{"id":166635,"date":"2026-04-15T16:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/166635\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:22:12","slug":"explore-the-best-city-parks-main-streets-and-boardwalks-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/166635\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore the best city parks, main streets, and boardwalks in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years, parks, open spaces, and trails have surged in popularity, becoming essential gathering places for communities and travelers alike. From iconic urban green spaces to charming main streets, these places invite us to slow down, explore, and connect with the world around us.<\/p>\n

To celebrate these significant spots across the nation, we partnered with a panel of experts to make the nominations, then we asked readers to vote to determine the winners \u2014 and the results are in.<\/p>\n

Click on each category below to see the full winners list:<\/p>\n

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Best Boardwalk: Wildwoods Boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey<\/p>\n

\"WildwoodsWildwoods Boardwalk offers a quintessential boardwalk experience in New Jersey \u2013 Photo courtesy of Greater Wildwoods Tourism Authority<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally a 150-yard boardwalk at its inception in the 1890s, the Wildwoods Boardwalk<\/a> in Wildwood, New Jersey, now stretches for 38 blocks and is packed with shops, restaurants, bars, water parks, and an amusement pier featuring over 100 attractions.<\/p>\n

Full list of winners: Best Boardwalk \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

Best City Park: Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri<\/p>\n

\"ForestVisitors to Forest Park can really spread out across the massive green space \u2013 Photo courtesy of Forest Park Forever<\/a><\/p>\n

Located in the heart of St. Louis, Forest Park<\/a> encompasses around 1,300 acres of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in the United States \u2014 over 1.5 times the size of New York’s Central Park. The green space is widely used for outdoor recreation and features bicycle paths, jogging trails, baseball diamonds, and soccer fields. Visitors can also enjoy boat rentals and, in the winter, ice skating.<\/p>\n

Full list of winners: Best City Park \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Main Street: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

\"Bethlehem,Explore the charming Main Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania \u2013 Photo courtesy of Historic Hotel Bethlehem<\/a><\/p>\n

Main Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania<\/a>, is a walkable historic gem featuring dozens of boutique shops and restaurants. It passes by America’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Moravian Settlements-Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

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Bethlehem was named “The Christmas City” in 1937, yet today’s vibrant Main Street proves there’s something to enjoy there all year long. And the centrally located Historic Hotel Bethlehem is a luxury historic destination that makes the perfect base for a weekend getaway.<\/p>\n

Full list of winners: Best Main Street \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Public Playground: Chapman Foundations Adventure Playground at Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma<\/p>\n

\"ChapmanThere are 5 acres of play space to enjoy at Chapman Foundations Adventure Playground \u2013 Photo courtesy of Gathering Place<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapman Foundations Adventure Playground<\/a> breaks playground conventions with its 5 acres of custom-designed equipment in imaginative configurations. Towering treehouses connected by sky bridges offer panoramic views of Tulsa, while the water zone features mist-spraying flowers and splash pads. The playground boasts accessible swings, a series of climbing structures and slides, and sensory-rich ground-level activities.<\/p>\n

Full list of winners: Best Public Playground \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Recreational Trail: Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in Indiana<\/p>\n

\"PumpkinvineTake in the Indiana scenery from the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail \u2013 Photo courtesy of Grant Beachy\/Community Foundation of Elkhart County<\/a><\/p>\n

Located in northern Indiana, Pumpkinvine Nature Trail<\/a> is part of a network of trails that includes the Maple City Greenway and Mapleheart Trail, connecting the towns of Shipshewana, Goshen, Middlebury, and Elkhart. This particular trail, which took over the old Pumpkinvine railroad corridor, is perfect for walking, jogging, biking, or skating while enjoying the serene outdoors.<\/p>\n

Full list of winners: Best Recreational Trail \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

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Best Riverwalk: San Antonio River Walk in San Antonio, Texas<\/p>\n

\"SanStroll the iconic San Antonio River Walk \u2013 Photo courtesy of Visit San Antonio<\/a><\/p>\n

The history of the iconic San Antonio River Walk<\/a> as we know it today dates back to the creation of the San Antonio River Authority in 1937. Since then, this vibrant downtown attraction keeps getting better and better.<\/p>\n

Restaurants, bars, hotels, and an outdoor amphitheater line the canal, with pedestrian paths to either side and a series of picturesque stone footbridges spanning the water. Water taxis shuttle visitors along the canal, and everything’s in walking distance of other attractions, including the Alamo.<\/p>\n

Full list of winners: Best Riverwalk \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

Congratulations to all these winners! Remember to visit 10best.usatoday.com<\/a> daily to vote in more Readers’ Choice Awards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In recent years, parks, open spaces, and trails have surged in popularity, becoming essential gathering places for communities…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166636,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[2358,75117,75118,3498,75119,75120,75121,153,155,154,75124,75123,10744,7316,915,4256,28,59805,75125,75116,54037,75126,11867,8345,4491,24260,65310,75122],"class_list":{"0":"post-166635","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-2358","9":"tag-best-boardwalk","10":"tag-best-city-park","11":"tag-best-main-street","12":"tag-best-public-playground","13":"tag-best-recreational-trail","14":"tag-best-riverwalk","15":"tag-bethlehem","16":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","17":"tag-bethlehem-news","18":"tag-chapman-foundations-adventure-playground-at-gathering-place","19":"tag-forest-park","20":"tag-indiana","21":"tag-missouri","22":"tag-new-jersey","23":"tag-oklahoma","24":"tag-pennsylvania","25":"tag-public-spaces","26":"tag-pumpkinvine-nature-trail","27":"tag-readers-choice","28":"tag-san-antonio","29":"tag-san-antonio-river-walk","30":"tag-st-louis","31":"tag-texas","32":"tag-travel","33":"tag-tulsa","34":"tag-wildwood","35":"tag-wildwoods-boardwalk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}