5 CA Destinations Named Top Places To Visit In 2021: U.S. News

CALIFORNIA — Planning your next vacation? If so, you won’t need to travel far. U.S. News & World Report this week released its annual list of the nation’s 30 best vacation spots, and five them are in California.

• Yosemite
• San Francisco
• Lake Tahoe
• San Diego
• Big Sur

Yosemite

Yosemite National Park features nearly 1,200 square miles of natural wonders including towering waterfalls, millennia-old sequoia trees, daunting cliff faces and some of the nation's most unique rock formations.

San Francisco

San Francisco visitors will find world class museums and restaurants amid a densely populated city featuring a cultural scene influenced by diverse ethnic groups and social movements. Be sure to pack a sweater if you're visiting the City by the Bay as the summer months can be quite cool.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a year-round destination for travelers, welcoming upwards of 2.7 million people a year. The region features steep granite cliff sides and mountains that tower over the lake's crystal-clear waters.

San Diego

Blue skies and a temperate climate along with 70 miles of spectacular coastline draw visitors to San Diego throughout the year. Popular Mexican restaurants, a thriving nightlife and one of the nations's favorite zoos are among the city's top attractions.

Big Sur

Big Sur snakes around 90 miles of spectacular coastline along Highway 1 from the Monterey Bay to San Simeon. This area's remote location, peaceful nature and stunning beauty make it a popular year-round attraction.

The annual rankings, which highlight the world’s best places to visit, include several region-specific lists, including the best places to visit in the United States and the best small towns to visit in the United States.

Destinations are also ranked among several niche lists, such as best weekend getaways in the South, the best weekend getaways in the Midwest and the best mountain towns to visit in the United States.

To determine the annual rankings, U.S. News analyzed more than 1,100 destinations using a methodology that combines traveler opinion (collected through user votes) with expert and editor analyses.

Each destination is scored in 10 categories including sights, culture, food, nightlife, adventure and romance. The goal is to offer travelers a comprehensive evaluation of each destination.

Once again, the calming appeal of forests, canyons and mountain ranges helped several national parks land spots at the top of the list for best places to visit in the United States. Here are the top five:

1. Grand Canyon National Park

2. Yosemite National Park

3. Yellowstone National Park

4. Maui, Hawaii

5. Glacier National Park

New to this year’s rankings is the niche list highlighting the best mountain towns to visit in the United States. These towns “offer the best of both worlds to travelers looking to hike or bike while still enjoying the comforts of small-town life,” according to the rankings.

Topping the list of best mountain towns is Gatlinburg, Tennessee, followed by Bar Harbor, Maine, and Telluride, Colorado.

Other interesting lists include the best historical cities to visit in the United States. Here are the top five, listed in order according to ranking:

1. Washington, D.C.

2. Boston, Massachusetts

3. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

5. Williamsburg, Virginia

If you’re hoping to get out of town for cheap, there’s a list for that, too. These are the top five cheap vacations in the United States:

1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

2. Glacier National Park, Montana

3. Olympic National Park, Washington

4. St. Augustine, Florida

5. Sequoia National Park, California

Ready to make a vacation bucket list? Check out the full rankings for Best Vacations available on U.S. News’ website.