In recent years I’ve been trying to see more of the U.S. It’s impressive to think about just how many amazing sites and places the country has to see.
To date I’ve been to 32 states and just a handful of National Parks. In the future I’d like to complete visiting every state as well as see many of the parks.
Each state seems to have something interesting or which makes it stand out. Some might have the famous national parks, monuments, stadiums or even a well-known food dish.
Thrillist came up with a list of The Best Tourist Attraction In Every State.
According to Thrillist, “since every state has at least one wonderful attraction that draws visitors from far and wide, we decided to find out what it was, based on a delicate balance of local pride, iconic drawing power, and whether or not it actually sounds like something you’d willingly travel to do“.
I was curious to see which attractions made the cut in the states that I’ve visited. I was also interested in finding out about more sites worth visiting around the country.
Rather than list all of Thrillist’s picks, I listed which of the attractions that I’ve visited.
Check it out:
- Arizona– Grand Canyon
- California– Alcatraz
- Connecticut– Louis’ Lunch
- Florida– Disney World
- Illinois– Wrigley Field
- Louisiana– Bourbon Street/ French Quarter
- Massachusetts– USS Constitution
- Nevada– Las Vegas Strip
- New Jersey– Atlantic City Boardwalk
- New York– Statue of Liberty
- Rhode Island– Newport Mansions
- South Carolina– Historic Charleston
- South Dakota– Mount Rushmore
I felt that Thrillist did a good job in mixing up the kind of sites which were recognized in their article. Amazing scenic sites, architecture, historic & lively streets as well as a sports stadium made the list.
While looking over Thrillist’s article I saw that I’ve visited 13 of these attractions. If I had to choose a few favorites, I’d pick the Grand Canyon, Bourbon Street, Historic Charleston and Mount Rushmore.
Check out Thrillist’s article on the best tourist attractions in each state here.
Let us know how many you’ve been to and which ones stood out most to you.
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Jeff- I think this is a great question. I can only speak for myself, but Bourbon Street gets lumped in with the French Quarter. I should’ve probably wrote the French Quarter, not Bourbon Street in the post.
I remember during my first trip to N.O. for work, years back wandering around during Jazz Fest and the area seemed so lively, crazy and bizarre. I liked this sort of uniqueness about it.
When I visited a couple of years back, it was with my wife and son who was 16 months old at the time. I enjoyed it more so for the amazing architecture, some of the dining options and the things mentioned above. It was fun to wander during the morning and earlier in the day when things were more or less quiet. Then at night you see the area transform into a busy, crazy, loud party atmosphere. (Not exactly my thing but still interesting to see.)
And you’re right, the city does have a ton to offer. I need to go again soon!
Ha, it sounds like we have similar tastes 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I had a similar experience with my wife when we went shortly before our son was born. We enjoyed the French Quarter (definitely more in the morning) 🙂 and went West to visit several of the old plantations as well. I go back for business fairly regularly but don’t get much of an opportunity to spend time in the city. Thanks for the response 🙂
I have an honest question – what did you like about Bourbon Street? When I’ve gone it has always been filthy in every sense of the word (not trying to make a moral statement, I mean all of it).
I ask in all sincerity because traveling to N.O. a couple times a year I tend to have the same conversation with people “yeah, we went to Bourbon Street and it was nothing special. Honestly dirty, stinky, and we wouldn’t go back”. That seems to be the general consensus and matches my experiences, though the CITY has a LOT to offer in terms of culture, art, history, music, etc.
I’m really not trying to be a troll, but when someone says Bourbon Street is at the top of a list like this I’d really be interested to hear what’s appealing about it. Maybe I’m missing something?