A Maine destination has once again been crowned the country’s best small town to visit by US News & World Report.
The outlet published its annual best vacations rankings on Tuesday, and for the fifth year in a row, Maine’s Bar Harbor has topped the list of small towns to visit in the US, which celebrates “places with a population of less than 50,000 people,” according to the ranking’s description online. The scenic, Pine Tree State locale is one of five New England destinations featured on this year’s list.
Camden, Maine, which was previously ranked No. 8 on America’s best small towns to visit list drops to No. 18, while Stowe, Vt., jumps up to No. 12 after ranking No. 14 last year. A pair of popular Massachusetts islands also made the list, with Nantucket dropping a spot to No. 11 (it was previously ranked No. 10), while Martha’s Vineyard was ranked No. 25, dropping from No. 23 last year.
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Bar Harbor pops up in a couple of other best vacations rankings, earning the No. 13 spot on the list of best affordable vacations in the US. It was once again the only New England destination to make the best affordable vacations list, dropping from the No. 9 spot last year.
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Bar Harbor also made the rankings for best places to visit in the US, coming in at No. 21, down from the No. 20 spot last year. Meanwhile, Boston jumped to No. 22 this year, up from its previous rank of No. 23.
Speaking of the Hub, Boston was named the fourth best city to visit in America, dropping from third place last year. As for what US News & World Report considers the best city in the country to visit, New York City continues its reign atop the list.
And for travelers looking to get a head start on Valentine’s Day plans, US News & World Report also revealed its 2026 list of best romantic getaways in the country, with a trio of Massachusetts locales making the cut. Nantucket ranked No. 14 on the list, with Martha’s Vineyard coming in at No. 16 and Cape Cod at No. 17. Meanwhile on the outlet’s rankings of America’s best honeymoon destinations, Kennebunkport, Maine, ranked No. 17.
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Explore the full 2026 best vacations rankings here.
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.
Maine destination named best small town by US News & World Report
