What New York Town is The Best to Visit in 2025?

CNN Names America's Best Town to Visit in 2025

For the second year in a row CNN has crafted a list of America's Best Towns to Visit. CNN travel editors took nominations from readers and contributors to narrow down the list to 10 finalist.

The editors evaluated the nominated towns by breaking it down to several categories:

Food & Beverage
Cultural & Nightlife Scenes
Diversity
Sense of Identiy
Proximity to Other Interesting Spots
"Wow Factor"

They also took into consideration travel essentials like lodging and "ease of getting there." With that being said, here are the top 9 best towns in America to visit in 2025:

10. Rapid City, South Dakota
9. Clarksdale, Mississippi
8.North Hampton, Massachusetts
7.Las Cruces, New Mexico
6.Petaluma, California
5.Annapolis, Maryland
4. Bend, Oregon
3. Asheville, North Carolina
2.Missoula, Montana

You're probably wondering where #1 is on the list. Well, the the #1 best town in America gets its own spotlight, because it's right here in the great Empire State.

A Central New York Town Tops CNN's Best Town to Visit List

Ithaca, New York has been named the Best Town to Visit in America in 2025, according to CNN.

So what convinced CNN to pick Ithaca as it's number 1 destination this year?

They explain that it has a lot to do with the water flowing through the town. CNN states "Water cascades through the gorges that give this town its punny tagline — “Ithaca is gorges” — a phrase that’s 100% accurate, but doesn’t fully capture the variety of this terrain."

CNN adds:

The landscape in and around this friendly upstate New York town is so jampacked with falls — more than 150 within a 10-mile radius — that you don’t have to go far before coming upon another one, often more impressive than the last.

It helps that Ithaca is a great college town, that is also home to tons of amazing wineries, breweries and cider houses.

Out of all the towns across New York State, which do you think should have made the list?

What to do in Ithaca New York: Museums, Restaurants and More

Now that you know Ithaca, New York is the place to be this summer, where should you visit?

We've got a couple of suggestions that may be helpful for your next trip to Ithaca take a look below:

"Ithaca REALLY is Gorges" 12 Must Sees on a Visit to Ithaca

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Look Inside Ithaca's Fascinating Museum of the Earth

Located in Ithaca, the Museum of the Earth is a hands-on museum that's part of the Paleontological Research Institution which is an independent organization that pursues research and education related to the history of the Earth and its life. Take a look around!

Gallery Credit: Traci Taylor