<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcdwck3f00043b6mmivosq8x@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcduxar300003b6j2uuq139m@published" data-video-id="me7fc28874cf146575173334b210864170adfc47f8" data-media-id="me7fc28874cf146575173334b210864170adfc47f8" data-live="" data-analytics-aggregate-events="true" data-custom-experience="" data-asset-type="hlsTs" data-auth-type="none" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-medium-env="" data-autostart="disabled" data-show-ads="true" data-source="CNN" data-featured-video="true" data-headline="See why this town’s Pride celebration is a month earlier—and why you should visit" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="<p>Northampton, Massachusetts has a long history of being a haven for the LGBTQ community. But as CNN anchor Victor Blackwell learns on his visit, Northampton is a welcoming place for everyone. Join us as we ride the region's rails to trails bike network, explore Smith College, and kick back at a local coffee shop.</p><p>Check out CNN’s <a href="https://cnn.com/besttowns"><strong>America’s Best Towns to Visit</strong></a> for this year’s top ten list and much more.</p>" data-duration="02:30" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
<a target="_self" href="https://www.cnn.com/" class="video-resource__source-url">CNN</a>
</span>' data-fave-thumbnails='{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/abt-northampton-thumb-02.png?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/abt-northampton-thumb-02.png?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }' data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="” data-byline-html='<div
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/byline/instances/cmcduxau900023b6j7vog5mww@published”
data-component-name=”byline”
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>
<div class=”byline__images”>
<a class=”byline__image-link” href=”https://www.cnn.com/profiles/deborah-brunswick”>
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</a>
</div>
<div class=”byline__names vossi-byline__names”>
By <span class=”byline__name”>David Yim</span> and <a class=”byline__link vossi-byline__link” href=https://www.cnn.com/profiles/deborah-brunswick><span class=”byline__name”>Deborah Brunswick</span></a>, CNN
</div>
</div>’ data-timestamp-html='<div
class=”timestamp vossi-timestamp”
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/timestamp/instances/cmcduxauy00033b6jrpmhwjch@published”
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Updated
4:18 PM EDT, Thu June 26, 2025
</div>’ data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2025-06-26T20:52:47.901Z” data-video-section=”travel” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/video/gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid” data-branding-key=”americas-best-towns-to-visit-2025″ data-video-slug=”gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid” data-video-tags=”” data-breakpoints='{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}’ data-display-video-cover=”true” data-details=””>
9 videos
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcdwck3f00043b6mmivosq8x@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid" data-position="0" data-index="idx-0" data-video-instance="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcdwck3f00043b6mmivosq8x@published" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcduxar300003b6j2uuq139m@published" data-video-id="me7fc28874cf146575173334b210864170adfc47f8" data-media-id="me7fc28874cf146575173334b210864170adfc47f8" data-live="" data-headline="See why this town’s Pride celebration is a month earlier—and why you should visit" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="<p>Northampton, Massachusetts has a long history of being a haven for the LGBTQ community. But as CNN anchor Victor Blackwell learns on his visit, Northampton is a welcoming place for everyone. Join us as we ride the region's rails to trails bike network, explore Smith College, and kick back at a local coffee shop.</p><p>Check out CNN’s <a href="https://cnn.com/besttowns"><strong>America’s Best Towns to Visit</strong></a> for this year’s top ten list and much more.</p>" data-duration="02:30" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
<a target="_self" href="https://www.cnn.com/" class="video-resource__source-url">CNN</a>
</span>' data-fave-thumbnails='{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/abt-northampton-thumb-02.png?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/abt-northampton-thumb-02.png?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }' data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="” data-byline-html='<div
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/byline/instances/cmcduxau900023b6j7vog5mww@published”
data-component-name=”byline”
class=”byline vossi-byline”
data-editable=”settings”
>
<div class=”byline__images”>
<a class=”byline__image-link” href=”https://www.cnn.com/profiles/deborah-brunswick”>
<img height=”100″ width=”100″ class=”byline__image vossi-byline__image” src=”https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/150203122018-deborah-brunswick-profile.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill/c_thumb,g_face,w_100,h_100″ alt=”Deborah Brunswick” onerror=”imageLoadError(this)”/>
</a>
</div>
<div class=”byline__names vossi-byline__names”>
By <span class=”byline__name”>David Yim</span> and <a class=”byline__link vossi-byline__link” href=https://www.cnn.com/profiles/deborah-brunswick><span class=”byline__name”>Deborah Brunswick</span></a>, CNN
</div>
</div>’ data-timestamp-html='<div
class=”timestamp vossi-timestamp”
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/timestamp/instances/cmcduxauy00033b6jrpmhwjch@published”
data-editable=”settings”
>
Updated
4:18 PM EDT, Thu June 26, 2025
</div>’ data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2025-06-26T20:52:47.901Z” data-video-section=”travel” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/video/gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid” data-branding-key=”americas-best-towns-to-visit-2025″ data-video-slug=”gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”gay-pride-northampton-massachusetts-best-towns-america-digvid” data-video-tags=”” data-breakpoints='{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}’ data-display-video-cover=”true” data-details=””>
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_1@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/sailing-capital-annapolis-maryland-best-towns-america-digvid" data-position="1" data-index="idx-1" data-video-instance="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_1@published" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmc52knpf0003356mynkv37sn@published" data-video-id="meb98adbb4c9df10508716c95ee537d270d0974fbd" data-media-id="meb98adbb4c9df10508716c95ee537d270d0974fbd" data-live="" data-headline="Sock burnings? Tug of war? Check out this coastal town's quirky traditions" data-has-video-player="true" data-description='<p>Set sail for Annapolis, Maryland — a charming coastal town nestled on the Chesapeake Bay, where maritime tradition runs deep, and seafood is a way of life. </p><p>Check out <a href="https://www.cnn.com/besttowns">CNN’s America’s Best Towns to Visit</a> for this year’s top ten list and much more.</p>' data-duration="02:28" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
<a target="_self" href="https://www.cnn.com/" class="video-resource__source-url">CNN</a>
</span>' data-fave-thumbnails='{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/112253-abt-annapolis-thumb-11.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/112253-abt-annapolis-thumb-11.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }' data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="” data-byline-html='<div
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/byline/instances/cmc52knv00004356md05bpvc1@published”
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>
</div>’ data-timestamp-html='<div
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data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/timestamp/instances/cmc52knzh0005356mz6hk7b79@published”
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>
Updated
4:18 PM EDT, Thu June 26, 2025
</div>’ data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2025-06-20T17:15:23.224Z” data-video-section=”travel” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/video/sailing-capital-annapolis-maryland-best-towns-america-digvid” data-branding-key=”americas-best-towns-to-visit-2025″ data-video-slug=”sailing-capital-annapolis-maryland-best-towns-america-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”sailing-capital-annapolis-maryland-best-towns-america-digvid” data-video-tags=”cprog” data-breakpoints='{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}’ data-display-video-cover=”true” data-unselectable=”true” data-details=””>
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_2@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/southwestern-food-las-cruces-new-mexico-best-towns-digvid" data-position="2" data-index="idx-2" data-video-instance="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_2@published" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmccx1wl100003b6jx69mk83l@published" data-video-id="med0af6fcc4c8f909d9987c14f31d07f1c20ca8b39" data-media-id="med0af6fcc4c8f909d9987c14f31d07f1c20ca8b39" data-live="" data-headline="Come to Las Cruces for the natural beauty, stay for the food" data-has-video-player="true" data-description='<p>Las Cruces, New Mexico boasts a warm climate and quiet pace of life. But it’s the centuries-old food traditions that hook its visitors. </p><p>Check out <a href="https://www.cnn.com/besttowns">CNN’s America’s Best Towns to Visit</a> for this year’s top ten list and much more.</p>' data-duration="02:27" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
<a target="_self" href="https://www.cnn.com/" class="video-resource__source-url">CNN</a>
</span>' data-fave-thumbnails='{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/lascrucesnm.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/lascrucesnm.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }' data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="” data-byline-html='<div
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data-editable=”settings”
>
<div class=”byline__images”>
</div>
<div class=”byline__names vossi-byline__names”>
By <span class=”byline__name”>Gabe Ramirez</span>, CNN
</div>
</div>’ data-timestamp-html='<div
class=”timestamp vossi-timestamp”
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/timestamp/instances/cmccx1wr200023b6ja8o1oe21@published”
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>
Updated
4:18 PM EDT, Thu June 26, 2025
</div>’ data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2025-06-26T05:24:44.154Z” data-video-section=”travel” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/video/southwestern-food-las-cruces-new-mexico-best-towns-digvid” data-branding-key=”americas-best-towns-to-visit-2025″ data-video-slug=”las-cruces-new-mexico-best-towns-america-2025″ data-first-publish-slug=”las-cruces-new-mexico-best-towns-america-2025″ data-video-tags=”” data-breakpoints='{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}’ data-display-video-cover=”true” data-unselectable=”true” data-details=””>
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_3@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/classic-cars-lucas-petaluma-california-best-towns-digvid" data-position="3" data-index="idx-3" data-video-instance="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_3@published" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcdiafep00003b6mxfsh6ilf@published" data-video-id="me780242fe203e463d6f392aa7b3ad75491d1b9316" data-media-id="me780242fe203e463d6f392aa7b3ad75491d1b9316" data-live="" data-headline="Petaluma offers great food, wine and special treats for film fans" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="<p>Petaluma, California is best known for its farm-to-table food scene and some of the world’s best wine. But once a year, it upends its tranquility to celebrate its time as the setting of George Lucas' classic film "American Graffiti." </p><p>Check out <a href="https://www.cnn.com/besttowns">CNN’s America’s Best Towns to Visit</a> for this year’s top ten list and much more.</p>" data-duration="02:36" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
<a target="_self" href="https://www.cnn.com/" class="video-resource__source-url">CNN</a>
</span>' data-fave-thumbnails='{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/petaluma-ca-mystic.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/petaluma-ca-mystic.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }' data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="” data-byline-html='<div
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class=”byline vossi-byline”
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>
<div class=”byline__images”>
</div>
<div class=”byline__names vossi-byline__names”>
By <span class=”byline__name”>Gabe Ramirez</span>, CNN
</div>
</div>’ data-timestamp-html='<div
class=”timestamp vossi-timestamp”
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/timestamp/instances/cmcdiafgq00033b6mda1jmcto@published”
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>
Updated
4:18 PM EDT, Thu June 26, 2025
</div>’ data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2025-06-26T05:47:47.052Z” data-video-section=”travel” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/video/classic-cars-lucas-petaluma-california-best-towns-digvid” data-branding-key=”americas-best-towns-to-visit-2025″ data-video-slug=”classic-cars-lucas-petaluma-california-best-towns-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”petaluma-california-best-towns-america-2025″ data-video-tags=”” data-breakpoints='{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}’ data-display-video-cover=”true” data-unselectable=”true” data-details=””>
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_4@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/bison-presidents-rapid-city-south-dakota-best-towns-america-digvid" data-position="4" data-index="idx-4" data-video-instance="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_4@published" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcc3w3660000356jaqsg15xn@published" data-video-id="meaa95c24abf09cb37bd011955fa78d0dc039a743f" data-media-id="meaa95c24abf09cb37bd011955fa78d0dc039a743f" data-live="" data-headline="This City of Presidents is more than a monument to the past" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="<p>In Rapid City, South Dakota, America’s presidents aren’t just in the history books. They're cast in bronze on every corner. CNN’s Laura Coates visits one town where President’s Day is every day. </p><p>Check out CNN’s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/besttowns">America’s Best Towns to Visit</a> for this year’s top ten list and much more. </p>" data-duration="02:30" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
<a target="_self" href="https://www.cnn.com/" class="video-resource__source-url">CNN</a>
</span>' data-fave-thumbnails='{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/mckennaewen-112447-rapidcity-dji-0169-mp4-00-04-59-12-still007.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/mckennaewen-112447-rapidcity-dji-0169-mp4-00-04-59-12-still007.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }' data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="” data-byline-html='<div
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/byline/instances/cmcc3w38h0004356jl8xmc6n4@published”
data-component-name=”byline”
class=”byline vossi-byline”
data-editable=”settings”
>
<div class=”byline__images”>
<a class=”byline__image-link” href=”https://www.cnn.com/profiles/laura-coates”>
<img height=”100″ width=”100″ class=”byline__image vossi-byline__image” src=”https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/1454100-00903-r-v1-ps2560x1440-20240415175548444.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill/c_thumb,g_face,w_100,h_100″ alt=”Laura Coates” onerror=”imageLoadError(this)”/>
</a>
</div>
<div class=”byline__names vossi-byline__names”>
By <span class=”byline__name”>McKenna Ewen</span> and <a class=”byline__link vossi-byline__link” href=https://www.cnn.com/profiles/laura-coates><span class=”byline__name”>Laura Coates</span></a>, CNN
</div>
</div>’ data-timestamp-html='<div
class=”timestamp vossi-timestamp”
data-uri=”cms.cnn.com/_components/timestamp/instances/cmcc3w3be0009356jac8vs33n@published”
data-editable=”settings”
>
Updated
4:18 PM EDT, Thu June 26, 2025
</div>’ data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-is-vertical-video-embed=”false” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2025-06-25T15:28:57.127Z” data-video-section=”us” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/travel/video/bison-presidents-rapid-city-south-dakota-best-towns-america-digvid” data-branding-key=”americas-best-towns-to-visit-2025″ data-video-slug=”bison-presidents-rapid-city-south-dakota-best-towns-america-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”bison-presidents-rapid-city-south-dakota-best-towns-america-digvid” data-video-tags=”” data-breakpoints='{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}’ data-display-video-cover=”true” data-unselectable=”true” data-details=””>
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_5@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/clarksdale-birthplace-of-blues-best-towns-digvid" data-position="5" data-index="idx-5" data-video-instance="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_5@published" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmc9efjim0000356jsi0ktr0i@published" data-video-id="me826606a0388c313d1104b321a48ab98ac2e2d744" data-media-id="me826606a0388c313d1104b321a48ab98ac2e2d744" data-live="" data-headline="This ‘hidden gem’ of a city is where the blues genre was born" data-has-video-player="true" data-description='<p>Clarksdale, Mississippi is known as the birthplace of the blues. Follow CNN anchor Laura Coates as she explores the city’s deep music roots. We visit important blues landmarks, sit down for lunch at Abe’s Bar-B-Q, and see first hand why their local juke joints are special.</p><p>Check out CNN’s <a href="https://cnn.com/besttowns"><strong>America’s Best Towns to Visit</strong></a> for this year’s top ten list and much more.</p>' data-duration="02:28" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
<a target="_self" href="https://www.cnn.com/" class="video-resource__source-url">CNN</a>
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By Natalia V. Osipova, <span class=”byline__name”>Demetrius Pipkin</span>, <a class=”byline__link vossi-byline__link” href=https://www.cnn.com/profiles/aaron-fisher><span class=”byline__name”>Aaron Fisher</span></a> and <a class=”byline__link vossi-byline__link” href=https://www.cnn.com/profiles/laura-coates><span class=”byline__name”>Laura Coates</span></a>, CNN
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<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_8@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/2025/06/26/travel/video/fly-fishing-missoula-montana-best-towns-america-digvid" data-position="8" data-index="idx-8" data-video-instance="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/clxlwqpf100003b6fvztq372u_fill_8@published" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmcci35uw0000356my6vvdb69@published" data-video-id="me5ba5f1a5f865566f5b76021457c9d55e8917fca4" data-media-id="me5ba5f1a5f865566f5b76021457c9d55e8917fca4" data-live="" data-headline="This Montana town’s top-notch food and world-class wilderness make it a must-visit" data-has-video-player="true" data-description='<p>If Missoula, Montana was only a basecamp for world-class wilderness, it’d be enough to call it one of America’s best towns – but it offers so much more. CNN’s Victor Blackwell checks out the town’s special blend of nature and city by trying its specialty food, visiting surfers in the heart of downtown, jamming at an outdoor music venue, and even fly fishing. </p><p>Check out CNN’s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/besttowns">America’s Best Towns to Visit</a> for this year’s top ten list and much more. </p>' data-duration="02:36" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> – Source:
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Northampton, Massachusetts
CNN
—
A town’s motto can reveal exactly what’s charming about the place, and it’s also shorthand for its unique quirks.
Northampton, in western Massachusetts, isn’t the only place in the Bay State to grab a cup of Joe or promote independent thinking. But it is the only town there with the unofficial motto: “Where the coffee is strong and so are the women.”
The coffee that can be found in the town’s many cafés is not only strong but delicious and the women mentioned in the slogan include students — and alumnae — of Smith College, whose campus at the edge of downtown is one of the most beautiful in all of New England.
MORE AMERICA’S BEST TOWNS TO VISIT 2025
Opened in 1875, Smith is one of five colleges in a consortium that anchors this often countercultural corner of Massachusetts, known as the Pioneer Valley. The concentration of five colleges — with 30,000 students and a top-notch cohort of academics — in a 20-mile radius ensures a rich cultural life, with a plethora of activities and a youthful vibe.
One of America’s finest women’s colleges, Smith’s particular ethos can be felt in the myriad first-rate local bookstores and the warm, artsy community.
“It is tangibly different from any other college town,” said Andrea Monson of the Downtown Northampton Association. “There’s always been this social justice spirit in the area, even dating back hundreds of years.”
Northampton is a town of just 30,000 people, with only five distinct neighborhoods. But stats like that obscure the fact that Northampton has long punched above its weight, culturally. Regionally, it’s a dining, shopping and concert destination. A coffee-drinking, bike-riding oasis, it combines the charm of a village with big city culture.
Long a welcoming haven for gays and lesbians, Hampshire County, which is home to Northampton, has the highest concentration of same-sex female households in the US.
Like many industrial towns in the Northeast, the compact downtown, one mile from the Connecticut River, is stocked with older, historic buildings. Hotel Northampton, a five-story, 106-room structure that was built in 1927, takes up a block, with two restaurants, a spacious outdoor patio and a roomy lobby full of antiques.
The stately 805-seat Academy of Music, a municipal theater built in 1891, anchors the other end of Main Street, and is a venue for live performances as well as home to resident dance and opera companies.
Characteristic of New England, there’s also a steeple rising above the main thoroughfare. It belongs to First Churches of Northampton, whose entrance features a flagstone from an earlier meeting house where legendary Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards presided in 1737.
Rural beauty and utopia
America’s Best Towns to Visit 2025: Northampton
Tying it all together is the Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail, a 10-mile bike and pedestrian path that wends its way through downtown, and then over the Connecticut River amid the region’s spectacular scenery on a lattice-truss bridge to neighboring towns, including Amherst, home to the University of Massachusetts.
“It is a beautiful place, and it has a unique combination of rural beauty and cosmopolitan sensibility,” said Jonathan Stevens, a baker whose James Beard Award-nominated bakery, Hungry Ghost Bread, is located just off the Smith campus.
That rural beauty has long been known beyond Massachusetts, thanks partly to an 1836 painting, “View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm — The Oxbow,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which captures the untamed landscape of Northampton.
Northampton’s proximity to the Connecticut River and its location 100 miles west of Boston and 90 miles east of Albany, N.Y., have conspired historically to make it a crossroads for ideas. It was the first town to have a municipal theater — the Academy of Music, which continues to host top acts. It’s also where women’s basketball got its start, with Smith College claiming responsibility for that first.
ESSENTIAL NORTHAMPTON
- EAT: Wood-fired sour dough bread from Hungry Ghost Bread
- DRINK: A café au lait at Familiars Coffee & Tea or a pint at Northampton Brewery
- STAY: At Hotel Northampton, built in 1927
- SEE: Smith College’s campus and the Norwottuck Rail Trail
Still an incubator of ideas, Northampton has lots of coffee shops but virtually no Starbucks locations, testament to the absence of anything cookie-cutter here. In 2022, Eater Boston asked if Northampton didn’t have the most coffee shops per capita of any town in Massachusetts. Eater’s conclusion: “It certainly seems that way.”
One of the most striking places to have coffee in Northampton is Familiars Coffee & Tea, a hip, one-of-a-kind café located in an old rail car that has retained the original windows and some woodwork. Other distinctive places to get caffeinated include Sip 143, about 3 miles away in the neighborhood of Florence, which is also home to Miss Florence Diner, whose retro rooftop sign can be seen a block away.
Other spots for coffee downtown include Tart Baking, which doubles as a laboratory of sweets. The small, pristine bakery produces delicious almond croissants that are as good as any you will find in the US. The glazed cider donuts and chocolate chip cookies are also quite good to nibble on while gazing out the broad storefront windows at Main Street, one of two main thoroughfares in town that are lined with local shops.
Tart Baking churns out truly exquisite pastries but baked goods as a whole are a town specialty. On the edge of Smith’s campus, you’ll find Hungry Ghost Bread. Not content merely to make tasty breads and sweets, co-owners Jonathan Stevens and Cheryl Maffie have endeavored to convince farmers in western Massachusetts to grow wheat — as the Puritans did in the early 1600s — that can be milled into flour for their bakery and others.
Stevens bakes all day, using a woodfired oven, and if you visit the bakery without finding what you want, come back in a few hours. His sourdough starter French bread is available every day and other items that are popular include fresh, hot pretzels, scones and chocolate chip cookies the size of a small plate.
Local and independent
The restaurants and food vendors that shine the brightest in Northampton tend to be those that focus on local ingredients or community or both. And they take pride in annual homespun events that bring it all together, especially Summer On Strong, which is an annual seasonal street closure that allows restaurants to cover the street in tables and chairs, creating a giant, street-wide patio. The summer-long block party downtown includes nightly concerts on weekends.
While the restaurant Spoleto isn’t located on Strong Avenue, you’ll feel a party vibe anytime you step onto the veteran downtown dining destination’s enormous back gravel patio, which is outfitted with picnic tables under white tents. On a warm Saturday evening, dinner there feels more like you’ve been invited to a neighborhood gathering.
Other local favorites include Northampton Brewery, a local craft brewer with a large rooftop deck where patrons dine under a canopy of trees; Jake’s, a brunch fixture that routinely attracts a crowd outside (no reservations) and is known for its varieties of hash; and Amanouz Café, a Moroccan and Mediterranean restaurant whose plain storefront shifts the focus to the authentic fare, which includes hummus, kebabs and homemade soups.
Not surprisingly, Northampton has a stalwart ice cream parlor — Herrell’s — located in a downtown mall called Thorne’s Marketplace that’s also home to the two-story independent bookshop, Booklink Booksellers, and Hometown Arcade, a pay-by-the-hour local gaming oasis that can be a welcome respite on a rainy or blustery day.
Other stops to make downtown include Newbury Comics, a regional chain that stocks comic books, manga, vinyl and cool t-shirts, and Raven Used Books, which not unlike the Strand in New York City, has every book you need and every book you didn’t know you needed.
“We live in a bubble. An artsy bubble,” said Betsy Frederick, who has owned Raven Used Books for 30 years. “It’s a good bubble to live in. We don’t have traffic jams! But we have good coffee and lots of art. People leave Northampton but they come back. They like the bubble.”
‘New ideas’ from the beginning
Founded by Puritans in 1654, Northampton’s reputation as a place apart dates back to the 1660s when it was selected as the site of a judicial court, according to Laurie Sanders with the nonprofit Historic Northampton.
“Northampton, even though it wasn’t a large urban center, was exposed to a lot more new ideas than other towns its size, just because of the court,” Sanders said.
For a century, the silk industry dominated the town’s economy. A group of silk manufacturers even briefly formed a utopian community opposed to slavery in 1842 whose members included Sojourner Truth, a former slave who was an early feminist.
In the 1970s, after Northampton’s fortunes had somewhat dipped, a group of people seeking a different kind of utopia began shaping the town as a center for culture and arts. Graduates of the nearby University of Massachusetts, which doubled its enrollment between 1965 and 1975 to 25,000 students, and others set up artists’ studios and opened businesses in empty storefronts.
Music was a key part of this revival. And The Iron Horse, which was established in 1979 and has recently re-opened after a hiatus, is largely considered the foundation of Northampton’s pop music scene. Jordi Herold, founder of Iron Horse who now works as a developer in the area, said the venue in its first two decades hosted such acts as Wynton Marsalis, Smashing Pumpkins and Tracy Chapman.
“It put the town on the map as a place for live music,” Herold told CNN.
The club helped spur the addition of a whole coterie of musical venues and organizations that support live music, including The Parlor Room, and the Musicians Workshop.
The town also boasts regular music and art events, including Arts Night Out, when virtually every cultural organization in town throws open its doors for the night.
Flowers, trees and cruising over the river
When visitors want a break from strolling, sipping and shopping, the great outdoors awaits. One place to start is the Smith College campus.
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Smith’s campus boasts a small but exquisite botanic garden that’s nestled between the Mill River and the Lyman Plant House and Conservatory, where iconic writer Sylvia Plath took an undergraduate botany course that later inspired her classic 1963 feminist novel, “The Bell Jar.” Both are free and open to the public.
The plant house, built in 1895, is home to more than 3,000 plants, including countless varieties of succulents. Wander through the greenhouses and then out into the botanic garden and arboretum, with immense trees that are labeled with QR codes for an audio tour (one in particular not to miss is Great Tree #3, a huge gingko biloba).
From there visitors can walk along the Mill River toward the gorgeous Paradise Pond waterfall, best glimpsed from a stone bridge linking the campus to athletic fields.
Smith is home to the Smith College Museum of Art, also free to the public, which boasts seldom-seen works by Old Masters, including a sculpture by Rodin and a gorgeous Monet that’s part of the famous Rouen Cathedral series, plus a highly unusual Georgia O’Keefe painting and an exquisite Diego Rivera portrait.
Want more art? Visit the museums at the other colleges in the consortium, including Mead Art Museum in Amherst, whose holdings include Gilbert Stuart portraits.
After a few hours looking at art, visitors may want to head back into town, hop on their bikes and pedal along the Norwottuck Rail Trail. A good spot to access the trail is by the old train bridge that overlooks the intersection of Main and Pleasant Streets. It’s visible to pedestrians below because of iron silhouettes that decorate it.
After the trail crosses the Connecticut river, the tree-lined path passes cultivated fields and old faded barns as it heads to the town of Hadley, with a leafy canopy overhead that makes for a bucolic experience, even when near a highway.
The other main trail in the Northampton area is Manhan Rail Trail, which links Northampton to Easthampton, a smaller town whose artsy storefronts and cultural startups amplify the area’s offerings. Northampton Bicycle is located near both trails and rents bikes by the day.
An annual bike week features events designed to promote cycling even among people who prefer four wheels to two, and a monthly “bike party,” is aimed at getting kids out on bikes.
For anyone looking to explore more on foot, there are wonderful hikes, including Holyoke Range in nearby South Hadley, which offers stunning views of the rolling hills of western Massachusetts.
Northampton’s location in the pastoral western side of Massachusetts places it conveniently close to major cities but far enough away to preserve a small-town feel.
“I live in the woods, I can ride my bike to town, and on any given working day, I get to chat with people from all over the world, speaking French, English, Spanish,” said Stevens, the baker at Hungry Ghost Bread. “We talk about the world. There’s a magical sensibility here, and good food and good music.”