Best Attractions That Count: From Major Sights to Places You Almost Missed
Most travel sites will tell you where to go and what to do. They’ll list the best things to do in a city, the top places to visit, the attractions with the longest lines, and even the latest news on new openings. But who decides what counts as the “best”?
We look at places that shaped how people lived. That might mean a shopping mall still standing, half full, half memory.
Or an asylum tucked into a corner of town that once served thousands and still echoes in the headlines. You’ll find museums here that most guides skip, and houses that once held names you’d find in history class.
Some spots are well-preserved. Others are sealed off, abandoned, or already torn down, but still worth knowing. People remember where they used to go. A theater. A park. A school with its paint still flaking on the door.
Of course, you’ll find many current guides here, too – things to do by city and state, where to go next weekend, what to see if you’re passing through.
But we’re not here just to list what’s popular. We’re here to track what matters. Then and now.
American Malls
Malls used to be more than a place to shop. They were where people met up after school, shared news, wandered without buying anything, or grabbed food under bright fluorescents before heading to a movie.
Some are still busy – updated, loud, and full of national chains. Others sit quietly now, with boarded storefronts and echoes in the escalators.
Whether you’re looking for things to do at a still-thriving center or want to see what’s left of a local landmark, malls across the U.S. still hold pieces of how towns changed and what people built their days around.
+Abandoned Places +Accommodation +Best Places +Crime & Safety +Entertainment +Food and Drink +Haunted Places +Health and Wellness +Houses +Industry +Museums +Nature +Retail +U.S. cities +U.S. main cities +U.S. states Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Blog California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington State West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Major Cities to Visit in the USA: What to Do in the Nation’s Biggest Urban Centers
Some cities feel like headlines. Big populations, busy airports, and skyline photos on postcards. But once you’re there, the detail does more of the talking.
New York packs its history into street corners and subway tiles. Chicago’s layout tells you what stayed and what didn’t.
Los Angeles shifts depending on where you stand, and Houston builds out as much as up. These aren’t places you can sum up in a few highlights.
They’re layered: built by movement, shaped by labor, rewritten by every new zoning change or train extension.
If you’re looking for where to go in the U.S. and what to do once you’re there, these are the cities that shaped the map.
No Longer in Use: Structures That Outlasted Their Purpose
You can still see where the doors were propped open. Paint flakes off the walls, but the names on the lockers haven’t faded.
Old asylums, shuttered shopping centers, stations no one waits in anymore – left behind, but not erased. People passed through for years. They stood in lines, punched clocks, and filled the rooms with sound.
Now the floors are quiet, but the structure’s still there. No plaques, no markers. Just the shape of use, holding on longer than anyone expected.
Sometimes that quiet turns into news when a redevelopment plan is announced or a site goes up for sale.
Haunted Spots
Public buildings typically don’t host ghost tours. But janitors, security guards, and night-shift workers sometimes keep their own lists.
An elevator that keeps stopping on the wrong floor. A storage room no one wants to check alone. The buildings stay open, the work continues, but certain corners are avoided for a reason.
Walls That Kept the Record: Houses That Still Get Talked About
Most houses don’t get documented. They rise, are inhabited, and eventually come down or are rebuilt.
But a few hold on – either because someone wrote them down, or because too many people kept bringing them up. That’s what ties this section together.
There are Civil War-era homes still standing under modern zoning. Places tied to court cases, disappearances, or long-rumored sightings.
The focus isn’t on legends for their own sake. It’s on structures that keep turning up in research, in memory, or in the fine print on a historical marker nobody expected to find.
What We Choose to Keep: Museums Across the U.S.
There’s a rhythm to these places – fluorescent lights warming up, a latch clicking open, papers sliding from a drawer that’s older than the building permit.
The front desk might be staffed by someone who knows every name on the exhibit tags because half of them lived down the street. The displays are close to the ground, and the stories are even closer.
Old uniforms. Black-and-white portraits. Flyers for events that never got rained out. Nothing’s been polished for drama.
What you see is what the town kept, sometimes out of duty, sometimes by accident, but always because someone thought it still mattered.
Green Space That Tells You What the Land Was First
You don’t have to go far to see what came before pavement. Some of these parks started as back lots, drainage zones, or floodplains.
Others were always set aside, carved into town plans before the houses filled in. What they share is clarity.
You can walk the edge of a pond and know it’s been there longer than the road beside it. You can sit in a pine grove and hear the wind before you hear traffic.
The land hasn’t gone untouched. But it still speaks. These spots let you hear it, if only for the time it takes to finish the loop.
A Land of Endless Possibilities
The United States is a vast and diverse country, home to some of the world’s most renowned attractions.
Whether you’re drawn to the towering peaks of Yosemite, the bustling streets of New York City, or the hidden gems of Savannah, the best attractions in the USA offer something for everyone.
From the historic landmarks in Washington, D.C. to the cultural vibrancy of Los Angeles, the USA’s top destinations are as diverse as its people.
In the end, the best attractions in the USA are about more than just the places you see—they’re about the experiences, memories, and connections you make along the way.
So, grab a map, start planning your adventure, and discover the best attractions that the USA has to offer!
