Massachusetts Town Crowned America’s 8th Best to Visit in 2025

One of the many great aspects of Massachusetts is if you don't want to take a week-long vacation and instead want to make a weekend or day trip to a town or small city, there are plenty to choose from in the Bay State.

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America's 8th Best Town to Visit in 2025 is in Massachusetts

If you are looking for a fun and unique area to visit in Massachusetts, look no further than Northampton. CNN Travel ranks Northampton as America's eighth-best town to visit in 2025. Who could blame CNN? Being a college community, the downtown area is full of life. It's packed with diversity and is second to none when it comes to music and the arts.

Here's an excerpt of CNN's review of Northampton.

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.

Read More: One of New England's 6 Best Places to Retire is in Massachusetts

Northampton Has a Fun Motto

In case you didn't Northampton's unofficial motto is "Where the coffee is strong and so are the women." You can find delicious coffee throughout Northampton, along with many women, courtesy of Smith College. The private liberal arts college for women opened in 1875. It wouldn't be rare to come across female faculty, alumnae, and students of Smith during your visit to Northampton.

Don't Forget About Northampton's Music Venues

Be sure to check out Northampton's music scene. The Academy of Music, The Parlor Room, The Iron Horse, and Sage Hall, among many others, are all worth a visit. There's so much to do and see in Northampton. For some more suggestions on how to narrow down what you want to see and do when visiting this Paradise City, go here.