US Travel: 25 Best Places To Visit In 2020, by Laura Begley Bloom
What’s on your travel list for 2020? Maybe this is the year to see more of the United States. After all, there’s so much to love in our own backyard. I tapped into a handful of travel experts and influencers to find out the top places in the USA that they recommend visiting in 2020. Their picks range from historic cities to mountain getaways to some up-and-coming locations that you might not know—but that you need to see in the new year. Compare these to the best places in the US that the experts chose for 2019. I’ve also got my own shortlist of some of the travel spots I’m most excited about in the US for 2020.
Where: U.S. Virgin Islands
Chosen by: As The Points Guy’s travel editor, Melanie Lieberman manages destination coverage and other travel features. Before joining the TPG team, Melanie was an editor at Travel + Leisure magazine, and her work has appeared in Bloomberg Pursuits, Yahoo Travel, Jetsetter and Saveur magazine, among others.
Why: More than two years after hurricanes Irma and Maria, the U.S. Virgin Islands are truly making a comeback—and not just in the way of superficial repairs. Beloved properties like The Westin St. John and The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas were completely reborn in 2019. And a new resort, Noni Beach (the first Autograph Collection hotel in the U.S. Virgin Islands) will debut in the new year.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are also closer to the mainland than ever now, with American and Delta expanding their Caribbean networks through new codeshare partnerships with Silver Airways. St. Croix, for example, is now on Delta’s flight map, and American is even launching new flights to St. Thomas from Chicago (ORD) and Dallas (DFW) on Dec. 21.
Once you’ve arrived, visit the new swim-up taco bar off the coast of St. John that opened in March, or check out Navy Beach St. Thomas—an outpost of the iconic Montauk restaurant that will welcome guests at the Yacht Haven Grande before the end of the year. From here, you can watch the yacht-filled harbor from the outdoor lounge while plotting the rest of your 2020 adventures. For more ideas of where to go in the USVI, check out The Points Guy’s list of the top places to go in 2020.