Mental Floss

The 20 U.S. Cities American Tourists Love and Hate the Most

Kansas City, Missouri, is the most popular U.S. city with American tourists, scoring an overall rating of 4.84 out of 5. On the other end of the spectrum, attractions in Tampa, Florida, rank the lowest with out-of-towners.

Michele Debczak|
The Kansas City, Missouri, skyline
The Kansas City, Missouri, skyline | John Coletti/The Image Bank/Getty Images

You don’t have to book a plane ticket overseas to enjoy a summer getaway. The U.S. is home to some of the most famous travel hotspots on Earth, as well as plenty of under-the-radar destinations that are equally worth checking out. To see which cities have the most to offer out-of-towners, check out the lists below. 

HawaiianIslands.com analyzed the average Tripadvisor ratings of attractions in America’s biggest metros to determine the most loved and most disliked U.S. cities among tourists. Kansas City, Missouri, comes out on top, with an impressive overall score of 4.84 out of 5. Five-star tourist attractions like the National WWI Museum and Memorial and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art helped push it to the No. 1 spot. 

Coming in second is Richmond, Virginia, which is home to multiple world-class museums and gardens for visitors to explore. Phoenix, Arizona; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and San Diego, California appear in the top five as well. 

HawaiianIslands.com also named the lowest rated cities according to Tripadvisor users. Despite its reputation as a travel destination, Florida accounts for the worst three cities on this list. Attractions in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami all earned relatively low scores from tourists. California, the only state that attracts more out-of-state travelers than Florida, is represented with Los Angeles in the fourth slot.

Popular tourist spots are a good place to start planning your next trip, but you can have just as much success wandering off the beaten path. After reading both lists at the bottom of the article, check out these offbeat roadside attractions in each state.

10 U.S. Cities Most Loved By American Tourists

  1. Kansas City, Missouri
  2. Richmond, Virginia
  3. Phoenix, Arizona
  4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  5. San Diego, California
  6. Raleigh, North Carolina
  7. Detroit, Michigan
  8. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  9. New York City, New York
  10. Nashville, Tennessee

10 U.S. Cities Most Disliked By American Tourists

  1. Tampa, Florida
  2. Orlando, Florida
  3. Miami, Florida
  4. Los Angeles, California
  5. Atlanta, Georgia
  6. San Antonio, Texas
  7. San Francisco, California
  8. New Orleans, Louisiana
  9. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  10. Charlotte, North Carolina
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