United States · best-of list
40 Top Things to Do in the United States
We narrowed 882 things to do from our curated routes in the United States down to 40, spread across 17 destinations. 39 spots on this list appear on more than one of our routes.
Our curated picks
40 things to do in the United States, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Bryce Canyon 4 picks
Bryce Point
Bryce Canyon · On our Las Vegas & National Parks route + 1 more
Southern end of the amphitheater with the widest panorama of the hoodoos.
Photo: Brett Thomas · Google
Inspiration Point
Bryce Canyon · On our Las Vegas & National Parks route + 1 more
Three-level viewpoint looking straight into the Silent City hoodoo maze.
Photo: Ahsan Hameed · Google
Rainbow Point
Bryce Canyon · On our Las Vegas & National Parks route + 1 more
End of the 18-mile scenic drive at 9,100 ft, with the short Bristlecone Loop.
Tip: Drive to the end first, then stop at viewpoints on the way back (all on your right).
Photo: Steven McQuinn · Google
Sunrise Point
Bryce Canyon · On our Las Vegas & National Parks route + 1 more
Rim overlook facing east over the Bryce Amphitheater's densest hoodoos.
Tip: Arrive 30 min before sunrise; bring layers, it is cold year-round at dawn.
Photo: Chris Ulrich · Google
Cherokee 4 picks
Mingus Mill
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
1886 turbine gristmill still grinding cornmeal.
Tip: Seasonal demonstrations; short walk from the road.
Photo: Talal Zraik · Google
Museum of the Cherokee People
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
Museum telling the Cherokee story from earliest times to today.
Tip: Allow 90 minutes; pair with the village nearby.
Photo: Cindy Deaton · Google
Oconaluftee Indian Village
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
Living-history village of 1760s Cherokee life with guided tours.
Tip: Seasonal (spring–fall).
Photo: Jan Kronsell · CC BY-SA 2.5
Oconaluftee Visitor Center & Mountain Farm Museum
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
Smokies visitor center with historic farm buildings; elk often graze nearby.
Tip: Look for elk in the fields at dawn and dusk.
Photo: Sean · Google
Key West 4 picks
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
Key West · On our Miami Beach Getaway route + 1 more
Hemingway's 1930s home with guided tours and dozens of six-toed cats.
Tip: Tours run every few minutes; go at opening to beat cruise crowds.
Photo: Bobby Pierce · Google
Harry S. Truman Little White House
Key West · On our Miami Beach Getaway route + 1 more
Truman's winter White House, shown on guided tours of the original rooms.
Tip: Tours are timed; buy tickets at the door or online.
Photo: Bubba73 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mallory Square Sunset Celebration
Key West · On our Miami Beach Getaway route + 1 more
Nightly sunset gathering on the harbor with street performers and food carts.
Tip: Arrive 45 min before sunset for a spot on the edge.
Photo: Keith Fairbank · Google
Southernmost Point Buoy
Key West · On our Miami Beach Getaway route + 1 more
The painted buoy marking the southernmost point of the continental U.S.
Tip: Lines get long midday; come early or at night.
Photo: Radomianin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Seattle 4 picks
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Seattle · On our Pacific Northwest route + 1 more
Dale Chihuly's glasswork in galleries and a garden beside the Space Needle.
Tip: Combo tickets with the Space Needle save money.
Photo: Jllm06 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kerry Park
Seattle · On our Pacific Northwest route + 1 more
Small Queen Anne park with the classic skyline view of the Space Needle and, on clear days, Mount Rainier.
Tip: Best at sunset; street parking is tight.
Photo: Sage Ross · CC BY-SA 2.0
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle · On our Pacific Northwest route + 1 more
Downtown art museum with strong Northwest Coast Native and modern collections.
Photo: Rootology · CC BY-SA 3.0
Space Needle
Seattle · On our Puget Sound Islands route + 1 more
1962 tower with a rotating glass floor at 500 feet.
Tip: Combo tickets with Chihuly save money.
Photo: Jordon Kalilich · Public domain
Anchorage 3 picks
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Anchorage · On our Alaska Glacier Route + 1 more
Dances, storytelling and village sites representing Alaska's major Native cultures.
Tip: Summer has the most demos; a free shuttle runs from downtown in season.
Photo: Skvader · CC BY-SA 4.0
Anchorage Museum
Anchorage · On our Alaska Glacier Route + 1 more
Alaska's largest museum, strong on Alaska Native objects, art and Arctic science.
Tip: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center gallery is the highlight; allow 2–3 hours.
Photo: Craig Talbert · CC BY 2.0
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
Anchorage · On our Alaska Glacier Route + 1 more
11-mile paved trail along Cook Inlet with views of Denali on clear days and moose sightings.
Tip: Rent bikes downtown; ride to Earthquake Park and back.
Photo: James Brooks · CC BY 2.0
Mackinac Island 3 picks
Fort Mackinac
Mackinac Island · On our Great Lakes Hidden Gems route + 1 more
18th-century fort above the harbor with cannon firings and costumed interpreters.
Tip: Ticket includes several downtown historic buildings.
Photo: Drdpw · CC BY-SA 3.0
Grand Hotel
Mackinac Island · On our Great Lakes Hidden Gems route + 1 more
1887 hotel with the world's longest porch and formal gardens.
Tip: Non-guests pay a fee to visit; dress code after 6pm.
Photo: rboed* · CC BY 2.0
Mackinac Island Carriage Tours
Mackinac Island · On our Great Lakes Hidden Gems route + 1 more
Narrated horse-drawn carriage tour of the island's sights.
Tip: Get off at Arch Rock and catch a later carriage.
Photo: Jamie Nucum · Google
Milwaukee 3 picks
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee · On our Chicago & Great Lakes route + 1 more
Calatrava's lakefront pavilion with moving 'wings' and a strong collection.
Tip: Catch the wings opening at 10am, noon or closing.
Photo: Julia · Google
Milwaukee RiverWalk
Milwaukee · On our Chicago & Great Lakes route + 1 more
Riverside path linking the Third Ward and downtown, passing the Bronze Fonz.
Photo: Original uploader was Sulfur at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Pabst Mansion
Milwaukee · On our Chicago & Great Lakes route + 1 more
1892 Flemish Renaissance mansion of beer baron Frederick Pabst.
Photo: Sailko · CC BY 3.0
Detroit 2 picks
Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit · On our Great Lakes Hidden Gems route + 1 more
Major art museum anchored by Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals.
Tip: Free for residents of 3 local counties; others pay. Closed Mon.
Photo: Sailko · CC BY 3.0
Guardian Building
Detroit · On our Great Lakes Hidden Gems route + 1 more
1929 Art Deco skyscraper with a tiled, vaulted lobby open to the public.
Tip: Weekday lobby visits are easy; free.
Photo: WMrapids · CC0
Grand Teton National Park 2 picks
Oxbow Bend
Grand Teton National Park · On our Glacier to Yellowstone route + 1 more
Slow Snake River bend reflecting Mount Moran, with moose and pelicans.
Tip: Arrive at first light for still water.
Photo: Phillip Welty · Google
Chapel of the Transfiguration
Grand Teton National Park · On our Grand Teton, Jackson & Yellowstone route
Log chapel built in 1925 near Moose, with a window behind the altar that frames the Grand Teton.
Tip: Services are held in summer; in winter you can still walk the grounds.
Photo: GrandTetonNPS · Public domain
San Antonio 2 picks
Mission San José
San Antonio · On our Texas BBQ Trail route + 1 more
Largest of the four missions in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
Tip: Rent a bike to ride the Mission Reach trail between missions.
Photo: Liveon001 ©Travis Witt · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Alamo
San Antonio · On our Texas BBQ Trail route + 1 more
1718 mission and site of the 1836 battle, with the church and Long Barrack.
Tip: Free entry; reserve a timed church entry online.
Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Santa Barbara 2 picks
Old Mission Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara · On our Pacific Coast Highway route + 1 more
1786 mission called the Queen of the Missions, with a museum and rose garden.
Photo: Niranjan Arminius · CC BY-SA 4.0
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
Santa Barbara · On our Pacific Coast Highway route + 1 more
Spanish-Moorish courthouse with a free clock tower lookout over red roofs.
Tip: Free docent tours daily; climb the El Mirador tower.
Photo: Konrad Summers from Santa Clarita (Valencia) , California, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Santa Fe 2 picks
Loretto Chapel
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route + 1 more
Gothic chapel known for its 'miraculous' spiral staircase.
Photo: User:Camerafiend · CC BY-SA 3.0
Santa Fe Plaza
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route + 1 more
Historic square framed by adobe buildings, with Native artisans selling under the Palace portal.
Photo: See above · CC BY 2.0
Aspen 1 pick
Aspen Art Museum
Aspen · On our Colorado Rockies route + 1 more
Free contemporary art museum with a rooftop cafe and mountain views.
Photo: Bkthomson16 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Clarksdale 1 pick
Delta Blues Museum
Clarksdale · On our Arkansas Delta Blues & Bites route + 1 more
Museum in the 1918 freight depot holding Muddy Waters' rebuilt cabin and blues artifacts.
Photo: VitaleBaby at English Wikipedia · Public domain
East Nashville 1 pick
Shelby Bottoms Greenway
East Nashville · On our Nashville Music Weekend route + 1 more
Riverside paved and gravel trails through wetlands and meadows along the Cumberland.
Tip: Start at Shelby Park and cross the pedestrian bridge.
Photo: Shelby Bottoms Nature Center & Greenway · Google
Philadelphia 1 pick
Independence Hall
Philadelphia · On our Capital Cities Corridor route + 1 more
Where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.
Tip: Free timed tickets required Mar–Dec; reserve online.
Photo: Rdsmith4 · CC BY-SA 2.5
South Beach 1 pick
Art Deco Welcome Center
South Beach · On our Miami Beach Getaway route + 1 more
Start point for the Miami Design Preservation League's guided Art Deco walking tours along Ocean Drive.
Tip: Morning tours beat the heat; book online a day ahead.
Photo: Rafael Ochoteco · Google
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. Our routes include 882 things to do here; to keep the list readable we show 40, keeping those featured on the most routes and those with an insider tip, and spreading the rest across destinations. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in the United States?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. Our routes through the United States include 882 things to do; we show the 40 featured on the most routes, spread across destinations. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of the United States has the most things to do on this list?
Bryce Canyon, Cherokee, Key West and Seattle lead with 4 each; the other picks are spread across 13 more destinations.
Are any of these free?
21 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Oxbow Bend, Independence Hall, Rainbow Point, Mingus Mill, Santa Barbara County Courthouse, and more. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for United States
Top things to do nearby
Destinations on this list
- Bryce Canyon 4 on this list
- Cherokee 4 on this list
- Key West 4 on this list
- Seattle 4 on this list
- Anchorage 3 on this list
- Mackinac Island 3 on this list
- Milwaukee 3 on this list
- Detroit 2 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.