Northwest Arkansas received national attention this week when it was listed by the world’s largest publisher of travel-related books and guides as a top destination.
Lonely Planet’s selection of Northwest Arkansas as No. 7 on its 2016 list of “Best in the U.S.” is an important recognition for the region because its tourist destinations have expanded so markedly in recent years. The publication each year asks its travel writers select U.S. places that they consider to be “must-see” places to visit.
Philadelphia held the No. 1 spot and other places on Lonely Planet’s list included Yellowstone National Park; Natchez, Mississippi; Milwaukee; Birmingham; San Antonio; Somerville, Massachusetts; southern New Mexico; and Alaska.
Aspects of Northwest Arkansas that were mentioned in Lonely Planet’s description of the region included the Ozark Mountains; Devil’s Den State Park; college-town Fayetteville’s Dickson Street, Hugo’s restaurant and the city’s Square; Bentonville’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 21c Museum Hotel, Tusk & Trotter restaurant and the Town Square; and Eureka Springs’ Lake Leatherwood City Park, 1886 Crescent Hotel and the city’s impressive dining options.
No city or place listed by Lonely Planet this year was included in the publication’s 2014 or 2015 “Best of the U.S.” lists.
