Labor Day sees a surge in staycation bookings from Americans looking to make the most of the September sun. Airbnb has analysed booking data for the nights 2-5 September to narrow down this year's top trending Labor Day destinations, ranging from often overlooked state capitals to the beaches on Florida's Gulf Coast.
Historically overshadowed by neighbours Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio's state capital makes up for its lack of flagship attractions with vibrant art and food scenes. The Scioto Mile forms the spine of the city: a riverside stretch of well-kept parkland criss-crossed by cycling trails, terminating a few blocks from the Columbus Museum of Art. History buffs should head to the German Village, a nationally registered historic district, before sampling diverse cuisines at the 145-year-old North Market.
The eminently day-trippable Hocking Hills State Park is just a short way southeast of Columbus. The forested park packs in tinkling cascades, rickety old bridges and atmospheric caves, interspersed with ziplines, hiking trails and campsites. Back in the city, Labor Day visitors can enjoy the Columbus Greek Festival, Columbus Caribbean Festival and the final day of the annual Obetz Zucchini Festival, described by the brochures as "a family-friendly event celebrating everything zucchini".
200-odd miles (320km) from North Carolina's conventional top sights, state capital Raleigh hasn't always topped East Coast must-visit lists, but a steady stream of visitors are now waking up to its vibrant food scene, antebellum architecture and relaxed vibe. Take a stroll through Pullen Park or wander the historic Oakwood neighbourhood, filled with fully restored 19th-century townhouses.
Nicknamed 'the Smithsonian of the South', Raleigh has plenty to offer to culture vultures thanks mostly to four free museums, ranging from contemporary art to military history. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is our personal favourite, fronted by a colossal globe taller than most nearby buildings. They won't be on show in time for Labor Day, but 2023 visitors can see the so-called 'Dueling Dinosaurs' – fossilised skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops entangled in a deadly embrace, that rank among the world's most important paleontological discoveries.
Scorching hot Tampa has commanded a lot of headlines recently thanks to winning runs from all three of its major sports teams, and now its status as a top Labor Day break. Enjoying prime position on Florida's Gulf Coast, Tampa has a glut of sumptuous seaside and the beachfront is rimmed by the 4.5-mile (7km) Bayshore Boulevard, the world's longest continuous sidewalk. Inland, explore two centuries of Cuban history in the Ybor City district, once known as 'the cigar capital of the world'.
A family-friendly destination with a focus on fun, Tampa has enough theme parks, children's museums and animal attractions to endlessly entertain all ages. Very few cities are famous for their aquariums – which should give a sense of just how good Tampa's Florida Aquarium is – and its swimming pool-sized tanks house sharks, otters and sea turtles. Amusement park Busch Gardens draws out-of-state crowds for its blood-curdling coasters, while the Lowry Park Zoo showcases Komodo dragons, Malayan tigers and local West Indian manatees.
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We’re guessing North Kingstown wasn’t on your Labor Day getaway bingo card, but this New England town is an excellent base from which to explore Rhode Island, on land and by sea. A stone's throw from state capital Providence and its magnificent state house, designed to resemble the Vatican, North Kingstown also operates a 95-minute 'fast ferry' to Martha's Vineyard, which is packed with cosy cottages, crumbling churches and celebrity second homes.
Away from the seafront, history is North Kingstown's main draw. The flagship attraction is an 18th-century house and mill that was the birthplace of celebrated American portraitist Gilbert Stuart in 1755. One of the foremost artists of his time, he counted six US presidents, two kings of England and one king of France among his subjects, and was responsible for the unfinished 'Athenaeum Portrait' of George Washington that has spent more than a century adorning the one-dollar bill. Reproductions of his works hang in every room and the house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
The second Floridian city – the state's largest – on this list, Jacksonville is known for sun, sand and a football team that doesn't always win. Tucked away on Florida's northeast Atlantic coast and affectionately called Jax by locals, the city has won particular plaudits for its food culture. Food trucks are an ever-present sight, and you can find Southern-style BBQ, Caribbean-spiced chicken and freshly caught seafood on every street corner.
Nicknamed 'The River City by the Sea', Jacksonville is a city of the outdoors. The golden sands stretch more than 21 miles (34km) along the city's shoreline, while the downtown riverfront runs for three miles (5km), so tourists and locals alike enjoy kayaking, fishing, surfing, sailing and any number of other aquatic activities. Thinly spread over a vast area, the city's neighbourhoods are interspersed by 10 state and national parks, and an enormous network of nature trails exist entirely within city limits.
Check out America's most beautiful beaches photographed from above
Just like its British equivalent, Cambridge in Massachusetts comes with a world-class university and the elegant spires and wood-panelled libraries of Harvard are themselves a major draw for tourists. More than half a million non-students visit the institution every year to sign onto a tour led by current students or take a self-guided walking tour around campus.
The university's many associated galleries and museums make up most of the city's top attractions. See the 42-foot (13m) skeleton of a long-extinct Kronosaurus at the Harvard Museum of Natural History; browse paintings, prints and artefacts from every corner of the globe at the Harvard Art Museums; or mull over massive Mayan monoliths in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. After a hard day of peering and perusing, grab a beer in Central Square or take a stroll along the Charles River.
This won't be the first Labor Day that sees Americans flock to San Francisco for a city break and it certainly won't be the last. A bucket list destination for tourists both international and domestic, the city is packed with big, iconic attractions, from the gargantuan Golden Gate Bridge and the symmetrical curves of Lombard Street to the impregnable fortifications of Alcatraz and the retro cable cars that crawl up and down the city’s 48 hills.
The tourist trail is a great place to be in San Francisco, but if you do feel inclined to leave it, the city also has a well-earned reputation for day trips. Sonoma County and Napa Valley are two of the finest wine regions in California, easily America's premier wine state, and vineyard tours and tastings pair beautifully with dusty panoramas in the afternoon sun. For a wilder slice of countryside, head to Muir Woods and its towering coastal redwoods – the world's tallest species of tree.
Las Vegas’s smaller, more laid-back sibling, there’s still plenty of sin to go around in Reno, where the clink of slot machines and whir of roulette wheels can be heard long into the night. Nicknamed 'The Biggest Little City in the World', Reno is still a gambler’s hangout at heart, and its 20-odd licenced casinos are bedecked with enough blindingly bright neon to make the Bellagio blush.
In recent years the city has attempted to broaden its appeal with chic museums, a picturesque riverwalk and an expanding contingent of craft breweries. Get your culture fix at Nevada's only accredited art museum – another entry on the list of 'things Reno has that Vegas doesn't' – or test your mettle on the world's tallest artificial climbing wall, snaking up the side of the 16-storey Whitney Peak Hotel. For those who can stay past Labor Day, Reno's annual Great Balloon Race takes place the following weekend, in which one hundred or so brightly decorated hot air balloons take off from Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.
Every seaside town with a postcard shop describes itself as sunny, but St. Petersburg has kept the receipts. Quite literally the sunniest place on Earth (no seriously, it’s got a world record), we know exactly why Americans flock here for Labor Day as summer starts to wind down. Affectionately known by locals as St Pete, the city comes with 35 miles (56km) of award-winning beachfront and an endless array of water sports.
It’s hard not to be laid-back in these temperatures but there's still plenty to do in the shade. The city’s downtown district is packed with friendly bars and eateries, as well as, perhaps bizarrely, an internationally renowned gallery showcasing the works of surrealist artist Salvador Dali. It seems oddly out of place with the city’s beach break vibe, but then again, maybe that’s the point.
'Charleston, but without the crowds' seems to be the standard assessment of North Charleston, an offshoot of South Carolina's largest city that has now become a city in its own right. It has the same tree-lined boulevards rimmed with pastel-hued townhouses; the same romantic promenades along the banks of the Ashley and Cooper rivers; and the same smattering of Revolution-era sites commemorating victories over the British.
Where it differs from Charleston are the crowds (fewer), the prices (lower) and a handful of unique attractions like the Windsor Hill Plantation and the C.S.S. Hunley, considered by some to be the world's first fully operational military submarine. And if you do wish to visit Charleston without the North, the Holy City is just a 20-minute bus ride away.
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