This Southwest Destination Was Just Named the Most Magical Place in the U.S.

There’s a little bit of magic hiding right here in the U.S. All you need to do is head to Arizona to find it. 

In July, gaming site Slingo released its list of the most magical, otherworldly destinations across the globe. And we know what you’re thinking. How can you possibly measure that? Well, don’t worry. They did a lot of math to quantify it. 

To unveil which places have a magical aura about them, the team analyzed online blog lists, each containing “magical” and “fairytale” destination recommendations. It then took every place mentioned and assigned each a category (fairytale, otherworldly, or mythical). They then ranked the destinations on their number of global Google searches between April 2023 and March 2024 (sourced using Google Ads Keyword Planner), the number of Instagram posts that mention the destination, the number of TikTok posts that mention the destination, and the percentage of reviews for the destination on Tripadvisor that contain the word “magical.” Each destination was then given a normalized score of 10 after each factor was averaged.  

After examining all the data, it named Pamukkale, Turkey, the most “otherworldly” and “magical” place on Earth, and named Antelope Canyon in Arizona, the most magical in the United States. 

The desert destination made the list thanks to its 5.5 million monthly searches and its more than 700,000 mentions on Instagram. And really, it’s easy to see why this spot gets so much attention.

The sandstone slot canyons, located in the Navajo Nation, create a maze-like structure that hikers can traverse, exploring the pink, red, and earth-toned space along the way.

The only caveat is that a permit and a tour guide are both required to visit. But, as Visit Arizona explained, “several authorized tour operators [that] lead small groups to the canyons and share their knowledge about the area’s history and geology.” Visitors can choose between Upper Antelope Canyon tours to check out the taller canyon walls or Lower Antelope Canyon tours for more sandstone walls. Either way, it’s bound to be a spellbinding experience. Find out more about hiking the canyon and finding an authorized tour guide on visitarizona.com.