- Asheville, North Carolina, returns to Travel + Leisure’s top 15 U.S. travel destinations list for 2025 after being absent in 2024.
- Nearly 180,000 readers participated in the survey, casting over 657,000 votes across various categories.
After dropping off the list in 2024, Asheville is back on Travel + Leisure’s list of best U.S. travel destinations.
Travel media website Travel + Leisure publishes travel guides, lists of suggestions and more – and the 2025 list isn’t the first time the website has praised WNC locations. The list features 15 locations total, chosen through reader opinions.
Almost 180,000 T+L readers completed the 2025 survey, with a total of more than 657,000 votes cast across 8,700 properties such as hotels, cities, cruise lines and more. Cities were rated specifically on six categories: sights/landmarks, culture, food, friendliness, shopping and value. Numerical scores out of 100 possible points were chosen for each town based on respondent ratings.
T+L noted that the Southeast and Southwest regions – Asheville included – were particularly well represented on the 2025 list. Here’s what readers loved about the city, plus the full list and more.
Asheville Travel + Leisure
Asheville dropped off of the annual T+L list in 2024 after previous inclusions. However, the city made it back on at No. 9 in 2025, with list writers noting the love visitors expressed for Asheville following the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Helene in the fall of 2024.
In particular, respondents praised the city for several area hallmarks including hiking trails, craft beer and “funky” art galleries. One frequent visitor told article writers that Asheville “will need tourists more than ever” post-Helene, and expressed excitement to help the community they’ve “grown to love.”
Best vacation towns in the US
The full list of Travel + Leisure’s top 15 U.S. travel destinations of 2025:
- Santa Fe, New Mexico: 88.80
- New Orleans, Louisiana: 87.06
- Charleston, South Carolina: 87.01
- Savannah, Georgia: 86.64
- Alexandria, Virginia: 85.26
- Honolulu, Hawaii: 84.87
- Greenville, South Carolina: 83.91
- New York, New York: 83.84
- Asheville, North Carolina: 83.14
- Chicago, Illinois:83.04
- Taos, New Mexico: 82.80
- San Antonio, Texas: 82.68
- Nashville, Tennessee: 82.34
- Boston, Massachusetts: 81.34
- Aspen, Colorado: 81.26
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
