Providence is certainly OUR favorite city, and apparently, we’re not the only ones who feel that way! People who responded to the America’s Favorite Places survey, developed by the editors of Travel + Leisure, ranked Providence as this year’s overall winner, ahead of Houston, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and LA. This summer, respondents rated 1,209 destinations in up to 67 categories, using a scale of 1 to 5. For the final results, editors selected a subset of 38 cities based on reader feedback and tourism data.

Providence stood out in a number of categories:

• BEST Overall City, City for Bakeries, City for Diners, and Geekiest City
• #2 for Notable Restaurants, Gay-Friendly Vacations, Food Trucks, Pizza, Sandwiches, Hamburgers, Being Hip/Cool, and Art Scene.
• #3 for Galleries, Cocktail Bars, Brunch, and Coffee
• #4 for Intelligence, Quirkiness, and Wine
• #5 for Theatre, Architecture, Most Attractive People, Bars, and Girlfriend Getaway

Following the announcement, Travel + Leisure published 5 Reasons to Visit Providence Now, which highlights a variety of downtown destinations. T+L recommends eating at birch, drinking at the Eddy and the Dorrance, shopping at clover, Homestyle and the Arcade, and staying at the Dean hotel. We encourage you to read more, visit downtown Providence, and vote in next year’s survey!