Conde Nast Traveler’s 36th annual Readers Choice Awards includes survey favorites for Best Small Cities in America, and Alexandria, Virginia, and Annapolis, Maryland, both make the top 10 cut.
Its Readers Choice rankings included survey responses from 526,518 readers this year.
Alexandria ranks No. 3 on this year’s Best Small Cities list. Conde Nast readers cite its charming historic district that draws travelers and would-be residents alike.
“Most folks start to imagine moving there immediately after setting foot in Old Town, once they’ve strolled the red-brick sidewalks, clocking street after street of perfectly preserved row houses from the 18th and 19th centuries,” its editors wrote.
Its readers recommend King Street boutiques and restaurants, the waterfront, the Torpedo Factory Art Center and Gadsby’s Tavern, where some of America’s Founding Fathers used to drink.
Annapolis is No. 9 on the list, with readers liking the charming town’s beck-lined streets and structures that date back centuries, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Conde Nast recommended a tour of the Academy’s museum and model gallery, and a stroll through its Beaux Arts campus. It also wins over readers for its seafood restaurants. The magazine recommends O’Leary’s Seafood Restaurant for crab cakes, calling it an essential part of any visit.
Conde Nast Traveler’s 2023 top 10 Best Small Cities is online.
