Why do we travel? As travel editors we are constantly asking ourselves this question. Sometimes you travel simply because you must; pure obligation lands you at a hotel conference, or a bachelorette party you can’t really afford. You travel to spend time with family, or to escape, often with the explicit purpose of doing nothing at all (they call this “vacation”). And sometimes, if you’re very lucky, you travel for no reason other than your own boundless curiosity. It’s not so much the why -- but the things you see, eat, drink, and do while you’re there -- that matters.
In that spirit, we scoured the country for the latest and greatest attractions we’re most curious about: the restaurants, hotels, parks, museums, and entertainment we’d hop on a plane to check out this summer. We weren’t so much interested in headline-grabbing, multi-million dollar developments (although there are certainly some of those) as we were in new spaces that are driving real conversation in their communities, and places we think will change the American travel map in the decades to come.
Some are about to open their doors for the first time ever; some are familiar landmarks fresh off a full-scale renovation. Others have been quietly gaining steam over the past year, turning into that new, cool thing to check out next time you’re in the neighborhood. Each of them is changing the landscape, both literally and figuratively, of cities across the United States.