Florida residents won’t have to travel far to visit the country’s top attraction. And no, it’s not Disney World.
The NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island has been named the top attraction in the United States on Tripadvisor’s “2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things To Do” ranking.
The travel guidance platform last week released its annual list of top attractions and experiences based on user reviews between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, — with iconic landmarks and historical sites from across the country making the cut.
“With such a huge selection of travel activities and excursions available on the platform, Tripadvisor helps travelers find the experiences that turn a trip into a lifelong memory,” Tripadvisor president Kristen Dalton said in a statement. “Whether you crave adrenaline or prefer to take things slow, ‘The Best of the Best Things to Do’ showcases the world’s top-rated experiences.”
The NASA Kennedy Space Center — which offers exhibits, tours and artifacts related to space exploration — was also named the third-best attraction in the world. It claimed the top spot in the United States, with second place going to the Empire State Building in New York.
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images Visitors walk towards the entrance of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on August 11, 2023 in Merritt Island, Florida.
Earlier this year, Tripadvisor named Florida’s Siesta Key as the best beach in the country and fourth best in the world. Now the Sunshine State is also home to the top attraction.
Here are this year’s top 10 attractions in the U.S., along with a brief description of each from Tripadvisor. Time to update your bucket list and book a flight.
10. Alcatraz Island — San Francisco, California
Alcatraz Island was once the most secure federal prison in the U.S. and held notorious inmates like Al Capone.
At New York City’s most visited museum and attraction, you will experience over 5,000 years of art from around the world.
The 40,000 square foot hangar is the world’s only museum to focus exclusively on the role of aviation in World War II.
Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge provides passage between Brooklyn and Manhattan for motorists, trains, bicycles and pedestrians.
Check out the living coral reefs around Molasses Reef at the country’s first undersea park.
A spectacular Victorian mansion built for famed hat maker and philanthropist John B Stetson in 1886.
4. Central Park — New York, New York
For more than 150 years, visitors have flocked to Central Park’s 843 green acres in the heart of Manhattan.
3. Sun Studio — Memphis, Tennessee
The place where an 18-year-old Elvis Presley recorded his first song. It’s well-known in the music industry as “The Birthplace of Rock ‘N’ Roll” and the most famous recording studio in the world.
The Empire State Building is the World’s Most Famous Building. It rises 1,454 ft from ground to antenna & features the only 360 degree open-air vantage point of Midtown.
From the dawn of space exploration to current and ongoing missions, get an up-close, hands-on feel for the story of humans in space, and fuel your quest for inspiration.
Top attractions in the world
But what if you are traveling internationally?
Then you might want to head to Spain – where the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, a historic church in Barcelona, was ranked as Tripadvisor’s top global attraction for 2025.
That was followed by the Eiffel Tower in Paris France; the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merrit Island, U.S.; the Louvre Museum in Paris, France; and the Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Top experiences in the U.S.
Tripadvisor’s top-rated bookable U.S. travel experience in 2025 was a Hawaiian tour and snorkeling excursion in Honolulu.
That edged out a guided walking tour in Salem, Massachusetts; a Chicago river cruise aboard the First Lady; a 9/11 memorial tour in New York; and a food tour of Chinatown and Little Italy in New York.
The top experience in the world was a private walking tour of Florence, Italy.
Tripadvisor said the awards are determined based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings posted over the 12-month period, as well as an additional editorial process. Attractions are deemed activities that travelers can visit without booking any ticket, while experiences are bookable tours and activities.
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