Earlier this year, Travel + Leisure readers participated in this year’s America’s Favorite Cities survey, placing Charleston, South Carolina at the top of the list of America’s most uniquely charming cities. Other cities on the survey’s top 20 list include Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Nashville, Atlanta, Seattle and Baltimore.
In this year’s America’s Favorite Cities survey, readers voted on dozens of features that make 38 cities special, from museums to bakeries and flea markets. To highlight the most bewitching cities, rankings were combined for interesting architecture, pedestrian-friendly streets, quaint bookstores, a sense of history and a friendly atmosphere – and nice wine bars didn’t hurt, either.
Several winners had one thing in common: old neighborhoods that have found new life, with cobblestone streets as well as cool shops and little cafes. Otherwise, in some winning cities, charm means easy access to public art, or food truck pods where locals gather around the fire pit with guitars.
With most of the winners, too, those walkable streets are key – assuming you stray off the tourist grid.
In Charleston, “every main street, alleyway and market feels as though it holds centuries of stories,” said Rachel Rudman, co-creator of the travel series How 2 Travelers. The city dazzled readers with its charm offensive, including horse-drawn carriages, world-class antique shops, and some breathtakingly attractive residents.
