America’s 50 best

We were rooting for the World’s Largest Ball of Twine – the pride of Cawker City, Kan. The ball sits under a pavilion on U.S. Highway 24, which runs through Cawker City. Visitors are invited to add their own bit of string to the ever-growing ball, which is said to have 7,049,191 feet of sisal twine, weighing 17,670 pounds. Then they can stroll the streets of Cawker City, where empty storefronts have been decorated with renditions of famous paintings to which twine balls have been added. “Mona Lisa is holding a ball in her hand,” said Linda Clover of the Cawker City Community Club. “In ‘American Gothic,’ the woman is holding it, and the twine is woven through the pitchfork.” But the keepers of the twine don’t count all the folks who show up to gawk at it, so the title of most-visited tourist attraction in Kansas goes to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita. Although it lost out to the zoo, Cawker City surely merits a visit sometime. And we came up with plenty of other worthy destinations as we sought out America’s finest home-grown attractions. In preparing an unofficial list of the top tourist spots in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, we relied on information from state tourism folks. Some choices were best guesses because not every destination keeps attendance figures.

Many were obvious: the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Gateway Arch in Missouri, the French Quarter in Louisiana.

But who would have guessed that Vermont’s most visited site is the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury? The factory is in a scenic spot (isn’t everything in Vermont?) and the 30-minute tour ends with a visit to the FlavoRoom for samples of the day’s product.

America’s natural wonders figured in several selections, including Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and Multnomah Falls in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge.

National parks also were big favorites from sea to shining sea. The list included Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona), Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas), Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado), Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii), Acadia National Park (Maine), Glacier National Park (Montana), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee), Olympic National Park (Washington) and Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming).

There are plenty of man-made wonders as well, from Mount Rushmore in South Dakota to Sun Valley Resort in Idaho to the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Amusement parks were the biggest tourist attractions in three states: Disneyland in California, Walt Disney World in Florida and Cedar Point in Ohio.

And one other zoo made it onto the list: the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb.

“Reader’s Digest just named it the best zoo with the largest cat complex, largest indoor desert, largest indoor rain forest and largest indoor swamp,” said Mary Ethel Emanual of the state tourism division.

“There’s a 70-foot acrylic tunnel with sharks, rays and tropical fish on three sides of you,” she said. “It’s really an amazing zoo.”

The complete list:

Alabama

U.S. Space and Rocket Center

The past, present and future of space exploration are probed at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville Attractions include space vehicles, rockets and artifacts, simulated space rides, demonstrations, hands-on exhibits, an IMAX movie and a space camp for youngsters.

Alaska

Inside Passage

The coastline of southeastern Alaska is dotted with islands, inlets and waterways collectively known as the Inside Passage. Most Alaska cruises traverse the passage, beginning in Seattle or Vancouver, B.C. Towns along the way include Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau and Skagway, plus Glacier Bay National Park.

Arizona

Grand Canyon National Park

A vast chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau, the Grand Canyon offers one of America’s most awe-inspiring views. Visitors can take in the sights from the roads and overlooks, hike the trails or float the turbulent Colorado River. Merely sitting at the rim and watching the shadows lengthen across the spires and buttes is a humbling experience that brings solace to hectic lives.

Arkansas

Hot Springs National Park

The park protects hot springs that flow from the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain. People have used the hot-spring water in therapeutic baths for more than 200 years to treat rheumatism and other ailments. “Bathhouse Row” is a historic district of eight grand bathhouses, with the Fordyce Bathhouse restored to its former glory and now housing the park visitors center.

California

Disneyland

Billed as “the happiest place on Earth,” Disneyland opened in 1955 in Anaheim, Calif., as the country’s first themed park. It has eight areas: MainStreet U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown and Tomorrowland. The park closes most nights with spectacular fireworks. A magical experience for children.

Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park

At least 60 mountains in the park exceed 12,000 feet, topping off at 14,255 feet on the football-field-sized summit of Longs Peak. The park has a hiking trail system that, if linked together, would stretch from Denver almost to Santa Fe, N.M. Some of the park’s more than 450 miles of streams tumble down waterfalls.

Connecticut

Mystic Seaport

A family destination with spectacular tall ships, a re-created 19th-century coastal village and lots of activities. From the 1600s, more than 600 ships were built along the Mystic River before the advent of steam power and the decline of wooden shipbuilding after the Civil War. Today, the seaport acts as a national maritime museum and the quintessential New England experience, offering visitors of all ages a link to our seafaring history.

Delaware

Winterthur

Winterthur is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont, an avid antiques collector and horticulturist. In the early 20th century, du Pont designed Winterthur in the spirit of 18th- and 19th-century European country houses. Situated on 982 acres, with 60 in a naturalistic garden, the house features 175 period-room displays. Visitors can tour the fields, farmland and 60-acre naturalist garden and inspect its museum collections of antiques and Americana to experience our country’s heritage.

Washington, D.C.

National Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. The museum, which is in the National Mall, has hundreds of artifacts on display, including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis,” the Apollo 11 command module and a lunar rock sample.

Florida

Walt Disney World

In Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Walt Disney World is a 47-square-mile entertainment and recreation center. It has four theme parks, two water parks, 31 resort hotels, six golf courses, two spas and a shopping and dining complex. The park features a fireworks spectacle each night over Magic Kingdom.

Georgia

Savannah Historic District

A national historic landmark, the district is known for its 18th- and 19th-century architecture. It encompasses the original town plan laid out in 1733 by Gen. James E. Oglethorpe, founder of the British colony of Georgia. Most of the original plot squares remain and are surrounded by fine examples of buildings in the Georgian, Greek Revival and Gothic styles.

Hawaii

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Established in 1916, the park displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration and evolution. It encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of the Earth’s most massive volcano, Mauna Loa, at 13,677 feet. The park also is home to Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano. More than half of the park is designated as wilderness, offering unusual hiking and camping opportunities.

Idaho

Sun Valley Resort

Since 1936, skiers from all over the world have been discovering the slopes of Sun Valley. Count Felix Schaffgotsch began building what he billed as the “American Shangri-La” in 1935 in the Ketchum Valley in central Idaho. Railroad magnate Averell Harriman shared the vision and created a resort worthy of its breathtaking and majestic setting.

Illinois

Navy Pier

Situated on Lake Michigan east of downtown Chicago, the pier opened in 1916 as a shipping and entertainment area. Today it is home to restaurants, shops, exhibition facilities and a 150-foot Ferris wheel. Other attractions include the Crystal Gardens indoor palm court, a musical carousel, the new Skyline Stage ice-skating rink and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows.

Indiana

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

About 50 miles southeast of Chicago in northwest Indiana, the lakeshore runs for nearly 25 miles along southern Lake Michigan. The 15,000-acre park contains miles of beaches, sand dunes, bog, wetlands, woodland forest and an 1830s French Canadian homestead. It is ranked seventh among national parks in native plant diversity, with 1,418 species within its boundaries.

Iowa

Amana Colonies

A national historic landmark in the rolling hills of eastern Iowa, the Amana Colonies were established after the Civil War by a group of German-speaking European settlers who belonged to a religious group known as the Community of True Inspiration. They began a communal system of living divided into several villages, encompassing more than 20,000 acres.

Kansas

Sedgwick County Zoo

The 247-acre zoo opened in Wichita in 1971 and has been ranked among the top zoos in the world. Home to more than 2,500 animals of nearly 500 species, the zoo is the top outdoor family attraction in Kansas. A new gorilla exhibit opens this month.

Kentucky

Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave is the longest recorded cave system in the world, with more than 348 miles explored and mapped. It’s more than three times longer than any other known cave, and geologists estimate there could be as many as 600 miles of undiscovered passageways. The national park was authorized in 1926 to preserve the cave system, the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers and a section of the hill country of south-central Kentucky.

Louisiana

French Quarter

The best way to experience the French Quarter, the old district of New Orleans, is by foot or by carriage. Tours are available that highlight the cemeteries, the architecture, the history and the haunted side. A stroll up Bourbon Street can be an eye-opener, while visitors to Royal Street will find enough art and antiques to stock a museum. Jackson Square sits in front of St. Louis Cathedral and is surrounded by musicians, artists and mimes on most days.

Maine

Acadia National Park

The first national park established east of the Mississippi, Acadia is on the rugged coast of Maine. The park encompasses more than 47,000 acres of granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes and ponds and ocean shoreline. Favorite recreational activities include hiking to the top of Cadillac Mountain and biking the more than 40 miles of tree-lined carriage roads.

Maryland

National Aquarium

Baltimore’s National Aquarium has programs to interest everyone. You can enjoy a continental breakfast and then watch a live shark feeding. How about a sleepover to explore the aquarium’s galleries after dark? Junior scientists can go behind the scenes to study the behavior of the ocean’s top predators. The aquarium has more than 10,500 animals, including marine mammals such as dolphins.

Massachusetts

Faneuil Hall

A national historic park in Boston, Faneuil Hall was built in 1742 and sits at the site of the old town dock. Town meetings were held in the old market building from 1764 to 1774 and included Samuel Adams and others leading protests against the imposition of taxes on the colonies. The building was enlarged in 1806. Market stalls on the first floor service shoppers much as they did in Paul Revere’s day.

Michigan

Mackinac Island

Situated in the center of the Great Lakes waterway, the island was a gathering place for early Indian tribes. Since the mid-1800s, tourists have visited Mackinac Island in the summers to escape the heat of the cities and enjoy the fresh lake breezes. Because motor vehicles are prohibited, visitors today enjoy the same solitude, stillness and scenery that have characterized the island for hundreds of years.

Minnesota

Mall of America

The largest entertainment and retail complex in America, the mall has some 42 million visitors each year, making it the nation’s No. 1 attraction. It has more than 525 specialty stores, four national department stores, some 50 restaurants, seven nightclubs and 14 movie theaters. If a shopper spent 10 minutes in every store, it would take him or her 86 hours to complete a visit.

Mississippi

Tunica casinos

The arrival of 10 Las Vegas-style casinos turned the once-sleepy town of Tunica into a land of opportunity, with lowered taxes and new jobs, roads and attractions. Travel Weekly has named Tunica as one of its Top 10 up-and-coming travel destinations. Two new attractions, RiverPark and Tunica National Golf and Tennis, are expected to add to the draw.

Missouri

Gateway Arch

Standing 630 feet tall on the St. Louis riverfront, the stainless steel arch was completed in 1965 at a total cost of less than $15 million. Architect Eero Saarinen’s inspired design was chosen in a nationwide competition that sought a symbol of the country’s pioneer spirit. The Museum of Westward Expansion, located below the arch, contains an extensive collection of mounted animal specimens, American Indian artifacts and Lewis and Clark exhibits.

Montana

Glacier National Park

Situated on the Canadian border, the park preserves more than a million acres of forest, alpine meadows and lakes. The spectacular, glaciated landscape is a hiker’s paradise, with some 700 miles of maintained trails. Across the border is a sister park, Waterton Lakes National Park, home of the impressive Prince of Wales Lodge.

Nebraska

Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo

The zoo in Omaha has evolved from the small Riverview Park zoo, established in 1894, into a world-class tourist attraction and a leader in environmental education. The Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari displays Nebraska’s wildlife as it once lived. The new Hubbard Gorilla Valley has an outdoor habitat in which the great apes seem right at home.

Nevada

Las Vegas Strip

This “Sin City” of the desert Southwest has evolved from a collection of casinos where gamblers hang out into a first-class tourist destination with attractions that have nothing to do with cards or dice. There are still plenty of places where you can lose your money, but you also can dine in a five-star restaurant, watch the spectacle of the Cirque du Soleil or ride in a gondola gliding through a make-believe Venetian canal.

New Hampshire

Storyland

Situated in the White Mountains at Glen, N.H., Storyland is a charming, reasonably priced children’s‘ park themed to classic fairy tales. The 20 rides generally are designed for parents and children to enjoy together. The roller coaster, log flume and Tilt-rides all are aimed at the under-12 set. Attractions include a ride in a pumpkin coach, an antique car and a pirate ship.

New Jersey

Atlantic City casinos

The casinos along the Atlantic City boardwalk are enjoying a rebirth. The Atlantic City Hilton, with Italian marble, beveled glass, murals and paintings is one of the classiest in the city. Bally’s Wild West Casino is built to resemble a Western frontier town, complete with a mountain, waterfalls and animated prospectors. Caesars is big, gaudy and a haven for high-rollers.

New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns

This national park contains more than 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave, the nation’s deepest limestone cave at 1,567 feet and its third-longest. Carlsbad Caverns has one of the world’s largest underground chambers and countless formations. It’s highly accessible, with tours offered year-round. The park museum contains nearly a million specimens that document its human use, starting in prehistoric times.

New York

Statue of Liberty

Situated on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States. It is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. The statue was dedicated in 1886, designated a national monument in 1924 and extensively restored in 1986. The statue, which had been closed to the public since Sept. 11, 2001, reopened earlier this month after undergoing security and safety upgrades.

North Carolina

Outer Banks

North Carolina’s Outer Banks is where England first attempted to colonize the Americas and where Wilbur and Orville Wright defied gravity from a sandy dune. Because of the area’s fragile environment, the federal government set aside much of these islands as the country’s first national seashore. Cape Hatteras National Seashore now preserves some of the country’s finest beaches.

North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

In the heart of the colorful North Dakota badlands, the park is home to a variety of plants and animals, including bison, prairie dogs and elk. Theodore Roosevelt first came to the badlands in 1883 on a hunting trip. He returned the next year and established the Elkhorn Ranch. His alarm at the destruction of some big-game species and the over-grazing of the grasslands led Roosevelt to adopt conservation as a hallmark of his presidency.

Ohio

Cedar Point Amusement Park

Situated on a Lake Erie peninsula near Sandusky, the park is home to the largest collection of rides (67) and roller coasters (16) in the world. Top Thrill Dragster is the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster at 420 feet tall and a top speed of 120 mph. Amusement Today has named Cedar Point the country’s best overall park in each of the six years that the award has been given.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

In 1995, a terrorist bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, killing 168 and injuring countless others. The memorial to that tragedy includes two gates at each end of a 400-foot reflecting pool and 168 empty glass and granite chairs in honor of each of the dead. The museum walks visitors through that disastrous day, through interviews with survivors, rescue workers and victims’ relatives.

Oregon

Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge

On the Oregon side of the gorge, Multnomah Falls is the second-highest year-round waterfall in America. The water of the falls drops 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain. Unusually cold weather can turn the plummeting water into a frozen icicle, with a few drops dripping from the bottom. Miles of hiking paths surround the national scenic area.

Pennsylvania

Independence National Historic Park

Home of the Liberty Bell, the park is in downtown Philadelphia, an area often referred to as the birthplace of our nation. Visitors can see the bell, an international symbol of freedom, and Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were created. A section of the park where Benjamin Franklin’s home once stood is dedicated to teaching about Franklin’s life and accomplishments.

Rhode Island

Narragansett Bay

The bay is an estuary, a place where fresh water from rivers and streams meets and mixes with salt water. The result produces some of the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world. Narragansett Bay is a spawning ground, nursery, habitat, workplace and playground for hundreds of species. With some 256 miles of shoreline, the bay attracts about 12 million people a year.

South Carolina

Charleston historic district

Considered the cultural capital of the South, the historic district is a living museum of 18th-century homes and plantations, museums, a city market and art galleries. The Patriot Point Naval Maritime Museum is home to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the Fighting Lady of World War II. Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, is American’s first museum. Market Hall, erected in 1841, is modeled after a Greek temple.

South Dakota

Mount Rushmore

The four figures carved in stone on Mount Rushmore represent the first 150 years of American history. George Washington guided the birth of our nation. Thomas Jefferson expanded the country through the Louisiana Purchase. Abraham Lincoln preserved the nation during a great civil war. And Theodore Roosevelt built the country from a rural republic to a world power. The four are an inspiration to millions of visitors a year.

Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The park has ridge upon ridge of endless forest straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, representing one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. The park is world renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture. The Smokies are a hiker’s paradise with more than 800 miles of trails.

Texas

River Walk in San Antonio

The walk is considered a city park, offering 35-minute narrated boat tours of the San Antonio River. The park is free, although a boat ride costs $6 for adults and $1.25 for children. There also are dining boats on the river, and you can get married on Marriage Island. River Walk is lined with hotels and restaurants.

Utah

Temple Square

Known for its beauty and serenity, historic Temple Square sits on a landscaped 10-acre plot in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. The centerpiece of the square is the six-spired Salt Lake Temple. Adjacent is the domed Tabernacle, home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the great Tabernacle organ. Free concerts are given in the Assembly Hall, a charming Gothic-style building.

Vermont

Ben & Jerry’s factory

Nestled in the heart of the Green Mountains of Vermont, the ice cream factory sits on a rolling hill overlooking the Worcester Range, just north of the small town of Waterbury. The 30-minute factory tour teaches everything you need to know about ice-cream making and ends in the Flavoroom for samples of the day. The scoop shop features all of Ben & Jerry’s flavors.

Virginia

Colonial Williamsburg

Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia when the dream of American freedom and independence was taking shape. From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political and cultural center of the most influential of the American colonies. After the state capital was moved to Richmond, Williamsburg was a simple, quiet college town, home of the College of William and Mary. Today, more than 80 of the original structures are preserved for tours.

Washington

Olympic National Park

About 95 percent of the park is designated as wilderness, with glacier-capped mountains, the wild Pacific coast and magnificent stands of old-growth forests. Isolated for eons by glacial ice, and later by the waters of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Peninsula developed its own distinct array of plants and animals. Eight kinds of plants and 15 kinds of animals are found nowhere else on Earth.

West Virginia

New River Gorge National River

The New River in southern West Virginia is among the oldest rivers on the continent. It’s a rugged, white-water river that flows northward through deep canyons. The national river designation protected 53 miles of the New River as a free-flowing waterway. More than 70,000 acres of land along the river between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville are overseen by the National Park Service. The area is a favorite with rafters and kayakers.

Wisconsin

The Dells

The Wisconsin Dells, 57 miles northwest of Madison, is a family vacation area that has cornered the market on waterparks. Other attractions include the world’s largest go-cart facility – Big Chief’s Mt. Olympus Theme Park, with 17 elevated tracks – and Extreme World theme park, which boasts the state’s tallest bungee tower and a haunted house. Wizard Quest is a fantasy world reminiscent of “Harry Potter” or “Lord of the Rings.”

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park

President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law in 1872 that declared the Yellowstone area straddling Idaho, Montana and Wyoming as a public park “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” Geothermal wonders such as Old Faithful delight the millions who show up each year to visit the world’s first national park. Bubbling cauldrons of mud and roaring geysers send steaming plumes skyward.