Sarasota at top of CNN's list of cities to visit

As the editors of CNN Travel put it themselves, looking "beyond some of American tourism’s heaviest hitters," guess what city they said was tops on their list of the best to visit.

Look out the window and you’ll see it. It’s us. Sarasota.

Photo by Eric Garwood

"I think what can surprise you is when you come down here, that there is absolutely incredible artistic excellence," said Brian Hersh, CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, in the CNN story about Sarasota. "Some things that you can see here, you would maybe not see anywhere else, or only see in a major metropolitan area."

CNN’s 2026 list of the 10 "Best Towns to Visit" purposely "looks beyond some of American tourism’s heaviest hitters to find less-discovered communities or places whose unexpected histories and curiosities have been obscured by splashier attractions."

Also on the list, occupying the other nine positions below Sarasota, from bottom to runner-up:

• Roanoke, Virginia
• Lawrence, Kansas
• Iowa City, Iowa
• Juneau, Alaska
• Burlington, Vermont
• Fort Collins, Colorado
• Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• Greenville, South Carolina
• New Haven, Connecticut (runner-up)

More than just a piece on the city’s deep connection to the arts, there’s ample references to the Amish and Mennonite community of Pinecraft, the barrier islands and their beaches, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Mote SEA and even some of Longboat Key’s top spots such as the St. Regis Resort and the Dry Dock Waterfront Grill.

“You’re just not going to unplug in New York in the same way,” Hersh told CNN writers.

Take that, Big Apple.