With 2014 drawing to a close, the travel experts at Lonely Planet have come up with the top U.S. destinations to visit in the coming year. The list is "a mix of up-and-coming destinations, old faves with new highlights, and places poised to shine," says Lonely Planet. Their number one choice is definitely intriguing -- as are several others -- so don't delay in checking out the top ten U.S. destinations for 2015:
10. Mount Shasta region, California. "Mt. Shasta City sits just below the volcano, and with plenty of inns and B&Bs, coffee shops, galleries, and a comfortable blend of old-timey and new-agey, it's a great base camp for exploring of the area."
9. Duluth, MN. "With trails in every direction, Lake Superior's waves crashing on one side, and snowy mountains rising on the other, Duluth has emerged as the Midwest's premier outdoors hot spot."
8. Oakland, CA. "As prices nudge up against the stratosphere in San Francisco, the quirky artsy cool has moved east across the Bay to find a home in more affordable Oakland."
7. Greenville, SC. "[I]nviting trails and gardens greet visitors, leading off to a revitalized Main Street, with local shops, craft-beer pubs, and a global array of restaurants."
6. Indianapolis, IN. "[D]rink mead, entertain the kids at world-class museums, eat food grown on local micro-farms, tap out some witty prose on Kurt Vonnegut's typewriter at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library (careful what you type -- it live tweets)," and more.
5. North Conway, NH. "North Conway is quintessential New England, with covered bridges, quaint B&Bs and lazy canoe rides."
4. Colorado River region. "[T]he trip down the longest stretch of navigable river in the U.S. has become one of the iconic US adventure travel experiences -- and one that might not last forever."
3. New Orleans, LA. "The Big Easy is back and thriving. With a mix of refurbished history and new upstarts, the city has a raft of fresh options for travelers -- all uniquely New Orleans."
2. Western South Dakota. "With a combination of vast natural beauty, quirky small-town charm, Native American cultural sites, and some famously larger-than-life presidential noggins carved into a mountain, it's hard to find anywhere that looks more like the America of one's imagination than Western South Dakota."
1. Queens, NY. "With microbreweries springing up, new boutique hotels, a reinvented seaside at Rockaway, a world-class art scene, and a truly global food culture, 2015 is the year to try Queens." (The photo above was taken in Long Island City, in Queens.)
Source: Lonely Planet