When it’s time to pick a place to vacation, the editors and readers of US News & World Report clearly favor Maine over Massachusetts. In a list released Tuesday of the Best Places to Visit in the United States, Bar Harbor ranked number 16, while Boston landed at 19 on the list. The Grand Canyon was ranked number one.
“After limited travel opportunities over the past few years, people are once again excited to vacation and have begun traveling extensively throughout the US and internationally,” said Erin Evans, managing editor of travel at US News. “Beaches, national parks, and small towns are popular travel destinations this year, and many top cities are making a comeback.
According to the survey, Maine also beat out Massachusetts in the beach category (let’s agree to disagree on this one). US News & World Report ranked Kennebunkport as the ninth Best Family Beach Vacation in the country, while placing Nantucket at 15. Cape Cod is conspicuously missing from the list. As much as we all love Kennebunkport, does Goose Rocks Beach really outrank all of Cape Cod’s beaches? How about Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island, which is arguably one of the best in New England? OK, we’ll stop nitpicking and just write the results.
Maine continued its domination over Massachusetts in the Best Cheap Family Vacations category. Acadia National Park landed at number 11, Massachusetts, and all other New England States were nowhere to be seen. In the more general category of Best Cheap Vacations in the country, Augusta came in at number 16. Again, no other New England states made the list. Sorry New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, you were shut out of this category (and many others).
Acadia National Park was number eight on the list of Best Fall Vacations, with Boston coming in at 17. Vermont is nowhere to be seen, which is a considerable chin-scratcher. No New England state made the list for Best Winter Vacation. Bar Harbor ranked at the top of the Best Cheap Summer Vacation list, with Boston coming in at 14. The editors of US News & World Report must have a unique definition of cheap if Acadia is at the top of this list. Bar Harbor was at the top of the Best Small Towns to visit list, with Martha’s Vineyard at 17.
Don’t shoot the messenger; we’re simply ticking off results. Ours might look a little different — as in very different. According to the publication, which is known for its rankings, more than 1,100 destinations were analyzed using a “comprehensive and transparent methodology that combines travelers’ opinions, as provided by user votes, with expert and editor analysis.” Destinations are scored in 10 categories, such as food and culture.
While Maine takes its victory lap, here are rankings in key categories.
1. South Island, New Zealand
2. Paris
3. Maui, Hawaii
4. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
5. Tahiti, French Polynesia
Best Places to Visit in the US
1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
2. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
3. Yosemite National Park, California
4. Maui, Hawaii
5. Glacier National Park, Montana
Best Places to Visit in the Caribbean
1. Turks and Caicos Islands
2. St. Lucia
3. British Virgin Islands
4. US Virgin Islands
5. St. Vincent and The Grenadines
Best Places to Visit in Europe
1. Paris
2. London
3. Rome
4. Florence, Italy
5. Barcelona, Spain
Christopher Muther can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther and Instagram @chris_muther.