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New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
'Weird' small town near NYC named best in the US for 2025
Get outta here! An audacious new list crowning a Jersey burg one of the best small towns in America suggests its downtown — all but left for dead just decades ago — currently rivals the best NYC has to offer. Chosen by the jet-setting experts at Travel + Leisure, the America's Best Small Towns 2025 survey chose ten lucky spots from coast to coast — settling on Asbury Park, NJ as a top pick. Advertisement 5 One of the 'best small towns' in America is just a quick ride from the Big Apple – and supposedly rivals the best NYC has to offer. vin – Barely an hour from the Holland Tunnel and not much longer via NJ Transit from Penn Station, this isn't the gym, tan and laundry-loving Jersey Shore reality star Snooki and her spray-tanned crew repped on MTV in the 2010s. The once forgotten blue-collar city of roughly 15,000 full-time residents gained national attention in 1973 when Bruce Springsteen released his album 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.,' and remains a hub for music lovers — much thanks to beloved music venue The Stone Pony. Advertisement 5 The Stone Poney gained national attention in 1973 when Bruce Springsteen released his album 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.' Aristide Economopoulos It was also recently rated as the third safest vacay hub in the US, according to fresh data that ranked travel spots by danger. The magazine credited the town's turnaround to investments made by the LGBTQ+ community, restoring real estate and supporting local businesses to grow the community into a diverse dream destination. Advertisement 'There's a raw, creative energy that's hard to describe unless you've spent time here,' Shauna Lagala, a local hotel manager, told Travel + Leisure. 'It's weird in the best way — a mix of old-school Jersey, artists, punks, surfers, and people who just don't want to live anywhere typical. It's the kind of town where you can grab a cold brew at a café run by someone in a band, then walk five minutes and end up in a tattoo shop or an art gallery,' she said. 5 'There's a raw, creative energy that's hard to describe unless you've spent time here,' Shauna Lagala, complex hotel manager at the Asbury Collection, told Travel + Leisure. Stephen Yang Surf and sand, among the main attractions in Asbury Park, were not mentioned in the listing — beach passes in the now-popular town range from $7 to $10 daily, and are required from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Advertisement Anyone, however, can enjoy the revitalized beachfront, a string of restaurants, amusement park games, carnival rides, playgrounds, music venues, retail shops and more. 'The historic boardwalk has been completely reimagined and rivals the coolest street in Brooklyn,' Travel + Leisure claimed. 5 The surf and sand were not mentioned in the listing and are not open to the public. Jin – Asbury Park was the only town in the Northeastern US to make the list — a repeat of last year, when New Hope, Pennsylvania, was recognized. In order to be considered, each town must a full-time population under 45,000 — a big increase from last year's qualification of 25,000 — and a solid reputation for one specific activity. Asbury Park was named as the country's 'best small beach town.' The towns needed to offer 'a variety of activities, accommodations, and a timely reason to visit — be it a notable new festival, hotel, restaurant, attraction, or tourism initiative,' the experts explained. 5 'The historic boardwalk has been completely reimagined and rivals the coolest street in Brooklyn,' Travel + Leisure wrote. Jin – America's Best Small Towns of 2025 Advertisement America's Best Small Beach Town: Asbury Park, NJ America's Best Small Mountain Town: Boone, NC America's Best Small Lake Town: Ogallala, NE America's Best Small Desert Town: El Centro, CA America's Best Small Arts & Culture Town: Sewanee, TN America's Best Small Food & Drinks Town: Bardstown, KY America's Best Small Spa & Wellness Town: Mineral Wells, TX America's Best Small Retirement Town: Panama City Beach, FL America's Best Small Family Town: Frankenmuth, MI America's Best Small Shopping Town: Taos, NM
Business Insider
31-07-2025
- Business Insider
I visited 'the best beach in the US.' It transported me to the Caribbean coast where I grew up.
Growing up in coastal Venezuela, I am used to stunning Caribbean beaches. I am no stranger to beautiful beach destinations. My hometown, La Guaira, Venezuela, spoiled me with turquoise waters and soft sand. Weekend getaways throughout my childhood would often involve taking a short 50-minute flight to some of Venezuela's islands, like Margarita, where I was baptized, and Coche, which I have long used as my golden standard when it comes to beach destinations thanks to its clear waters and white sand. So when it comes to beaches, I have pretty high standards. Siesta Key, located an hour and a half south of Tampa, has been named the US' best beach. Sixty miles south of downtown Tampa, on a barrier island near southern Sarasota, the small beach community of Siesta Key is home to white-sand, clear-water beaches that resemble those I grew up enjoying. During a trip across Florida in July, I visited the beach to see what it was like. Sarasota County, home to Siesta Key, welcomes over 6.5 million visitors to its beaches each year, according to the county's website. And the area isn't exactly secret: Starting in 2017, the small town was the backdrop to the MTV reality show "Siesta Key," which lasted for five seasons until 2023. The Siesta Key Beach pavilion offers an array of amenities and services. Unlike other public beaches, where you just walk onto the shore, Siesta Key Beach has a formal pavilion welcoming visitors. The sand-colored building contains amenities for beachgoers, including a concessions stand, restrooms, covered picnic tables, a staffed information stand, and drink and food vendors. Vendors sell beach classics like daiquiris and piña coladas alongside more daring options, like an $18 loaded Bloody Mary topped with chicken tenders, bacon, and shrimp. An extensive food menu features breakfast items like avocado toast and seafood lunches like fish and chips and a fried grouper wrap. At the information desk, visitors can learn about nearby attractions in Siesta Key Village, transportation options, and facts about the beach and its wildlife. A group of low-rise condos face the beach — the area distinctively lacks large commercial hotels. Locals have been fighting the possibility of high-rise hotels for decades, hoping to keep the barrier island's small beach-town feel. Local groups like the Siesta Key Association have advocated against the construction of large hotels, citing concerns over the increase in car and pedestrian traffic, as well as beach congestion. "How much can one little island absorb?" the association asks on its website. Today, only one full-size hotel — the 52-room Siesta Key Beach Resort and Suites — stands on the key, local news channel WWSB reported. An assortment of smaller cottages and vacation condo rentals make up the rest of the lodging options within Siesta Key. This made the beach feel less like the hectic Miami Beach I'd grown used to while living in Florida, where luxury hotels block the view of the shore and deter public entry in some areas, and more like the low-key beach destinations you'd find while roadtripping across the state's less-crowded coasts. For travelers looking for a more upscale or hotel-chain stay in Siesta Key, they may have to travel 8 miles north to downtown Sarasota. Parking is free at Siesta Key Beach and there are over 900 spots available by the main entrance to the beach, according to Rent Siesta Key. However, they often fill up by mid-morning, which I noticed when I was leaving. The beach has unique sand that stays cool to the touch even in scorching temperatures. Made up almost entirely of pure quartz, the white powdery sand on Siesta Key's shores traveled down from the Appalachian Mountains, getting eroded into tiny sand particles, according to Siesta Sand. The sand's unique composition keeps it cool to the touch even under the scorching Florida sun, one of the main reasons the beach is ranked at the top of the national rankings. But feeling this unique sand was an experience of its own. Unlike the strenuous beach days of my childhood, where you'd have to sprint from the car to the water to keep the hot sand from burning your feet, walking on Siesta Key's quartz sand was relaxing, even while standing under the bright Florida sun. Each year, the beach's unique sand brings in a crowd of sand-sculpting aficionados. The Siesta Key Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival, a four-day event hosted on the barrier island's shores, brings national and international competitors and visitors to the small beach town. Each year, 24 "master sand sculptors," as described by the festival's website, compete for prizes up to $4,000 for the top duo competitors and $2,000 for solo winners. Other than impressive sand sculptures, the festival also features live music, outdoor art galleries, over 90 shopping, food and beverage vendors, and amateur sand sculpting events like a three-day "Quick Sand" competition and open sand sculpting lessons. The beach waters are calm, shallow, and clear turquoise. Walking past the white quartz sand into the shore, Siesta Key Beach offers visitors stunning turquoise waters that are peaceful and perfect for relaxing or enjoying with kids. Unlike the rowdy, surf-worthy waves of Florida's Atlantic coast, the Siesta Key waters are shallow and calm. According to locals, the shallow water helps keep sharks, along with other fish, away from the shores, which combined with inoffensive wave tides, provides parents and visitors with peace of mind when relaxing on the coast. I instantly fell in love with the beach, which felt very different from other Florida beaches I had visited. Younger locals can spend their summers learning how to surf on Siesta Key. When I visited, I not only saw tons of people reading while tanning, older couples walking along the shore, and families with young kids watching their toddlers step on the cool sand, but I also got to witness a class taking morning surf lessons on the beach. This reminded me of my summers spent at beach camps in Venezuela growing up, where kids my age and I would also find ways to entertain ourselves in the sea, although our waves weren't as inoffensive as Siesta Key's. Watching how quiet and wholesome weekday mornings are in Siesta Key, even during the summertime, made me understand locals' efforts to keep their gem low-key. Siesta Key offers free shuttle services between beach access points and the Siesta Key Village tourist district. Visitors to Siesta Key can enjoy free transportation between the beach and Siesta Key Village, where most bars and restaurants are located. The services work on both a schedule and an on-demand basis, with passengers being able to both wait at a stop until the next shuttle comes or call a phone number to request an on-demand ride. After visiting, I can see why Siesta Key Beach tops America's beach rankings. After visiting Siesta Key Beach, I can see why the destination has captured the attention of national and foreign visitors. Being raised on Venezuela's Caribbean coast, I am no stranger to beautiful beaches, and I can say that Siesta Key transported me to the Caribbean shores I grew up in with its white sand and clear water. This little beach town might just be Florida's best hidden secret, and it should be a non-negotiable part of your travel itinerary if you're visiting Florida's Gulf Coast.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Yahoo
This Is the No. 1 Tourist Destination Letdown in the U.S.—but Here's How to Visit It Properly
The day after I graduated from college, my sister and I flew to New York City, meticulously plotting out our visit hour-by-hour in a spiral notebook. But the moment we got to the city, we ditched the plan and beelined for Times Square. Hours later, she was live on MTV's TRL (yes, this was 1999!) announcing the No. 1 song—and we instantly believed this was the place where dreams come true. A few years later, my office was smack dab in the middle of Times Square. While my co-workers complained about the constant hoards of tourists, I secretly loved stepping right into the excitement, always remembering that every individual in the crowd is experiencing that magical first moment of looking up and feeling the power of the bright lights and big city, or as I always call it, that first Felicity moment from The WB hit drama. Now that I've lived here 22 years, I know and understand the reputation of that the district around the intersection where Broadway and Seventh Avenue has. For global travelers, Times Square a must-see, standing among the skyscrapers and screens among the street performers and costumed characters luring travelers (and SNL comedians, as Colin Jost told Travel + Leisure). And for locals, it's the one place to totally avoid. So when I learned analysts at CasiMonka named Times Square the "biggest tourist destination letdown" in the world—with reviews calling it "expensive" and "touristy"—I instantly got defensive. As perhaps the most famous New Year's Eve destination in the world for its ball drop, a tradition since 1907, of course anyone who visits the city year-round craves a piece of that thrill, inherently turning it into a 'touristy' place. Plus compared to where many travelers are coming from, the cost of living is higher. But like anywhere else, there are budget-friendly options that still give you the ultimate Big Apple experience, if you know where to look. In fact, one of my most frequented spots is the Hershey's Store because I'm always handed free chocolate as soon as I enter! I was so obsessed with this that when I worked near Rockefeller Center for four years at a company that provided car service home, I'd turn it down just to unwind and walk through Times Square savoring that sweet treat in hand. While dining anywhere in New York City can cost a pretty penny, some of my favorite affordable options are also in Times Square, and their diversity showcases the global influence of the city's cuisine. At the top of the list for a full-service meal is an outpost of Japanese ramen shop Ichiran with individual wooden booths for each diner. Its classic Tonkotsu ramen is $22 flat, as a no-tipping establishment. The Italian sandwich shop All'Antico Vinaio serves up Florence-style quick bites, and whenever I have family in town, we always go to Tony's DiNapoli for family-style Italian homecooking. There's also been a recent surge of authentic Asian eats, giving the city's Chinatown and Koreatown serious competition. An outpost of one of the world's most inexpensive Michelin-starred restaurants Tim Ho Wan serves dim sum, while the Taiwanese soup dumpling favorite Din Tai Fung opened its largest restaurant yet in Times Square last year. So many of my favorites in the city are within the district, like Four Four South Village for Taiwanese beef noodles, Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns and Kung Fu Kitchen for no-frills dumplings and noodles, The Handpulled Noodle for customizable noodle entrees, and Dim Sum Sam for wonton noodle soup. There is also the famous Restaurant Row on 46th Street with longtime mainstay Becco for Italian, while Don't Tell Mama is always fun for a dose of entertainment with your meal and Joe Allen is popular for the the theater community for its wall of Broadway flops, as Kristin Chenoweth told T+L. Of course, Times Square overlaps with the Theater District, with 41 Broadway theaters featuring the world's best musicals and plays, many with star-studded casts. Right now you can catch George Clooney in Good Night, and Good Luck and both Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in Othello. There's never been a better time to take in a show as this current season is Broadway's highest-grossing in history. While tickets prices can be high, over two decades, I've seen hundreds of shows, never paying more than $100 (often less than $50!), with the exception of four, which were still under $200. Most theaters offer lotteries or rush tickets, and platforms like TodayTix and Theatr also offer deals, and Broadway Inbound for groups. There's also the famous TKTS booth under the Duffy Square's red steps for discounted same-day seats. With so many shows to choose from, it can be hard to navigate, but Wicked, Gypsy, Hamilton, and The Great Gatsby are great for first-timers, whereas my personal recommendations for the season are Maybe Happy Ending, a robotic-look at human nature fresh off its best musical Tonys win, and Just In Time with the beguiling Jonathan Groff in an enthralling homage to Bobby Darrin. Theater lovers should also make time to visit the Museum of Broadway, also in the neighborhood, and can even put on your dancing shoes for one of 50 daily drop-in classes at Broadway Dance Center—I've never felt more like a Broadway star that when I tap danced in the neighborhood! Other empowering city moments: practicing yoga with hundreds of strangers for the annual Solstice in Times Square and running through its streets during the New York City Half Marathon. While the constant hubbub can be overwhelming, I've found calm within th area's coffee shops, often spend my days writing at Bird and Branch, which offers a fun coffee flight, Frisson Espresso, where I'm bound to overhear conversations from Broadway folks, and Bibble and Sip with cutesy desserts that are equally tasty. Like any other city hub, the hotel options can be pricey and room merely functional. But there there's also been a resurgence of boutique-style hotels, like the Civilian Hotel with a cozy artsy atmosphere and Kimpton Theta whose rooftop Bar Sprezzatura is like an Italian seaside getaway, and elevated The Times Square EDITION with The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens with a refreshed menu that includes frozen s'mores. "The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens feels like a sanctuary in the neighborhood," Susmita Baral, a senior editor at T+L said. "Aside from having quality food and a charming aesthetic, it truly transports you to a zen space." Despite being pulled in so many directions in Times Square, every night there's a unifying moment at 11:57pm, when all 92 digital screens from 41st to 49th Streets sync up with the work of contemporary artists for three minutes in Time Square Alliance's Midnight Moment—definitely worth experiencing. While my status of being a 'real' New Yorkers is threatened by admitting that my favorite neighborhood to work and play is Times Square, I will always remind travelers and locals alike to pause and look up and remember the words of Frank Sinatra, 'If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.' And there's no better place to find yourself than in the heart of New York City than Times Square. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
