Sure, free attractions can be great, but a lot of the time, they’re free for a reason. Luckily, vacation rental company Casago used Tripadvisor to determine the top free attractions in every U.S. state, so you never hit up a dud. “We calculated the percentage of five-star, or ‘excellent,’ reviews for each attraction…we then ranked attractions by the percentage of five-star reviews to isolate the highest rated attractions,” notes the study’s methodology section.
Surprisingly, a handful of the top attractions in the country have a military theme, but others include national parks, churches, and art museums. Out of all of the free tourist attractions in the states, these rank among the top ten:
- National Museum of the U.S. Airforce – Dayton, Ohio
- National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center – Columbus, Georgia
- The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Arlington, Virginia
- Gettysburg National Military Park – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina and Tennessee
- Marginal Way – Ogunquit, Maine
- Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis – St. Louis, Missouri
- Cleveland Museum of Art – Cleveland, Ohio
- College of the Ozarks – Point Lookout, Missouri
- Falls Park on the Reedy – Greenville, South Carolina
Poor West Coast, maybe you’ll be on the list next year.