Providence’s quirky, artistic charm continues to make headlines.
After a shoutout from Vogue Magazine, the Ocean State’s capital placed second on CNN’s 2024 list of America’s best cities to visit.
Providence resident Christine Chitnis – who wrote both CNN and Vogue articles – appears to be on a mission to spread the word about the city’s rise to cultural and creative capital, highlighting its thriving arts scene through museums and performance centers, architecture and the various culinary attractions. from cultures around the world.
CNN’s America’s Best Towns to Visit is a list intended to provide readers with smaller towns that still have a big personality.
Why Providence ranks so high
The article calls Providence “the city that moved rivers” – referring to the infrastructure and architecture of the downtown waterfront created by the massive The Providence River Relocation.
The project lasted 30 years and led to a redirection of the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck rivers to create new commercial real estate without impacting the historic buildings, resulting in the downtown riverfront as it is today.
Regarding the city’s well-known affinity for art of all kinds – be it installation or culinary art, CNN summarized: “Downtown’s rivers have danced for decades in the firelight of the beloved art installation WaterFire, and public art can be found everywhere. The city is also home to the famous Rhode Island School of Design and its museum. Architecture buffs will have plenty to admire, and Providence’s culinary history (with top-notch seafood and Italian cuisine) and diverse restaurants mean you’ll be treated to a global feast.”
For those seeking a bit of natural beauty, Providence maintains a wealth of green spaces, including Roger Williams Park, which spans more than 435 acres, Chitnis wrote. Even here it’s full of art, as among the “manicured grounds, recreational ponds and public gardens,” she said, are historic buildings like the Museum of Natural History, the Botanical Center, Temple to Music and, of course, the Roger Williams Park Zoo. .
How did CNN compile the list?
CNN Travel tapped into their extensive network of contributors to gather nominations for the list. The editors went through the entries and narrowed them down to ten based on several factors.
In addition to evaluating each location’s attractions, food and drink, nightlife and cultural scene, they looked for a strong sense of identity and a “wow factor,” according to the homepage of America’s Best Towns to Visit. Proximity to other interesting travel locations was also taken into account, as well as travel logistics such as accommodation options and ease of getting there and around. The towns and villages ranged in population from 50,000 residents to about 225,000.
What other towns and small towns were on the list?
The final 10 best US cities to visit for 2024 were:
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Richmond, Va
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Providence, Rhode Island
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Tacoma, Washington
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Portland, Maine
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San Luis Obispo, California
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Flagstaff, Arizona
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Macon, Georgia
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Grand Rapids, Mich
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Knoxville, Tenn
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Duluth, Minnesota
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Providence named second best on CNN’s Best Towns to Visit 2024
