Some of us like to travel more than others. There are glorious places to explore everywhere on this great Earth. But. You don’t ever need to leave the United States to feel like you’re on an adventure.
The U.S. is packed with cities that tourists absolutely love. But there are also quite a few cities that aren’t so great. A recent study using TripAdvisor ratings ranked the highs and lows. Some of these are quite surprising.
The winner? Kansas City, Missouri. Yep, barbecue and football country tops the list with an almost perfect score of 4.84 out of 5. Attractions like the National WWI Museum and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art helped seal the deal.
Coming in second is Richmond, Virginia, with its museums and gardens.
Who would have guessed these would be the two top cities in America.
Here’s the full top 10 most loved cities:
Kansas City, Missouri
Richmond, Virginia
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
San Diego, California
Raleigh, North Carolina
Detroit, Michigan
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
New York City, New York
Nashville, Tennessee
Some of these are a bit shocking to me. Like, Detroit and Oklahoma City showed up. I suppose that is proof that every city has its moment. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
But what about the other side of the coin? The least loved cities among tourists? Florida takes a big hit here. Tampa landed dead last, followed closely by Orlando and Miami. I have a few guesses why.
Nonetheless.
Here’s the full bottom 10:
Tampa, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Miami, Florida
Los Angeles, California
Atlanta, Georgia
San Antonio, Texas
San Francisco, California
New Orleans, Louisiana
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Charlotte, North Carolina
Like I said before, some of these were really surprising.
For certain people, these places may be the absolute dream vacation. And for others? Not so much. That’s the thing about travel. It is quite personal.
A city might leave one person grumbling. For the next guy, it might be the best trip of their lives. A good for instance? So many people love Paris. I do not like that city. Not one little bit.
So what have we learned? Are these places for you, or for me? Who knows until we go.
Cities rise, fall, get loved, and get panned. But stepping into a new place is always a chance to see the world differently. And perhaps we should always remember this: “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” — Anita Desai
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” — Mark Twain
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“Life is short and the world is wide.” — Simon Raven
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“A great city is that which has the greatest men and women.” — Walt Whitman
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“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” — Henry Miller
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