Forbes Traveler has compiled their list of the 25 Most Visited Tourist Sites in the United States with few surprises. It can be argued that popularity and attendance are in the eye of the beholder but on the whole these attractions fill the bill. Vacation ideas don’t get much better than this list. So without further ado here are their picks in order.

• 1) Times Square, New York City, New York
• 2) The Las Vegas Strip, Nevada
• 3) National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C.
• 4) Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA
• 5) Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL
• 6) Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA
• 7) Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate Area, San Francisco, CA
• Niagra Falls, New York
• 9) Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC
• 10) Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
• 11) Lake Mead National Recreation Area, AZ/NV
• 12) Universal Orlando, FL
• 13) SeaWorld Florida, Orlando, FL
• 14) San Antonio River Walk, TX
• 15) Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah
• 16) Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area, PA/NJ
• 17) Universal Studios Hollywood, CA
• 18) Metropolitan Museum, New York City, New York
• 19) Waikiki Beach, Oahu, HI
• 20) Grand Canyon, AZ
• 21) Busch Gardens Africa, Tampa Bay, FL
• 22) Cape Cod National Seashore, MA
• 23) SeaWorld San Diego, CA
• 24) American Museum of Natural History, New York
• 25) Atlantic City Boardwalk, NJ

Remember that these are the most visited. Not favorite, popular or best. It’s a tricky calculation and someone will always be left off the list but this is a great “go to” selection for your vacation ideas. Better get packing! More Photos Here.

Planning your next vacation? Looking for something on the stranger side? The United States has some really strange museums. Here are some of the strangest.

1. 
   Museum of Bad Art (MoBA)
   Museum of Bad Art (MoBA) – Not sure how else to describe this museum… the title sums it up pretty well. The Museum of Bad Art describes its mission perfectly – “dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms.” Artists that are featured at the MoBA are talented, esteemed artists that have created works that cause fans to say “what was he thinking?”. Founded by Scott Wilson who began the museum with its first masterpiece in 1993, “Lucy in the Field of Flowers”, apparently discovered in a trash pile in Boston. Museum Of Bad Art, Basement of Dedham Communitiy Theatre, 580 High Street, Dedham MA, Telephone: 1-781-444-6757 www.museumofbadart.org
    
    

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I love Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida because of the details. The extraordinary details of every experience within those walls. Yes, I understand that it is a created world. Yes, I will still visit Europe even though I’ve been to Epcot and yes, I get the part about the crowds, prices and merchandising. Still, I love it.

For example, I was there for the weekend and wanted to ride Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. Got there early and headed for “Asia” to get my fastpass (sweet). Imagine my surprise when I crossed the bridge, looked to my right and there was “Everest” rising up above the river. Everyone stopped to look and snap photos. No, it was not even close to the size and grandeur of the real Mount Everest but that’s not what it’s intended to be. I love Disney because I take it for what it is. A themed experience. A recreated wonderland of sights and sounds. An appetizer and a dessert and sometimes the main dish. Now that I saw the mountain, I couldn’t wait to ride the ride and wasn’t disappointed. From the fantastic Tibetan queue line scenery to the exciting runaway train premise that pushed us back in our seats to avoid the Yeti, this coaster experience delivered.

So many attractions and tourist offerings fall short for me because the details are missing. They just go part of the way with just a little theming or a mediocre program. Lackluster staff or dirty grounds. You can tell when effort is made and that’s one of the ways Disney stands out for me. They make the effort every day.

My highlights for this trip included Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, Tower of Terror at MGM, Test Track at Epcot and of course, the Food and Wine Festival. This is my third year at the festival and I enjoy it every time. Started with pomegranate kirs and escargot in France and finished with sushi and Kirin Ichiban’s in Japan. It’s fun to speak to the staff from the native countries represented but I was baffled by Oklahoma this year. The whole staff was from Michigan! Go figure. Even Disney can miss the details once in awhile. More photos of my Disney adventure at Flickr.

Another great visit to Walt Disney World because I paced myself and took the time to explore. Hope you get a chance to visit the Food and Wine Festival before it ends. I can’t recommend the lamb chops but I can suggest the 12th anniversary Sam Adams Lager. Good stuff. See you in Orlando.

I have always loved Halloween…It was my first experience at becoming another character, assuming another identity for just a little while. No, I didn’t just put on a costume. I became that character. My early memories are vague and fuzzy. A hobo, a devil, a clown. As I got older the costumes became more sophisticated…more realistic. Now, I portray historical characters year round but Halloween holds a special place in my heart. Walpurgisnacht…All Hallows Eve…Samhain. Here is a roundup in one convenient location of our haunted tours and attractions at Trusted Tours. Enjoy!

Atlanta Segway Ghosts and Legends Tour

Boston Ghosts and Gravestones

Salem Witch Museum

Plymouth Historic Cemetery Tour

Plymouth Twilight Ghost Tour

Charleston Ghost and Legends

Charleston Historic Homes Tour

Chicago Colombian Exposition Tour (the White City)

Key West Ghost Tour

Key West Ghosts and Legends

Key West Ripley’s Museum

Key West Harry S. Truman Little White House

Key West Ernest Hemingway Home

Key West Shipwreck Historeum

Las Vegas Hoover Dam Jeep Tour

Las Vegas Eldorado Canyon and Gold Mine Tour

Las Vegas Madam Tussuad’s Wax Museum

Hollywood Behind the Scenes Tour

Los Angeles Go Card (Queen Mary. Really creepy)

Memphis Haunted Pub Crawl (Many Spirits)

Memphis Ghost Tour

Miami Go Card (Coral Castle, Vizcaya, Deering Estate)

New Orleans Voodoo Tour

New Orleans Vampire Tour (nice)

New Orleans Ghost Tour

New Orleans Cemetery Tour

New Orleans Cemetery and Gris Gris Tour

New Orleans Ghost and Spirits Tour

New Orleans Bayou and Swamp Adventure

New Orleans Garden District Ghosts and Legends

New York Madame Tussuad’s Wax Museum (I think it’s creepy. Good haunted trail here,too!)

New York City Pass

Niagara Falls Tour

Orlando Go Card (Ripley’s Odditorium, Haunted Grimm House)

Philadelphia City Pass

San Diego Haunted Ghost Tour

San Diego Haunted Old Town

San Diego USS Midway

San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf Wax Museum

San Francisco Alcatraz Cruise

San Francisco Muir Woods/Sausalito

Savannah Ghosts and Gravestones

Savannah Owens Thomas House

Savannah Sorrel-Weed House

Savannah Telfair Academy

Savannah Ghosts Tour

Savannah Sorrel-Weed Candlelight Tour

Savannah Historic Homes Tour

St. Augustine Ghosts and Gravestones

St Augustine Old Jail

St. Augustine Lightner Museum

Washington DC Monuments by Moonlight

Washington DC Madam Tussuad’s Wax Museum

Washington DC Georgetown Ghost Tour

Washington DC Segway Night Tour

Washington DC Mount Vernon Tour

Happy Halloween. See you in the Cemetery…

Get this. I’m trying a new restaurant called the Shellfish Grille in St. Augustine, Florida near my house when the waiter introduces himself and announces the specials. Mussels, Pasta, Fish of the day and then…crab cakes. He said “Crab cakes” just like that. I fixed his gaze on mine and said as I have hundreds of times before, “I’m from Maryland…are they really good?”

Now most servers given this information would begin to backpedal. Knowing I’m a Marylander, born on the Chesapeake with Old Bay seasoning in my veins they would say something like, “Well, many people order them” or “they’re popular around here” to quietly steer me away from a mediocre cake.

Our waiter did no such thing. In fact he leaned into me just a bit with a slight smile and said, “They’re really, really good.” Piffle, I thought. The gauntlet is thrown. Bring on the alleged Crab Cakes!

I sat rehearsing my reaction when he would bring the so-called crab cakes out from the kitchen. So confident…so cocky. As I had so many times before, I would take a small bite, roll my eyes and in a voice loud enough for all to hear announce, “These are okay, but not as good as the ones in Maryland.” Triumph! I couldn’t wait to put them in their place.

To me the perfect crab cake is loaded with fresh lump meat and light seasoning. Just enough binder to hold it together and heated golden brown. Many of the ones I’ve tried over the years are like deep fried, crab-flavored turkey stuffing and filled with onions and peppers. Awful.

You must know this about me. I’m a foodie. Not a food snob. I love fresh food prepared with care. Whether it’s creme brulee or vanilla pudding. Filet mignon or hamburgers. Make it right. Care about what you do. I have driven two hours out of my way and passed 100 restaurants to get to that one place that makes great BBQ. I know…

The moment of truth quickly arrived at the Shellfish Grille and the plate was set before me. True, the cakes looked good. Golden brown, lump crab meat. I took a generous bite and dropped my fork. Images flooded my mind from long ago. On the pier lifting the crab traps… sitting with my mother at Timbuktu’s… at the Narrows Restaurant on the Eastern Shore…Captain Billy’s laugh at Pope’s Creek.

I quickly wiped a tear from my cheek as the waiter asked again. “How are they?” I wanted to run to the kitchen and kiss the chef. All I managed was to squeak out, “These are the best Crab Cakes I’ve eaten in Florida.” And they were.

I’ve returned to eat the crab cakes at the Shellfish Grille again and again. Like a father checking on his newborn child, I have to look just one more time. Now I’ve joined the Cult of the Crab Cake there. The members exchange knowing glances across the crowded dining room and share stories of other, lesser cakes from the past. We all now live in a secret Crab Cake paradise in St. Augustine, Florida. I am content…

Are you kidding me? At least he wore a latex glove for protection…

This is my buddy Jim doing what he does best. Defying Death. He is so attuned to the hundreds of gators here that it’s eerie. I’ll pass on the hand feeding of 12 foot gators, thank you very much. I’m brave… but really.

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Florida is a sheer delight. One of the finest animal sites I have ever visited. They hold the rare distinction of exhibiting every known species of the 23 crocodilians in existence. They even have white albino alligators and the ferocious saltwater crocodile, Maximo weighing in at 1250 pounds and stretching to over 15 feet.

Of course, my favorite shows are the feedings but they also have fantastic birds including a great vulture display and a world famous rookery where you can take photographs of nesting birds only inches away. Giant Galapagos tortoises, monkeys and emus. The list goes on and on. I appreciate that they continuously upgrade and improve this already wonderful place. The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park is one of my favorite stops in St. Augustine. This is a can’t miss in Florida.

I love to eat and drink. It is a passion with me. Taking the Local Tastes of North Beach Tour in San Francisco, California was a must. I was impressed.

North Beach is the “Little Italy” of the City. On this walking tour we tasted espresso that was freshly roasted and bread right out of the oven, after visiting the kitchen to watch them make it. Next were fresh deli meats, olive oil and cheeses from local artisans followed by chocolate from one of the top ten chocolatiers in America. We visited the church where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe were married and the Purple Onion café where Bill Cosby and Phyllis Diller got their start.

The journey was wonderful and filled with San Francisco insider information. You felt like a native on this tour. Tom was very helpful and friendly, offering sightseeing and restaurant suggestions throughout the tour. Eating your way through North Beach is fantastic and he also does a Chinatown tour. Mmmmmmmmmm. Feed me.

It’s fun when the owner/operator does the tour. I’m sure I just got lucky, but I really enjoyed the local perspective of a third generation San Franciscan. That is what Mr. Toads Tours offers in San Francisco, California. Local knowledge.

The reproduction 1918 Packard vehicle seats about 8 people and is very fun to ride in as we honked at passersby! They have a small fleet of these vintage cars that run on propane. A big part of the charm is that we could see areas that larger vehicles couldn’t explore. We went behind Coit tower, up into Russian Hill and really explored the neighborhoods. It’s great for small groups. It was personal and geared to the audience’s interests instead of a canned presentation on a pre-planned route. It’s the type of tour you can take more than once. I really enjoyed it. Ribbit…

This tour is a blast! The Electric Tour Company in San Francisco, California does it right.

I had never ridden a Segway before, along with most of the people in our group. A 45 minute training session fixed that and we were off. The tour starts near Fisherman’s wharf and travels toward the Golden Gate Bridge along the bay. There is lots of riding with some narration, which worked out well.The staff at Electric tours is fantastic! They are funny, articulate and genuine. You feel welcomed and reassured no matter what your skills. The equipment is in great shape and the route is safe. The pre-tour safety session includes a short film and personal instruction until everyone feels comfortable. We then eased into the tour with lots of practice. Several stops included a nice café where you can grab a drink or snack. The experience is about three hours including 45 minutes of training. They also do a Sausalito tour and a Night tour. A great way to tour.

The California Coastal Highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco is spectacular. I don’t think I have driven a more beautiful or challenging stretch of road as between Cambria and Monterey.

Soaring mountains on one side and plunging cliffs to the sea on the other. Rockslides are not uncommon and twice I was delayed by crews clearing boulders. This route is not for the weak of heart! You need to be alert and steady on this narrow road that often twists and turns thousands of feet above the ocean with no guardrails.

Some folks like to take 17 mile drive near Carmel in addition to the coastal highway but realize that they charge $8 to enter. (The 45 minute route is organized into about 20 stops and provides a more manicured version of the coastal highway.)

I was surprised at how many hiking trails are available on this stretch and many scenic pull-overs. This is not the fastest route since speeds can slow to 15 miles per hour in some places and rarely top 40. The rewards are worth it if you’re not in a hurry and can explore the coast and all it has to offer. Make sure to gas up since towns are few and far between here. This is a great driving experience.