In this article, we shall discuss the 35 best places to visit in the USA in October. To skip our detailed analysis of the global tourism industry in 2023, go directly and see 10 Best Places To Visit in the USA in October.
According to an assessment by Deloitte, as companies and organizations struggle to find their footing in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global tourism industry is under unprecedented pressure. After a period of stable expansion within the industry, the growth of the global travel sector, especially in some of the the best places to visit in the USA, was bogged down by worsening financial confidence in the final months of 2022. Within such a tenuous macroeconomic global climate, business leaders are incentivized to stabilize their operational capabilities and brace for an uncertain future. To read more about the tourism industry and its overall outlook in 2023, check out our article on World Tourism Rankings by Country: Top 20 Countries.
US International Travel Recovery: An Analysis
According to an article by Bloomberg, the United States is falling behind the global travel rebound, with international tourists remaining at 26% below pre-pandemic levels, even in some of the best places to visit in the USA. Furthermore, according to a monthly report by the US Travel Association, average travel spending has also seen a significant decline, remaining at $99 billion at the end of 2022, just over 52% of where it stood in 2019. According to US Travel's CEO Geoff Freeman:
“The lag is very significant, and we are very concerned. We estimate that this year alone we’re going to lose about 2.6 million international visitors and $7 billion less in spending. The US travel industry isn’t expected to recover to 2019 levels until 2025. Those two additional years will translate into billions of dollars of lost spending, of lost jobs.”
According to Bloomberg, one of the primary obstacles affecting travel companies like Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), Expedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE), and Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) in the United States is the State Department's US visa processing time. As of July 2023, visa wait times tended to remain north of 400 days for first-time applicants from top markets which do not qualify for visa waivers. This is put into perspective by the fact that in 2019, tourists requiring visa entry into the US made up for more than 49% of all inbound international travel. Furthermore, according to the article, hotel rates in some of the best places to visit in the United States remain one of the highest in the world since the international travel rebound. These prices, coupled with high travel costs and strong inflation rates, are one of the most significant deterrents keeping international travelers at bay. Moreover, tourists are also dealing with delays getting through customs and security at airports, and with TSA wait times projected to increase in 2023, any tailwinds for the US from the global travel rebound remains a pipedream.
One of the main reasons cited by Freeman for the travel lag in some of the best places to visit in the USA is the growing perception that the country is no longer safe. Increasing crime rates, homelessness in major cities, and frequent news of mass shootings have terrified potential tourists into staying weary of the United States for travel. Furthermore, the growing number of anti-LGBTQ legislations in the US, coupled with the Supreme Court's reversal of the Roe v. Wade verdict, have negatively impacted perceptions of the United States in foreign markets.
The Chinese Travel Rebound: Implications for Global Tourism
However, the United States can draw some optimism from the travel rebound in China. According to an article by McKinsey, China is steadily doing away with travel restrictions, both domestically and internationally, leading to projections of a strong global demand for international tourism. According to the article, the Chinese domestic travel industry is already witnessing a strong resurgence, with the last New Year holidays witnessing more than 308 million domestic trips and generating more than $51.4 billion in tourism revenue. This sudden surge highlights the fact that domestic travel volume has reached 90% of 2019 figures, while tourist spending has returned to 70% of pre-pandemic levels. McKinsey proceeds to shed light upon the spending behaviors and preferences of Chinese travelers and how the global travel industry can prepare for their return.
Before the pandemic arrived in 2019, China boasted the largest outbound travel market not only to some of the best places to visit in the USA, but in the world. In 2019, Chinese tourists undertook more than 150 million outbound trips and made for more than $255 billion in travel spending. Furthermore, the country is also an integral source market for major destinations; for instance, Chinese tourists constitute more than 28% of inbound tourism in Thailand, 30% in Japan, and 16% of non-EU visitors to Germany. Chinese leisure tourists represented more than 65% of all travelers in 2019. Hence, when this massive outflow of tourism was ceased post the pandemic, the blow to the global tourism industry was massive. As McKinsey points out, the tourism rebound in China spells huge opportunities for tourism companies like Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), Expedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE), and Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) across the world.
However, the road to recovery for Chinese outbound tourism is still murky. Whilst most Chinese tourists express a strong desire to travel, the need for expensive COVID-19 testing, coupled with rising ticket prices, risk appetites of destination countries, and restrictions in getting passports and visas can deter tourists from international travel. Furthermore, travel recovery may also be heavily contingent upon airline capacity. Some international airlines have been slow to restore capacity, especially due to the labor shortage. To read more on the labor shortage affecting the global travel industry in 2023, check out our article on the 30 Most Expensive Cities to Visit in the US. By August 2023, international airline seat capacity had only returned to around 42% of pre-pandemic levels causing tourists to experience elevated ticket prices per seat. Price sensitive tourists often tend to wait for ticket prices to fall before booking international visits. Moreover, more than 20% of Chinese tourists have had their passports expire since the outset of the pandemic in 2019 and the Chinese government had not resumed passport renewals up until early 2023. Although renewals have since resumed, the huge backlog of applications will severely restrict the travel rebound for the rest of 2023. This might also lead to visas for destination countries getting delayed.
Additionally, companies like Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), Expedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE), and Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) would benefit by understanding that over the course of the pandemic, the average Chinese tourist had been travelling domestically. During this period, the domestic market evolved, and tourists became more sophisticated as they tried different leisure experiences like beach resorts, skiing trips and "staycations" in home cities. Therefore, the post-pandemic Chinese traveler is more digitally informed, experience oriented, and demands exploration. Although economic optimism is in the midst of a global decline, more than half of Chinese tourists reported, in a survey conducted by McKinsey, that they are optimistic about international travel in 2024.
To compile our list of the 35 best places to visit in the USA in October, we decided to use a variety of third-party research. We first shortlisted some of the most visited destinations in the United States based on data from different blogs and websites, which reported on the top travel destinations in the US (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Then, we developed a unique evidence based criteria to evaluate each destination for inclusion in the list: weather, based on data from the NOAA (5 points); natural beauty, based on Reddit threads (1,2) (4 points); budget considerations, based on data from Numbeo (3 points); outdoor activities, based on individual Reddit threads (2 points); and accessibility, based on information from TripAdvisor (1 point). We proceeded to score each destination according to the aforementioned criteria and selected thirty five destinations which scored the highest points. Subsequently, we ranked each destination based on the total points they scored, from lowest to highest. Where there was a tie, we broke it based on its cumulative score in the weather and natural beauty category.
First on our list of the 35 best places to visit in the USA in October is Bend, which is also one of the most underrated travel destinations on this list. It is recommended to visit Bend during autumn in October due to the pleasant weather and vast options of activities like hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking.
34. San Diego, California
Insider Monkey's Score: 3
San Diego has a range of activities and tourist attractions including the San Diego Zoo, kayaking, and serene park walks in the evening. It is advisable to visit during October to avoid the crowd.
33. Mammoth Lakes, California
Insider Monkey's Score: 3
Mammoth Lakes is known for its natural beauty, colorful trees and rugged mountains. Many tourists like to explore the Silver Lake and June Lake as well.
32. North Cascades National Park, Washington
Insider Monkey's Score: 3
The North Cascades National Park is renowned for having conifer trees that change color during different seasons. Visitors can also hike to have a beautiful view of the landscape.
31. Kansas City, Missouri
Insider Monkey's Score: 3.5
Kansas City has a range of activities, especially during the fall season. The city hosts fountain tours, football games, and has famous barbecue joints to enjoy a meal with friends and family.
30. Door County, Wisconsin
Insider Monkey's Score: 4
Door County is a highly visited destination due to its promotion of local festivals. Some of the more prominent festivals include the Townline Art Fair and the Lighthouse Festival.
29. Aspen, Colorado
Insider Monkey's Score: 4
Aspen attracts many tourists because of its wonderful weather. Since the mornings are pleasant, it is convenient for visitors to partake in activities like hiking and kayaking during the day as well, making it a strong contender in our list of the 35 best places to visit in the USA in October.
28. Burlington, Vermont
Insider Monkey's Score: 4
Burlington is known for its scenic beauty. Many visitors hike, ride a bike, or take a cruise to glance at the colorful landscapes across the city.
27. Salem, Massachusetts
Insider Monkey's Score: 4.5
Salem is a town which celebrates Halloween during October by hosting the Haunted Happenings Festival. It is also known to have historic architecture and museums.
26. Miami, Florida
Insider Monkey's Score: 4.5
Miami is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. However, it has relatively high temperatures throughout the year, even in October. Nevertheless, tourists love to bask in the warm weather at beaches and resorts in the city, especially during October to avoid the summer crowd.
25. San Francisco, California
Insider Monkey's Score: 5
San Francisco is known as the Fog City because of a dense fog that permeates the air throughout the year. However, during fall, the skies are clear and it is a good time to ride bicycles, have picnics, and take evening strolls in the streets.
24. Bennington, Vermont
Insider Monkey's Score: 5
Bennington hosts various events during the fall season including tractor rides and apple bobbing. This destination is known for apple-picking and its famous landmark, the Bennington Monument.
23. Napa Valley, California
Insider Monkey's Score: 5.5
Next on our list of the 35 best places to visit in the USA in October is Napa Valley, which is known for wine-tasting activities. The destination hosts the Auburn James winery which attracts numerous tourists for wine tasting and exhaustive tours of the vineyards, as well.
22. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Insider Monkey's Score: 6
The Mount Rainier National Park has beautiful trees that are aflame with fall colors like yellow, orange, and red.
21. Yosemite National Park, California
Insider Monkey's Score: 6
Yosemite National Park has well-paved trails for hiking. During October, the park has fewer visitors, which makes it easier for tourists to hike and absorb the scenic beauty.
20. New York City, New York
Insider Monkey's Score: 6
New York City is one of the best tourist destinations in the US in October due to the weather and the diverse range of events one can partake in. Due to the pleasant weather, one can hang around Central Park and also attend the annual New York Comic Con.
19. Grand Canyon National Park
Insider Monkey's Score: 6.5
The Grand Canyon is extremely scenic and budget-friendly during October because of the slow inflow of visitors. Many tourists prefer October for their Grand Canyon hiking expeditions.
18. Telluride, Colorado
Insider Monkey's Score: 6.5
During October, Telluride has many activities that tourists can partake in. These activities include hiking, watching the Telluride Horror Show, and riding its famous gondolas.
17. Yellowstone National Park
Insider Monkey's Score: 6.5
In Yellowstone National Park, the visitors can observe animals like the elk and eagles. Biking, fly-fishing, and hiking are the main activities that visitors look for whilst visiting the park.
16. Big Sur, California
Insider Monkey's Score: 7
The weather in Big Sur is warm and sunny during October. This allows the visitors to engage in sightseeing and other wildlife activities, like observing whales in the Pacific Ocean.
15. Hawaii
Insider Monkey's Score: 7
During October, Hawaii is a budget-friendly destination to visit, primarily due to smaller crowds. The island is home to multiple scenic beaches and hiking trails.
14. Jackson Hole Valley
Insider Monkey's Score: 7.5
Jackson Hole Valley organizes various events during fall, including the Fall Arts Festival. The destination also attracts animal-lovers due to its National Elk Refuge.
13. Charleston, South Carolina
Insider Monkey's Score: 7.5
Charleston has a range of activities that may attract many tourists. The city hosts events like the Boone Hall Fright Nights and MOJA Arts Festival. It is also home to many historic attractions.
12. The Berkshires
Insider Monkey's Score: 8
The Berkshires are a small town and have activities like apple and pumpkin picking. Additionally, the town is home to many historic attractions and has a renowned fall foliage.
11. Savannah, Georgia
Insider Monkey's Score: 8.5
During October, Savannah celebrates Halloween through multiple events like a ghost tour and a haunted hotel. Furthermore, it has activities like walking in Forsyth Park or attending Savannah Jazz Festival. Savannah is number 11 on our list of the 35 best places to visit in the USA in October.
