'America's Worst Tourist Trap' Is A World-Famous New York Destination With Constant Crowds

If you're traveling to New York City for the first time, you might plan to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art or stroll around Central Park, rated the best tourist attraction in America. You may even muster the courage to navigate New York City's chaotic subway system. While most major attractions in Manhattan tend to be packed to the gills, one popular NYC spot is so incredibly crowded that it was recently named America's worst tourist trap — none other than Times Square.

A 2025 ranking by U.K.-based travel website LoveExploring.com named Times Square the worst tourist trap in the United States, ahead of popular spots like SeaWorld, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Plymouth Rock. One reason? The crowds. It's hard to overstate how crowded Times Square can get. It's widely considered one of the busiest tourist attractions in the world. Between 250,000 and 300,000 pedestrians visit Times Square per day, with peak days reaching over 400,000 pedestrians. During the famous ball drop on New Year's Eve, the number swells to over 1 million. Keep in mind that Times Square is a relatively small area consisting of just five blocks. It's not just the crowds that give this famous destination its reputation as a tourist trap. However, it remains an undeniably thrilling landmark for many visitors to the Big Apple.

In the ranking, Times Square takes heat for its tacky gift shops and relentless traffic. Many visitors agree that the famous district in Midtown Manhattan is not as exciting as it seems. Glance at review sites and you'll see plenty of negative accounts from tourists. "Absolute trash of an area in NYC. Overcrowded, full of scammers, thieves, and traffic. You come, take a picture, and leave," reads one TripAdvisor review. A Yelp reviewer complains, "This place is a complete toxic waste dump." A recent study by Preply analzed popular sites to find "the most overrated and underwhelming tourist destinations in the world." Times Square was ranked first, with 1,761 not-so-great reviews. 

Despite all this, many people still see Times Square as a must-visit destination, especially for NYC newcomers who want to experience the thrill of seeing the flashing neon lights for the first time. "If you enjoy crowds of people and lots of activity, this is Nirvana. The lights and billboards are like no other place on [Earth]," says one TripAdvisor reviewer. Times Square is an iconic image of New York City, featured in many movies and TV shows, from "Taxi Driver" to "The Devil Wears Prada." Luckily, Times Square is very centrally located, so it's easy to pair your stop there with a visit to another location in Midtown Manhattan, like a Broadway show, the New York Public Library's flagship location, or the Museum of Modern Art. Despite its reputation, visiting Times Square is always an adventure, whether you're catching a performance by the legendary Naked Cowboy or visiting "the world's great wax museum," Madame Tussauds.