Tuesday morning, Lonely Planet released the top 10 U.S. travel destinations for 2014, and Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan’s Gold Coast took the top spot.
Michigan’s second largest city boasts a string of distinctions, editors say, chief among them a badge of honor for beer lovers: Grand Rapids was named the best beer city in the US for the last two years by the Beer Examiner, with more than 25 craft breweries in the region that support a niche beer tourism market including the Winter Beer Festival.
The city is also home to the world’s largest art competition, ArtPrize, which turns the city into a sprawling, pop-up art gallery that showcases more than 1,700 works from artists around the world.
Furthermore, in what may no longer remain a national secret, editors also describe the Gold Coast as one of America’s best beach getaways, with 300 miles (482 km) of white, sandy beaches lined with wineries, antique shops, orchards, berry farms and cider houses.
Yosemite National Park also makes Lonely Planet’s list of top places to visit in 2014, for marking the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the first time an act had been passed to preserve and protect a patch of land for Americans.
Here are the Top US destinations recommended by Lonely Planet for 2014:
1. Grand Rapids & Lake Michigan’s Gold Coast
2. Yosemite National Park, CA
3. Boston, MA
4. Central Coast, CA
5. Jersey Shore
6. Kansas City, MO
7. Cumberland Island, GA
8. Las Vegas, NV
9. Sun Valley, ID
10. Lana‘i, Hawaii
