CNN picks Ithaca ‘Best Town to Visit’ in America in 2025

CNN Travel is touting what people in Ithaca and Tompkins County already know very well – that it is a great place to visit.

The news outlet has released its list of Best Towns to Visit in America in 2025, and Ithaca came in No. 1 on its top 10 list, “thanks to its easy access to nature, vibrant college-town culture and homegrown flavors.”

“The landscape in and around this friendly upstate New York town is so jampacked with falls — more than 150 within a 10-mile radius — that you don’t have to go far before coming upon another one, often more impressive than the last, “the article states. “A showstopper when it comes to scenery, Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, the longest of New York’s Finger Lakes, surrounded by fertile land that’s home to wineries, cider houses and farms that stock produce-forward restaurants downtown.”

“Ithaca is also a vibrant college town — home to Cornell University and Ithaca College — with more cultural offerings than its size would suggest, thanks in large part to the people those institutions attract.”

CNN Travel did their research in advance, working with Visit Ithaca to connect with tourism partners, and spent several days in Tompkins County conducting interviews and filming for the online article’s companion video. Their team’s follow-up include fact-checking outreach and seeking additional images for the article.

“We are extremely proud of this honor for our destination. We are in good company to be grouped with Annapolis, Asheville, Las Cruces, Clarksdale, and the rest of the top 10 destinations,” said Peggy Coleman, president of Tompkins Chamber and Visit Ithaca. “While we believe we are the best town to visit in America, it is great to have that validated by a source like CNN. As the Visit Ithaca team works to invite people from all over the world to explore our communities, this is one more tool we can use to help differentiate Tompkins County, and to drive new tax dollars to support our local economy.”

The CNN Travel article and video can be viewed at: https://www.cnn.com/travel/ithaca-new-york-best-towns-america-2025.