Just Follow the Crowds
For many travelers, deciding what to see while on a trip
is just like being in high school: Popularity is everything. Just
follow the crowd to these top tourist destinations. By Haley Shapley
LIKE SHOPAHOLICS to a blowout
sale and American Way staffers to free loot, millions of people each
year are drawn to these sights. From landmarks steeped in history to
the magical world of Disney (times three), each offers a little
something different. It took some digging, but here are what we found
to be the most popular must-sees in or near some great destinations.
CANCÚN
Xel-Há
011-52-998-883-3293, www.xel-ha.com
Visitors annually: 900,000
Snorkel, snuba (a cross between scuba diving and snorkeling), and swim
with the dolphins at this hands-on water park. A children’s playground,
rope swings, and an ecological tour ensure that there’s something for
everyone, from babies to grandpas.
CHICAGO
Navy Pier
(800) 595-7437, www.navypier.com
Visitors annually: 8.6 million
This one-stop shop for entertainment needs dates back to 1916 and
features the Chicago Children’s Museum, a Ferris wheel and other rides,
a 440- seat IMAX theater, daily performances on numerous stages, and a
fireworks show (two nights a week during the summer).
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
Your Guess Is as Good as Ours
Visitors annually: Good question
Maybe it’s Sundance Square, which 10 million visit. It could be Six
Flags over Texas — but they wouldn’t tell us their numbers, no matter
how nicely we asked. Is it the Dallas Zoo? We don’t know, because they
wouldn’t talk either. There’s a lot to see and do in the DFW area, but
when it comes to revealing tourist stats, this place is as tight-lipped
as a two-year-old staring at a plate of spinach.
HAWAII
USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
(808) 422-0561, www.nps.gov/usar
Visitors annually: 1.6 million
This memorial pays tribute to the 1,177 crew members who lost their
lives on the “date which will live in infamy.” Approximately two quarts
of oil still leak from the ship each day, and the droplets are known as
black tears.
LOS ANGELES
Disneyland
(714) 781-4565, www.disneyland.com
Visitors annually: 14.7 million
Although the Happiest Place on Earth is known worldwide today, the
vision for it was a tough sell at first. “I could never convince the
financiers that Disneyland was feasible, because dreams offer too
little collateral,” Walt Disney said.
LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Strip
(877) 847-4858, www.visitlasvegas.com
Visitors annually: 38.9 million
The house may always win, but don’t be afraid to pull that lever: In
Nevada, it’s mandatory that video slot machines pay a minimum of 75
percent on average. Plus, what happens in Vegas … well, you know the
rest.
LONDON
Tate Modern
011-44-20-7887-8888, www.tate.org.uk/modern
Visitors annually: 4.9 million
Although it’s been open for less than a decade, Tate Modern is already
a powerhouse tourist attraction in London. To accommodate the
unexpected crowds, the museum has plans to construct an extension that
will expand its size by 60 percent.
MIAMI
Miami Beach
(305) 604-2489, www.miamibeachfl.gov
Visitors annually: 10 million
Known as a hot spot for the young, rich, and famous, Miami Beach is a
prime place to peoplewatch. Fashion shoots and the filming of movie
scenes are common here, so you never know who might saunter by as
you’re sitting in the sun.
NEW YORK CITY
Times Square
(212) 869-1890, www.timessquarenyc.org
Visitors annually: 40 million
Times Square (which is actually shaped like a bow tie) is famous for
its head-turning neon and LED signs known as spectaculars. Securing one
of these much-looked-at slots of advertising real estate can cost up to
$350,000 a month, but the price of constructing the ads can reach far
into the millions.
ORLANDO
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
(407) 939-6244, disneyworld.disney.go.com
Visitors annually: 16.6 million
The most visited theme park in the world, the Magic Kingdom boasts 37
attractions, including the Haunted Mansion, where if you’re paying
close attention, you can read humorous inscriptions on the tombstones.
SAN FRANCISCO
Fisherman’s Wharf
www.fishermanswharf.org
Visitors annually: 13.9 million
Seafood, especially Dungeness crab, is the star of the show here, but
there’s much more to Fisherman’s Wharf. Get your shop on at places like
Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery, watch hundreds of sea lions play as
you look out from Pier 39, and see the stars stand still at the
100,000-squarefoot Wax Museum.
TOKYO
Tokyo Disneyland
011-81-45-683-3333, www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/tdl/index_e.html
Visitors annually: 12.9 million
Opened in 1983, this attraction welcomed the most
Visitors of any theme park outside the United States in 2006. The
neighboring Tokyo DisneySea followed closely behind in the rankings,
with 12.1 million visitors.
TORONTO
Canada’s Wonderland
(905) 832-8131, www.canadaswonderland.com
Visitors annually: 3.2 million
More than 4,000 seasonal employees keep Canada’s Wonderland, one of the
top theme parks in North America, up and running. They also do a lot of
selling — 200,000 funnel cakes and 50,000 pounds of bulk candy are
consumed every season.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
National Air and Space Museum
(202) 633-1000, www.nasm.si.edu
Visitors annually: 9 million
View Buzz Aldrin’s space suit, climb into a flight simulator, and
examine a lunar rock at this museum, where you’ll find the world’s
largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft, along with
artifacts as big as rockets and as small as microchips.
HALEY SHAPLEY
is a writer based in Fort Worth, Texas. Her favorite tourist
attractions are Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, and the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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