The most beautiful places to visit in the US

• Insider rounded up the most beautiful places in the US, based on our own travel rankings as well as those of other publications.
• Notable destinations include the Pacific Coast Highway, Lake Tahoe, and Central Park.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

From breathtaking natural wonders to architectural marvels built by humans, America is a beautiful place with no shortage of gorgeous destinations to visit.

Based on travel rankings from Insider and other publications, as well as travel sites such as TripAdvisor, we rounded up the most beautiful places in the US.

In no particular order, here are 32 destinations that put their postcard photos to shame.

SEE ALSO: The most breathtaking natural wonder in every state

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San Francisco — California

San Francisco is full of world-famous tourist sites, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman's Wharf, and the sea lions at Pier 39. Flight Network ranked it as one of the 50 most beautiful cities in the world.

Oneonta Gorge — Oregon

Insider named Oregon's Oneonta Gorge one of the 11 spectacular waterfalls in the US you need to see in your lifetime.

Oak Alley Plantation — Vacherie, Louisiana

Oak Alley Plantation was built from 1837 through 1839 and named for the 800 feet of oak trees that predated its construction. Country Living named the property the most beautiful historic home in America.

Clearwater Beach — Clearwater, Florida

Voted the best beach in the US by TripAdvisor, one user wrote: "Having flown from upstate New York, with its snow and cold blowing wind, Clearwater was a wonderful respite. The white sand, and calm ocean waves made for a wonderful break!"

Skagit Valley Tulip Fields — Skagit Valley, Washington

Skagit Valley hosts an annual blink-and-you'll-miss-it Tulip Festival in April. People come from all over the world to see the colorful fields of tulips in bloom. Last year, the festival attracted people from all 50 states and 93 countries.

Kenai Fjords National Park — Alaska

Glaciers might look stationary, but their movements sculpt landscapes. Exit Glacier is the only part accessible by road, otherwise you can navigate the park by boat, kayak, or on foot. The park is also home to Alaskan wildlife such as whales, mountain goats, bears, and moose.

Acadia National Park — Maine

With 158 miles of hiking trails and seven peaks above 1,000 feet, it's no wonder that 3.3 million people visit the park each year, making it one of the most visited parks in North America.

Boulder — Colorado

With its views of the Rocky Mountains and charming hubs like Pearl Street, Insider named Boulder one of the prettiest cities in the US. National Geographic also named it the happiest city in the US. Is there a better combination?

Charleston — South Carolina

Charleston was voted America's Best Small City by Condé Nast Traveler readers for its fifth consecutive year in 2015, and again in 2017. In 2016 it was voted the best city in the world by Travel + Leisure. With colorful houses lining its streets and tons of beautiful settings for outdoor recreation, it's a well-deserved honor.

White Sands National Monument — New Mexico

The gleaming gypsum sand at White Sands National Monument covers 275 miles, making it the largest gypsum dunefield in the world.

Hot Springs National Park — Arkansas

They don't call it "The American Spa" for nothing. The water in Hot Springs National Park is a toasty 143 degrees Fahrenheit, and the park is full of hiking trails and historic bathhouses. 

Grand Prismatic Spring — Teton County, Wyoming

There are many attractions worth visiting within Yellowstone National Park, but the Grand Prismatic Spring's bright colors make it a standout destination. The water coming from a crack in the ground running 121 feet deep gets its vibrant hues from bacteria living around the spring.

The Pacific Coast Highway — California

The Pacific Coast Highway is once of the most well-known scenic drives in the US, famous for its cliff-side ocean views and pit stops like the Golden Gate Bridge and redwood forests.

Badlands National Park — South Dakota

The Badlands' 244,000 acres of otherworldly rock formations and fossil beds are known as the Grand Canyon of the Midwest.

Newport — Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island, is one of those storybook towns with whimsical cottages, enormous mansions, and miles of coastal walkways.

The Wave — Coyote Buttes North, Arizona

Microsoft included an image of The Wave in their desktop wallpaper options in 2009, skyrocketing what was once a little-known local gem into a must-see destination. Because of its fragility, the Bureau of Land Management only allows 20 people to visit per day as determined by a lottery.

Lake Tahoe —California and Nevada

Lake Tahoe is the second-deepest lake in the US. Its clear blue waters make for breathtaking scuba diving.

Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park — Reynold's County, Missouri

"Nature's waterpark" is nestled in Missouri's St. Francois Mountains. The shut-ins are a series of mild river rapids and igneous rocks leftover from volcanic activity billions of years ago.

The Milwaukee Art Museum — Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Architect Santiago Calatrava designed the innovative Milwaukee Art Museum building, which features 90-foot ceilings in Windhover Hall and wings that open twice every day. It's scenically situated on Lake Michigan along bike paths and walkways.

Glacier National Park — Montana

Glacier National Park's natural beauty made the cut as the most breathtaking natural wonder and the most beautiful vacation spot in Montana in Insider's roundups, as well as a distinction as a World Heritage Site.

Prabhupada's Palace of Gold — New Vrindaban, West Virginia

Business Insider readers dubbed the Palace of Gold the most beautiful building in the state of West Virginia. New Vrindaban was founded in the 1960s by followers of Hare Krishna, and is sometimes referred to as "America’s Taj Mahal."

Its lavish ornamentation includes marble, onyx, teak, and 22-karat gold leaf.

Arches National Park — Utah

With over 2,000 stone arches formed naturally, the largest one spanning 306 feet, Arches National Park is nature's sculpture garden. The park drew 1.5 million visitors in 2016.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — Big Island, Hawaii

You can get up-close and personal with active, lava burbling volcanoes through boat tours and guided hikes at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Wellesley College — Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley College's 500-acre campus with a private lake is one of the most beautiful college campuses in America.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art — New York, New York

TripAdvisor ranked The Met as the best museum in the US in its 2017 Travelers' Choice Awards.

"Over-the-top fabulous with incredible, impeccable collections of an amazing array of furniture, art, armor, architecture, music," one user wrote of the museum.

Niagara Falls — Buffalo, New York

Established in 1885, Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the US. The waterfall flows with more than 700,000 gallons of water per second.

Grand Canyon National Park — Arizona

The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It stretches for 277 miles and could date as far back as 70 million years ago.

Tallgrass Prairie Natural Reserve — Kansas

Tallgrass Prairie's 10,894-acre reserve is the only national park dedicated to preserving the tallgrass prairie ecosystem full of forbs, flowers, trees, and shrubs. There's nothing like the fresh country air and wide, open space.

Thor's Well — Yachats, Oregon

During high tide, water fills Thor's Well, sprays out of it, and drains back inside for a mesmerizing water show. Just don't get too close to this "drainpipe of the Pacific."

Central Park — New York, New York

Central Park covers 843 acres of land in one of the world's busiest cities. Surrounded by skyscrapers but full of wooded paths, the park attracts locals and tourists from around the world.

The top of the Willis Tower — Chicago, Illinois

Standing at 110 stories tall, the Willis Tower's skydeck offers a panoramic view of the city of Chicago and Lake Michigan. It draws 1.5 million tourists every year.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park — Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National park is the most-visited national park in the US. If you go during firefly mating season, you'll be treated to a stunning light show.

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