New York state has many one-of-a-kind attractions for both in-state residents and tourists ranging from Niagara Falls State Park near Buffalo and Lake Placid in the Adirondacks to the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning and the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. HGTV’s travel experts compiled a roundup of bucket list adventures in every state and the District of Columbia, but their choice for the Empire State might come as a bit of a surprise.
Here’s how New York state is represented.
What’s the most bucket list-worthy adventure in New York?
Thousands of runners cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge from Staten Island into Brooklyn for the start of the New York City Marathon Nov. 1, 1998.
While upstate New Yorkers might not agree, HGTV lists the New York City Marathon as the Empire State’s bucket list adventure.
The marathon, which became the world’s largest ever in 2024 with over 55,000 total finishers, weaves through all five New York City boroughs over the 26.2 mile-course. It typically takes place on the first Sunday of November each year and runners start on Staten Island and finish in Central Park.
See 2024 NYC Marathon photos: Nageeye takes pro men’s open, Chepkirui wins pro women’s
HGTV’s bucket list adventures in all 50 states
Thinking of traveling across the U.S. this summer? You might want to consider adding some of these spots to your list.
Alabama: Adult Space Academy at NASA’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville
Arkansas: Anthony Chapel in the Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs
California: Joshua Tree National Park
Colorado: Royal Gorge Cloudscraper zip-line in Cañon City
Connecticut: Winvian Farm Treehouse in Morris
Delaware: Parasailing over Dewey Beach
Florida: Drive over the Overseas Highway connecting Key Largo to Key West
Georgia: Jekyll Island’s Driftwood Beach
Illinois: The Skydeck Chicago
Iowa: American Gothic House in Eldon
Kansas: Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Site in Topeka
Kentucky: Corvette Museum in Bowling Green
Louisiana: The Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans
Maine: Sail a historic windjammer
Maryland: See the Assateague Island wild ponies
Massachusetts: Visit Fenway Park in Boston
Michigan: Climb the Sleeping Bear Dunes
Minnesota: Fat bike on the snow
Mississippi: Take an airboat tour of the Mississippi Gulf Coast swamplands
Missouri: Dive into the man-made caverns at Bonne Terre Mine
What to know: World Atlas says this NY village has a must-see downtown
Montana: Visit Glacier National Park
Nebraska: Catch the sandhill crane migration
Nevada: Drive along the Extraterrestrial Highway
New Hampshire: View fall foliage
New Jersey: Ocean City Boardwalk
New Mexico: White Sands National Dunes
North Carolina: Fly over the Outer Banks on a replica Wright Brothers’ 1902 glider
North Dakota: Visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Ohio: Spend a day at Cedar Point in Sandusky
Oklahoma: Route 66 Museum in Clinton
Oregon: Relax at Cannon Beach
Pennsylvania: Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home Fallingwater in Mill Run
Rhode Island: Newport’s Cliff Walk
South Carolina: Bulls Island
South Dakota: Badlands National Park
Tennessee: Listen to live music in Nashville
Utah: Arches National Park
Vermont: Bike the Kingdom Trails
Washington: Go orca whale watching
West Virginia: Raft Gauley River
Wisconsin: Explore the caves of the Apostle Islands
Wyoming: Visit Eaton’s Family Ranch, the nation’s first dude ranch
Washington, D.C.: Monument Night Tour
Emily Barnes on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: HGTV says this is the top bucket list adventure in NY: Do you agree?