We asked where you most wanted to go in 2024, and you responded! According to OnlyInYourState readers, these 10 places are the best states to visit in 2024. Read on to see if your pick made the list!
1. Florida
State Nickname: Sunshine State.
Popular Destinations: Orlando - Disney World, Universal Studios; Everglades National Park; Miami; Key West; Saint Augustine.
Top Airbnb Pick: "Downtown Dharma," Sanford.
Florida is the top 2024 destination among OnlyInYourState readers, and with all the Sunshine State has to offer, it's easy to see why. Whether you're craving a sophisticated beach vacation with nightlife that doesn't stop (Miami), a family vacation loaded with theme park fun (Orlando), or a laid-back beach getaway that's full of history (Saint Augustine, Key West), you'll find it in Florida. Throw in the fact that it's home to three national parks and all manner of recreational opportunities, it's almost impossible to go wrong with a trip to the Sunshine State.
2. Tennessee
State Nickname: Volunteer State.
Popular Destinations: Nashville, Memphis, Pigeon Forge, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Top Airbnb Pick: Riverfront Getaway, Chattanooga.
Tennessee, to put it simply, is booming. The Volunteer State has seen a tremendous influx of new residents and continues to be an increasingly popular tourist destination. For that reason, you, our readers, made it number two on our list of the 10 best states to visit in 2024. Whether you're a music lover headed for the Memphis blues scene or the red-hot Nashville country music scene, looking for a family vacation in the resort town of Pigeon Forge, or a nature enthusiast headed for the Smoky or Blue Ridge Mountains, you'll find plenty to love about Tennessee.
3. North Carolina
State Nickname: Tar Heel State.
Popular Destinations: Charlotte, Asheville, Outer Banks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway.
Top Airbnb Pick: Little House on the Beach, Surf City.
North Carolina has just about everything: sandy beaches, shimmering lakes, and the tallest mountains in the eastern United States. Whether you're looking for a sophisticated urban adventure in Charlotte, a mountain adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway or Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or a beach getaway on the Outer Banks, the Tar Heel State will not disappoint.
4. South Carolina
State Nickname: Palmetto State.
Popular Destinations: Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Congaree National Park.
Top Airbnb Pick: Charleston Gem Cottage, Charleston.
South Carolina is another state that offers temperate year-round weather, beaches, world-class golf, and mountains. It’s also home to fascinating history and stellar Low Country cuisine, which you’ll find in the coastal region from Charleston southward. Congaree National Park protects a fragile ecosystem that includes the largest remaining stand of bottomland hardwood forest in the eastern United States.
5. Arizona
State Nickname: Grand Canyon State.
Popular Destinations: The Grand Canyon, Route 66, Sedona
Top Airbnb Pick: Studio with Hot Tub, Sedona.
Home to three national parks - Grand Canyon, Saguaro, and Petrified Forest - as well as numerous national monuments, chichi destinations like Scottsdale and Sedona, and some of the best preserved portions of Historic Route 66, Arizona has much to offer the traveler. Its distinctive Southwest character and dramatic landscapes ranging from deserts to mountains to canyons mean that anyone kind find something to love in the Grand Canyon State.
6. Colorado
State Nickname: Centennial State.
Popular Destinations: Denver, Vail, Golden, Aspen, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Top Airbnb Pick: Evergreen Castle, Evergreen.
Colorado is always a popular destination for visitors. Cosmopolitan Denver, home to several major sports teams, vibrant nightlife, and doorstep access to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, is a draw by itself. But once you factor in the state’s four national parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park, national forests and monuments, and numerous state parks, you’ll see why the Centennial State is a mecca for outdoors enthusiasts. And then there’s winter. Colorado is easily one of the nations premier destinations for winter sports. You won’t go wrong any time of year in Colorado.
7. Michigan
State Nickname: Great Lakes State.
Popular Destinations: Detroit, Ann Arbor, Holland, Frankenmuth, Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshores.
Top Airbnb Pick: Moondance Shores, Northport.
The Great Lakes State is an amazing place for outdoor recreation, on the water fun, and urban entertainment. Immerse yourself in culture with a visit to Holland or Frankenmuth or the Motown Museum. Explore Michigan’s storied coastline at Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshores. Or travel back in time with a getaway to historic Mackinac Island. Nature lover? You could also simply just lose yourself in the beautiful and rugged Upper Peninsula.
8. California
State Nickname: Golden State.
Popular Destinations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Disneyland, Big Sur, Yosemite National Park, Joshua Tree National Park.
Top Airbnb Pick: Bird's Nest Bungalow, Stinson Beach.
There is no way to describe all that makes California an incredible destination - and its presence on your list of top states to visit in 2024 - in the space provided here. Suffice it to say that with world-class cities, nine national parks, hundreds of miles of rugged Pacific coastline and beaches, and of course, Disneyland, you should definitely visit California. There is definitely something here for everyone, and everything just seems to be superlative here: the tallest mountains in the Lower 48, the lowest place on the continent, the world’s largest trees, and several of the nation’s largest cities.
9. Georgia
State Nickname: Peach State.
Popular Destinations: Atlanta, Savannah, Hilton Head, Stone Mountain, Jekyll Island.
Top Airbnb Pick: Historic Antebellum Home, Savannah.
The Peach State is another of your best states to visit in 2024. Cosmopolitan Atlanta, with its history, culture, and sports scenes has much to offer any visitor. You can dive into history and nature with a visit to Savannah or Stone Mountain, or simply kick back on the beach and enjoy a relaxing idyll along the Georgia coast.
10. Maine
State Nickname: Pine Tree State.
Popular Destinations: Acadia National Park, Portland, Bar Harbor, Camden, Bangor.
Top Airbnb Pick: Harbor View Cottage, Cutler.
From quaint, historic coastal towns to the rugged-yet-refined beauty of Acadia National park and the pristine wilderness of northern Maine, the Pine Tree State offers something to please any visitor. Enjoy a sophisticated shopping day in Portland or Bar Harbor. You can hike some of the gnarliest trails in the eastern U.S. at Acadia National Park. Or get out on the water, paddling or sailing the ruggedly beautiful Maine coast.
These are your top choices for the best states to visit in 2024, and we’re pretty sure you won’t go wrong with a visit to any - or all! - of them. How many of these destinations do you plan to visit in the coming year? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to tell us which states you would like to have seen on this list.
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