{"id":520185,"date":"2026-07-01T16:19:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/520185\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T16:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:19:15","slug":"americas-best-towns-to-visit-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/520185\/","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s Best Towns to Visit in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n American communities have never been more essential. In towns and cities, we get out and meet people who share our interests \u2014 or view the world in entirely different ways.\n <\/p>\n

\n Even in divisive times, we trade ideas, voice disagreements and learn from one another in caf\u00e9s, bars and bookstores or while strolling along paved urban trails or up rugged mountain paths nearby. These places are the threads that weave the United States together, creating a vast expanse of fabric rippling with peaks, valleys and tides.\n <\/p>\n

\n As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, CNN Travel presents this year\u2019s list of America\u2019s Best Towns to Visit. Our third annual list looks beyond some of American tourism\u2019s heaviest hitters to find less-discovered communities or places whose unexpected histories and curiosities have been obscured by splashier attractions.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN Travel editors tapped our readers and staffers for nominations for the 2026 list. We weighed the nominees and winnowed them down to 10 by evaluating the finalists\u2019 attractions, food and beverage offerings, cultural and nightlife scenes, diversity, sense of identity, proximity to other interesting spots and \u201cwow factor.\u201d We also looked at travel essentials, including lodging options and the ease of getting there.\n <\/p>\n

\n Our choices this year run the gamut from beach and mountain towns in the East to creative hubs in the Midwest and the Rockies. They showcase the United States\u2019 incredible diversity \u2014 from landscapes and architecture to culture and food. People, too.\n <\/p>\n

\n Here are our 2026 picks:\n <\/p>\n

\"10_Roanoke<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Outdoor access, walkable downtown, growing food scene\n <\/p>\n

\n A trio of stunning hikes is just the beginning of the outdoor adventures that await visitors to the \u201cStar City of the South.\u201d Flanked by the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway, Roanoke has got trails covered. Rails, too. Railroad history runs deep here, and the walkable downtown is adding new restaurants, residents and businesses all the time. FULL STORY<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"09_Lawrence<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Downtown shopping, drinks and nightlife, intriguing history\n <\/p>\n

\n Lawrence looks like Main Street perfection \u2014 a vibrant haven of craft breweries, indie bookstores and historic hotels. But beneath this charming Midwestern fa\u00e7ade lies a fierce, rebellious soul.\n <\/p>\n

\n Twice burned down in the Civil War era, this town has always resurrected itself. That spirit survives today as Lawrence\u2019s historic Massachusetts Street fights a new battle to keep big chains out and local uniqueness in. FULL STORY<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"08_Iowa<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Literary attractions, dynamic downtown, lively culture\n <\/p>\n

\n Iowa City is America\u2019s engine room of literature \u2014 a lively college town where everyone including taxi drivers seems to have ink-stained fingers, and legendary authors like Kurt Vonnegut walked the streets. But books are only half the story in this laid-back Midwestern haven. From a presidentially approved vintage diner selling legendary pie-shakes to a neighboring town entirely dedicated to \u201cStar Trek,\u201d it\u2019s a culture-packed destination where stories are waiting to be told around every street corner. FULL STORY<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

MORE AMERICA’S BEST TOWNS TO VISIT 2026<\/p>\n

\"07_Juneau<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Wilderness \u201cwow\u201d factor, wildlife, seafood, Alaskan culture\n <\/p>\n

\n Alaska\u2019s remote, hard-to-reach capital is too beautiful, its culture and history too rich, to get cynical about its popularity with throngs of cruise ship passengers. The largest state capital in the nation by land mass, Juneau\u2019s tall peaks remain snow-capped well into summer.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s located in a rain forest, has its own glacier and its residents include bears, mountain goats and whales. This place is worlds away from a typical American town experience. FULL STORY<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"06_Burlington<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Lovely surroundings, farm-fresh food, community spirit\n <\/p>\n

\n Vermont\u2019s biggest city is also the smallest top population center of any state. That gives this lakeside college community a small-town feel that\u2019s evident in its weekly farmer\u2019s market and walkable downtown. Depending on the season, you can bike along Lake Champlain, enjoy wild ice skating or hike urban trails. Sipping on craft brews and sampling Ben & Jerry\u2019s ice cream from its birthplace nearby are pleasures available here year-round. FULL STORY<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"05_Fort<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Historic downtown, beverage scene, surrounding scenery\n <\/p>\n

\n Home to a nationally famous brewery, a totally awesome \u201880s cafe, the coolest of indie movie theaters and great coffee shops \u2014 all while retaining its historical roots, Fort Collins feels like a theme park. You can bounce from one peak experience to another, including hiking an actual local peak in the foothills of the Rockies. FULL STORY<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"04_Bethlehem<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Rich history, celebrated Main Street, holiday-hub identity\n <\/p>\n

\n No, Bethlehem no longer produces steel. But its fabled industrial history lives on at the former Bethlehem Steel site, where visitors can tour the rusting plant and enjoy outdoor events in the shadows of the company\u2019s towering blast furnaces, which punctuate the city\u2019s skyline. After some lean years, Bethlehem is thriving again, thanks to a picturesque Main Street, its appeal as a twinkly Christmastime destination and the US\u2019 newest UNESCO World Heritage site. FULL STORY<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"03_Greenville<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Parks and trails, urban renewal, food scene, small-town vibe\n <\/p>\n

\n Buzzing with the vibrant downtown energy that other cities crave, Greenville makes the most of its urban waterfall and central Falls Park. A lengthy pedestrian and bike trail links neighborhoods, attractions and a charming small town 10 miles north. But this Southern city didn\u2019t look anything like this a few decades back. A lot went into Greenville\u2019s \u201c50-year overnight success story.\u201d FULL STORY<\/a> | WATCH VIDEO<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"02_New<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Cultural scene at Yale and beyond, nightlife, food\n <\/p>\n

\n Home to Yale University, New Haven is a walkable haven for restaurants, music, art and theater. Yale\u2019s stately brick academic buildings and world-class museums help define this city as Connecticut\u2019s cultural capital. And New Haven-style pizza, grounded in a century of history, isn\u2019t the only food favorite with deep roots here; New Haven\u2019s got a claim on a quintessential American sandwich. FULL STORY<\/a> | WATCH VIDEO<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\"01_Sarasota<\/p>\n

\n High scores: Arts and culture, beaches and gardens, intriguing history\n <\/p>\n

\n This Gulf Coast city goes all-in on artistic excellence with a cultural compound that grew from the fortunes of a circus magnate, and other visual and performing arts attractions. Circus lore and a population of Amish snowbirds add to this town\u2019s intriguing history. Throw in rare gardens and beautiful beaches, and you have a sophisticated cultural getaway that delivers sun and surf, too. FULL STORY<\/a> | WATCH VIDEO<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\n Where should we go next? Share your picks<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\n Text by Marnie Hunter, Jeanne Bonner, Barry Neild, David Allan and Brandon Griggs.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"American communities have never been more essential. In towns and cities, we get out and meet people who…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520186,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[242,85,46,141],"class_list":["post-520185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/520186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}