Latest news with #10BESTReaders'ChoiceAwards
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Shell yes! What SWFL beach made USA Today's 10BEST list
One Southwest Florida beach made another list for being among the best in the state. In USA Today's 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards for 2025, the national news publication rated Bowman's Beach on Sanibel Island as the No. 6 beach in Florida. "The allure of Bowman's Beach, located on Sanibel Island, Florida, lies in its tranquil setting and the chance to go shelling along its expansive white sand coastline," USA Today wrote. "With amenities such as picnic areas, restrooms, and hiking trails, it's an ideal spot for families and nature enthusiasts alike." The 10BEST Beaches in Florida: 1. Delray Beach 2. Clearwater Beach 3. Treasure Island Beach 4. Lauderdale-By-The-Sea 5. Stuart Beach 6. Bowman's Beach 7. St. Pete Beach 8. Siesta Beach (Siesta Key) 9. Destin 10. Anastasia State Park (St. Augustine) Bowman's Beach is in the heart of shell collecting, making Sanibel unofficially known as the "Seashell Capital of the World." Sanibel Island is home to more than 250 species of shells, littering its roughly 15 miles of sandy beaches with millions of treasures ranging in size and color. Thousands travel to the island every year. Sanibel is a barrier island so it sees more shells on its beaches compared to others around the county, experts told the News-Press three years ago. And Sanibel is one of the very few islands in Florida that run perpendicular, which causes ocean currents to have the beaches primarily flush water downward. USA Today asked a panel of experts to nominate their top picks, then readers voted to determine the winners. The News-Press is part of Gannett, which publishes USA TODAY and more than 200 local news sites nationwide. Hurricane recovery: All of Sanibel's beach parking lots are now open. See full list Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at dosborn@ and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel's Bowman's Beach named on USA Today' 10BEST list in Florida
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This Iowa motorsport race was just ranked among the best in the country
An Iowa motorsport race recently made USA TODAY'S 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards list as one of the best in the country. With 10 raceways around the state and Iowa hosting high-profile races like the NASCAR Cup Series and Sukup IndyCar Race Weekend, it is safe to say Iowans have an affinity for motorsports. Advertisement So out of all the races in Iowa, which one in the state is one of the best in the country? What Iowa motorsport race is one of the best in the country? The NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals placed second in the Top 10 best motorsports races in the country, according to USA TODAY 10BEST. The south-central Iowa race beat out the Dayton 500, Indianapolis 500 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix for Formula 1. More: 15 sports-related things to do in Iowa this summer from marathons to baseball games The only race ranked better than Knoxville's is Sick Week in Orlando, Florida. What is the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals race? First held in 1961, the race draws more than 20,000 spectators annually across four days in early August. Drivers earn points with every lap they complete, and the competitor with the highest point total at the end takes home $1 million. Advertisement The track was initially used for horse racing and is located on the Marion County Fairgrounds. The first automobile race was held in 1901. When is the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals Race? The 64th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals begins Aug. 6 and runs until Aug. 9. The current champion of the race is Kyle Larson, who has won the Knoxville Nationals in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Tickets are still available for all four days, and they start at $54. More: Kyle Larson revels in time at Iowa Speedway, Knoxville Raceway during off-week Register reporter Kate Kealey contributed to this report Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@ or follow him on X @CooperAWorth. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Knoxville Nationals ranked among the best motorsport races in U.S.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Go glamping this summer at these top East Tennessee campsites ranked in the 10BEST
Nothing says "summer" quite like late-night chats around a campfire, overflowing oozy s'mores and nights spent under the stars. You could go camping in your own tent, or you could go "glamping," where you can enjoy nature AND air conditioning. There are plenty of glamping sites around Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for travelers or locals looking to connect with nature, but some stand out above the rest. If you're a nature lover - or looking for a glamping retreat - here are the best spots to pitch your tent or park the camper in East Tennessee, according to the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards. Little Arrow Outdoor Resort has been a longtime honoree of the USA TODAY Readers' Choice Awards. The campground won "Best Glamping" in 2020 and is once again recognized in that category in 2025. The Townsend camping spot also ranked No. 6 in the "Best RV Campground" category this time. Little Arrow Outdoor Resort is tucked away in Townsend, Tennessee, the quieter alternative to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. You'll still have epic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and near access to America's most-visited national park. At Little Arrow, you can choose to stay at an RV site, cabin, tiny home or "glamping" tent. All guests enjoy access to a coffee lounge, swimming pool, splash pad, dog park, playground, laundry facilities, basketball court and, of course, a community fire pit. Safari West (Santa Rosa, California) Beaver Island Retreat (Beaver Island, Michigan) Little Arrow Outdoor Resort (Townsend, Tennessee) The Destination (Dadeville, Alabama) Sky Ridge Yurts (Bryson City, North Carolina) Savannah Sunset Resort & Spa (Jackson, New Jersey) Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo (River Ranch, Florida) Naturluxe & Stars (Watkins Glen, New York) Paws Up Montana (Greenough, Montana) Glamp Michigan (Benzonia, Michigan) Normandy Farms (Foxboro, Massachusetts) Jellystone Park Pelahatchie - Yogi on the Lake (Pelahatchie, Mississippi) Inn Town Campground (Nevada City, California) Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Mill Run (Mill Run, Pennsylvania) Camp Fimfo Texas Hill Country (New Braunfels, Texas) Little Arrow Outdoor Resort (Townsend, Tennessee) Dark Sky RV Campground (Kanab, Utah) Spacious Skies Campgrounds - Minute Man (Littleton, Massachusetts) Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground (Buellton, California) Gulf State Park Campground (Orange Beach, Alabama) Want to be wastin' away in Margaritaville? Try the Camp Margaritaville RV Resort & Lodge in Pigeon Forge. This outdoor resort won No. 9 in the Best Luxury RV Resort category for its proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains and its plethora of amenities. Every RV site includes Wi-Fi, cable TV, a picnic table and a fire ring. Guests also have access to the hot tub, pool and an entertainment center on the property. Camp Margaritaville RV Resort & Cabana Cabins (Auburndale, Florida) Firefly Resort (Fredericksburg, Texas) Resort at Canopy Oaks (Lake Wales, Florida) Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort (Lake Toxaway, North Carolina) Motorcoach Country Club (Indio, California) Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort (Las Vegas, Nevada) Bluewater Key RV Resort (Key West, Florida) Great Escapes RV Resorts North Texas (Perrin, Texas) Camp Margaritaville RV Resort & Lodge - Pigeon Forge (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee) Naples Motorcoach Resort (Naples, Florida) Camp LeConte Luxury Outdoor Resort is a family-owned campsite that took the No. 6. spot in the Best Vintage Trailer Hotel category. This unique campground sits at the foot of Mount LeConte and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can choose to stay in a luxury tree house, a European safari tent or a 1960s retro camper. Guests also can park their own RV or camper, or pitch a tent on site. Starlite Vintage Resort (Cañon City, Colorado) The Vintages Trailer Resort (Dayton, Oregon) SkyStream Resort at SkyPark Camp + RV Resort (Skyforest, California) Lake Bastrop North Shore Park (Bastrop, Texas) Ardovino's Desert Crossing (Sunland Park, New Mexico) Camp LeConte Luxury Outdoor Resort (Gatlinburg, Tennessee) Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground (Buellton, California) The Shady Dell Vintage Trailer Court (Bisbee, Arizona) Hart's Camp (Pacific City, Oregon) JuneBug Retro Resort (Weaverville, North Carolina) The USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards highlight the best in travel, food and drink, and lifestyle, and are voted on by the public. A panel of industry experts nominate their favorite interests and attractions across a wide range of categories every week, and then 10BEST editors vet these nominations and select a final set of nominees to be presented for a public vote. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Go glamping at these top spots in Great Smoky Mountains this summer
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Maine has one of the country's best scenic drives, according to USA TODAY. Here's where
Planning on taking a road trip this summer? Maine has one of the most scenic drives in the country, according to USA TODAY's 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards. The annual rankings highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. In the 2025 best road trip awards, weighing attractions like rental car companies, motels and roadside attractions across the country, Maine's Schoodic National Scenic Byway ranked fourth in the scenic drive category. Here's what to know about road tripping through the scenic spot. Traveling around the Schoodic Peninsula, the Schoodic National Scenic Byway is a beautiful drive along coastal Maine which stretches from Hancock to Prospect Village. As visitors drive through the byway, they are surrounded by historic sights like lighthouses and piers, as well as plenty of charming towns full of shops and restaurants. Here's what USA TODAY has to say about the drive: "The Schoodic National Scenic Byway is a 29-mile route that passes through some of the most unspoiled and beautiful coastal landscapes in Maine. You'll take in charming fishing villages, isolated lighthouses, and travel through the only mainland section of Acadia National Park. Highlights include mountain and sea views from Schoodic Point, and the amazing reversing falls at Tidal Falls Preserve. There's great kayaking, canoeing, and hiking along the way, and be sure to stop for some fresh Maine lobster." Beyond the beach house: 3 unique Seacoast Airbnbs for a summer stay like no other Here is the full list of USA TODAY's top 10 scenic drives in the country: Great River Road - Multiple states Natchez Trace Parkway - Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina and Virginia Schoodic National Scenic Byway - Maine U.S. Route 66 - Multiple states Pacific Coast Highway - California Minnesota North Shore Scenic Drive - Minnesota Door County Coastal Byway - Wisconsin Midland Trail National Scenic Byway - West Virginia Going-to-the-Sun Road - Glacier National Park, Montana This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: ME's Schoodic National Scenic Byway named a top scenic drive. Here's why
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Door County motel tops USA TODAY 10BEST national poll, scenic drive places in Top 10
A Door County family-owned lakeside motel won the top spot in a national online survey while a popular scenic route for motorists and cyclists placed in the top 10 in the same poll. Square Rigger Lodge in Jacksonport was voted No. 1 in the 'Best Roadside Motel' category in the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards for Road Trips, while the Door County Coastal Byway finished in eighth place for "Best Scenic Drive" in the country in the same survey. The USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards feature top travel and lifestyle destinations and events. Nominees are determined by a panel of industry experts. Winners are decided by online voting, with anyone eligible able to vote once per day during the polling period, which ran from April 7 to May 5 for the Road Trips survey. To win the Best Roadside Motel category, Square Rigger topped a list of 20 nominees spread across the U.S. from California and Oregon to Boston to St. Augustine, Florida. Placing second behind Square Rigger was Roadrunner Lodge Motel, located along the famed Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico (one of two motels on Route 66 in Tucumcari to make the Top 10), followed by The Local in St. Augustine and Dame Fortune's Cottage Court in Hot Springs, Arkansas. "Wisconsin's Door Peninsula draws tourists in droves thanks to its abundant natural beauty, and the Square Rigger Lodge serves as the perfect base for exploring the region," the USA TODAY 10BEST site says about the winner. "Rental options range from motel rooms to cottages to an entire house, and to sweeten the deal, the property even comes with its own beachfront coffee shop for early risers." Square Rigger Lodge features 16 rooms overlooking nearly 300 feet of a private sand beach on the Lake Michigan shore. The lodge also has five cottages and a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house that formerly served as the owner's home but is now available to guests for weekly rental. A Little Bit of Coffee, a beachfront coffee shop that also offers a full bar, smoothies, baked goods and quiches daily and small plates Tuesday and Thursday evenings, is attached to the motel and open daily during the season with limited hours in September and October. The LeClair family built the original motel in June 1984 and added to it over the years. In 2022, owner Elizabeth 'Little Bit' LeClair sold Square Rigger to its current owners: Mary Riley; Molly and Hale Towns; Betsy Riley and Neil Anderson; and Katie Riley and Mike Kerr. A press release at the time announcing the sale described the owners as a family group that's had members stay on the property every year since it was built. In the three years since taking over, the ownership group has upgraded amenities in the cottages and motel rooms, including new bedding and other cosmetic changes, and updated the rental house with new paint, flooring and furniture. Square Rigger Lodge is at 6332 State 57, Jacksonport. Its season runs from mid-May into October. For more information, call 920-823-2404 or visit or Meanwhile, the 66-mile Door County Coastal Byway faced some pretty stiff, longer and internationally known competition in placing eighth among the country's best scenic drives. Topping the list was the Great River Road, which runs the length of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana. Second and third places went to the Natchez Trace Parkway through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, and the Blue Ridge Parkway through the mountains of the same name in North Carolina and Virginia, and among the other well-known drives in the Top 10 were Route 66 in fifth place, the Pacific Coast Highway in California in sixth and Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park in Montana (10th). "Door County Coastal Byway … connects travelers to three state parks and 10 county parks, showcasing the best of Lake Michigan and northern Wisconsin," the contest site says. "For a real treat on this curvy road, plan your road trip for the fall, when the orchards are full of fruit and the leaves have turned fiery crimson and gold. Other highlights include the 400-million-year-old Niagara Escarpment bluffs and the sandy beaches found along Lake Michigan." The byway runs between the north side of Sturgeon Bay and the tip of the mainland Peninsula in Newport. It starts where State 42 and State 57 split and head in different directions, with 42 running near the bay of Green Bay and 57 doing the same near the Lake Michigan shore. The two highways come back together where 57 ends in Sister Bay, and the byway continues to 42's terminus in Newport. Along the way, the byway passes through popular tourist communities like Fish Creek, Ephraim, Sister Bay, Ellison Bay, Baileys Harbor and Jacksonport, and three state parks and 10 county parks are on or just off the route. It also includes what is often called Door County's "curvy road," the final mile or so of State 42 heading into Newport that includes 15 curves in a wooded area and is one of the most photographed stretched of roadway on the Peninsula. Efforts launched by the town of Liberty Grove and joined by seven other local communities and the county saw the Door County Coastal Byway named a Wisconsin Scenic Byway by the state in 2010 and a National Scenic Byway in 2021. Routes are selected for national designation for their importance as tourism destinations, based upon the archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities they offer. This isn't the first time the Door County Coastal Byway has been recognized in a national poll. In January it was named one of the 100 best winter road trips in the U.S. in an online panel survey conducted by Ultimate Toys, an Ohio-based designer and builder of multipurpose full-size luxury vans. It also was cited as a recommended drive for fall scenery in a survey of baby boomers conducted in 2019 by the AARP Travel Center that named Door County as one of the top 12 fall vacation destinations for seniors in the U.S. For more information on the Door County Coastal Byway, including maps, a downloadable brochure and attractions along the route, visit To see the complete list of USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards for Road Trips, visit Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@ MORE: Here's a look at festivals, art fairs and special events in Door County this May MORE: State OKs $7.7 million in improvements for state parks, boat landing in Door County FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County motel tops national poll, scenic drive places in Top 10
