The 25 Most Instagrammed Summer Vacation Spots

By Chris Wilson / Time.com and Time.com
June 07, 2016
Credit: Alamy
This story originally appeared on time.com

For many Americans, Memorial Day weekend is a chance to squeeze in a quick trip to the beach or soak up a little culture in the big city. Since the long weekend is the unofficial start of summer vacation, TIME decided to take a look at which places in the U.S. saw the most travel-related Instagram activity.

While thousands of users did flee for the coastline, a good many more flocked to major U.S. cities like New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles—though in the latter case, some beachgoers may have tagged themselves as being in L.A. while others were more specific with tagging themselves at Venice Beach or the like.

Curiously, in spite of the long flight, quite a bit of activity shows up across the major Hawaiian islands. Among continental beaches, those in driving distance to major cities saw the most activity, with spots like Miami Beach and Virginia Beach drawing large crowds. South Carolina and the Florida panhandle were also particularly popular.

MethodologyIt’s not possible to know for sure that every tagged photo is from a person on vacation. To get the best results, TIME started by analyzing all geotagged photos in the U.S. with the tag “vacation,” then examined which other tags were commonly associated with them. That led us to “travel,” “travelgram,” “ocean” and “beach.”
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1 of 25

Central Park 

Credit: Getty Images/Moment RF

Location: New York, NY

Count: 10,620

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2 of 25

Venice Beach 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Count: 4,990

3 of 25

Golden Gate Bridge

Location: San Francisco, CA

Count: 4,002

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4 of 25

South Beach, Miami

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Miami Beach, FL

Count: 3,079

5 of 25

Millennium Park

Credit: Alamy

Location: Chicago, IL

Count: 3,017

6 of 25

Las Vegas Strip 

Credit: Anna McKerrow

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Count: 3,010

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7 of 25

La Jolla Cove

Credit: Getty Images

Location: San Diego, CA

Count: 2,977

8 of 25

Waikiki Beach

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Honolulu, HI

Count: 2,774

9 of 25

Disney's Magic Kingdom

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Orlando, FL

Count: 2,235

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10 of 25

Santa Monica Pier

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Santa Monica, CA

Count: 1,864

11 of 25

The Gentleman's Club: The Office

Credit: Alamy

Location: Miami, FL

Count: 1,833

12 of 25

Lincoln Memorial 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Washington, DC

Count: 1,540

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13 of 25

Pike Place Market

Credit: Alamy

Location: Seattle, WA

Count: 1,496

14 of 25

Point Dume Beach, Malibu, California 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Malibu, CA

Count: 1,355

15 of 25

The Boston Common 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Boston, MA

Count: 1,141

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16 of 25

New Orleans French Quarter 

Credit: Shutterstock

Location: New Orleans, LA

Count: 987

17 of 25

International Rose Test Garden 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Portland, OR

Count: 947

18 of 25

Fort Lauderdale Beach

Credit: Slow Images

Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Count: 932

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19 of 25

Montage Laguna Beach 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Laguna Beach, CA

Count: 928

20 of 25

Crystal Cove State Park 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Newport Beach, CA

Count: 842

21 of 25

Kaanapali Beach 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Lahaina, HI

Count: 833

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22 of 25

Fort Zachary Beach, Key West

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Key West, FL

Count: 712

23 of 25

Virginia Beach Oceanfront/Boardwalk 

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Count: 689

24 of 25

Huntington Dog Beach

Credit: Getty Images

Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Count: 680

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25 of 25

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Credit: Alamy

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Count: 673

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By Chris Wilson / Time.com and Time.com