There’s a little bit of magic hidden here in America; all you have to do is go to Arizona to find it.
In July, the gaming website Slingo released a list of the world’s most magical and otherworldly destinations. We know what you’re thinking. How can you measure it? Well, don’t worry. They did a lot of math to quantify it.
To reveal which places have a magical aura, the team analyzed lists of online blogs, each containing recommendations for “magical” and “fairytale” destinations. It then takes each place mentioned and classifies each place into a category (fairy tale, otherworldly, or mythical). They then looked at the number of global Google searches between April 2023 and March 2024 (data from Google AD Keyword Planner), the number of Instagram posts mentioning destinations, the number of TikTok posts mentioning destinations, and the percentage of destination reviews on Tripadvisor that included the word “magical.” The destinations are ranked. Then, after averaging each factor, each destination was given a standardized score of 10 points.
After examining all the data, it named Pamukkale in Turkey the most “otherworldly” and “magical” place on Earth and Antelope Canyon in Arizona the most magical place in the United States.
This desert destination made the list because it receives 5.5 million searches per month and more than 700,000 mentions on Instagram. It’s easy to see why this place is getting so much attention.
The sandstone slot Canyon in the Navajo Nation creates a labyrinthine structure that hikers can traverse, exploring Spaces of pink, red, and Earth hues along the way.
