The 50 Best Free Tourist Attractions in the United States
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
31. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee are another wonderful free national park to add to your bucket list. Not surprisingly, the Smokies are the most visited national park in the country with over 14 million tourists per year. There is so much to see and do here including wildlife watching (the park is home to the largest concentration of black bears), scenic drives (the 5.5 mile Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail is stunning), hiking trails, and waterfalls (Laurel Falls is an easy accessible 1.5 mile hike). While many attractions can be pricey (like the new Skybridge) – there are more than enough beautiful hikes to keep you occupied.
33. Leaf Peeping at Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff
Flagstaff, located in the northern portion of Arizona, is easily one of the most beautiful towns in the country. Surrounded by the San Francisco Peaks and located within a beautiful ponderosa pine forest, there are more than enough gorgeous hikes to keep you busy your entire trip, no matter how long that may be. One of the best areas for nature lovers, Arizona Snowbowl, is one of the best leaf peeping destinations in the country. The aspen trees transform into the most magnificent golden yellow hue each fall. Best place to leaf peep in the country in my opinion.
A few mesmerizing fall color hikes to add to your bucket list:
- Aspen Nature Loop – Gorgeous 1.5 mile hike through colorful aspen groves. Great mountain views!
- Veit Springs – Contrasting ponderosa and aspens line an easy 2 mile nature stroll.
- Arizona trail – Lengthy trail with many access points. Start your adventure at Aspen Corner, a prime leaf peeping destination.
34. “The Strand” bike path
Nothing says Southern California like beautiful sandy beaches, volleyball and surfing, palms trees, and sunshine. You can enjoy it all on the 22 mile long Marvin Braude aka “The Strand” bicycle path. This is hands down the most scenic, lively, and active beachfront biking path in the country. You will get in a great workout, plenty of sunshine, and also have the opportunity to enjoy various iconic sites along the way including the Santa Monica Pier, Manhattan Beach, and Venice Beach.
35. The Cincinnati Museum of Art
This beautiful, large, free museum’s claim to fame is being the first purpose built art museum west of the Mississippi. If you find yourself visiting Cincy, you will definitely want to put seeing the expansive collection high up on your bucket list. With more than 67,000 works, spanning a time period of over 6000 years, you could easily spend a few hours taat king it all in. The gorgeous Romanesque Revival building opened in 1881. Particularly impressive is the East Asian art collection which happens to be one of the oldest and most impressive in the US.
