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Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best picks reflect what people praised most in reviews over the past year, so the winners feel grounded in real trips rather than marketing. The 2026 U.S. top 10 leans into big energy and easy payoffs: places with walkable neighborhoods, strong food scenes, and a sense of place that holds up beyond a single photo. The mix runs from New York City at No. 1 to beachy escapes like Oahu and Key West, plus culture-heavy stops in between. These are the trips that tend to end with plans to return.
New York City, New York
New York City stays at the top because it makes variety feel effortless: landmark museums, pocket parks, river piers, and neighborhoods that change the menu every few blocks. A day can run from the Met or MoMA to a High Line walk, then to dumplings in Chinatown or birria in Jackson Heights, and still leave time for a Central Park loop, a Brooklyn Bridge sunset, and a Broadway curtain call. Even in winter, when the air turns sharp, the city’s energy holds, and the skyline keeps rewarding mid-block detours that uncover jazz basements, small galleries, and late-night bakeries, all without strict planning or a car, just comfortable shoes.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas ranks high because it turns a weekend into a pick-the-pace trip: arena nights, headline residencies, food that runs from quick counters to long tasting menus, and hotel corridors built for wandering. Beyond the Strip, Fremont Street and the Arts District add murals and small bars, while the Neon Museum, Hoover Dam, and Red Rock Canyon drives give the glow some real desert scale. Crowds can be intense, yet the city still delivers clear pleasures, like spa afternoons, pool mornings, late coffee, and skyline views from high floors where the lights feel almost quiet, even at 1 a.m., between shows and dinners all weekend.
Oahu, Hawaii
Oahu makes the top tier by blending beach ease with real city depth, so the trip can shift from surf and sand to museums, markets, and serious dining without long drives. Waikiki provides the classic base, while Diamond Head, Manoa Falls, Hanauma Bay snorkeling, and the North Shore add hikes, green valleys, and winter wave-watching that feels cinematic. Honolulu adds Kakaako murals, Iolani Palace history, Pearl Harbor sites, and late-night plate lunches, and quick escapes to Kailua and Lanikai bring calmer water and sunrise walks that slow everything down. Then shrimp trucks and farmers markets fill the gaps between swims. Easily.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville lands in the top 10 because music is not a backdrop here, it is the main language, from Broadway bands to small songwriter rooms where stories stay close. Iconic venues like the Ryman and the Grand Ole Opry anchor the scene, while the Country Music Hall of Fame, mural walks in the Gulch, and East Nashville cafés add texture between nights out. Food keeps up with the pace, from hot chicken and biscuits to modern Southern tasting menus, and the city balances the glow with calm resets in Centennial Park, record shops, and riverfront strolls that keep evenings from blurring together even after midnight, even on busy Fridays.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans earns its spot through atmosphere that cannot be copied: brass on street corners, courtyard shade in the French Quarter, and a food culture that feels both casual and serious. Days can move from beignets, gumbo, and po’ boys to the Garden District, above-ground cemeteries, and the streetcar, then into live sets on Frenchmen Street where jazz and crowd energy stay tightly linked. Cocktail bars, second-line rhythms, oak-lined parks, and river air keep the city feeling lived-in, and the nights often end with a quiet walk that still carries music in the distance, even when the sidewalks empty into morning hours, naturally.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago makes travelers happy because the city’s scale feels big, but the days stay organized: lakefront paths, museums, and neighborhoods connect without constant planning. An architecture river cruise can lead into the Art Institute, Millennium Park, and the Riverwalk, then to Italian beef, neighborhood taverns, blues, comedy, or a ballgame, with the CTA making shifts between Loop, Pilsen, and Hyde Park feel straightforward. In summer, beaches and festivals lift the mood, and in winter the skyline looks sharper, making simple walks feel dramatic against Lake Michigan wind, dark water, and glowing streetlights after dinner, too.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston wins on texture: pastel houses, shaded lanes, and waterfront promenades that make slow walking feel like the main event. History stays visible without feeling staged, from Rainbow Row and Charleston City Market to church steeples, courtyards, and the Battery, while Lowcountry cooking keeps evenings anchored in oysters, shrimp, and rice dishes served with real pride. Shem Creek sunsets and quick trips to Sullivan’s Island or Folly Beach add salt air, and spring jasmine, porch swings, early coffee, and carriage lanes make a long weekend feel calm, full, and unmistakably coastal without rushing, even in peak season.
Key West, Florida
Key West feels like a small island city that decided walking should be the default, with Old Town lanes, pastel porches, and water views never far away. Days revolve around simple pleasures: snorkeling trips, Cuban coffee, conch fritters, bike rides past the Historic Seaport, and a slow loop through the Hemingway Home before the heat settles in, with Fort Zachary Taylor adding shaded beach time. Mallory Square sunsets pull the crowd to the docks, and afterward Duval Street can be lively or low-key, depending on the bar, the breeze, and whether the night calls for music or quiet, then sunrise turns the streets soft again by 7 a.m.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., ranks high because it delivers world-class museums and monuments with a layout that stays walkable and surprisingly calm between big moments. The National Mall can fill a day with the Smithsonian, memorials, and the National Gallery, many with free entry, and Rock Creek Park trails offer a quick reset before dinner. Georgetown, U Street, Shaw, and Capitol Hill add bookstores, patios, Union Market bites, and late shows, and when cherry blossoms arrive the city turns soft, with the Potomac at dusk giving the trip a quiet, reflective edge that lingers after busy daylight hours, without feeling rushed. At all.
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston lands in the top 10 because it rewards walking with real payoffs: brick lanes, harbor air, and history that sits right beside everyday cafés and bookstores. The Freedom Trail threads through Beacon Hill and the North End, past Faneuil Hall and old meeting spaces, while the Public Garden, Fenway nights, and museums add modern rhythm between stops. Harborwalk benches, seafood counters, and quick hops into Cambridge keep the pace relaxed, and in crisp fall weather the brownstones and waterfront light make the city feel intimate, easy to navigate, and quietly cinematic from morning to late dinner, without long transit times.