Tourism scenic spots serve as direct attractions for tourists and crucial drivers for the transformation and upgrading of the tourism industry, so they play an irreplaceable role in the development of the tourism sector. The quantity and grades of A-grade scenic spots are the mainstay of competition in various tourism markets, and their spatial layout is very important for the development of regional tourism. Using 11970 A-grade scenic spots in China as the research sample, and methods such as the Nearest Neighbor Index Method, Kernel Density Estimation Method, and Grid Dimension Method, the spatial distribution, typological structure, and influencing factors of A-grade tourist attractions were analyzed to identify the main natural, economic, and social factors influencing the spatiotemporal pattern of A-grade scenic spots. The results indicated that China's A-grade scenic spots exhibit clustering characteristics in their spatial distribution. The kernel density center shows a spatial pattern of “multiple cores, with secondary cores surrounding, and a gradual decrease”. The spatial structure is fractal and complex, with significant regional differences and a notable scale-free range. The types of tourist destinations and products exhibit distinct regional features, with a higher concentration of scenic spots in the regions in South China and East China, which are characterized by favorable natural and economic conditions and convenient transportation. A-grade scenic spots are densely distributed around the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the eastern regions such as Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces. Analyzing the spatial distribution characteristics of A-grade scenic spots in China contributes to our understanding of the complexity of scenic spot layout and spatial connections, which provides a basis for optimizing the layout of tourism development within regions, the rational allocation of resources, enhancing the quality and efficiency of the tourism industry, and promoting sustained and healthy regional economic development. It is conducive to the strategic work of tourism development and rural revitalization in China, and serves as a reference for decision-making.