Boston merchant, Faneuil Hall served as a commercial center of the city for centuries and a site for famous orations, like Samuel Adams' independence-rallying speech to colonists. Faneuil also includes the restored 19th-century Quincy Market. Today, shoppers account for a large share of visitors, and while we've excluded pure shopping malls (like Minnesota's Mall of America) from this list, Faneuil's historic significance vaults it to the status of cultural attraction.

5. Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.:
17.1 million


The most popular of Disney's Florida attractions saw a 2.5 percent increase in visitation compared with 2006, according to the TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report. The Magic Kingdom is the most popular of Disney's Florida attractions, followed by Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, and we've used it as a watermark for traffic to Disney's "destination complex."

6. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, Calif.:
14.9 million

With nearly 15 million visitors last year, the original Disney park (opened in 1955), had a record season according to the TEA/ERA. The new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and the Pirate's Lair (renovated after the "Pirates of the Caribbean" blockbuster films) were big hits with guests.

7. Fisherman's Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, Calif.:
14 million


The city by the Bay receives approximately 15.8 million visitors a year, and Fisherman's Wharf is its top visitor attraction. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes the famous orange bridge along with numerous other spaces throughout the Bay Area, draws 14.3 million visitors annually.

8. Niagara Falls, N.Y.:
12 million


The Falls, which straddle the U.S.-Canadian border, have been a tourist mecca since the mid-19th century. Using the bridges that connect both sides, the thundering waters are visible from observation towers, by boat and from various hiking trails and, on the Canadian side, from the Whirlpool Aero Car, an antique cable car. With statistics from the Niagara Falls Tourism Bureau and Niagara Falls Brige Commission, visitors are approximated at 12 million a year.

9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn./N.C.:
9.4 million


America's most visited national park is neither the Grand Canyon (which comes in at number 20 on our list) nor Yosemite. With more than 800 miles of protected trails, this natural wonder hosted nearly 10 million hikers, birders and drivers last year.

10. Navy Pier, Chicago, Ill.:
8.6 million


Opened in 1916, this Chicago landmark on the shore of Lake Michigan has served as a campus and military training facility. Today it hosts 50 acres of shops, restaurants and exposition facilities. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Chicago Children's Museum are here, along with a full calendar of nighttime fireworks shows.

11. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Ariz./Nev.:
7.6 million


Thirty miles southeast of Las Vegas lies the U.S.'s largest man-made lake and reservoir, a recreational mecca for boaters, swimmers, fishermen and naturalists. But Lake Mead, which is formed by the Hoover Dam's interruption of the Colorado River, may not stay on this list for long. It's a major source of water for the southwestern U.S. and according to researchers, if consumption patterns and climate change continue at their current pace, the lake may be dry by 2021.

12. Universal Studios Orlando/Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, Fla.:
6.2 million


Like its rival Disney, Universal houses what ERA's Christian Aaen calls a "destination complex" in Orlando, where two theme parks, Universal Studios Orlando and Universal's Islands of Adventure, vie for thrill-seeking tourists. Among Universal Studio's attractions are Shrek 4-D and a "psychological thrill ride," Revenge of the Mummy.

13. SeaWorld Florida, Orlando, Fla.:
6 million


Attendance was up one percent from the previous year for this watery theme park-one of several Orlando sites on our list. Shamu Stadium and the Whale and Dolphin Theatre are among the marine spectacles on display here. The TEA/ERA puts SeaWorld's 2007 attendance at 5.8 million; the Orlando Sentinel cites an anonymous Busch Entertainment (the park's parent company) source citing 6.2 million visitors. We've split the difference and called it six million.

14. San Antonio River Walk, Texas:
5.1 million


The paths along the San Antonio River wind by shops, restaurants—and the Alamo. The River Walk proclaims itself the "Number One entertainment destination in Texas," with 5.1 million visitors a year. Paseo del Rio's Executive Director Greg Gallaspy says 888,000 of those come for events produced by the association, including a mariachi festival and the Fiesta de las Luminarias, when the walkway is aglow with candle-lit bags.

15. Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah:
5 million


The Mormon church's headquarters are here, but Temple Square is more than just a destination for Latter Day Saints. In 2007, visitation to the square, which is festooned with lights for the holiday season, numbered around five million, making it Utah's top tourist destination. According to the Church, "Records indicate visitors represented every state in the United States as well as 83 different countries."

16. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Penn./N.J.:
4.8 million


River-focused recreation is what draws nearly five million tourists to this Appalachian-ridge park on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. But there are several historical attractions here, too, including Native American archaeological sites and colonial villages.

17. Universal Studios Hollywood, Calif.:
4.7 million


The flagship of the Universal theme park empire calls itself "The Entertainment Capital of L.A." A bold claim in a city known to call itself the entertainment capital of the world. Nearly five million star gazers and thrill seekers came last year to tour the sets of "Desperate Housewives," "King Kong" and other Universal productions.

18. Metropolitan Museum, New York, N.Y.:
4.5 million (tie)

Founded in 1870 (and moved to its current home in Central Park in 1880), the Met's vast stores of art include more than two million works in its two-million-square-foot building. In 2006, four and a half million visitors came to peruse some of the world's greatest art collections, from American and European to Egyptian and the newly refurbished Greek and Roman Galleries.

18. Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii:
4.5 million* (tie)

This iconic Hawaiian tourist destination, on the edge of the Honolulu neighborhood that shares is name, offers splendid views of the volcanic cone, Diamond Head. With its droves of tourists, it also made Forbes Traveler's list of over-hyped beaches. Upwards of 4.5 million sunbathers try to relax on its sands each year

20. Grand Canyon, Ariz.:
4.41 million


This famous gorge was etched in geologic time by the Colorado River over a period of about 6 million years. Tourists have arrived at a much quicker rate since the canyon achieved National Park status in 1919. A horseshoe-shaped glass Skywalk, opened in 2007, allows the nearly 4.5 million visitors a chance to experience vertigo.

21. Busch Gardens Africa, Tampa Bay, Fla.:
4.4 million


This Africa-themed park houses over 2,700 animals alongside the usual array of rides, restaurants and shows. At "Jambo Junction" guests can participate in feedings of animals like Caribbean flamingos, lemurs, cuscuses, sloths and opossums. At "Rock a Doo Wop," they can enjoy hits of the '50s and '60s.

22. Cape Cod National Seashore, Mass.:
4.35 million


Lighthouses, cranberry bogs, dunes and forests line the 44,600 acres of preserved coastline in Massachusetts. The bicycle and hiking trails and sandy beaches enticed more than 4 million visitors last year.

23. SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego, Calif.:
4.26 million


Owned by Anheuser-Busch, the original SeaWorld San Diego was founded in 1964 by four UCLA grads who initially wanted to open an underwater restaurant. For $170 a head, visitors over 10 can now slip into a wet suit and cavort with polar bears in the "Wild Arctic Interaction Program."

24. American Museum of Natural History, New York:
4 million (tie)


The AMNH's 45 permanent exhibit halls contain a vast record of world history, from dinosaur fossils to the human genome. The 18-acre campus is located in Theodore Roosevelt Park on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and its popular overnight program gives eight-to-12-year-olds the thrill of "falling asleep in the darkened halls of one of the world's most famous museums."

24. Atlantic City Boardwalk, New Jersey:
4 million (tie)


The Boardwalk (immortalized in the Monopoly board game) runs along the beach for four miles, skirting past casinos, hotels and shops, and connects with the Garden Pier, home to the Atlantic City Historical Museum and the Atlantic City Art Center.