The Most Dramatic Places in the World to Cry

Sometimes, you just need a good cry. From cinematic sunsets to majestic mountains and surprisingly emotive responses to in-flight movies (Free Willy just hits differently at 30,000 feet), tear-soaked catharsis can be a natural reaction to awe-inspiring beauty or a twang of nostalgia.

As a self-proclaimed public cryer, I’ve done some of my best work in public—sometimes in the privacy of a remote national park, sometimes surrounded by tourists. Aside from those on-the-nose occasions when I’ve traveled during an emotional crisis (shoutout to Mother Nature for providing solace amidst divorce and pandemic!), my most public breakdowns have hit me when I least expected it, on otherwise happy hikes and family vacations that yanked on my heartstrings. It’s a testament to the poignant power of these places, where the ingredients emulsify to create a recipe for a suddenly wet face.

And really, crying in public just feels particularly cleansing when juxtaposed by a transcendent backdrop, a moody beach, or an awe-inspiring museum. Not every place, certainly, is ideal for a public meltdown. I’ve cried in my share of airports, and I wouldn’t recommend them as prime crying spots. But if you need an incredible spot for a good, cathartic cry, I can personally recommend some of the world’s most beautiful and moving places. And yes, I’ve actually teared up at all of them.

Cave of the Winds, Niagara Falls

If you’re going to cry in public, doing so under a cascade of water and mist is a convenient way to hide your tears and blend in with your environment. At Niagara Falls’ Cave of the Winds, you can have a full-blown fiasco and—thanks to the immensity of the falls—no one will even notice. As close as you can get to the American side of the mighty waterfall without going directly over it in a bucket, the self-guided boardwalk trail takes raincoat-clad guests along the base of Bridal Veil Falls, ensuring a complete and utter soaking. The staggering natural beauty of the falls does plenty to provoke emotion, and is sure to incite some tears of joy, fear, or some combination of the two. The best part, though, is that no matter how many tears you shed, they’re nothing compared to the waterfall.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

There’s something palpably powerful about a sea of elaborate hot air balloons, silently ascending over the New Mexican desert. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, among the largest hot air balloon events on Earth, is a dazzling nine-day display of aerial innovation and artistry, where balloonists come from all over the world to float through azure-blue skies over the Sandias. Simply gazing up, at any point during the annual October spectacle, is enough to trigger a trickle of tears, but it’s especially potent around sunset, when evening balloon glows see pilots firing their balloons in synchronicity while anchored to the ground. The tradition, which started in Albuquerque in 1979, has become a marquee event for the fiesta, and a truly beautiful sight to behold—one that, speaking from personal experience, is sure to beckon a few happy tears.

Greenwich Beach, Prince Edward Island

If sunset is the crying hour, then sunset in Prince Edward Island is made for sobbing. Canada’s smallest province packs a wallop of emotion at every vantage point, thanks to its well-preserved natural beauty and maritime majesty, from fields filled with purple lupines to timeworn lighthouses, standing sentinel along its sandstone shores. And it’s precisely those shores, where the sandstone tints the beaches red, that tug on heartstrings come golden hour. Sunsets here just look brighter and bolder, illuminating the Gulf of St. Lawrence with hues of orange and pink so intense that they look almost neon. This sight is best beheld from places like Greenwich Beach in Prince Edward Island National Park, home to the biggest sand dunes on the Island. It’s a place of peerless serenity and unmarred natural beauty, where the salty sea air, lapping waves, and wind-swept dunes provide an ideal backdrop for a beachy breakdown.

Museum of Us, San Diego, California

In 2020, San Diego’s Museum of Man was renamed as the more inclusive Museum of Us, to better highlight its vast collection of anthropology and human history. The name alone is affecting, as is the museum’s historic Balboa Park setting. But probe a little deeper and you’ll discover exhibits that feel tailor-made to leave you in shambles. Highlighting diversity and humanity at its rawest, exhibits explore everything from Mayan culture, to immigration, to race. Animal lovers would be wise to bring tissues to the Living with Animals exhibit, which traces the psychology of cuteness and companionship with pets, and slams the emotional hammer with quotes from people who have lost their furry family members. One particularly unrelenting section of the exhibit allows visitors to write their own notes about animals, and hang them anonymously on the wall. If you’re anything like me, you won’t be strong enough to withstand notes like, “I love my cat so much. Breaks my heart she’s getting older. I wish she’d grow old with me.” without breaking down.

Loch Ness, Scotland

A lake the size of an inland sea, Loch Ness is so large that it contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. Spanning 23 miles in the Scottish Highlands, with a maximum depth of 755 feet, the sheer scope and size is enough to conjure dramatic awe—but it’s the moody environs that make it an optimal setting for a healthy sob. Surrounded by lush green mountains, the glacier-carved valley sits under a perpetual plume of fog, making the whole place look simultaneously eerie, serene, and downright mythical. The evergreen mist isn’t confined to the atmosphere, either, since a setting of this magnitude and mythos is likely to make your face a little misty too. For one of the best vistas, head to Urquhart Castle, and take the steps down to the loch shore. Touch the icy water, muse about monsters, and let the tears stream as you gaze off into the distance.

Bridge of Sighs, Venice

With all its haunted lore, ancient history, and inescapable romance, few cities on Earth tap into tears like Venice. Really, you can’t go wrong here if you’re looking to cry in public, whether you’re taking in a sunset over the Grand Canal or slurping a life-changing plate of clam spaghetti at Antica Adelaide, but might I suggest the aptly dubbed Bridge of Sighs? Located just off the pigeon-swarmed Piazza San Marco, the Baroque bridge was built in 1602 to connect the Doge’s Palace with a prison. The only covered bridge in Venice, narrow openings along its walls were designed to provide prisoners one last glimpse of the lagoon—and one last sigh—before being whisked into the dark, lightless dungeons. The whole thing is both morbid and majestic, and the somber history is evident as you pass through on a tour. This bridge has surely seen its fair share of tears over the centuries, so feel free to add to the tradition.

Garibaldi, Oregon

The craggy Oregon coast, clad in driftwood and dotted with rocky islands, has all the trappings for a tear-soaked jaunt. For top tier crying, stop in Garibaldi, a historic fishing village at the northern nexus of Tillamook Bay. About an hour and a half from Portland, the quiet community features vast beaches, like Tunnel Beach and Diamond Beach, that are optimal settings for an emotional crisis, thanks to their expansive size and the fact that they’re sparsely visited. Out here, amidst the Pacific mist and the whistling winds, you can wail as loud as you’d like. And when you’re done, you can soothe your sorrows with ice cream at nearby Tillamook Creamery.

Snowmass, Colorado

Colorado is a thoroughly captivating locale, from its snow-capped Rocky Mountains to its plunging canyons. You could easily tear up just about anywhere in the state, but one underrated setting is waiting atop a simple summit in Snowmass. Located just up the road from Aspen, Snowmass is a comparatively homier community that boasts its fair share of stunning beauty. But you needn’t be a diehard skier or hiker to enjoy such beauty, as evidenced by the tear-jerking finale of the Rim Trail South. A relatively easy outing, located near Snowmass Village, the trail zigzags its way over the valley below, offering spectacular views at each switchback. The grandeur is everywhere, and is more than enough to make you cry tears of joy, but it’s the summit that really hits. Here, a rocky bench is carved with a quote from An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. It might sound silly, until you pause to read it: “Just remember, Fievel—one man’s sunset is another man’s dawn. I don’t know what’s out there beyond those hills. But if you ride yonder… head up, eyes steady, heart open… I think one day you’ll find that you’re the hero you’ve been looking for.” As someone who first hiked this trail while going through a divorce, this inscription leveled me. I’ve since done this trail a few times, and the summit is rarely populated, so you’ll have plenty of space to sit on the bench and let Fievel yank the tears from your eyes.

Cactus Forest Trail, Saguaro National Park

Deserts are the ultimate symbols of resilience. These harsh landscapes exude a natural sense of drama and defiance, and they feel like the ultimate embodiment of the Jeff Goldblum quote, “Life finds a way.” Of all the dramatic deserts, the Sonoran Desert that surrounds Tucson feels especially striking, for the sky-scraping cacti that comprise Saguaro National Park. Reaching up to 50 feet, living up to 200 years, and providing needed nutrients and respite for species like Gila woodpeckers and elf owls, these prickly titans are as mesmerizing as they are perplexing, and as powerful as they are vital. For a teary-eyed hike, trek the Cactus Forest Trail, a mostly-flat route on the east side of the park, which earns its name from its dense collection of cacti, stretching into the foothills of the Rincon Mountains. The length of the out-and-back trail, at five miles each way, ensures plenty of solitude along the way—and plenty of time to contemplate the beauty of the defiant desert, as the whole “life finds a way” ethos slowly consumes you. The added bonus here is that, in this water-starved landscape, your tears are a welcome wellspring.

Amphitheater Lake, Grand Teton National Park

Amidst the mighty Grand Tetons, some people cry because of the otherworldly beauty, some because of the bears. Either way, this iconic range is ripe for a good cry. Simply driving around and witnessing it from your car is certain to rile up emotions, but among the most awe-inspiring hikes in the Wyoming park, Amphitheater Lake is a place to sit and reflect—literally, the alpine lake is so mirror-still that it perfectly reflects the jagged, ironically named Disappointment Peak that looms over it. The whole hike is anything but disappointing, offering sweeping views along the way from the Lupine Meadows trailhead, and the potential to see larger-than-life wildlife, like moose and grizzly bears. It’s a long, steep ascent, which means the shores of Amphitheater Lake are often as silent as they are still, making it an idyllic place to perch up on the shore and cry into your own reflection.

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