The 25 coolest towns in America to visit in 2021 (Columbus #13!)

2020 HAS BEEN like a giant magnifying glass for our country, our cities, and ourselves. The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to reevaluate our priorities and examine what it is about travel that makes us all love it so much — and miss it when that privilege is taken away from us. It’s not the perks of an airport lounge or the Instagram likes you get on a vacation selfie. It’s the people and the places where we can connect with each other — be it with our travel companions or complete strangers.

In most places around the United States, 2020 saw the closure — temporary or otherwise — of those places where we connect: bars, restaurants, festival grounds, bookshops, museums, and other institutions that give a destination its character in the first place. Trying to highlight the “cool” in a decidedly “uncool” year might sound like a fruitless effort, but towns across the country have defied overwhelming odds to prove their resilience.

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