Travel Tidbits - 10 Busiest Attractions This Fall

 A new travel study has revealed which tourist attractions draw the biggest crowds in the fall, meaning visitors face longer queues, sold-out tickets, or higher prices.

The research by student travel company Rustic Pathways looked at Tripadvisor reviews and Google searches to identify the number of reviews and online searches made for each attraction in September, October, and November each year. It also considered the proportion of reviews that mention keywords like ‘crowded’, ‘busy’, and ‘long wait’. Each attraction was given an overcrowded score out of 100.

Across all attractions, the average percentage of visitor reviews made in the fall months is 19.3%, and 6.2% of these include keywords related to overcrowding. Each attraction also pulls a monthly average of 215,777 Google searches in the fall.

The Empire State Building in New York is likely to be the busiest attraction this time of year, scoring 67.48 out of 100. Across 96,902 visitor reviews, 17.3% were made in September, October, and November. More than 1 in 10 (10.7%) of these featured crowding-related keywords.

It’s clear that interest in the attraction will be higher over the coming months, with the Empire State Building attracting a monthly average of 619,959 Google searches in September, October, and November each year. This is a huge 187% higher than the average online interest across all analyzed attractions (215,777 searches).

In a very close second is Central Park, scoring 67.47 out of 100 for likely overcrowding. Despite attracting more Google searches than the frontrunner with 623,187 made each month, the park sees slightly fewer visitor reviews in the fall at 15.1%, with busyness also proving less of a concern, as the crowding-related keywords are found across just 7.1% of these. 

Biltmore Estate in North Carolina placed third, scoring 56.30 out of 100. Of the 27,839 reviews left on Tripadvisor, more than one-quarter (27.4%) are made in the fall each year, with 7.8% featuring crowding-related keywords. The museum also sees a monthly average of 516,063 Google searches between September and November.

Fourth is Grand Central Terminal, scoring 56.02. The iconic train station attracts an average of 680,087 Google searches each month in the fall, which was the highest interest seen across the study, and 215% above the average (215,777 searches).

Of the attraction’s 44,851 visitor reviews, 14.7% were made in September, October, or November, with 1 in 10 (10.4%) mentioning crowding-related keywords.

Another New York attraction is fifth, with the High Line scoring 53.02 out of 100 in the study. The park and rail trail holds 63,354 Tripadvisor reviews, with 18.2% made in September, October, or November. The High Line sees the highest proportion of fall reviews featuring crowding-related keywords of all the attractions, at 16.4%. 

The rest of the 10 busiest attractions to visit this fall are: the Statue of Liberty (45.89 out of 100), the 9/11 Memorial & Museum (44.81 out of 100), Alcatraz Island (43.82), San Diego Zoo (42.50), and the Fountains of Bellagio (41.88).

The 10 busiest tourist attractions to visit this fall

	Tourist Attraction	Overcrowding Score (Out of 100)	Total Tripadvisor Reviews	Percentage of Reviews Made in the Fall	Percentage of Fall Reviews with Busyness-Related Keywords	Average Monthly Google Searches over Fall
1	Empire State Building	67.48	96,902	17.3%	10.7%	619,959
2	Central Park	67.47	134,347	15.1%	7.1%	623,187
3	Biltmore Estate	56.30	27,839	27.4%	7.8%	516,063
4	Grand Central Terminal	56.02	44,851	14.7%	10.4%	680,087
5	The High Line	53.02	63,354	18.2%	16.4%	148,717
6	Statue of Liberty	45.89	44,307	15.1%	7.7%	515,658
7	The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum	44.81	98,920	18.8%	5.2%	189,556
8	Alcatraz Island	43.82	56,415	21.5%	7.2%	237,000
9	San Diego Zoo	42.50	31,062	20.2%	5.1%	469,450
10	Fountains of Bellagio	41.88	92,345	20.6%	6.0%	60,666

At the other end of the scale, the attraction that is least likely to have excessive crowds in the next few months is the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Florida, scoring 12.87 out of 100. Although the park sees 14.9% of its 15,362 reviews made in the fall, just 2.3% include busyness-related keywords, suggesting visitors aren’t too affected by crowds at this time of year.

Next is the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which scored 16.53 out of 100. The Florida attraction sees the lowest Google searches made in the fall of all the attractions analyzed, at 5,827 each month - which is 97% below the average (215,777 Google searches). 

In third is Louisville Mega Cavern in Kentucky, scoring 17.63. Of the 21,257 visitor reviews, over one-fifth (21.1%) were made in September, October, or November, with just 0.6% of these featuring crowding-related keywords. The former limestone mine also attracts a monthly average of 18,826 Google searches.

Shayne Fitz-Coy, CEO of Rustic Pathways, commented on the findings:

“Many travelers are eager to make the most of the fall months as they expect things to be quieter after the summer rush. However, it’s clear that many attractions can feel especially crowded at this time of year, perhaps because many people share that misconception. Visitors to New York City especially should expect long wait times and large crowds, as the majority of the attractions with reviews complaining of crowds and a high search interest are based in the area.

“Despite crowds likely to be higher than at other times of year, it’s still possible to avoid getting stuck in endless lines with a little bit of strategy. Go early - arriving right when the attraction opens is usually the quietest window, and weekdays should see fewer visitors compared to the weekends. Book timed-entry tickets where possible so you know you can get in, and consult Google Popular Times to see how current crowd levels compare at any given time.”