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One of the most popular questions on travel forums and other threads is "how many days should I visit [x] city for?" I thought it would be useful to provide a categorization of how many days would be needed per American city.
If I had to grade American cities - and their immediate <10 miles surroundings) on what they offer tourists using this scale:
A+ - Enough for 14+ days
A - Enough for 7-13 days
B - Enough for 5-6 days
C - Enough for 3-4 days
D - Enough for 1-2 days
F - Not even worth visiting
...I'd grade them:
Albany: D (2 days)
Albuquerque: D (2 days)
Asheville: C (3 days)
Atlanta: C (3 days)
Austin: D (2 days)
Baltimore: C (3 days)
Birmingham: D (1 day)
Boston: A (7 days)
Buffalo: D (2 days)
Cape Coral/Fort Myers: D (2 days)
Charleston: C (4 days)
Charlotte: F (0 days)
Chattanooga: D (2 days)
Chicago: B (6 days)
Cincinnati: C (3 days)
Cleveland: D (2 days)
Columbus: D (1 day)
Dallas: C (3 days)
Dayton: D (1 day)
Denver: D (2 days)
Detroit: D (1 day)
El Paso: D (1 day)
Fresno: F (0 days)
Grand Rapids: D (2 days)
Greensboro: D (1 day)
Greenville: D (2 days)
Harrisburg: D (1 day)
Hartford: D (2 days)
Honolulu: B (5 days)
Houston: D (2 days)
Indianapolis: D (1 day)
Jacksonville: D (1 day)
Kansas City: D (2 days)
Knoxville: D (2 days)
Las Vegas: B (5 days)
Los Angeles: A (7 days)
Louisville: C (3 days)
Memphis: D (2 days)
Miami: B (5 days)
Milwaukee: D (2 days)
Minneapolis: C (3 days)
Nashville: C (4 days)
New Orleans: C (4 days)
New York: A+ (15 days)
Oklahoma City: D (1 day)
Orlando: A (7 days)
Philadelphia: B (5 days)
Phoenix: C (3 days)
Pittsburgh: C (3 days)
Portland: C (3 days)
Providence: D (2 days)
Raleigh: F (0 days)
Richmond: C (3 days)
Rochester: D (1 day)
Sacramento: D (1 day)
Saint Louis: C (3 days)
Salt Lake City: D (2 days)
San Antonio: C (3 days)
San Diego: B (5 days)
San Francisco: A (9 days)
San Juan: C (3 days)
Santa Fe: C (3 days)
Sarasota: D (2 days)
Savannah: C (4 days)
Seattle: C (4 days)
Tampa: C (3 days)
Tucson: D (2 days)
Tulsa: D (1 day)
Virginia Beach: D (2 days)
Washington: A (10 days)
Knoxville is close enough to the tourist meccas of Sevier County that could easily punch itself into B or better territory, especially for deep southerners escaping the summer heat and taking their family vacations there. Knoxville itself is a D however.
I'm surprised you have Austin below San Antonio. IMO they're on the same level (C cities), as Austin of course has all those Texas state museums, and don't forget the Hill Country. Many tourists combine the two on a single trip though.
Detroit is also too low IMO. In addition to Ford and possibly the Motown museum, It has some neat art museums, casinos, all major pro sports, theaters, historic buildings downtown, ethnic neighborhoods like Mexicantown, Greektown, as well as Hamtrack. It certainly deserves a C.
Seattle has really come a long way and I spent four days in 2018 there, and it still didn't feel like enough. I never touched the International District, Ballard, University District, Magnolia, nor rode a ferry. It easily deserves a B.
Philadelphia certainly should be an A like Boston or Washington, D.C. Its a shame many tourists limit themselves to the Independence Historical National Park and maybe the Ben Franklin Parkway but nothing else. Like DC, there's lot of stuff to see in outer neighborhoods and outlying suburbs, and it has lots of festivals, sporting and cultural events to keep yourself busy. Independence National Historical Park easily takes two days from all the museums, U.S. Mint, shopping/dining, and appreciation of the historic architecture. The Art Museum and Franklin Institute are another day right there. Fairmount Park along with the zoo and having lunch/dinner in nearby East Falls/Manayunk are another. The bustle of Rittenhouse/Center City East and exploring Penn/Drexel as well as a meal in Reading Terminal Market/Chinatown is a fifth. Visitng South Philly for the Italian Market, Pat's/Geno's, as well as catching a sports event or concert is a sixth. Finally, Penn's Landing/Northern Liberties and possibly seeing the aquarium and battleship in Camden, NJ rounds out a full week.
Finally, for an "oldies" music lover, Memphis easily earns a C, thanks to the triple feature of Graceland, Stax, and Sun Records, in addition to strolling along Beale St. each night. There's also AAA baseball, the Mississippi River riverfront, along with the Cooper-Young neighborhood, Lorraine Motel/Civil Rights museum, Peabody Hotel, Pyramid, as well as a casino in nearby Tunica, MS. It punches above its weight IMO.
Finally, that grade for Nashville is representative more for non-country music fans. (It's no worse than a B for them.) Even without Opryland, you can't deny that die-hard country junkies would get a kick out of touring all the music studios on music row, driving past the homes of where legends grew up, honky tonking all over the metro, visiting the Opry on multiple nights, seeing the Ryman, Country HoF, and of course this doens't include what a non-country fan would see, including Hermitage, Belle Meade, the shopping/dining on 12 South, the Parthenon, Opry Mills, a performance at the arena that isn't necessarily a country artist/band, the TN state museum, or simply boating at a lake nearby.
"Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Mount Vernon, Silver Spring, Bethesda, National Harbor in the core. Exurbs/outer suburbs of Great Falls, Harpers Ferry, Frederick, Annapolis, Leesburg, Ellicott City (outside Baltimore), no attractions? Did you explore the area?"
I said all that and you only saw Bethesda, Silver Spring... I didn't mention Takoma Park, Chevy Chase, Forest Glen, College Park etc. Shall I re-write my list? Didn't know that you all were so uneducated on the DC area.
DC has as many attractive suburbs around it as most major cities. Whether we're doing inside the Beltway or outside. I was just countering the earlier poster.
Look there are 6 not Boston towns that would get significant tourism in the Boston area, Salem, MA; Cambridge, Lowell, Concord and Plymouth And Newburyport.
Sure Hingham, Gloucester, Beverly, Hull, Wellesley, Andover are Towns with their own stuff but they aren’t going to get hoards of tourists.
Last edited by btownboss4; 07-11-2020 at 08:30 PM..
Not that Charlotte is a tourist mecca, but basing your assessment on Trip Advisor kinda says it all, particularly in light of other places that at least got a D.
I've lived in DC, there's not much to do outside of the Mall. And you need 10 days? Are you planning to see the same museums 3 times? It's suburbs are some of the most ordinary places with little or no attractions. Downtown DC is urban and compact, but most of it is just generic office buildings most tourists wouldn't find enjoyable to walk around. It has some interesting areas, but to fill up 10 days? No way. I think most tourists would get antsy after 5.
For LA, where are you saying 10 miles from? Downtown? LAX? The westside? It seems like an odd rule.
There's a good bit to see and do outside of the Mall in DC (the Zoo, Georgetown, Alexandria, National Harbor, Six Flags, etc). The biggest museums you'd need at least a full day for I'd say.
You all should know tourist absolutely go to Chevy Chase and Bethesda-in surprisingly large numbers.
The DC area is NOT as tourist friendly as Boston but it probably gets way more tourist and offers just as much or more within the city proper than Boston. Because the nightlife/brunch scene is more abundant and a bit later into the night- 10 days is fair for DC. Also has fewer areas dominated by longtime locals. Wouldn’t be my favorite 10 days but it’s reasonable.
OP's criteria is city and surroundings within 10 miles. In the case of Boston I'd stretch it to 15 miles to include Salem and Marblehead. Otherwise, 10 gets you all of Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Revere Beach, Lynn Beach, Nantasket Beach, Quincy, Waltham. Plenty to do without having to run out the clock at the Stone Zoo
Not to mention in Boston- the arboretum, ICA, MFA, Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, National Museum of Black Artists, Wynn Encore Casino (5 star casino resort) Fenway, Duck Tours, Newbury Street, Downtown Crossing, Blue Hills Mountain/Ski Area, the North End, Discover Roxbury Tours (or latest incarnation), Boston Common, Castle Island, Chinatown/nightclubs, New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo, Children’s Museum, Museum if Science, abundant street level shopping and modern fully occupied malls, Fanuiel Hall/Quincy Market, the Harbor for boating, Carson Beach...
I was just in Boston for 10 days after a year removed. Still didn’t get to do everything I wanted. It could be an A+ tbh. Because we’re excluding a ton of places still. Particularly the historic places.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 07-11-2020 at 10:02 PM..
That 10 mile limit makes for a very uneven comparison between cities that sprawl (Jacksonville, Houston, Phoenix) and cities that are compact (Boston, Hartford, Buffalo). The 10 mile limit means Niagara Falls is too far from Buffalo by 1 mile to count (11 miles from city limits, yet just 16 miles from downtown), while in Houston you can be 23 miles from downtown and still be in the city limits (Space Center) on a jam packed freeway.
Should the comparison be based on distance from CBD instead (maybe based on travel time?), or some other centralized spot?
10 miles from city limits In any direction at least. 10 miles is extremely narrow and only conducive to a short stay.
One of the most popular questions on travel forums and other threads is "how many days should I visit [x] city for?" I thought it would be useful to provide a categorization of how many days would be needed per American city.
If I had to grade American cities - and their immediate <10 miles surroundings) on what they offer tourists using this scale:
A+ - Enough for 14+ days
A - Enough for 7-13 days
B - Enough for 5-6 days
C - Enough for 3-4 days
D - Enough for 1-2 days
F - Not even worth visiting
...I'd grade them:
Albany: D (2 days)
Albuquerque: D (2 days)
Asheville: C (3 days)
Atlanta: C (3 days)
Austin: D (2 days)
Baltimore: C (3 days)
Birmingham: D (1 day)
Boston: A (7 days)
Buffalo: D (2 days)
Cape Coral/Fort Myers: D (2 days)
Charleston: C (4 days)
Charlotte: F (0 days)
Chattanooga: D (2 days)
Chicago: B (6 days)
Cincinnati: C (3 days)
Cleveland: D (2 days)
Columbus: D (1 day)
Dallas: C (3 days)
Dayton: D (1 day)
Denver: D (2 days)
Detroit: D (1 day)
El Paso: D (1 day)
Fresno: F (0 days)
Grand Rapids: D (2 days)
Greensboro: D (1 day)
Greenville: D (2 days)
Harrisburg: D (1 day)
Hartford: D (2 days)
Honolulu: B (5 days)
Houston: D (2 days)
Indianapolis: D (1 day)
Jacksonville: D (1 day)
Kansas City: D (2 days)
Knoxville: D (2 days)
Las Vegas: B (5 days)
Los Angeles: A (7 days)
Louisville: C (3 days)
Memphis: D (2 days)
Miami: B (5 days)
Milwaukee: D (2 days)
Minneapolis: C (3 days)
Nashville: C (4 days)
New Orleans: C (4 days)
New York: A+ (15 days)
Oklahoma City: D (1 day)
Orlando: A (7 days)
Philadelphia: B (5 days)
Phoenix: C (3 days)
Pittsburgh: C (3 days)
Portland: C (3 days)
Providence: D (2 days)
Raleigh: F (0 days)
Richmond: C (3 days)
Rochester: D (1 day)
Sacramento: D (1 day)
Saint Louis: C (3 days)
Salt Lake City: D (2 days)
San Antonio: C (3 days)
San Diego: B (5 days)
San Francisco: A (9 days)
San Juan: C (3 days)
Santa Fe: C (3 days)
Sarasota: D (2 days)
Savannah: C (4 days)
Seattle: C (4 days)
Tampa: C (3 days)
Tucson: D (2 days)
Tulsa: D (1 day)
Virginia Beach: D (2 days)
Washington: A (10 days)
The days refers to long how it would take a tourist before they'd exhausted cool neighborhoods, major museums, tourist sites, and had to start visiting the zoo to run out the clock.
In other words, this isn't a list of "everything" to see, but how long until they reach diminishing returns and another night of paying for a hotel isn't worth another day of sightseeing.
Of course, this list is variable, so feel free to opine on any of my rankings, propose your own rankings (doesn't have to be for every city above - Top 10-25 most common is fine) or grade your state's smaller tourist cities.
[/list]
You're way short-changing Cleveland here with 2 days. You are probably going by Cleveland oft bad (and unfair) "reputation" rather than actual knowledge, which is why you probably listed Cincinnati with 3 days. I'm not knocking Cincy, it's an interesting older city with more interesting residential architecture, in general, but really less things to do than Cleveland.
I'm presuming the summer when people can be outdoors... Examples: 1 could spend, at least, an entire day (really several days) in University Circle, with its museums, botanical garden, music institute, recreation (park) and even nearby Little Italy. Then one could also, at least, spend 1/2 day inside the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame... That's just 2 things for, really, 2 days right there ... 1.5 days if you want to rush through. That eliminates:
a boat ride on 1 of 2 ships up/down Cuyahoga River (to the industrial part) and then into Lake Erie (3 hours)
dinner on E. 4th street (evening)
afternoon/dinner in the Flats: meal, boardwalk people-watching, boat watching, etc (afternoon + evening)
West Side Market/Ohio City walking tour (or Lolly the Trolley tour)
Optional (but interesting); each worth 2 to 3 hours, maybe more:
- paddle boating or kayaking or jet skiing in the lake/river
- Aquarium in the Flats (admittedly it's just OK compared to the great aquariums like Chicago's Shedd and Baltimore's National, ... but it's interesting nonetheless, esp since many cities don't even have an aquarium.)
- theater in Playhouse
- snack/drinks and (esp. the downtown/lakefront view) at Bar 32 on 32nd floor of the 4-year-old Hilton highrise hotel
- Edgewater Park and beach -- all afternoon ... at least
- elevator to top of Terminal Tower
- Zoo (in a spacious, beautiful park like setting, and one of the best in terms of its animal collection, exhibits (including another small aquarium) and picnic areas.
- hiking/picnic-ing, etc, in any one of the numerous parks and natural areas around Cleveland (and I'm speaking of those w/in 10 miles of downtown), from awesome, deep-ridge-d Rocky River Reservation, in the West (actually within the Cleveland border), much of the Emerald Necklace around the border, including famed Squaw Rock (name maybe changing as being un-politically correct) to the east/southeast... and several in between, including the upper portion of the Cuyahoga National Park to the south.
Cool neighborhoods besides Ohio City, Univ Circle/Little Italy:
Tremont, Gordon Square, Shaker Square Larchmere, (Cleveland Hts: Coventry, Cedar-Lee (great Art Deco-indy movie theater) and Cedar-Fairmount), downtown Lakewood + Madison Ave (including emerging Birdtown), Lakewood Park (on Lake Erie) and the Gold Coast area (which is really a seamless cool old neighborhood, along with the newer lakefront high rises, that straddles the Cleveland border and includes the hip/cool (and gay-friendly) Edgewater neighborhood.
NOTE: You are correct in noting the avg visitor to a city won't do everything, which is why I made many things here optional ... fact, though, few get 'bored' in Cleveland in just 2 days,... in fact, they tend to run out of time more so than running out of things to do, and end up coming back... I've seen 'returns' on more than one occasion; several, actually (meaning way more than 2).
I can assure you that "a park" is one of our top destinations. No, but seriously, you got something against this place? I would recommend quite a few other places than any in that top-five. the Whitewater Center, all the museums downtown (especially the Museum of the New South), Carowinds, SouthEnd, NoDa, etc. come on man you can spend probably 2-3 days easy here. It's not world class or anything like that but if the state capital of New York is worth 2 days, then a larger state capitol with more attractions should be worth at least the same time. I can't speak for Raleigh because I'm not as familiar, but I know you can spend 2-3 days in the Triangle as well. If you don't like NC, fine with me, but don't bring your negative attitude here if you don't want to be here.
I most definately agree!
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I didn't mention Takoma Park, Chevy Chase, Forest Glen, College Park etc. Shall I re-write my list? Didn't know that you all were so uneducated on the DC area.
