Each State's Favorite Tourist Attraction, Mapped

There are many benefits to traveling. You get a break from your normal routine at home; you can experience new regional cultures; you get more Instagram material. And you get to check out some of the most popular tourist destinations on the map.

Recently, Hawaii travelogue hub HawaiianIslands.com took an objective look at the biggest destinations favored by each state. Using data culled from Tripadvisor, the site queued up the most-visited tourist hotspots, then sorted them to see which garnered the most positive and enthusiastic reviews.

Note that this isn’t a breakdown of the most popular attraction in each state. Instead, it’s what each state considers to be its favorite, which may or may not be within the state. Additionally, several states may favor the same destination. Here’s what they discovered.

Overall, Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Virginia might be the two most beloved destinations in the country, as each garnered impressive reviews from visitors from four states. Bryce Canyon is a natural wonder, with visibility up to 150 miles and some of the best stargazing in the country. People are so enthusiastic about its appeal that they’re apparently forgiving of its historic Bryce Canyon Lodge, which keeps it retro without any televisions, Wi-Fi, or air conditioning.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery is a solemn tribute to lives lost during military conflicts, though one unidentified occupant was exhumed in 1998.

The site also took a look at the lowest-ranked hotspots

Residents of five states rated Bourbon Street in New Orleans a disappointment, while seven states thumbed their noses at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The worst rating by any one state is for Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park in Wisconsin, which the state’s own residents find lacking.

In another case of familiarity possibly breeding contempt, Los Angelenos have a poor opinion of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Maybe one of those bad reviews came from Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus. When her star was unveiled in 2010, her plaque was spelled “Julia Luis Dreyfus.” It was soon corrected.

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