If you want to take an autumn vacation, then you might want to plan ahead. A new study from student travel company Rustic Pathways has crunched Tripadvisor reviews and Google search data to find the U.S. attractions most likely to be jam-packed this fall. And if you’re heading to New York, be ready – seven of the top 15 most crowded attractions are scattered across the city.
The Empire State Building takes the crown as the busiest spot, earning an “overcrowded score” of 67.48 out of 100. Between September and November, it racks up an average of nearly 620,000 Google searches each month, almost triple the typical attraction, and more than one in ten visitor reviews mention crowds or long waits.
Central Park is a razor-thin second, with an almost identical score of 67.47 and even more Google searches, though fewer visitors gripe about the crowds. Down south, North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate comes in third, where over a quarter of all reviews are posted in the fall.
The busiest fall tourist attractions: The full list
- Empire State Building
- Central Park
- Biltmore Estate
- Grand Central Terminal
- The High Line
- Statue of Liberty
- The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Alcatraz Island
- San Diego Zoo
- Fountains of Bellagio
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- San Antonio River Walk
- Grand Ole Opry
- Griffith Observatory
- Clearwater Beach
- Universal Islands of Adventure
- Fenway Park
- Chihuly Garden and Glass
- Freedom Trail
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Grand Canyon South Rim
- Garden of the Gods
- La Jolla Cove
- The National WWII Museum
- Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
- USS Midway Museum
- Pearl Harbor National Memorial
- Louisville Mega Cavern
- NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
