Travel and Leisure Magazine released their annual collection of America’s Favorite Places, and there’s a few New England hot spots that made the lists, including one town that ranked #1. Here’s the New England cities and towns that made the cut:
Best cities in North America: The only city in New England that made the top 20 was Boston. Boston came in at #18 for it’s mix of cultural landmarks like Boston Common and modern touches like the new Institute of Contemporary Art. Boston also apparently has the highest ranking hotel bar, the Bond Lounge in Langham Hotel.
America’s most charming cities: This seems very abstract, but two New England cities ranked in this list. According to T+L,”To highlight the most bewitching cities, we combined the rankings for interesting architecture, pedestrian-friendly streets, quaint bookstores, a sense of history and a friendly atmosphere—and nice wine bars didn’t hurt, either”. So what made the cut? Boston came in at #7 out of 20 due to it’s connection with the American Revolution, indie bookstores in Cambridge, and unique food spots like Loyal Nine in Cambridge. And even though our city is charming, apparently we locals rank #5 in being snooty. Providence, RI came in at #3 with it’s great art scene, Colonial-era past and quaint ambiance. T+L Suggests visiting Wickenden Street and a walking tour of Benefit Street
America’s favorite towns: Three New England towns ranked in the top 25 towns in America. T+L ranked “hundreds of cities and towns” for things like music scene, bookstores, brunch spots, and sports fan loyalty. From which they analyzed those with fewer than 50k residents and came up with their list of best towns. Bar Harbor, ME came in at #18 mainly because of Acadia and it’s Native American history. Portsmouth, NH came in at #13 for it’s preserved downtown, cool bookstores and smart & friendly locals. Oqunquit, ME came in at #2 for a range of things including it’s white beaches, pedestrian friendly town and lobster rolls. Voters also mentioned it as a very welcoming town for all types of visitors and vacations.
America’s favorite beach towns – Two New England towns made the top 15 beach towns in America. Newport, RI came in at #13 for it’s grandiose, old money feel and awesome music scene combined with it’s gorgeous views and beaches. At the top of this list is Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, and it’s not hard to understand why. According to T+L, Provincetown came up on top because of Race Point Beach, Commercial Street, unique nightlife and creative crowd. More than anything, it seems like people love that P-Town is more than just a beach town. It has an amazing, welcoming culture with plenty to do, mixed with gorgeous beaches to relax on.
Check out more of America’s favorite places of Travel and Leisure’s website and see what other New England towns ranked among the best