Life

The Most Instagram-Worthy Locations In The U.S.

We already know what the most Instagrammed type of food is (hi there, cheese triangles of deliciousness!) — but what are the most Instagrammed locations in the United States? Bus-centric ticket finder and travel site Busbud did a little number crunching in order to find out, and although the results may not be surprising, they're still incredibly beautiful. Spoiler: We really, really like sharing pictures of the great outdoors.

Busbud used both the location types and names of popular locations on TripAdvisor across the United States to examine which locations produced the most hashtags. Then they ranked them, determining not only the most popular types of hashtagged locations on Instagram, but also the most Instagrammed location in each and every state.

Some of the results of the by-the-state ranking are to be expected: The most Instagrammed location in Washington, D.C., for example, is the White House; in Massachusetts, it's Fenway Park; in California, it's Disneyland; and in Louisiana, it's Bourbon Street. Some of them, however, are kind of surprising. I won't lie — I find it really weird that the most photographed location in Connecticut is the Mohegan Sun casino.

But maybe that's just me.

In any event, here are the five most popular types of locations to Instagram in the United States; scroll down to check out the specific top spot for each state, and head on over to Busbud for more — including rankings for Canada, because the United States certainly isn't the only country in North America with Insta-worthy locales.

1. Parks

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most Instagrammed type of location in the United States is your good ol' standard park. I can think of a few reasons why this might be, but two in particular stand out to me: One, parks = nature, and nature is both pretty and Instagram-worthy; and two, parks are accessible nature, even for city-dwellers.

2. State Parks

If parks = nature, state parks = huge nature. You could make the argument that places like Yellowstone lose some of their grandeur when you shrink them down to the size of a phone screen — but I can still understand why they're so popular. It's also about being able to say you were there, you know?

3. Wineries and Vineyards

I'm sensing a trend here with the whole “nature” thing, but this time, we also get the bonus of wine. The best part? You don't need to go to Napa Valley to #hashtag #that #vineyad; there are roughly 7,800 wineries in the United States, and most of them are both scenic and delicious. Weirdly enough, there are actually tons of wineries in New Jersey, like Laurita Winery. I have been there (althoug this is not my picture), and it is glorious. Just sayin'.

4. Historic Sites

As Busbud notes, the White House is “an obvious favorite” — but they also point out that there are loads of other historic sites that might be lesser-known, but which are no less worthy of your best #nofilter shot. Case in point: Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, a place of which I hold many fond childhood memories. It's beautiful this time of year, is it not?

5. Gardens

Because who doesn't love the sight of a beautiful garden in full bloom? No one. That's who.

Check out the top location in each state below, and head on over to Busbud for more.

Images: Pexels; m.melendez1461, stevetulk, captain barbosa, Matthia Rosenkranz, Percita/Flickr; courtesy of Busbud