Each year, Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards honor the hotels, restaurants, activities and destinations that visitors loved over the past year, crunching ratings and reviews to come up with a list of the best ones. We’ve just got word of the first 2025 category to be released: the best of the best destinations. We’re looking at the top places in the U.S. to see why reviewers loved them.
In first place, “the greatest city in the world” as Hamilton tells us, is New York. People came to Tripadvisor to rave about the amazing things to see: the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art… and of course the incredible shows on Broadway. The Cloisters, libraries, West Village shopping and upper west side dining all got mentioned—and even the marketplace inside Grand Central Station pleased reviewers.
The second best destination is Oahu. Surfers love it, with huge waves for pros and amateurs alike. If that’s not your jam, Waikiki Beach and others offer gorgeous blue water, soft sand and incredible snorkeling. Hikers will love the trails that lead to waterfall, while the Hale'iwa Arts Festival each year brings artists, dancers, craft makers and musicians to the island.
In third place is the always-entertaining Las Vegas. Top chefs craft incredible meals, or you can choose to graze at lavish buffets serving every food under the (hot) sun. Tripadvisor reviewers mentioned watching shows, trying their luck in a casino, taking a wildlife tour, hiking Red Rock Canyon and the simple pleasure of walking the Strip to see the wild, over-the-top sights. There are also great museums like the Neon Museum, the Mandalay Bay shark reef, and even a brand new state park, the Ice Age Fossils State Park that opened last year.
The top 10 U.S. destinations to visit in 2025:
1. New York City, New York
2. O’ahu, Hawai'i
3. Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Florida Keys, Florida
5. New Orleans, Louisiana
6. Nashville, Tennessee
7. San Francisco, Califorinia
8. Chicago, Illinois
9. Charleston, South Carolina
10. Washington, D.C.