Destinations

The Best Places to Go in the US in 2025

For evolving food scenes, remarkable wildlife viewing, and small towns with a whole lot of soul.
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High Hampton Resort

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To arrive at our list of the Best Places to Go in the US in 2025, we painted with the broadest strokes possible. Stretching from Alaska to Puerto Rico, there are so many reasons to explore the States this year—from nature explorations, to food and wine trails and cultural immersions.

In Alaska, where the much-loved Glacier Bay National Park celebrates 100 years as a national monument, Native-led adventures abound on Kodiak Island, allowing small groups of visitors to share space with the largest subspecies of brown bear in the world. In the Caribbean, San Juan’s rebirth following hurricanes and the pandemic is marked by an inaugural culinary festival, thanks to the very innovators who have aggrandized the tiny island’s bold flavors around the globe. There’s also the Space Coast, Florida, where you can claim your spot and witness historic rocket launches—or sample more earthly adventures, like kayaking through its bioluminescent waters. But it’s not all space travel and remote landscapes: Events, too, are carrying the torch for American cities like New Orleans and Washington, DC, which will both host major non-annual celebrations that draw travelers from all corners of the globe (the record-tying Super Bowl that’s evolving the former, and the US-hosted World Pride 2025 sweeping the latter). In the end, whatever catches your fancy, we hope that you’ll bookmark this list and use it to plan where you’ll visit in the United States in 2025. We can't wait to see you out there. —Shannon McMahon and Arati Menon

This is part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2025—find more travel inspiration here.

The Best Places to Go in the United States in 2025

Alaska

Go for: the 100th anniversary of a beloved cultural tradition; Native-led wildlife viewing

The year 2025 will mark 100 years since the Serum Run that brought lifesaving diphtheria antitoxins from Nenana to Nome—making the commemorative annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race an extra-special, all-Alaskan experience.

Getty

It'll be another 34 years before Alaska as a state turns 100 years old. But some of its best-known events and attractions are hitting that milestone in 2025, like the Serum Run, a sled dog relay that brought lifesaving diphtheria antitoxins from Nenana to Nome in 1925. The event has been celebrated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which enthralls visitors and locals who gather along its 1,000-mile course to watch top mushers and their dogs compete. To catch the start of the race, post up at the Wildbirch Hotel, Anchorage’s first new major lodging in 20 years. The boutique stay, with 252 design-forward guest rooms and partnerships with local artists, will open in early 2025 and offer unobstructed views of the Iditarod start line. Also turning 100 is the unrelentingly beautiful Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (which became a national monument in 1925), filled with rugged mountains, wild coastline, and abundant wildlife. It is the ancestral land of the Huna Tlingit people, who in recent years have collaborated with the National Park Service to restore previously suppressed oral histories and cultural traditions. One endeavor was building the Xúnaa Shuká Hít tribal house, the first permanent clan house on these shores since a glacier destroyed villages more than 250 years ago. The Huna people also own nearby Icy Strait Point, one of the most exciting cruise ship destinations in southeast Alaska. Come 2025 it will welcome new sailings including Princess Cruises’ 22-day Ultimate Alaska Solstice voyage, which will depart from San Francisco in June. The itinerary takes advantage of the 19-plus hours of sunlight available during the summer solstice, giving you that much more time to take in views of Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, the College Fjord, and more. For an on-land adventure with a side of guided bear viewing, head to Native-owned Kodiak Brown Bear Center on verdant Kodiak Island, where small groups of visitors share space with the largest subspecies of brown bear in the world. In the summer of 2025, KBBC will open a new wellness center built on a picturesque bluff and offer new, six-day fly-fishing programs on the Karluk River; by evening, guests can retreat to their wood cabins that have views of the lake—after a communal Banya-style steam bath that the Alutiiq people call maqiwik. Notably, Alaska Airlines has ramped up its scheduling in 2024 by adding a daily nonstop to New York alongside its existing service to San Diego, Nashville, and Portland, Oregon, making it easier than ever to get here. Lisa Maloney

How to plan it: Fly directly to Anchorage from a number of cities around the world (Las Vegas, New York, Atlanta) to catch the first stop of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. From there, take the three hour and 15 minute flight to Gustavus Airport (GST) at the doorstep of Glacier Bay National Park. If you’d rather skip the second flight, the Alaska State Ferry schedules regular trips to Gustavus, or if you’re planning your travels for June, begin your journey in San Francisco with Princess Cruises’ Ultimate Alaska Solstice voyage.

Alexander Valley, California

Go for: a Sonoma County hidden gem that’s flexing its Bordeaux and Merlots

The meals at Michelin-starred Cyrus spotlight the local harvest—and come with panoramic views of vineyards and undulating hills.

Olson Kundig/Cyrus Restaurant

Vineyard tours and alfresco tastings introduce visitors to Alexander Valley's highly rated Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays.

Tucked into the northern end of Sonoma County, the serene, scenic Alexander Valley has long been home to some of the wine country’s finest Bordeaux varietals, but it’s often overlooked in favor of the booming culinary and wine scene of nearby Healdsburg. That’s about to change with the establishment of the Pocket Peak AVA—a wine-growing region within the valley defined by its steep, undulating hills and volcanic and gravelly loam soils—expected in fall 2025. Pocket Peak wines will consist largely of Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons from sought-after producers such as Skipstone Vineyard, Stonestreet, and Devil Proof Vineyards—and these wineries are stepping into the moment with grabby offerings. The private experience at Skipstone, which will debut a sleek new tasting venue in summer 2025, includes a vineyard tour and alfresco tastings of its flagship bottles. Go the whole nine yards and book a stay at the Residence at Skipstone, an 8,344-square-foot bookable manse that sleeps 10 and boasts sweeping views of the valley, which opened in 2023. At Stonestreet, guests can book the Stonestreet Mountain Excursion, a guided driving tour of the 5,500-acre estate, including a stop at a 2,400-foot-high vantage point. The dining in the valley is almost as coveted as the wine: Plan ahead and book the 20-course tasting experience at Geyserville’s Michelin-starred Cyrus, which opened in 2023 and where chef Douglas Keane relocates guests to different locations throughout the meal for a “dining journey” across the restaurant’s lounge, kitchen, and chocolate room. The town’s more casual offerings include Diavola, the favorite of local winemakers for its authentic Italian dishes such as spaghettini with pork cheek ragu, and the Wild West–style Geyserville Gun Club for inspired cocktails like the Odd Fellow Manhattan, made with rye, bourbon, and Carpano Antica. Or you could head to Rustic at Francis Ford Coppola Winery, where the acclaimed director shares his personal pantheon of family-style recipes paired with, naturally, wine from the very vineyards you overlook as you tuck into your grilled salmon acqua pazza. Katie Kelly Bell

How to plan it: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Avelo Airlines currently fly into Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS). After landing, the best way to get around Sonoma County’s 1,500 acres of sprawling vineyards is by car, but soon the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) will extend to the northern valley servicing Healdsburg and the Alexander Valley AVA. Check out Sonoma County’s dedicated page to Alexander Valley for the best driving routes in the area.

Boise, Idaho

Go for: a boisterous Basque festival; a food scene powered by immigrant cultures

At the Avery Brasserie, where award-winning chef Cal Elliott is at the helm, expect upscale French classics like duck confit and moules frites.

Kami Hutchison/The Avery Hotel & Brasserie

The Avery is housed in a meticulously restored 120-year-old property, and its 39 rooms and suites are full of thoughtful design details.

Chris Beaudoin/The Avery Hotel & Brasserie

You might be tempted to bypass Boise on your way to Sun Valley, but you’d miss out on one of the most vibrant cities in the Pacific Northwest—thanks in large part to its long history of welcoming refugees and immigrants. In 2025 that openness will be on full display at Jaialdi, a Basque festival held just once every five years and returning after a 10-year hiatus. Boise is home to one of the largest Basque populations outside Europe, and this nearly weeklong summer bash celebrates the diaspora’s rich culture with traditional food, drinks, music, and farm sports like wagon lifting and hay bale throwing. If you can’t visit during the festivities, you can still explore “Basque Block” in downtown Boise year-round. Plan your visit at lunchtime on a Wednesday or Friday, which is when the Basque Market prepares a giant pan of saffron-tinted paella on the sidewalk. Boise’s diversity has also given rise to a buzzy global food scene that’s delightfully unexpected in a state best known for its potatoes. In 2024, two local chefs were named James Beard semifinalists: Dan Ansotegui dishes out chorizos and other Basque specialties at Ansots, a casual eatery in Old Boise, and Salvador Alamilla serves a mash-up of SoCal, Michoacan, and Oaxacan fare at Amano, a five-year-old restaurant in the suburb of Caldwell. In summer 2024, Sunshine Spice Bakery & Cafe, owned by four sisters who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan the early 2000s, opened its second location in downtown Boise, where it doles out purple ube lattes, pistachio baklava, and saffron cookies each morning to streams of fans.

Downtown Boise is also having a boutique-hotel boom: Having debuted in summer 2024, The Sparrow is a hip new avatar of a 1960s motor lodge, while Hotel Renegade is a 122-key brick stunner with a rooftop bar and a Wisconsin-inspired supper club. And after more than two decades of bustling through top New York City kitchens, award-winning chef Cal Elliott returned to his hometown to open the 39-room Avery Hotel & Brasserie inside a lovingly restored 1910 building on Main Street. At this culinary-focused boutique hotel, which opened in the summer of 2023, guests can feast on upscale French classics like sole meunière and cassoulet, then wander upstairs and fall right into bed. Sarah Kuta

How to plan it: Boise Airport (BOI) accepts service from virtually every major airline, and figuring out how to navigate the city from there is straightforward as Boise city center is just four miles, or 10 minutes by car, away. The city is also considered one of the most walkable in the country.

Denver

Go for: a polychromatic food scene; new lodgings that straddle past and present

At Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina, chef Johnny Curiel puts a creative spin on heritage dishes (don't miss the crisped pork belly carnitas).

Shawn Campbell/Alma Fonda Fina

The menu at Sắp Sửa features the Vietnamese American cooking of chef-owner Ni Nguyen’s first-generation upbringing.

Connor Stehr/Sap Sua

Enjoying the outdoors is practically a requirement in Colorado, but Denver’s buzzy dining scene is finally making a good case for spending more time indoors. Following a banner year of openings in 2023, the Mile High City’s culinary scene has seen another wave of exciting chefs celebrate their culture and heritage in unique ways. Mexican cuisine that’s long been vital to the city continues to enjoy a renaissance at the hands of chefs including James Beard–nominated Ras Casiano, who brings Mayan, Aztec, and ancient Meso-American culinary traditions to Xiquita, which opened in August. Casiano looks to the tres hermanas (three sisters) Indigenous crop trio of corn, beans, and squash for his inspired cooking—think dishes like crispy masa with fermented beer salsa and beef tongue barbacoa. At Alma Fonda Fina, which opened in late 2023 and got a Michelin star in 2024, Guadalajara-born Johnny Curiel gives heritage Mexican dishes a creative spin. Pull up a seat at the chef’s counter and dig into a decadent taco de suadero with an heirloom corn tortilla, and a 12-hour Colorado brisket with salsa de arbol on top. At Odell’s Bagel, which opened in October 2024, Miles Odell lends the nuances of Japanese cooking to bagel culture, hand-rolling every bagel, house-smoking his lox, and koji-curing his pastrami. Over at Sắp Sửa, one of Denver’s hottest tables since it opened in summer 2023, owners Ni and Anna Nguyen bring a “nontraditional” approach to Vietnamese cooking, with dishes inspired by Ni's childhood like lemongrass pork meatballs with Colorado peaches and pickled jalapeño; and soft scrambled egg with brown butter, trout roe, and rice. If all that food makes you thirsty, head south of downtown Denver, where Laws Whiskey House just debuted its long-awaited Whiskey Church, a state-of-the-art tasting room with big vaulted windows, pews, and spectacular views of the Rockies. New urban hotels, big and small, are joining in on the fun. Book a stay at the long-awaited Studio Gang–designed Populus, the first carbon-positive hotel in the US and an arresting addition to the city’s skyline, or at the recently opened Urban Cowboy in a historic Queen Anne–style Gilded Era mansion. To really immerse yourself in the city’s history, though, base yourself at the Crawford Hotel in the elegantly revamped Union Station, which just underwent a stunning makeover of its own. Katie Kelly Bell

How to plan it: Denver International Airport (DEN) has flights from all the major airlines, and the airport provides several options of ground transportation, including: the city's public transport system, Regional Transportation District (RTD); taxis; ride shares; commercial shuttles; rental cars; charter buses; and the A Line rail that delivers passengers directly to Denver Union Station downtown Denver. If you’d prefer to take the long way to Denver, ride along Amtrak’s California Zephyr. Though Denver is notably pedestrian friendly, you can still get around on the RTD, the light rail system, and the free MallRide on Denver’s pedestrian 16th Street Mall.

Highlands, North Carolina

Go for: stylish mountain-town events timed to a special anniversary

Hotelier Jason Reeves, who founded Outpost Inn and Highlander Mountain House, says his North Carolina town has the perfect “high-low balance” that makes it one of the most unique places in the South.

Outpost Inn

“Imagine someone who just headlined Red Rocks or the Ryman playing in front of a roaring fire for 100 [people],” Reeves says of the live-music Salon Series at his hotel. “You don’t get that anywhere else.”

Highlander Mountain House & The Ruffed Grouse Tavern

The North Carolina town of Highlands strikes the perfect balance: a mountain-town escape with the surprising cosmopolitan edge of a mini Aspen. Here, horseback riding, hiking, and fly-fishing coexist with a vibrant arts scene, stylish hotels, and fantastic dining—all wrapped up in postcard views and teeming with a come-as-you-are attitude. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2025, post-Helene, Highlands is putting on a yearlong lineup of events including history tours running May through October and the Highlands Heritage Jamboree for traditional music, dancing, and moonshine in late September; the annual Bear Shadow Music Festival and Highlands Food & Wine Festival, too, draw crowds to town every May and November, respectively. New to the mix is a booming hotel scene: Trailborn Highlands leans into Nordic-inspired wellness with saunas, cold plunge showers, cozy rooms, and fire pits ideal for gathering around to stargaze, and the Outpost Inn channels summer-camp nostalgia with hidden courtyards and a planned barrel sauna for adventurous retreats.

Highlands has its mainstays, like tasting-menu-only Roots and Vine for a sampling of Appalachian ingredients, the cozy Ruffed Grouse Tavern where a roaring fireplace complements a deep wine list, and authentic Ristorante Paoletti for warming Northern Italian fare. Truly cool boutiques dot Main Street; be sure to pop into Citizen Wilder for Martha Stewart–approved Stick Candles, and the Stubborn Bull’s new shop Bodega by the Bull for homemade provisions and Spanish bottles. Long-standing lodging gems include Skyline Lodge, a 1930s retreat designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protégé Arthur J. Kelsey, and Old Edwards Inn & Spa, a Relais & Châteaux property that boasts a Tom Jackson–designed golf course, and High Hampton Resort in nearby Cashiers (of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau) from the team behind Blackberry Farm. And Highlander Mountain House, the 18-room boutique hotel and community space in a beautifully restored 150-year-old house, is the über-stylish centerpiece of it all. Jenn Rice

How to plan it: The closest airport to Highlands is the Asheville Airport (AVL), which is 46 miles away. Other options include flying into Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) at 57 miles away, Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) at 69 miles away, and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), which is 121.5 miles away. Highlands Chamber of Commerce details helpful instructions on how to drive from each airport to the town.

Litchfield County, Connecticut

Go for: a design renaissance that's powering a boutique hotel boom

Dumais Made occupies a former warehouse that's been converted into Bantam Arts Factory, a complex of several art and design studios.

Joshua McHugh/Dumais Made Studio

Lost Fox Inn, from the folks behind Foxfire Mountain House in Mt. Temper, New York, opened in July in a former 1740s tavern.

Arden Wray/Lost Fox Inn

The Harvard Five may have placed New Canaan, Connecticut, on the design map, but Litchfield, in the state’s bucolic northwestern corner, has its own modernist legacy. Drive through the postcard-perfect New England county and you’ll see, amid its Federal and Colonial homes, a smattering of midcentury modern gems that bear the mark of famed architect Marcel Breuer. He isn’t the only one; there are also homes and buildings by Richard Neutra and John Johansen, and in nearby Roxbury lived sculptor Alexander Calder. Decades later, Litchfield County is now in the gentle(r) throes of a renaissance underscored by a slew of new design-led stays. In Litchfield town the old courthouse on the Green (that’s brimming with shops and cafés) has been refashioned into contemporary-art-filled boutique hotel The Abner. Earlier this summer the rustic-modern Lost Fox Inn opened in a 1740s tavern from the folks behind Mt. Temper’s Foxfire Mountain House, and come March, Hudson Valley favorite Troutbeck will unveil sibling property Belden House & Mews in a Colonial Revival estate reimagined by local-owned Champalimaud Design. These fresh stays join nearby stalwarts like Mayflower Inn, with its beloved spa and sun-drenched Garden Room, and Relais & Châteaux’s Winvian Farm.

And while you could make a weekend of wandering through Litchfield town—pop into Milton Market, a chic home goods and gifts store (think vintage transferware and block-printed linens)—you’ll do well to venture out. In nearby Bantam, tucked into a factory warehouse packed with artist studios, is Dumais Made, a ceramics and lighting studio founded by Charles Dumais (spot his lamps at The Abner) with his husband Kevin—Charles also doubles as local guide extraordinaire. Grab an ice cream from nearby Arethusa Creamery or coffee and salted chocolate chip cookies from Krafted Brew Lab. Then venture to New Preston, where temptations lie by way of Eleish Van Breems, a new design store with midcentury treasures like Bruno Mathsson loungers; Plain Goods’ curated mix of homeware, clothing, and art; and Pergola, a home and garden store with eye-watering Japanese ceramics. Get lunch at retro-styled diner Smithy Cafe, then drive to Falls Village, where Marché, a new shop featuring antiques sourced from France as well as local craft, is a big draw. As evening falls, head to the newly opened Pink House, where the chef (formerly of The Finch in Brooklyn) spins out elegantly plated dishes alongside spiffy cocktails. Or Community Table, where the ingredients are locally sourced, the vibe is spirited, and the chances of running into cool, artistic (even famous) locals are high. Litchfield has always had those. Arati Menon

How to plan it: If you’re flying, the closest airport to Litchfield County is Hartford Airport (BDL) 30 miles away. Whether you’re arriving from farther destinations in the northeast such as Boston, New York, or New Jersey, Visit Connecticut has more detailed instructions on how to drive to the Litchfield Hills and the Housatonic Valley.

New Orleans

Go for: a culinary rebirth and leveled-up hotel scene

Dakar NOLA, which was awarded the 2024 James Beard Award for best new restaurant, serves a seven-course pescatarian menu. One star is the Bounty of the Gulfs dish, which grounds West African culinary traditions in quintessentially Louisiana ingredients like shrimp, crab, and oysters.

Brittany Conerly/Dakar

The early parades of Mardi Gras 2025 will be even more exuberant as Super Bowl LIX adds tens of thousands of sports fans to the mix come February 9: It’s a record-tying 11th time that football’s biggest stage has been hosted in the city (Miami holds the same honor). And plenty of fresh properties have sprung up to meet the moment, including an exciting new hotel-within-a-hotel, the Nobu Hotel Caesars New Orleans, which is located inside the newly remodeled Caesars New Orleans—formerly the Harrah’s casino resort—and a new, 304-room Fairmont New Orleans in the Central Business District. But perhaps even more head turning is how high the city’s culinary scene is riding right now: Dakar NOLA’s high-end Senegalese dishes and Jewel of the South’s esoteric menus reeled in 2024 James Beard Awards for best new restaurant and outstanding bar, respectively, signaling a dynamic new gastronomic era for the Big Easy. It’s a thrilling time, as Indian, Asian, and Honduran menus take the spotlight away from the traditional Creole and French institutions; other newly decorated chefs include Arvinder Vilkhu at Saffron, Melissa Araujo at Alma Cafe, Amarys Herndon and Jordan Herndon at Palm&Pine, Sophina Uong of Mister Mao, Marlon Williams of Chicken's Kitchen, and Nicole Cabrera Mills of Pêche Seafood Grill. Foodies from the Pacific Northwest should take special note: Alaska Airlines’ new direct route from Portland, Oregon, runs from January through May. Paul Oswell

How to plan it: Most travelers opt to fly or drive into New Orleans, but for those who are as nostalgic as they are intrepid, consider taking Amtrak’s Chicago-Memphis-New Orleans line down to the Big Easy. If you’re primarily staying in the French Quarter, downtown, or the Arts/Warehouse District, you’ll easily be able to walk everywhere. But for one of the funnest and most scenic ways to get around NOLA, consider hopping on one of the city’s streetcars.

Puerto Rico

Go for: an inaugural food festival and burgeoning culinary scenes beyond San Juan

San Juan will see its first inaugural food festival in April 2025, when La Concha resort in Condado hosts beachside barbecues and chef talks.

Getty

Over the past few years, Puerto Rico has emerged as the culinary capital of the Caribbean, and the attendees of the inaugural Puerto Rico Wine and Food Festival in 2025 will be able to experience exactly why the island is home to all things delicioso. From April 3 through 6, host chef Mario Pagán will bring together culinary cronies from across the island (and some visiting VIPs) to La Concha Resort for four days that will include a beachside barbecue, cooking demos, and tastings. Rum enthusiasts might especially want to tack on a trip to the southern coastal city of Ponce for a new City of Rum Tour, which includes a visit to Castillo de Serrallés, the majestic circa-1930s home of rum maker Don Q, and enjoy a piña colada at La Guancha food truck park, which will soon see alfresco restaurants, bars, and performances upon its official opening in summer 2025. Adding to the buzz of Ponce’s word of mouth is an upcoming outpost of San Juan’s buzzy La Factoría, one of the World’s 50 Best Bars. And back in San Juan, the dining and drinking scene will surely be bolstered by the long-anticipated return of the beloved Ritz-Carlton San Juan, which has been shuttered since Hurricane Maria back in 2017. Though the property’s dining collection has not yet been announced, it promises to be as splashy as the waves crashing on the property’s lovely stretch of Isla Verde beachfront. Kathleen Squires

How to plan it: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) is San Juan’s primary airport, but travelers also have the option to fly into Rafael Hernandez (BQN) in Aguadilla or Mercedita (PSE) in Ponce. Alternatively, consider kicking back on a cruise and arrive at San Juan Puerto Rico Cruise Terminal which is the main hub on the island for the Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Space Coast, Florida

Go for: soaring rockets and dazzling bioluminescence

Astrotourists have long flocked to Space Coast to watch rockets soar—and in 2025, a banner year for space travel, that appeal will grow exponentially.

Joe Raedle/Getty

In 2025 space travel will hit a historic milestone as NASA aims to send humans around the moon for the first time in five decades—and no vantage point beats eastern Florida’s Space Coast, the launch site for the Artemis II mission. Astrotourism fans have long flocked to this 72-mile coastline, which runs from Titusville to Palm Bay, and in 2024, this increasingly bustling space-transit hub has hosted nearly twice-weekly launches from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Interstellar interest may be skyrocketing in 2025, with predictions for the strongest northern lights in decades, but the Space Coast proves Earth’s own marvels are worth skipping sleep for too: The Indian River Lagoon, which spans the region’s length, is among the best places in the country for bioluminescence viewing. During clear-bottom kayak trips with outfitters like BK Adventure, travelers can watch pops of glowing teal bejewel the inky water—the result of millions of tiny light-producing dinoflagellates and comb jellies reacting to movement. Back on land, naturalist-led night walks spotlight the Space Coast’s latest conservation win: After decades of protections and regulations, the number of sea turtle nests have not just rebounded but nearly doubled along the region’s shores in 2023. So far, nest numbers look promising into 2025 as well. By late next year, a handful of new accommodations will welcome Space Coast travelers, including the 48-room Avid Hotel near Brevard Zoo and Hyatt Place Cape Canaveral—complete with a rooftop where you can watch rockets soar. Stephanie Vermillion

How to plan it: Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) sits in the center of the Space Coast with regular service from Pittsburgh (PIT), Nashville (BNA) and Concord, North Carolina (USA) on Allegiant; Charlotte (CLT) on American Airlines; Atlanta (ATL) on Delta Air Lines; and Newark (EWR) and White Plains, NY (HPN) on Elite Airways. Internationally, TUI Group facilitates nonstop service to the Space Coast with flights from a number of UK cities. Visitors arriving by boat can dock directly at Port Canaveral. For detailed instructions on how to drive around the area, Visit Space Coast offers more information here on getting there.

Washington, DC

Go for: World Pride and new museum must-sees

The National Museum of African American History and Culture's new globe-spanning exhibit “In Slavery's Wake” will run until June 8, 2025.

Alan Karchmer/National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Zoo's giant panda exhibit will return in 2025 with the arrival of Bao Li and Qing Bao to a renovated habitat.

Harrison Mitchell/Unsplash

Every spring, DC throws a great party for Pride around the Capital Pride Parade, which stretches from the neighborhoods of 14th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue's grandeur. But this year the celebrations will be next-level: Some 3 million people are expected to attend WorldPride 2025, happening from May 17 through June 8. Washington is only the second US city to host WorldPride, and besides the parade, the multiweek event is packed with activities including a welcome concert with Shakira, a two-day music festival, a human rights conference, and a sports tournament among LGBTQ+ teams. Another global sporting event to look forward to here this year begins June 15, when the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will take place for one month, with DC's Audi Field serving as one of the host venues.

Of course, the capital city's museums are always a draw: Major happenings at the Smithsonian include the return of pandas to the National Zoo in January and the December 2024 opening of a globally focused exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture called “In Slavery’s Wake.” New accommodations in town include Arlo Washington DC and the newly renovated Salamander Washington DC, while the Canal House of Georgetown is expected to open in 2025. Plus, it's getting easier to get here from all corners of the US and beyond: DCA will soon add five new, long-haul routes from cities including Seattle, San Francisco, and San Antonio. Adele Chapin

How to plan it: Visitors to the nation’s capital have their choice of whether to arrive by plane, train, or car. The three DC area airports— Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)—have nonstop service from United Airlines and American Airlines. If you’re arriving by ground transport, Amtrak delivers passengers at Union Station, which is steps away from major landmarks and some of the hottest tables in the city. Drivers can rest assured that the city’s grid system coupled with apps like SpotHero, which finds available parking spots, make navigating DC as headache-free as possible.

Looking for more inspiration just beyond the United States? Read this year's list of the Best Places to Go in North America and the Caribbean.