Forbes Traveler has ranked the top U.S. tourist attractions. Not everyone will agree with their findings.
Forbes relies on visitor figures, but interpretations are made that elevate, lower or exclude certain places.
For example, 47 million people visited New York City last year, and about 37 million of them went to Times Square, which Forbes ranked as the top tourist attraction in the U.S.
About 40 million people visited the Mall of America near Minneapolis, but it isn't on the list because it's a commercial destination. And Times Square isn't?
The Blue Ridge Parkway attracts about 16 million annual visitors, but the Forbes editors say its 469-mile length "stretched our definition of a tourist destination."
If you can put the methodology aside and simply look at the greatness represented, you'll realize it's important to experience these places. To see how the rankings stack up, visit Forbes Traveler. Here is a geographic listing of the tourist attractions that made their list, along with links that will help you afford the area in which the site is located.
Northeast
Three of the top 25 sites are in New York: Times Square, Metropolitan Museum and the American Museum of Natural History.
There are many fascinating sites along the Freedom Trail in Boston, but the place that attracts the most visitors is Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Further out from the city, the natural wonder of Cape Cod National Seashore also made the list.
Not far from Philadelphia, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area attracts visitors from several adjacent metropolitan areas. In the central city, the Independence National Historic Park is one of the nation's top attractions.
Budget travelers love all the free or inexpensive sites of Washington D.C., and the place that registers the most visitors is the National Mall and Memorial Parks.
Niagara Falls is more than a natural wonder. People flock to the area for its casinos, shopping and entertainment possibilities. It's a short drive from large urban areas such as Toronto, Cleveland and Buffalo.
Southeast
Few area on earth offer more for tourists to do than greater Orlando. Three sites here made the Forbes Traveler list: Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World Orlando.
Tampa Bay is known for Busch Gardens, one of seven theme parks to make the Forbes list.
National parks represent a great travel value, but a few of them stand out because admission is free. One such place is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Midwest
Chicago placed one of its attractions on the list--not one of its fine museums or landmark skyscrapers, but a restored lakefront icon known as Navy Pier.
Southwest and Mountains
You won't be too surprised to learn that the Grand Canyon made the list, but you question its ranking.
It started as a western town with a few casinos in hotel lobbies. It has since become one of the world's most famous playgrounds. Las Vegas makes the list for its glitzy Strip, but also for spectacular Lake Mead south of the city along the Arizona border.
Whether visiting for an Alamo Bowl trip, a convention or just as an interested sightseer, San Antonio offers its Riverwalk, which made the Forbes Traveler list while other Texas attractions did not earn a ranking.
Salt Lake City and Temple Square are on the list. It's the only religious site in the top 25.
Pacific Coast
Three attractions are found in the Los Angeles area and in Southern California: Disneyland in Anaheim, Universal Studios Hollywood and Sea World San Diego.
Further north, San Francisco attraction Fisherman's Wharf and nearby Golden Gate National Recreation Area got a strong ranking.
Tourist visits to Hawaii can ebb and flow with the economy, but the most popular draw in the 50th state is still Waikiki Beach.
