Rating of U.S. Destinations
 

Does anyone know of a website that features a travelers' rating system for visited cities?

Say, for instance, I wanted to take a road trip from MN and was debating whether to visit St. Louis MO, Fargo ND, or Milwaukee WI. Besides using Fodors and Trip Advisor for tips, is there a website that rates these destinations as a whole based on traveler reviews?

I don't know of any. I have only visited St. Louis. I certainly wouldn't rate it as a "must see" in the US. It was nice, but nothing spectacular. I guess the Arch, baseball, and Little Italy area is what I remember the most about my 3 visits to St. Louis. It has the worst Six Flags that I have been to.

The number of visitors could be considered a rating, per se.

Here are a few lists from Forbes. It looks like St Louis, Fargo, and Milwaukee all JUST missed the top 10.

http://budgettravel.about.com/od/des...bes_uslist.htm

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/28/tou...?partner=msnbc

Honestly, though - those 3 cities would rank so far down on anybody's US destinations list that any comparison between #86 vs 91 vs 74 out of 100 would be meaningless. Not sure 2 of them would even hit the top 100.

To answer the proverbial question asked here on Fodors "is XXX worth it?," the answer for all 3 cities would be a flat out no, in my opinion, especially if there was any cost whatsoever. The only exception would be if I was passing through Missouri and wanted to visit the Arch.

According to Virtual Touris, St. Luis is 25th and Minneapolis is 35th in popularity: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...f_America.html

Fargo didn't make the top 50.

I have fond memories of Fargo, ND. Years ago, when I had a stopover there on a cross-country bus ride, a jeweler fixed my wristwatch without charge and it was there I enjoyed what I remember to be the best hamburger I ever ate.

I would put Fargo on a par with Topeka, KS, and way ahead of Yakima, WA.

Kind of depends on what you are looking for in a destination, does it not ? I would (personally) prefer to ask specific questions on here of people who know, as to rely on some arbitrary website or 'best of' list, which are seldom accurate. Of the 3 you have listed, I would choose Milwaukee.

I don't live to far from Topeka, and I can't think of a single reason to go there.

Thanks for suggesting those websites.

I realize that the destinations I mentioned are not as popular as NYC or San Francisco, but they are on a short list of cities within a 4-9 hour drive from Minneapolis.

Don;t know of any - and don;t see how it wold work - since everyone has different interests and likes./dislikes it's practically impossible to agree on this - unless you know the person very well.''(I really dislike both Vegas and Orlando - but I know they are major vacation destinations - just not for me.)

If you're asking just a general how much is there to do - I think there are certain places that most people will agree on - but there are people who don;t even like NY or DC - they're just not city people.

Specifically to your question, have never been to Fargo - and wouldn;t pick either of the others as vacation destinations.

I thought that at this forum people can ask whatever travel-related questions they want and expect to get sensible answers. What is to be gained by disapproving of questions posted here or disparaging answers others give to the questions?

<i>I don't live to far from Topeka, and I can't think of a single reason to go there.</i>

I can. I had a beloved aunt who lived there, and I never tired of visiting her. I had loads of fun with her in Topeka over a very long period.

HTTY

You can search for trip reports here for those cities you listed.

Among those 3, I've only been to St Louis, for a long weekend. We had a great time there - from contemporary art to the Arch to UNESCO heritage site to botanic garden to free beer: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

I'd love to visit Milwaukee some day, even if it's just a quick visit to see the Milwaukee Art Museum. The architecture itself is worth the trip, IMO. http://www.mam.org/info/architecture.php

HTTY,
I think every question here has been answered honestly and forward. The OP asked about a website that ranks cities. So far everyone has come to the conclusion that it would be hard for such a website to exist and what criteria would it be based on. We all assumed the the poster wanted to go to one of those cities that they mentioned, and we all concluded that none of those cities would be really high on the list. However, they are major cities and I am sure there are many things to do there. If my answer offended you I am sorry as I value your opinion and you have answered several of my questions on this board before.

Thanks, spirobulldog.

Yes, the OP seems to be asking for a site that rates destinations in a way similar to the way TripAdvisor rates hotels or Urbanspoon rates restaurants.

Absent that kind of information, I thought that the popularity of destinations would be a pretty good indirect measure of how travelers rate them--that when they go out of their way to visit a place such as San Francisco, they rate it high, and when they don't make a big effort to go to a place such as Topeka, they rate its tourist appeal low.

With that in mind, I thought a list of the most visited places in the US would give the OP some guidance. These lists are published in many places, including at this site. There are sometimes slight differences in rankings, but overall they are not arbitrary--the destinations at the top of the lists are pretty consistent and some destinations (such as Yakima) never make the list.

I believe that another indirect measure of the popularity of destinations is the number of guidebooks published for them. For instance, bookstores in Seattle have loads of guides for California but none for Kansas.

I suppose publishers, such as Fodors and Frommers, don't offer a guide for Kansas because the market for such a book is too limited to make the venture profitable.

The OP may find additional guidance at "1,000 Places to See Before You Die": http://www.1000beforeyoudie.com/Sear...?continentId=6

All this said, I was disappointed to find in the OP's second post that I would have been spared a lot of effort if he/she had asked the question for which he/she actually seems to want an answer: "What are interesting places to visit within a 4-9 hour drive of Minneapolis?" In that case, I would have suggested Galena and Chicago, Illinois.

HTTY

boots08, I suggest you get the AAA TourBooks for your state and bordering states and study them for destinations that appeal to you. HTTY

I don't live to far from Topeka, and I can't think of a single reason to go there.

I can. I had a beloved aunt who lived there, and I never tired of visiting her. I had loads of fun with her in Topeka over a very long period.
_________________________________________

I am not sure they factored your lovely aunt into the score for Topeka.

I select destinations to visit according to my interests. I honestly (and respectfully) can't see much point in visiting cities or regions without a must do list simply because they are within a certain hours drive of my home.

My advice? Save (vacations days, funds, etc) for a destination that you feel COMPELLED to visit and bypass the "what is there to do there" destinations, although it's possible to discover a gem that is not listed in guidebooks, it's also not very likely.

I am fortunate to live in New England where there are more than enough sites within easy driving distance to last a lifetime.

Bucket list anyone?

>><i>Yes, the OP seems to be asking for a site that rates destinations in a way similar to the way TripAdvisor rates hotels or Urbanspoon rates restaurants.</i>

Yes. Thanks again, HTTY.

That question is in my first post. And the websites you and J62 provided the help I needed.

Though I wasn't necessarily seeking advice on the specific destinations I had mentioned (for various reasons), I have taken note of the advice given.

This is why it is incumbent upon the original poster giving information as to their objectives/likes/dislikes/ages/budget/traveling season/travel time when posting.

I don't know how you could possibly rate sites/cities in a meaningful way that would be useful to everyone.

Great city vacation weekends have been spent by us in Milwaukee and in St. Louis. There are so many things to see and do in any American city of any size, that I totally agree with happytrails.

In fact, some of the smaller or mid-size cities have such fabulous access for tourists and such undiscovered gems (cultural too)that such ratings by those who have only gone to the top 7 or 8, IMHO, are totally useless.

It depends a whole lot in what your interests are. Do you want to see the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame or Andy Warhol, for instance??